When we focus our attention on our breath,
Thich Nhat Hanh
we find out very quickly that we are a living reality,
present here and now,
sitting on this beautiful planet Earth.
Present Here and Now
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Snow topped tulips from March 2024 -
Happy Friday
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”A brisk 31 degrees this morning in Colorado. I met Jeff for coffee and conversation. When I got home I found out I had an issue with my website. After a chat session with Bluehost all seems to be working again. I find myself feeling overwhelmed with technology even after years working in engineering. I know some of that is immediate panic and a voice that says “I’m screwed now.” I don’t consider myself a techy person but prefer sharing stories of our lives with a friend, reading a book, journaling or enjoying the few moments with this nice buck I saw on my bicycle ride this morning. Each of those is about what I am doing with the time that has been given me while living in these times. Happy Friday!!
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Quiet Sunrise
Sunrise at Arapaho Bend Natural Area – 2021 It is a wonderful day in our life
John O’Donohue
when one is finally able to stand
before the long, deep mirror of one’s own reflection
and view oneself
with appreciation, acceptance and forgiveness.
On that day
one breaks through the falsity of images and expectations
which have blinded one’s spirit.
One can only learn to see who one is
when one learns to view oneself
with the most intimate and forgiving
compassion. -
Damn, it was good!
Sunrise at the CSU Oval with a dirty lens I received an interesting email this past week from attorneys in California “demanding” me to remove images from my website because I was infringing on copyrighted images belonging to their company. They had a link to a file listing the images but the link was incomplete. I did some research on the attorneys and discovered they deal with estate and trust litigation. I was sure it was a scam of some sort because as far as I know I have no images on this blog that are not mine. I was concerned that I may have posted a quote or poem that someone was wanting me to take down, which I would do, so I called them. I found out they were aware someone was using their company name and that I could ignore the email. So confusing that people can think of doing something like that, then acting on it and never see the results. Anyway…
The other morning at Mugs I discovered one chocolate eclair sitting in their pastry case. I was flabbergasted because they normally do carry them except in the downtown store. I knew immediately some poor unsuspecting customer, maybe even a friend, was going to see that eclair and be tempted buy it. So, I quickly made the sacrifice and bought it, thinking only of them of course. Damn, it was good!
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The Meaning of Life
BirdsEye mural by Ren Burke I think “the meaning of life” is something we have to formulate for ourselves, we have to determine what has meaning for us… It clearly has to do with love — what and whom and how one can love.
Oliver SacksWe had another beautiful day yesterday, beginning with an orange sunrise then blue skies and sunshine. In the afternoon I headed to Old Town to walk the streets with my camera. I found a few images then did some journaling at Starry Night, enjoying an Earl Grey Tea. I believe so deeply in what Oliver Sacks suggests that the meaning of life is about love. So today I ask myself what and whom and how I can love.
In 2004 as a collaboration between the City of Fort Collins Art in Public Places Program and Utilities Light and Power created The Transformer Cabinet Mural Project. Serving as a graffiti abatement program, the murals help lower maintenance costs while adding bright colorful art in unexpected places. The program also helps keep the investment local by utilizing local artists and non-profit groups to paint the cabinets. Since the start of the program, 20 years now, over 400 transformer cabinets have been transformed into works of art.
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Tell the Tale
It feels like we are living in a time of apocalypse,
Steven Charleston, We Survived the End of the World: Lessons from Native America on Apocalypse and Hope
an age when everything we take for granted is starting to collapse around us.
It feels like the end of the world.…
This situation is nothing new for me as a Native American.
My ancestors already lived through an apocalypse.…
Native American culture in North America has been through the collapse of civilization
and lived to tell the tale. -
Miracles Everywhere
Snow covered foothills at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area I was sad
Joyce Wilson-Sanford, I Pray Anyway
Mad
Big things going wrong
Big
Asked for a miracle
Nope
Screamed for it
Nope
Then looked around
Miracles everywhere
Just not the one I so badly wantedIt has been overcast and cold all day. The snow stopped around mid-morning. I made a drive to Reservoir Ridge Natural Area this morning knowing it was closed due to wet conditions but hoping to get a photo of the snow sitting atop the foothills from the gate. What a miracle it is to be alive and live in this beautiful world. In my quiet this morning I took a book down from my shelf called I Pray Anyway and thumbed through a few of her poems until I came across this one. Sometimes a poet will just say what I need to read. Her poem speaks to me because so many miracles that didn’t/don’t/won’t happen the way I want them to. She reminds me to look around at all the other miracles in my life and let go of what I think outcomes need to be. And then I can make a gratitude list of miracles everywhere in my life!!
