… the breath of life, family, friends, sobriety, journaling, photography, nature, coffee shops, solitude, quiet, prayer, meditation, books, serenity, courage, an open mind, willingness, avocado toast, chocolate and …
mws
I would like to invite all who read this post to add to this short list above those things which you are grateful for. You do not need to add them in the comments necessarily but maybe find a piece of paper and write them down as you go through the day. Sunshine and blue skies here. Happy Monday!
pen teeming with words brings forth this simple haiku my friends for today
mws
It is another cold and overcast day. The wind has picked up which adds to the cold. I have no desire to be outside but want to stay curled up in my chair, wrapped in my blanket, reading and journaling with my companions. My FPOTD1 Fountain Pen of the Day is a Brown-marbled Pelikan M200 filled with Pelikan Smoky Quartz ink (and words). Life is good! Stay warm!
“We don’t change as we get older – we just get to be more of what we’ve always been.”
Joan D. Chittister
The 2-4 inches of snow I expected to wake up to did not materialize. Nary a snowflake. But, we do have the wind and cold. I understand that they do have blizzard conditions on the eastern plains. I am inside listening to the wind and feeling the deep cold. I met some high school classmates for lunch today. Sadly I find two more classmates have died in the past month. Have slippers on and I’m in for the night. Hope you are staying warm and dry.
… I had my heart surgery, where they replaced my aortic valve. So, I thought I’d share my gratitude list with you today as it follows the theme of my last posting:
Thankful for a healthy heart and it’s as full as it is
Thankful for time with family and friends
Thankful for the opportunity to enjoy the things that have become such a gift in my life such as time with nature, photography, blogging, conversations with family and friends
Thankful for my prayer and meditation times
Thankful for my journals, fountain pens and the words I uncover with them
Thankful I can experience and enjoy each new sunrise and sunset
Thankful for another day to venture into a coffee shop to visit my favorite baristas
Thankful for the chance to read poetry, which I’d never done before
Thankful for the chance to try my hand at poetry, haiku
Thankful for the chance to create more of my photo books to share my photography and my words
Thankful for my home and the remodeling this past year
Thankful for blueberries in my Irish Oats 😂
Thankful for DQ Blizzards 😂
Thankful for my camera upgrade 2 years ago and a lust for the next upgrade 😂
Thankful that what I have is enough and in all honesty do not need anything more than what is already in my life
Thankful that there are still those who embrace love, compassion, serenity, joy, hope, peace and …. ❤️
“Sometimes I think, were I just a little rougher made, I would go altogether to the woods—to my work entirely, and solitude, a few friends, books, my dogs, all things peaceful, ready for meditation and industry—if for no other reason than to escape the heart-jamming damages and discouragements of the worlds mean spirits. But, no use. Even the most solitudinous of us is communal by habit, and indeed by commitment to the bravest of our dreams, which is to make a moral world. The whirlwind of human behavior is not to be set aside.”
Mary Oliver
When I feel the heart-jamming damages and discouragements of the worlds mean spirits, I too wish to run to the woods, or in my case the natural areas. I would also include my journals, fountain pens, camera and chocolate to her list. Yet, I’m aware of my need to not set aside but live within the whirlwind of human behavior. Who knows, I could be someone else’s whirlwind. However, there are those times when I need to go the woods and connect with nature just so I can return and face the whirlwind of human behavior. Maybe I also need to be a little rougher made. Hope you had a good day.
I enjoyed the extra hour of sleep last night. Began this day with my quiet meditation and prayer time. I watched a blazing pink and red sky from my window this morning. Breathtaking gift. Then headed to the coffee shop to visit my baristas, Emma and Megan. They made me a favorite, an Old Town mocha, extra hot. When I returned home I made a bowl of Irish Oats with strawberries and blueberries. Overcast skies then dominated the rest of the day. So, it became a day for journaling and I started rereading Annie Dillard’s book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. I started reading her book a couple years ago but for some reason could not finish it. A cold wind has blown today causing the few remaining leaves to let go of their grip and take flight where the wind chooses. The Canada Geese were sitting on the pond earlier in an attempt to over talk one another. Not sure anyone was listening, except me! Glad they settled down. My hands and feet have been cold all day, which is normal for this time of the year. Had a couple of meetings and just got home from the last one. I’m in for the night. It was a good Sunday. Hoping you had a good day.
