“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon- instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our window today.” – Dale Carnegie

Many of our dreams, and those we’ve yet to see, take us to some other place and time. We are no longer present except in body. But just dreaming about them will not give them birth. It is our responsibility to take action and make them reality. Whatever fearful steps we take will reveal the roses.

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it. ”
― M. Scott Peck

There are times I find tension building up in my shoulders and the back of my neck. I think they call it “being up tight.” Major warning signs that something is amiss in my life. When I notice the tension one of the first things I do is focus on my breathing. I then look to see what’s going on within me. Am I not dealing with people and situations in a healthy way? What am I avoiding? Am I not getting enough sleep? Am I faltering in my routines: quiet, solitude, eating and exercise, meditation and prayer? Then I realize I’ve not taken any photographs for the past two days. Duh! Setup the tripod and press the shutter until symptoms go away. That’ll take care of the tension.

There is no desire to be outside as it is cold and therefore this self-portrait and short post. We received 5 inches of snow starting on Tuesday evening and on into Wednesday. I so enjoy the silence of falling snow, another one of the gifts of nature to heal and refresh. But along with the snow comes the colder temperatures as they dropped into the single digits on Wednesday night, 7 degrees. By afternoon we were up to 38 but quickly dropping fast back into the teens for the overnight low and we are expecting this pattern for the next 3-4 days. So last night I setup the camera for a couple of self-portraits while enjoying the Christmas tree lights, the silence and a bit of reflection.

Today is also my youngest granddaughters birthday, so Happy Birthday Madie! I love you!