• bicycling,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Love…the energy of world

    The conclusion is always the same:
    love is the most powerful
    and still the most unknown
    energy of the world.

    Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

    It felt more like September 1st than it did August 1st this morning. My weather app said it was 55 degrees with 100% humidity when I left the condo. So my ride to coffee was invigorating. Elisha was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink of choice this morning. They just hired two new baristas, so we irregular regulars will be busy training them over the next few weeks. My ride to coffee was via Spring Creek Trail. This was the scene along the creek. You can see the effect of the smoke from the fires in Arizona and southwestern Colorado.

    My blood draw numbers were not what I wanted. Platelets are still low at 57, down 6 counts from May. PSA numbers up to 4.72 from 2.86 in February. I will meet with the hematologist on Monday morning and my PCP later in the month. We’ll see what they say about the numbers. And, I didn’t hydrate myself enough, or my body is tired of having needles pointed in its direction, so it took four stabs to get my blood. Each left a bruise. However, when I had coffee later there were no leaks at any of those stabs sites.

    What gifts we will receive and give today is always a really good question. The answer to that question is more about reflecting back on the day than having some instantaneous answer through a text message, an email or a bolt of lightning. So on that note, may you have a wonderful August 1st!

  • coffee life,  latte art,  quotes

    Compassion

    Kelsey’s latte art

    Compassion means to come close to the one who suffers… A compassionate person says I am your brother, I am your sister, I am human, fragile, and mortal, just like you… We can be with the other only when the other ceases to be other and becomes like us.

    Henri Nouwen

    We all suffer. Even those with money, food, good health, a job, nice home with two cars and money in savings. I would venture to say most people hide their suffering, maybe even denying it. We can easily believe that because we have stuff we are not suffering and therefore different than others. We can even feel that even when we only have one car. Accumulating stuff can lead to a lack of compassion.

    I would love to see more compassion in our world. Maybe take it one step further and make it empathy not just compassion. And to have compassion and empathy, we must cease to see others as different from us and see them to be just like us. We are, at the core, all the same. I think the above quote is spot on.

    I am sharing this nice photo of Kelsey’s latte art. I enjoy ordering a cappuccino or mocha just so I can see what kind of artwork they will produce. It is a beautiful summer morning, clear skies and sunshine. May you have a wonderful Friday.

  • haiku,  landscape,  sunrises,  writing/reading

    Light of a New Day

    dark blue pre-dawn sky
    fades to the light of a new day
    a meadowlark sings

    ms

    It was 32 degrees and clear skies when I left the condo this morning. I sometimes wish I could completely eliminate the hand of man in my landscape images but it’s almost impossible. However, I believe these towers added something to this image. A meadowlarks song then brightened my spirit, and added even more to this cold morning. Yes, the gift of a new day!

    Had to laugh at myself, though, because I placed my coffee mug on roof of the car when I put my tripod away and then drove off. I went about a quarter of a mile before I remembered it. Still sitting there. Have a wonderful Friday! 😂