When I opened my blinds this morning, I could see the crescent moon in the southern sky and it brought a smile to my face. After some quiet time and cereal I enjoyed an absolutely lovely bicycle ride to and from the coffee shop as can be seen in this image. Meg was my barista which brought another smile to my face. And the conversation at the coffee shop was as stimulating as the coffee. We even stayed longer than normal. I had my monthly luncheon with a few of my classmates later at a park in Loveland. And, again good conversations were shared! After I post this I plan on working on my dad’s photo book, getting in some journaling time and maybe a walk. I loved these altocumulus clouds on my ride this morning. These clouds were along both the east and west horizons and stopping for a photograph seemed mandatory.
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Morning Silence
Silence is one of the best ways to immediately reduce stress, while increasing your self-awareness and gaining the clarity that will allow you to maintain your focus on your goals, priorities, and what’s important for your life, each and every day.
Hal Elrod -
Predawn Sky
Violence is what happens when we don’t know what else to do with our suffering.
Parker J. PalmerMy sister Sheree and I arrived home about 1:15 pm yesterday afternoon. We left Phoenix on Tuesday morning, stayed the night in Raton, New Mexico then finished the trip yesterday. It was a good day of travel. We had a near miss with a deer just outside of Raton, New Mexico yesterday morning and then one driver almost swerved into us somewhere in Denver a few hours later. Seems road construction was/is everywhere! Both of us were tired by the time we got home. My sisters keep different hours than I do, staying up later but on this trip I did also. So I was even more tired. I emptied the car, unpacked everything and then sat for some meditation and quiet. I slept in this morning. In spite of the fatigue, I had a wonderful time with my family.
It’s been a cloudy and cool with a 40% possibility for rain. Because of the possibility for rain I drove to coffee this morning. At the present time the possibility of rain has been about 23 1/2 drops of rain. Well, maybe 25. Guess I need to dance faster. The gray skies offered a day to relax, journal, and read. I have also been going through some of the things belonging to mom and dad that we brought back. I have already discovered some jewels and shed a few tears. All good stuff! I still pray for the end of violence!
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… it’s how we live.
“…the greatest reward for a creative life is not in what you create, but in how you live. It is in how you train yourself to view and respond to the world and internalize the many experiences and meanings and mysteries that come your way. It is about finding peace and satisfaction in a world rife with cynicism, violence, competition and greed.”
Guy TalI posted the above quote back on June 11, 2012, about 14 years ago. It spoke to me then and it speaks to me now in my photography, blogging and how I try to live my life. Pursuing a creative path is helping me find peace and satisfaction in a world that is rife with cynicism, violence, competition and greed. One of the things I do to live my life and find peace is spend time in nature. So, I spent some time this afternoon at Pineridge Natural Area. They made some changes on me by removing the bench up near the parking lot and putting in another one right next to the rocks I enjoy sitting on. It’s probably only three feet away from those rocks. It is a big, solid bench and just as hard as the rocks. But it has a back on it. It actually is a much more scenic view than where the previous bench was. That’s one of the reasons I liked sitting on those rocks. I approve of the change. You don’t suppose they put in that bench just for me???
Anway my sister, Sheree, and I are flying down to Phoenix in the morning to spend a couple days with my sister Marcee and brother-in-law, John. Then we will rent a car and drive back with some of mom and dad’s artwork. So I probably won’t be posting much the rest of the month. Hold down the Fort while I’m gone! I better finish packing.
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In the presence of beauty
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’DonohueWhat a beautiful morning for a bicycle ride along Spring Creek to Mugs for coffee and wonderful conversation. This is a good time of the year for images like this due to the timing of my ride and the rising of the sun. I’m sharing this image of what I get to experience on these morning rides. Alissia was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink. A few clouds have now moved in as a cold front arrives late tonight which I hope brings us moisture in the form of rain and snow early Friday morning. And, both Friday and Saturday nights could be below freezing. I will be okay with that if we also get moisture. May you enjoy this day!
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Sunrise on Campus
Solitude is important to man…
Margaret E. Mulac
It is his refuge when the very foundation of his life are being shaken by disastrous events.I stopped and took this image of the predawn colors over the Lory Student Center on campus this past week on my ride to the coffee shop. Posting this late and hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend!
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Two Notes
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Ordinary Mystics
To be an ordinary mystic is to lead with love, to prioritize compassion,
Mirabai Starr
to regard the world with a sincere desire to see the goodness in others.What I like about her quote is the word ordinary. We do live in a society that thinks we need to be special, different, even superior or that we already are, rather than seeing each other as ordinary equals. We are all human, made of the same stuff, but each with our own unique gifts and talents. Seems to me the world could use a few more ordinary mystics who have a sincere desire to see the goodness in others and embrace that goodness.
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… dawn is a gift
“But dawn – dawn is a gift. Much is revealed about a person by his or her passion, or indifference, to this opening of the door of day. No one who loves dawn, and is abroad to see it, could be a stranger to me.”
Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays -
Clouds at Predawn
The cloud is free only to go with the wind.
Wendell Berry
The rain is free only in falling.Here is this morning’s predawn sky over campus on my bicycle ride to Mugs. Emily was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink of choice this morning. We had some dramatic winds along the Colorado Front Range and into Wyoming on Thursday. They closed I-25 and US 287 north from Fort Collins to Cheyenne and Laramie for the better part of the day. There were wind gusts recorded over 80 mph. So there has been some major wind damage. The campus had some big old pine trees toppled. They released students early on Thursday due to the winds and it was the last day of class before spring break. What was interesting to me about this wind was having it blow for almost 12 hours nonstop. As my friend, Joan, described it, it was “unsettling.” They are predicting more high winds again today and into tomorrow. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend!









