… new goose poop machines, by the dozen, are everywhere.
See…
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Hoping for Peace
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
Albert EinsteinWe have had blue skies and sunshine today and wind gusting up to 16 mph. Sure makes it difficult to keep my hair looking pretty! I needed some time in one of the natural areas so I headed to Pineridge Natural Area to journal in the peace, quiet and wind. I was visited by one of the magpies who surprisingly was not very chatty. They did not seem bothered by my presence and even accepting. We could not communicate but we kept the peace. They just hung around and posed for me. Hope you had a good day.
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More mystery…
Please remember that certainty—not doubt—is the opposite of faith. The insistence on certainty reveals a need for control, not a need for love or understanding.
Richard RohrHolding a perspective of certainty allows some people to justify putting others down because of the attempt to try and strip them of their humanity or believing them to be less than us. But this belief is the ego putting itself on a pedestal and rejecting self-restraint, understanding, compassion, and any willingness to dialogue. This is hate and intolerance. I find it difficult to be around such people because there is almost no openness to sharing ideas with narcissistic people. What can be even more frightening is when we are basing certainty on half truths or even lies. I have come to embrace living in the adventure and mystery of life.
Needing some time out on the prairie to journal I headed east. Stopped at a favorite spot and I was surrounded by hundreds of Canada Geese. Needless to say I did not find much peace and quiet for journaling but I did enjoy my time. Hundreds of them. Waves of them. Makes you wonder where they came from and where they are headed. More mystery.
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Just a quote tonight….
“The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer -
…calling me by my name
In indigenous ways of knowing, all beings are recognized as non-human persons, and all have their own names. It is a sign of respect to call a being by its name, and a sign of disrespect to ignore it. Words and names are the ways we humans build relationship, not only with each other, but also with plants.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering MossIf words and names are the ways we humans build relationships then calling one another derogatory names on social media, or the playground, does not build relationships. If anything it builds more walls. I will go as far as saying it’s immature, even frustrating. When I listen to a meadowlark sing from its heart my spirit hears it as an invitation. And just maybe it’s calling me by my name. No walls there!
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Cute and Fuzzy
On Monday I photographed these two goslings that seem to be orphaned. They are following a group of 10-15 mature Canada Geese but not seem connected to any one or two of them. I’ve even watched as some will move away when the little ones get too close as if they want nothing to do with them, even snapping at them. Makes me wonder if they were being chased by a raccoon if any of them would try to defend the goslings. I titled this post cute and fuzzy but even at this age they are a pooping machine! As my dad would say, “In one end and out the other.”
Sadly, as of yesterday I only saw one of them and this morning no sign of either of them. The way of Nature is not always my way. I leave shortly to have lunch with my oldest daughter and then meet Duane at 1:45 pm. More rain predicted this afternoon.
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Teaching me to listen…
Eastern Kingbird I pray to the birds. I pray to the birds because I believe they will carry the messages of my heart upward. I pray to them because I believe in their existence, the way their songs begin and end each day—the invocations and benedictions of Earth. I pray to the birds because they remind me of what I love rather than what I fear. And at the end of my prayers, they teach me how to listen.
Terry Tempest WilliamsWe’ve had a steady mist all morning and they are predicting heavier rain later this afternoon. It is welcomed moisture and much the same for the next four days. Seems my photographer’s eye has been drawn to clouds and birds the past few weeks. The song birds have put on some wonderful concerts that keep me coming back for more. If I could change one thing in Williams quote it would be the phrase “pray to.” I would like it to say “pray with.” And, I do believe their songs are teaching me to listen! Happy Saturday!
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The Literature of the Spirit
Pelican in early morning fog at Arapaho Bend Natural Area – May 2023 One of our problems today is that we are not well acquainted with the literature of the spirit. We’re interested in the news of the day and the problems of the hour.
Joseph CampbellMy wife and I separated in 1991 and sold the house that fall. I drove away with everything I owned in the back of a small Ford Ranger pickup and with a feeling I was not familiar with. Her and I were closing one chapter of our lives and moving forward into another. It was a time of letting go. One thing that I have fully embraced from that day to the present was the letting go of television. I have not owned one since then. I came to a place where I’m not interested in the news of the day, the problems of the hour or what society considers entertainment. I focus my attention on the reality of life, one-on-one time with family and friends, the gift of time in nature, reaching out to the needs of those who are suffering, time in solitude, silence, prayer and meditation, journaling, photography and listening to the spirit that pervades everything. I guess you can say that’s being acquainted with the literature of the spirit.
Six years ago today I had open heart surgery. That valve lasted about four years when it failed and they needed to replace it in a TAVR procedure, March 2023. So today I am grateful and living life as full as I can. Thank you to all who have been reading these ramblings over the years!!
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I hope so!!
Western Kingbird – June 2023 The American people may solve their problems themselves, and so save the world a catastrophe, but not by insisting that the government do their work for them. No man will ever be whole and dignified and free except in the knowledge that the men around him are whole and dignified and free, and that the world itself is free of contempt and misuse.
Wendell Berry, Hidden WoundSpending time in nature has taught me how birds embrace freedom. The life of this Western Kingbird is not without peril, requiring a constant alertness or its life can end quickly in the talons of some raptor. But, I’m not sure they worry about the price of gas or a quart of milk, or increases in property taxes and insurance, or the prison of their corporate lives. And there seems to be no indication they feel more dignified or less dignified than their neighbor. They perch on the same barbed wire fence and pursue the same insects as all their neighbors. I seriously doubt it’s concerned if its song of repeated bursts of “chits” and chattering is more enjoyable, or less, than the meadowlarks or the magpies. It seems they sing from a heart that is free of its role in the contempt and misuse of the world. I desire to think it’s a song of joy, wonder, pleasure, trust or hope! At least I hope so!!
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Love One Another
Male mallard at the ponds “Love one another.” If we took those simple words to heart, we’d already be the Buddhas Jesus wanted us to be.
Kathleen Dowling SinghEven though the world is in much chaos, love is still a powerful force in life. Love seems to be a constant in my readings and conversations. It may be that I’m more attune to love at this stage of my life. It may be because I spend more time in nature at this stage of my life. It may be that I am reading more poetry at this stage of my life. Maybe it’s because I’m coming to understand what love truly is. Maybe I’m really experiencing what it means to love one another, taking these words to heart, and all of creation. Oh, that more of us would embrace the power of love!
