My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
“May I have the courage today
John O’Donohue
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.”
This image was taken back in May. There is something about this tree that keeps me coming back to visit. Wonder if it’s the solitude this tree lives plus the courage to live the life it’s called to live. I also wonder how many of us have failed to live the life we would love.
early predawn sky
ms
morning bird songs are silent
quiet fills the air
listen to the inner voice
heart now filled with gratitude
morning sun enters through my window
mws
warms my soul with its abounding grace
grateful and blessed for this life I live
filled with love of family and friends
solitude and silence the foundations of my life
it’s the staff I need to walk through life
raises me up when I fall, again and again
where I discern my chatter from your words
prayer and meditation my daily practice
a lifeline to grasp when I begin to wander
lifting the spirit when life weighs heavy
opens a door to knowing beyond thinking
it’s been said that if the only prayer we say
is thank you, that would suffice
so I’m thankful for this wonderful life
happy thanksgiving to you!
I felt a strong emotion rise to the surface while on my bus ride this morning. Tears welled up in my eyes, not from sadness or pain but more along the lines of some feeling of love. What is strange about this feeling of love is because of an incident of anger that happened 15 minutes earlier while leaving the condo. I was running a couple minutes late and if I didn’t hustle I would miss the bus which would cause me to have to wait a half hour for the next bus. As I grabbed the doorknob I remembered I needed to get my renewed bus pass out of the pocket of my backpack and felt the anxiety within. As I took the backpack off I got tangled up with the straps and my anxiety burst into anger and choice words (#@&!). Almost immediately after hearing the words come out of my mouth and noticed my increased emotions, I took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. I ask myself what was I really angry at? It was sure not the backpacks fault. This led to a few moments of reflection. While walking to the bus stop I became aware of how much I wanted the world to run smoothly all the time, especially for me. But, the reality is life is not like that.
Then while on the bus I observed these students solemnly heading to class and wondered what they may be going through. I could see some to be stressed out with school or worried about some relationship that is struggling. Maybe there are health problems in their life, theirs or family. No one’s life runs smoothly all the time nor is there a reason to expect it. The real question is how we face and deal with life. For me the feeling of love on the bus was for those who may be going through much more than getting tangled up their backpack. I have much to learn. Sigh! If you read this far, thanks for listening.
Ten years from now, make sure you can say that you chose your life.
Susan Roderick
You didn’t settle for it.
I have always carried stress in my shoulders. It’s there now. There is a feeling of restlessness. I find my mind wandering to unknown places in the universe. Feel I’m not listening to the inner voice within me but the chatter of my ego and the noise of the world around me. Maybe if I share myself more on this blog, hear what you have experienced, take more action, the stress will lessen.
Now in my retirement there is a life to live full of excitement and adventures, images to receive, words to write in my journals, blog posts to write, places to visit, people to meet and a chance to discover more creativity within me. I find this exciting. However, this requires me to take action and not just dream of them. In the past I have only dreamed. There are no excuses. As I’ve heard, “Dreams without action are only fantasy.” I hope and pray I live the rest of my life with excitement, without fear of failure or success, looking for awe and wonder all around me.
“In order to move forward, you will have to stumble along the way, but every falter in your stride just makes your next step even stronger.” ― Lindsay Chamberlin
I stumbled on one of my walks this past week. Of ocurse the first thing I did was check to see who saw me. Luckily, there were no witnesses. I then looked down to see what I’d tripped over but there was nothing. I literally stumbled over nothing. I just failed to properly place one foot in front of the other as I walked. And, no, I was not looking at my phone but my mind had fluttered off somewhere. I had moved away from being mindful and present to my walk. Nor, can I tell you where it fluttered. Happens more often than I want to admit.
Stumbling can unexpectedly bring us new discoveries, excitement, joys and lessons. And, sometimes stumbling can unexpectedly bring pain, sadness, regret and lessons. But, when we stumble and fall, it’s vital to get back up and dust off the pants, check for witnesses, take note of the reason we stumbled and hopefully learn from any lessons. Stumbling and falling are lessons.
Anyway, if the next time you stumble and there is a witness, give’em a smile and tell them you intended to do that. 🙂
Wow, I’m sneaking up on my 60th birthday this summer. Gasp! Where has the time gone? Even at this age I ask the questions about where I’m at in life and where I’m going. The life I live is not what I dreamed or envisioned in my youth. I know I cannot live in the past nor in the future but every once in a while I venture to those places. The only life I can live is the present. I must always remind myself to stay here.
I’m nomadic at this time in my life. After my divorce and selling the house I drove away from that chapter of my life with all my belongings in the back of a small pickup. It was a freeing moment. Of course, I’ve since added a few items to carry around with me so I may need two truck now. I spend half my month living in hotels and flying with passengers in a long metal tube. For the past year I’ve started carrying a laptop, an iphone and my journal along with my camera wherever I venture. I search out images of the world in front of me, the people or places or objects or patterns I see. This is the present, this is my world.
Working as a flight attendant I get to see people who are afraid to fly. They will have a tight grip on the armrest, breathing is short, eyes are open wide and constantly searching all that is around them, ears are alert to every sound. Once the aircraft lifts from the ground their bodies tighten and become rigid. Fear is in control.
Fear runs rampid in our world, cheating some of us from living life to its fullest. The biggest regrets in my life have been those times I failed to try due to fear of failure, which is failure. I wonder how many images I have missed because I was white knuckling it. Each day I have the chance to experience life outside my comfort zone and maybe learn something wonderful. It’s all about letting go and trusting.
Nature goes through the seasons of changes. In early autumn, in response to the shortening days and declining intensity of sunlight, leaves begin the processes leading up to their fall. The veins that carry fluids into and out of the leaf gradually close off as a layer of cells forms at the base of each leaf. These clogged veins trap sugars in the leaf and promote production of anthocyanins. Once this separation layer is complete and the connecting tissues are sealed off, the leaf is ready to fall. The end of one season.
We to, go through changes every day of our lives. I am also going through changes in my life. I am getting another roommate as my other roommates have new base assignments. There is the chance I may also move in the next few months.
As the leaves change colors and fall from their branches during the autumn season it reminds me of the changes in my life. I look forward to both the fall colors and changes that will transpire in my life. How about you?