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 humble person is open to being corrected, whereas the arrogant is clearly closed to it. Proud people are supremely confident in their own opinions and insights. No one can admonish them successfully… Filled as they are with their own views, the arrogant lack the capacity to see another view.”
Fr. Thomas Dubay
It was an amazingly warm morning at 57 degrees when I headed for the coffee shop. I decided to take the Fisher Nature Area then connect to the Spring Creek Trail and was greeted with the moon sitting in the southern sky. So glad I took a different route as it offered me another view. It will be a day for reading and writing, a short meeting with friends at noon then meet a friend at 4 pm. May you enjoy this day and the view it offers!
This moment happened this morning as Jeff and I waited for Mugs to open. And, this moment happened an hour earlier than it would have yesterday due to the time change. Strange as it may seem I was not even aware of the change until we got inside the coffee shop. Goes to show how much I care about it and how dependant I am on my phone and watch to keep me on schedule. Anyway, it was a nice moment to share with Jeff. I hope you had a wonderful Sunday!
And back in September the Department of Defense was renamed to Department of War and that is what they are doing. No defense involved nor any attempt at peace. The president’s 2024 campaign prominently promised to be a “president of peace” by ending “forever wars,” preventing World War III, and not starting new conflicts. What happened to those promises?
In spring and summer we do not see the intricate and random patterns of tree branches due to the amount of leaves. But in winter when the trees are barren of leaves we see those chaotic growth patterns of tree branches. I say chaotic because our logical minds and egos want to control, keeping things in some form of order. That is not true of nature. She amazes me at how twisted and bent the branches seem to be but nature has its reasons. I’ve come to realize my task is more about enjoying nature’s creative work of art rather than trying to analyse it. So this morning as I waited for the coffee shop to open I enjoyed seeing the moon framed by the old tree with its random and intricate branches while a touch of pink glowed from the morning’s sunrise. My view at this stage in my life is that life is full of things happening erratically and the chances of any of them making some kind of relevant sense are remote in the extreme. We are all here to live life one moment at a time. It seems this is a wonderful way to start any morning!
When I left this morning for coffee, it was 35 degrees with overcast skies. I was gifted with a beautiful sunrise on the eastern horizon for the entire ride. As I stepped out the door of my condo I immediately noticed the quiet all around me. There was no traffic hum in the distance that many accept as normal and never notice. It was again an awareness of how much noise pollution our vehicles make. It also reminded me of when we first went into covid shutdown and the quiet that descended upon us for several weeks. On my bicycle ride home from coffee it had warmed up to 41 degrees but still overcast and cold. I stopped to observe a majestic bald eagle and held eye contact with them for several minutes along Spring Creek Trail. We just watched one another, no spoken words were necessary. What a gift that we shared.
Old Town lights and the Crescent Moon
The above image was taken last night when I went to Old Town to get some photographs of their Christmas lights and to watch people. It is a 14 second exposure so most of the people are blurred out. But, I want to share a special gift I received while watching a family of five. It looked to be mom and dad, grandpa and grandma, and a young girl who was in the spirit of the season and singing Jingle Bells, over and over. Everyone within hearing distance was her captivated audience! I don’t believe any person around me did not have a smile on their face as she sang. And, I wonder how many joined in, even silently. I did! And what’s interesting to me is that she may be offering this gift of song freely with no expectations of receiving in return. If only our world was focused on giving rather than receiving. Today I will cook up a chicken thigh with petite potatoes and baby carrots in my new Ninja Crispi air fryer. May you have a wonderful day, enjoy family time if possible and hopefully consume some chocolate today or at least think about it.
To live in the moment… is the onlyfootprint one must follow..
Oglala Lakota- Hinhan Wakangl
After coffee and conversation with my friends Terri and Jeff I rode home via Spring Creek Trail. The moon set its footprint in a clear blue sky over the mountains in the west. It seemed to be happy! Because it was happy I couldn’t let the opportunity pass for a photo. Now, I was happy! I hope you have a great day and I see snow is falling up north now.
It is a beautiful October day here in Colorado. It was a much warmer morning on my bicycle ride to coffee than yesterday. I was grateful to see the waning gibbous moon watching over me on my ride to coffee. When I saw its reflection in Spring Creek on my ride home I had to stop, take some breaths and receive the gift. Yes, it’s a beautiful fall day in Colorado! And, it has been a nice slow day that has included getting my hair cut and then stopping at the Bread Chic bakery on the way home and buying a loaf of their sourdough bread for toast in the mornings. It is still early in the day so I just may get in another bicycle ride before this day ends.
“…it is not who or what we pray to but what we pray for that reveals and redeems our lives; that what we pray for, not on our knees but in our choices and the stories we tell about them, conjures up the world we yearn to live in and it is our yearning that we act upon to make the world. Every choice we make in our political and personal lives is a prayer.”
Maria Popova
I had a beautiful bicycle ride to Mugs. A full moon was setting over the mountains so I had to stop and took a photo. A few Canada Geese decided to enter the scene which added another little touch. Emily was my barista and an Old Town mocha is my drink. I sipped on my drink with my journal and pen are in my lap. It was a good start to the day and has continued. We just had nice little rain shower with the sun shining. I hope you are having a good start to your day, also!
What you need, what we all need is silence. Stop the noise in your mind in order for the wondrous sounds of life to be heard. Then you can begin to live your life authentically and deeply.
Thich Nhat Hanh
I drove up to Pineridge Natural Area for a few photos and spend time in nature. I came home with a lovely photograph of Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon, all in alignment. The eastern horizon was a beautiful red, pink, and orange. Several bats were having a feast on insects as they circled above me. I drove home feeling renewed then had my meditation and morning readings before bicycling to coffee. I am now in a much better place to authentically live my life. We are noticing a lot more new faces at Mugs as students return to campus and the almost 6,000 freshmen class invades us. I hope you have a wonderful day!
“The more you turn inward, the more available the sacred becomes. When you sit in silence and turn your gaze toward the holy mystery you once called God, the mystery follows you back out into the world. When you walk with purposeful focus on breath and birdsong, your breathing and the twitter of the chickadee reveal themselves as miracles…”
