My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.
Paulo Coelho
It is a cool fall morning with a light mist descending on everything. Needless to say I did not ride my bicycle this morning. As I returned from the coffee shop I noticed the fallen leaves sparkling and shining up at me. So I took my camera for a walk, accepting the simple and extraordinary gifts of nature. These moments are important in my life because they help keep my feet firmly on the ground, even when it’s wet, and life simple. Today is also a great day to enjoy a crockpot of chili soup now simmering.
To live without self-centered expectations is the secret of freedom in personal relationships.
Eknath Easwaran
This was the scene when I walked into my condo this morning. Scenes like this are common with this time of the year. It’s almost impossible to keep my floors clean. Yesterday afternoon I stood on my porch and watched with wonder as trees let go of the leaves allowing them to freefall on to the next stage of their lives. I was amazed at how many and how fast they were falling. The slight breeze would send a wave of them across the yard. All of a sudden a gust of wind came up and a pile of them would circle me on my porch. The rustling music the leaves make is soothing to me. I smiled. Now I need to sweep my floor. May you enjoy all your personal relationships today.
In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.
John O’Donohue
It is still dark, quiet and calm. A bit on the cool side, but after all it is fall. I am about to leave for coffee and conversation at Mugs. I will bundle up for the bicycle ride. No matter the chaos mankind seems to create, nature continues to move on in her seasons of dying and rebirth. May we all give away love today, after all that’s what it’s for. Enjoy this day!
Cottonwood leavesCattails and reflectionsClouds over Big Bass Pond
The healing of our present woundedness may lie in recognizing and reclaiming the capacity we all have to heal each other, the enormous power in the simplest of human relationships: the strength of a touch, a blessing of forgiveness, the grace of someone else taking you just as you are and finding in you an unsuspected goodness.
Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom
I sit on a rock bench looking out across Big Bass Pond at Arapaho Bend Natural Area. It’s about 1:57 pm. I feel the warmth of the 77 degree temperature but accepting the grace of relief provided by the cloudy skies. I notice the small world of life all around me that I so often overlook. Bees, butterflies, and beetles feasting on the nectar of the rabbitbrush. Ants, spiders, grasshoppers and unnamable bugs scurry or jump around me. Cottonwood leaves become intricate works of art as the autumn equinox arrives. And the cattails showing the golden tips of their swords. I am grateful to slow down and experience the healing given by being present to this world. It is a gift that has much to teach me. Now a rumble of thunder gives notice for me to move on. By the time I reach the car, raindrops have begun to fall. (Entry from my journal.) So here are three images from the afternoon.
This morning a steady, gentle rain falls. It began just after I got up, around 4:30 am. My weather app predicts it will continue until mid afternoon. I have my front door open so I can hear and take in the fragrance of this refreshing rain. It’s a good day to journal, read and work on this blogs transformation. Thanks for being here and have a great day!
Changes are being made to this blog. First will be the look of this theme. Secondly, I am changing hosting services so there may be a period of silence from me. You even may see the Error 404 code. If I’m not back up and running in 5-7 days, send out a search party. I’ll probably be drifting somewhere in the World Wide Web.
A free afternoon found me lying in the grass at the park. Above me a canopy of leaves offering the gift of cool shade.
I take deep breaths and stay present while leafhoppers jump around me. I inhale the scent of freshly cut grass and hear the unseen blue jay’s call.
Clouds drift above me in a sea of blue sky as I take in the awe and wonder of nature, a sanctuary without walls, doors or windows. I close my eyes in reverence, gratitude, prayer
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot
It was a cool bicycle ride on this August morning. The temperature was at 56 degrees and the humidity was over 90% when I mounted the red steed and headed for the coffee shop. I could see the fog lazily drifting along the eastern horizon but we had none here. I had never thought of my bicycling as a form of exploration but I am coming to see that it is. It is not much different than walking the trails, at least at the meandering speed I pedal. I needed to stop on the way home and photograph these (Apocynum cannabinum) leaves covered in dew along Spring Creek Trail. The leaves and stems are quite lovely but probably not something to put in your salad ( see the link). I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!
Silence is the indispensable climate for all revelation; noise renders it absolutely impossible.
Anonymous
As I wandered around the ponds I found these cottonwood leaves just hanging around. I suspect the wind has probably torn them away from their branch and they now hang across the branch of another tree. Such is nature, continuously and silently creating new scenes that catch my eye. I hope you enjoy your Sunday!
When I left the condo this morning it was 36 degrees, clear skies and dry so it was a morning to bicycle to the coffee shop. A bright waning crescent moon hung in the southern darkness. The wind was blowing causing flags on campus to stand erect into the eastern sunrise and also made my bedaling tougher. The lovely Winter was my barista this morning and made me a spicy chai to start my day. A beautiful day is taking shape here in Colorado.
“This tells me two fundamental truths: one, that in order to evolve and grow, we must be prepared to face the erosive aspects of life. Two, it’s the weathering that creates the finest landscape of our lives, shaping us and defining us over time.”
Ruth Allen
There is a knowing within me that I am evolving. The obstacles of life, the weathering, has shaped who I am. And, I would venture to say everything else in the universe. The weathering of my life’s storms is allowing me to experience the inner landscape of my life. Grateful for this time in my life and my inner landscape! Have a wonderful day!!!
You must learn one thing. The world was made to be free in. Give up all the other worlds Except the one in which you belong.
David Whyte
We have 45° and overcast skies this morning. Now at Mugs. Emily is my barista. An Old Town Mocha is my morning beverage of choice. My ride to coffee was wonderful, except when riding north into the wind. It’s going to be a laid back day and the only one I can live in. I will get together with Duane for brunch later this morning. Then the rest of my day is pretty much free for journaling and reading. May you have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!!
