• fall season,  leaves,  nature,  Plants,  quotes

    That’s what it’s for

    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!

  • bicycling,  musings,  nature,  reflections,  trees

    Without the Desire

    From yesterday morning’s bicycle ride along Spring Creek Trail

    I recently read where Martin Luther King defined agape love as the willingness to serve without the desire for reciprocation, willingness to suffer without the desire for retaliation, and willingness to reconcile without the desire for domination. There are people in this country, and the world, who won’t agree with his definition. Many cling to the ideologies of supremacy and the delusion that violence is a solution. Those are not in alignment with his definition, nor have they ever brought peace. I also noticed he uses the phrase without the desire three times in his definition. After contemplating his definition I am in agreement with him. But until I can live his definition of agape love and nonviolence in my life, the words written in this blog post are just fluff. Many will doubt there can be such a change in people’s beliefs and thinking? However, I’ve seen such changes in people’s lives. And, then what would our world be like it people lived a life of agape love?💙 Going to post this and ride to the coffee shop. Enjoy your Monday!!

  • landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  sunrises

    Wonder

    Wonder – that edge state on the rim of understanding, where the mind touches mystery – is our best means of loving the world more deeply.

    Maria Popova

    This is sunrise 3 days ago. This morning we had 61 degrees, 99% humidity and overcast skies so it looks much different today. It made for an invigorating bicycle ride to the coffee shop, but well worth it. Those clouds have burned of slightly, a bit of sunshine is out but rain is expected later today. Yes, the wonder it all!

  • clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  reflections,  sunsets

    Sunset

    Only through responsible choice can you choose consciously to cultivate and nourish the needs of your soul, to challenge and release the wants of your personality. This is the choice of clarity and wisdom, the choice of conscious transformation. It is the choice of the higher-frequency energy currents of love, forgiveness and compassion. It is the choice to follow the voice of your higher self, your soul. It is the decision to open yourself to the guidance and assistance of Love. It is the path that leads consciously to authentic power.

    Gary Zukav
  • landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  sunrises

    Love and Compassion

    Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
    Without them humanity cannot survive.

    Dalai Lama

    This morning I stood surrounded by the scent of sagebrush, listened to the happy songs of robins and meadowlarks, and felt fully alive in the cool morning breeze. For me this is a sacred time of the day, a time of quiet and prayer where words are not spoken. Is there any better way to greet the rising sun and the gift of another day? How can I not smile? And as I headed back to the car I reached down and rubbed sagebrush onto my fingers, taking its fragrance with me along with all the gifts shared with me this morning. It’s these moments that remind me of my humanity, my love and compassion in this wounded and troubled world.

  • flowers,  insects,  Plants,  poems

    …the world depends on it

    Because

    So I can’t save the world—
    can’t save even myself,
    can’t wrap my arms around
    every frightened child, can’t
    foster peace among nations,
    can’t bring love to all who
    feel unlovable.
    So I practice opening my heart
    right here in this room and being gentle
    with my insufficiency. I practice
    walking down the street heart first.
    And if it is insufficient to share love,
    I will practice loving anyway.
    I want to converse about truth,
    about trust. I want to invite compassion
    into every interaction.
    One willing heart can’t stop a war.
    One willing heart can’t feed all the hungry.
    And sometimes, daunted by a task too big,
    I tell myself what’s the use of trying?
    But today, the invitation is clear:
    to be ridiculously courageous in love.
    To open the heart like a lilac in May,
    knowing freeze is possible
    and opening anyway.
    To take love seriously.
    To give love wildly.
    To race up to the world
    as if I were a puppy,
    adoring and unjaded,
    stumbling on my own exuberance.
    To feel the shock of indifference,
    of anger, of cruelty, of fear,
    and stay open. To love as if it matters,
    as if the world depends on it.

    Because from The Unfolding by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
  • 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!

  • musings,  Plants,  quotes

    …it’s the right choice

    Two portraits in one

    There comes a time in the spiritual journey when you start making choices from a very different place . . .And if a choice lines up so that it supports truth, health, happiness, wisdom, and love, it’s the right choice.

    Angeles Arrien

    If you notice she does not include monetary wealth or anything that has a physical presence in her list. Everything she lists has an intangible value. And, in my world her list does not have a monetary value to them. I believe this is one of the reasons this quote resonates with me and one of the major reasons our world is in a state of decline. Which begs the question within me; What would our world be like if more people lived their spiritual journey?