My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
This morning I sat in my reserved chair and had a mocha inside Mugs, the first time since March 15th, according to my journal. That’s almost six months. Hard to get my mind wrapped around how fast time has moved on. And, I still fit in the chair. 😊
From my journal during the pandemic: I wish I’d read more when I was younger but my soul is fertile at this stage of my life for the words I now read.
“Stepping into silence feels like I’m getting back to myself. Because from it I can find answers to life’s problems, creative ideas, and deep understanding.” Chelsey Brooks, The Pathfinder
Feeling restless yesterday evening, I drove out to one of the natural areas for a short 2.5 mile walk. I was greeted with a silence and a peacefulness I was not aware I so deeply needed. The sky had a different look and feel all afternoon because of the smoke from the Cameron Peak fire. It was eerie. I don’t expect today to be any different as this morning the eastern sun glows red, the smell of smoke fills my nostrils and I can watch the soot and ashes falling like snow.
Was not alone on my walk yesterday, I saw a few birds but they were not singing, silently darting in the smoke filled air. A lone mallard with reedy quacks called out from the pond. Everything was still, no wind, not a blade of grass moved. At that moment I realized I go to these sanctuaries because I can step into a place of silence. A silence that’s connected to nature, freeing me from the restlessness I felt earlier and getting back to myself. Unaware, I was listening to the voice whispering from within.
“Let the truth be in your hearts, as it will be if you practise meditation, and you will see clearly what love we are bound to have for our neighbors.” The Way of Perfection
I needed to get another 3,500 steps in yesterday afternoon so I drove to Dixon Reservoir and walked around the reservoir to get them in. The sun had dropped below the mountains making it much cooler as it was a hot day. It was different today as we had almost no clouds for the whole day. Rather unusual for us.
“Our living is determined not so much by what life brings to us as by the attitude we bring to life; not so much by what happens to us as by the way our mind looks at what happens.” Khalil Gibran
Smoke hovers over the city
The foul smell of smoke, now choking
The amber color uninviting, otherworldly
So quiet, birds sing in silence or elsewhereDespairing mood in this darkened world
Close my eyes, pray for a brighter day
Open my eyes, but nothing changed
I go for a mocha, stare at blank pagesI sit in the quiet, seek the light within
Wishing it will shine on this gloomy day
Now write words, they keep me in the present
Even in this blackness we do not give up hopems
On one of my walks at Dixon Reservoir I noticed this man just getting started with some fishing. The rising sun offered me a wonderful silhouette so I paused, took a deep breath, composed, took five images. Probably three too many but what the heck. For me the mood of this image tells a story about this man’s love for fishing.
My bicycle ride to and from Mugs coffee shop takes me across the campus of Colorado State University. I was surprised this morning at the number of parents dropping off students at dorms. I’ll guess 90% were wearing masks but I imagine that will change when mom leaves. It also brought more awareness of the vast differences we have in our attitudes towards this pandemic. What the heck, maybe these freshman need to become fishermen, standing six feet a part. Yes, I know, I’m thinking out loud again.
“A mind that worries about the past is distracted, and a mind that worries about the future is delusional.” — Cheng Yen