My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
I think I have taken a photo of this scene each time I walk this terminal to my gate on my flight back to Denver. It has an appeal to me! It is another cold morning here in Colorado with expected snow tonight and into tomorrow morning. And the southern sky was breathtakingly on fire this morning as I drove to the coffee shop. I splurged this morning and bought one of Mug’s burritos to take home. Today will be a quiet day and mostly spent inside. Stay warm and dry and spread some love, joy and compassion around! It’s needed!!!
My sister and I returned from Phoenix about 5 pm yesterday. It was a good trip for us. The only hiccup was realizing on the shuttle ride from the parking lot to the terminal that I left my phone in my car. I had no time to go back for it so I was without a phone from Wednesday morning until Saturday evening. Without the phone I had no ability to call, text message or check email. I think I handled it well. But, I did get some ribbing from my siblings and it provided many opportunities for bantering and teasing. All good stuff!
Somewhere over southern Colorado
We also had overcast skies and some rain while there so it was much cooler than past visits. We have made it an annual thing to get together every Thanksgiving, or at least the week before. During this family gathering time we pass around a wood Santa carved by all of us which you can read about here. This is my year to have Santa at my place. And, of course there was an abundance of wonderful food to go along with conversation and laughter.
I loved seeing and visiting with my dad. He is still as sharp as a tack for being 96 but I could see the physical aging of the body. He is slow and unstable getting up and getting around, needing to use a walker or a cane. He tires quickly due to the congestive heart issues and the edema. However, I would expect these things with anyone his age. We also never know when will be the last time all of us will be together. It makes each visit and the family time even more precious.
I arrived home last night about 7:00 pm. Loved my time with family and ate way too much good food. It seems my schedule gets a bit wacky when I travel but will be okay in 24-48 hours. Not sure how I did it while working as a flight attendant. I slept well last night and will be back into my routines as well as allow my family to get back into theirs. We had no trouble with travel as everything went rather well with no delays or obstacles and no turbulence. Will relax today and get ready for the upcoming week.
I’ve heard of a prayer that goes something like this, “God give me patience and give it to me now.” Waiting can be difficult for many of us. Several come to mind. Standing in a checkout line. Sitting in doctors office. Waiting on a delayed flight at the airport. Meeting someone who is late for coffee. Waiting for the arrival of a new grandchild. Waiting for our tax return. 🙂 Waiting for a freezer of homemade ice cream to finish. Waiting for the pizza to be delivered. Yet, as I grow older I’ve learned to appreciate waiting. I really do enjoy those times of sitting or kneeling in wet grass waiting for the sun to touch the horizon as it rises or sets. Walking the streets waiting for a photo opportunity to present itself. Waiting silently in prayer or mediation. Waiting is a teacher if we let it. Waiting can be a discipline if we let it. Waiting can have special rewards if we let it. As Elizabeth Taylor says, “It is very strange that the years teach us patience – that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting.” Are we learning to wait patiently or wanting it now?
Not every view from my office is spectacular. Some views are on the boring side; a dull gray. But we have miles and miles of gray with a bump thrown in here and there, for good measure. Should be back in Columbus tomorrow just in time for the snow. 🙁
Wow, I’m sneaking up on my 60th birthday this summer. Gasp! Where has the time gone? Even at this age I ask the questions about where I’m at in life and where I’m going. The life I live is not what I dreamed or envisioned in my youth. I know I cannot live in the past nor in the future but every once in a while I venture to those places. The only life I can live is the present. I must always remind myself to stay here.
I’m nomadic at this time in my life. After my divorce and selling the house I drove away from that chapter of my life with all my belongings in the back of a small pickup. It was a freeing moment. Of course, I’ve since added a few items to carry around with me so I may need two truck now. I spend half my month living in hotels and flying with passengers in a long metal tube. For the past year I’ve started carrying a laptop, an iphone and my journal along with my camera wherever I venture. I search out images of the world in front of me, the people or places or objects or patterns I see. This is the present, this is my world.
A friend of mine travels with his work and was venting some frustration due to mechanical and weather related delays on his trip home. I can relate to his feelings of frustration as I work as a flight attendant and face those situations on a regular basis. Wouldn’t it be nice to conduct our business on a local scale and not have to commute great distances. Think about this: Get up in the morning, take camera out and shoot a few frames, come back to the house, download the images while I take a shower. After shower make a latte then sip on my latte while I sort through my morning shoot. Do it again the next day.
I had the opportunity to do that for a while and loved it. Just outside the front door of my condo in Colorado is a pond where geese and ducks hang out, they’re always chattering about something. While a couple blocks away is a paved path I like to walk and winds through the city following a small creek. I would use these two locations for photo opportunities. That’s where I got the shot of this mallard. It’s an easy commute to either one of them. Since I’m walking there’s not going to be any mechanical delays, well maybe a few creaky bones and an ache or two from aging. If the weather is bad I can dress warmer, take an umbrella or, in the most severe cases, just stay home. That’s a delay I can easily live with and the delay occurred at home.
There is no major travel in that scenario, nor delays, nor much income. 🙂 Just some thoughts. Hope everyone has a good day!
