My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island
The most ordinary life experiences become transcendent when you offer them your reverent silence, your mischievous laughter, your sacred rage.
Mirabai Starr
Another frigid morning below zero, where my car groaned when I turned the ignition. Almost like it was saying, “Do you really want to do this?” Clear blue skies and sunshine now bring some warmth. My morning included quiet time, a breakfast scramble, then a trip to the coffee shop filled with wonderful conversations and a mocha. I did not journal until after I came home and began laundry. Some may consider my life dull, boring, ordinary but for me there is nothing ordinary about this life I live. My life is full as long as I stay present, my eyes open! I must admit I live the good life! I see that everyone is dealing with this cold weather so I hope you are staying warm.
Compassion means to come close to the one who suffers… A compassionate person says I am your brother, I am your sister, I am human, fragile, and mortal, just like you… We can be with the other only when the other ceases to be other and becomes like us.
Henri Nouwen
We all suffer. Even those with money, food, good health, a job, nice home with two cars and money in savings. I would venture to say most people hide their suffering, maybe even denying it. We can easily believe that because we have stuff we are not suffering and therefore different than others. We can even feel that even when we only have one car. Accumulating stuff can lead to a lack of compassion.
I would love to see more compassion in our world. Maybe take it one step further and make it empathy not just compassion. And to have compassion and empathy, we must cease to see others as different from us and see them to be just like us. We are, at the core, all the same. I think the above quote is spot on.
I am sharing this nice photo of Kelsey’s latte art. I enjoy ordering a cappuccino or mocha just so I can see what kind of artwork they will produce. It is a beautiful summer morning, clear skies and sunshine. May you have a wonderful Friday.
Things do not make life, life.
Joan Chittister
From my own experiences I’m aware that a new fountain pen “will not” make me a better writer, or a wiser person. Yet, I still look. I also know that a new Fujifilm X100VI will not make me a better street photographer, or a wiser person. Yet, I still look. From my own life experiences the simple things I have in life are the real treasures of life. I am doing my best to live my life with less attachments to things and not accumulating more things. Chittister also says that life comes from living it. So, living life today means taking the time to savor the beauty of latte art, enjoying my mocha, and a bit of journaling with the treasures I have.
After some precious quiet time, journaling and watching the sunrise at a natural area, I let Isaac make me a mocha latte. As you can see he outdid himself on his artwork, almost too pretty to drink. And, he was grinning from ear-to-ear when he handed it to me. But, then…
After taking this photo to document his work of art, I bumped the table and sloshed the mocha everywhere. 
I was grateful for the saucer as it caught most of the spill and I could pour it back into the cup. He forgave me! It is overcast, cool, and damp after last nights rain. It actually feels refreshing. May you have a wonderful Monday!
“There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there.”
Paulo Coelho
It is cold and the wind continues to blow this morning. Made my way to Pineridge Natural Area for the predawn colors. I watched as the wind scattered the ever changing clouds across the canvas sky. I felt within the sense of drama in nature as she constantly reshaped the clouds according to the wind’s whims. I’m now enjoying my mocha latte at Starry Night then will meet Mark for breakfast as he and I continue our fantasy quest of solving the world’s troubles. I say that with tongue-in-cheek as he and I realize changing the world always starts with ourselves. I feel I am finding that facing and overcoming troubles is much more of an adventure than just an unwanted task. In my past I had the tendency to run from them. Now there is more of a desire to learn from the lessons. Just facing them is a lesson. May you have a wonderful day, overcoming any and all problems while learning life’s lessons! Stay warm!
Understanding of the self only arises in relationship, in watching yourself in relationship to people, ideas, and things; to trees, the earth, and the world around you and within you. Relationship is the mirror in which the self is revealed. Without self-knowledge there is no basis for right thought and action.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Well, Hannah out did herself, showing off again, this morning with her latte art. I wonder sometimes if the reason I order mocha lattes is because of the artwork or because I enjoy their flavor. Think I’ll just go with both!
We have clear blue skies and temperatures in the high teens but expecting it to warm up into the high 40’s. I love the mornings when the sun shines in my front room window, spreading its light across the floor and furniture. It is something I look forward to it each day. Depending on the time of year also determines the length of time I get to enjoy it.
Relationships have become a vital learning experience in my life over the past 20 plus years. I am learning how to improve them, how to nurture them and how to build relationships with others who are different from me. I am learning to embrace relationships I would not expect to have, such as all my baristas. I am learning to repair damaged and broken relationships. And with the advent of the internet I’m also learning to embrace virtual relationships. I must also include the relationship I have with God, this unknown HIgher Power, that something I cannot define or comprehend, as well as a renewed relationship with all of creation. And, I am learning to be someone healthy in a relationship. As this year comes to a close I find I have a grateful heart for the gift of relationships in the year.
Had I been given a clear definition of love earlier in my life it would not have taken me so long to become a more loving person. Had I shared with others a common understanding of what it means to love it would have been easier to create love.
bell hooks
Like many of us when we were young, love was an object to grasp. As I’ve grown older, gained some experience, love for me is now an action word, no longer an object just out of my reach. I’ve discovered it is a part of my very essence, who I am. I’ve discovered that it asks to be given away without any conditions and without any expectations of receiving anything in return. It’s easy to tell someone I love them and believe I love them but it’s another thing to actually love. Slowly but surely I’m learning about this action word called love.
As a side note the boots from yesterday’s posted image are no longer there.