My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
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!
“Really all we have to offer the world is the gift of our individuality. We can never be just like any other person. Our journey through life is an extremely personal contribution to the work of being human.”
Jane Reichhold
In my experience when anyone tries to force their opinions and their rules as the norm for everyone, they are no longer being a gift. We see this evidenced in our attempts to use war as a way to create unity rather than embracing individuality. There is enough historical evidence to prove war is not a gift and has never brought unity! So maybe our task in life is to encourage and nurture those around us who need to offer their personal contribution of being human. Who knows, maybe their contribution will enrich everyone’s lives. I find it sad that so many world leaders arrogantly deny others the opportunity to be the individual gift they are, this work of being human. And, it is a gift!
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
Jimi Hendrix
Rather than ride the bicycle ride this morning to Mugs, I decided to take the bus to campus. I stopped at Sweet Sensations coffee shop and got a mocha then spent time in the Paul and Elsie Legacy Lounge by the fireplace to journal in the quiet. I usually have the area to myself until about 8:15 am before the groggy students begin to stumble in. It had been a while since I was in the lounge area and I was pleased to see they had changed all the furniture. We had a warm sunny day and may see rain Thursday night into Friday. Time to push the publish button and read for a while. I hope you had a good day!
Jeff and I switched things up and met for coffee at the Lory Student Center this morning. The 30 degrees made it a cool ride for both of us but the sunrise colors were stunning. I shot this image by resting my camera on my bicycle seat and holding it as still as I could in the cold. It was shot at ISO 3200 and .4 sec exposure at f8.0. I used Lightroom’s Denoise to clean it up and think it did a fair enough job. Happy Halloween! And, I’ve decided to wear the same costume today that I wore yesterday.
I made a return visit to campus the other day. I’d forgotten how serene it can be at the Lory Student Center (while students are in class.) This image was taken while sitting in the Legacy Lounge just outside the Ballroom Doors. With no piped music, it is a good place to journal or read. Hope you’ve had a good Sunday. It’s been beautiful here.
When your life awakens and you begin to sense the destiny that brought you here, you endeavour to live a life that is generous and worthy of the blessing and invitation that is always calling you.
John O’Donohue
This image was taken last week at the Lory Student Center. I go there because it is quiet and I find it is a place for solitude, before students arrive. It is windy this morning, bad hair day for sure. Now it bugs coffee shop on the world. Emma is my barista. She is playing some soft easy Christmas music because she is in the Christmas spirit. I found out that two friends died in their sleep this past Friday night. One younger, one older. They both endeavored to live a generous and worthy life. Today will be a day of processing. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!
I took the bus to campus so I could sit near the gas fireplace in the Legacy Lounge and use their internet. At the bottom of the stairs is a small coffee shop that lickily is still open. I had to laugh at myself and share with them how my mind was wondering if they would be open when I came around the corner. Their business is slow so they they seemed glad to see me. But not as I glad as I was to see them.
This was what the bus stop looked like this morning. Sure doesn’t look like spring. Everything is so quiet. The Lory Student Center has been so quiet the past three days I’ve come here. There is no piped music and no students. Not sure how long I will be able to come here as things progress with more reported cases, restrictions and fear.
I came across this door yesterday on the third floor of the Lory Student Center. I’d never seen it before. Something about it was different so I stopped and read the signage. The students can access this room by scanning their student ID’s and use the room for up to10 minutes to meditate, reflect or any similar activity. Now the green sign says 20 minutes when they swipe their student ID. Wow! What a unique and wonderful idea. I wonder how many 18-21 year old students will use this. As I reflect on this idea, I would venture to say that a lot of them need to use it, due to the lifestyle of being a college student.
It was snowing when I took this image at the Legacy Lounge in the Lory Student Center last week. You couldn’t see the mountains but today we have have clear skies and it is now 54 degrees. That’s warm to most of us this time of the year. But, that will change tonight as a front moves in and we get another 1-2 inches tonight and tomorrow. This student had his laptop open but he was looking at his smartphone. A common scene nowadays.
I find the Lory Student Center to be a quiet place to read and journal. It is also a place to find decent mocha lattes at a reasonable price. However, when classes are in session from about 8:00 am to 5:00 pm there is a hustle and bustle about every hour when students move from classroom to classroom. This image is taken at a very active intersection. It is a primary doorway between the courtyard and the food court so from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm it is busy. It is also near to one of the four small coffee shops on campus.