In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.
Ansel Adams
A Form of Exploration
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The morning begins at Arapaho Bend Natural Area -
You Must Hear It
Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything . . . It is the presence of time, undisturbed. It can be felt within the chest. Silence nurtures our nature, our human nature, and lets us know who we are. Left with a more receptive mind and a more attuned ear, we become better listeners not only to nature but to each other. Silence can be carried like embers from a fire. Silence can be found, and silence can find you. Silence can be lost and also recovered. But silence cannot be imagined, although most people think so. To experience the soul-swelling wonder of silence, you must hear it.
Gordon Hempton -
Each new horizon…
Do I use age as a reason for not following my heart’s desire?
mws
Do I search for motives to avoid living my life?
Do I look for excuses to spare myself the struggle required?
Do I run away when I face something challenging or new?
Do I have the courage to venture towards each new horizon? -
Glorious Silence
Morning fog at Arapaho Bend Natural Area in the barren cottonwood tree
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
dozens of birds, all of them still,
as if, like me, they are enthralled
doubtful they could ever improve
on all this glorious silenceThe glorious silence from the nights snow filled my bedroom. I could feel the cold as I lay under the covers. After a prayer of thanks I enter into this new day. I dress and make my bed then spend 20 minutes on my meditation cushion. More silence. Journaling. More silence. I make a bowl of cereal with a banana and a chai latte. My day is starting off good. It looks like 3 inches of snow fell during the night and it is 14 degrees. No bicycling or picnic today. Eric and I will talk on the phone rather than get out in this weather. Stay warm and enjoy the silence!
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Beauty
Colorado sunset at Arapaho Bend Natural Area – January 2025 The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere – in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion and in ourselves. No-one would desire not to be beautiful. When we experience the Beautiful, there is a sense of homecoming. Some of our most wonderful memories are of beautiful places where we felt immediately at home. We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul.
John O’DonohueThey say the perception of beauty is subjective – people can have differing opinions on what is beautiful. So what one person perceives as beautiful might be ordinary or unappealing to another. I would also add that perception changes as we change. The beauty I see today is different than what I saw 10, 20, 30 years ago. It’s a gift to see beauty in so many things but what sets Beauty apart for me is the experience of being present to it! And, in many ways feeding my soul.
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Make ripples…
Yesterday’s sunset over Longs Peak from Arapaho Bend Natural Area “This is how you change the world, the smallest circles first… That humble energy, the kind that says, ‘I will do what I can do right now in my own small way,’ creates a ripple effect on the world.”
Richard WagameseI’m now at Mugs. It’s another wintery morning here, 31 degrees and a dusting of snow blows in the wind. Adrianna is my barista! She made me an extra hot Old Town mocha! Just writing that brings a smile to my face. 😀 It’s good to remind her the effect she has on my life. It’s the small things that change the world. So maybe the message today is to make some ripples!
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A Morning Walk
Winter colors along the Poudre River at the Environmental Learning Center 
A pair of Bald Eagles near Arapaho Bend Natural Area 
Blue sky and fog over Beaver Pond at Arapaho Bend Natural Area 
The bleakness of the Environmental Learning Center 
A whitetail doe framed and staring me down at the Environmental Learning Center I had an invigorating ride in the fog this morning to meet Jeff for coffee. About 10:00 am I drove to the Arapaho Bend Natural Area and then over to the Environmental Learning Center. I needed to take my camera for a walk and did that at the ELC. I had not been to the ELC in a while and was shocked. Everything seemed so bleak to me, dead trees were down everywhere. It’s usually lush, green and vibrant. The last time I was there was there in June of 2023. I settled in for a walk of the Wilcox Trail, about 1.5 mile loop. By the time I headed home for lunch, I had seen seven eagles, two hawks, and a dozen whitetail deer. So I enjoyed my bicycle ride, my mocha, my conversation with Jeff and my walk in nature.
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Happy New Year
I wanted to spend my first morning of 2025 in nature so I decided to visit the Arapaho Bend Natural Area. In the dim light I could see we had clear skies and the thermometer said it was brisk 13 degrees. This natural area sits along the low lying area of the Poudre River. The closer I got the natural area the more evident of the dense fog I would have. I spent a few minutes walking along the edge of the frozen ponds taking a photo here and there. I had not ventured into this area around the ponds before so it became exciting. There was very little open water. The ice only thick enough to support the geese and ducks. I only took 15 images, but that was enough.
After loading them on my laptop I found the images to be a metaphor for the first day of this new year. Just as we cannot see through the fog to the other shore, or the path along the edges, we cannot see into the future of the coming year. To reach the other shore requires us to travel towards it facing each challenge along the way. So, I enter into this coming year with both pessimistic and optimistic feelings. May I not struggle with wanting to change people, institutions and principles to fit my desires but make choices that are best for myself and all of creation, not from self interest but the good of all. I guess that counts as a simple prayer but not a resolution! May you have a wonderful year!!!
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I usually learn something
Sunrise at Arapaho Bend Natural Area – March 2013 We do not want churches because they will teach us to quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that. We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on this earth, but we never quarrel about the Great Spirit. We do not want to learn that.
Chief JosephSeems to me a lot of mankind needs to unlearn this idea of quarreling over God. At least it would be one less thing for us to quarrel about. I know in my life when I stopped defending my opinion and listened to the other, I usually learn something I needed to learn.
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What is possible between us…
I can disagree with your opinion, it turns out, but I can’t disagree with your experience. And once I have a sense of your experience, you and I are in relationship, acknowledging the complexity in each other’s position, listening less guardedly. The difference in our opinions will probably remain intact, but it no longer defines what is possible between us.
Krista TippettI’m finding my task is not to argue or attempt to change another who has a difference of opinion. Nothing builds a wall faster in a conversation than where someone interrupts and tells another they are wrong or rolls their eyes. We miss out on a wonderful opportunity of a relationship. I am learning what is possible between us when we become listeners sharing our experiences. I believe Krista is correct!
