• quotes,  street photography

    Lost in the mist…

    May 7, 2024

    “Mystery surrounds every deep experience of the human heart: the deeper we go into the heart’s darkness or its light, the closer we get to the ultimate mystery of God.”

    Parker J Palmer

    I see scenes like this quite often on my walk across the CSU Oval. The back lit light of the sprinklers always grabs my attention. So, I stopped for a couple of images. I find mystery in this image because it includes the cyclist, lost in the mist, riding on the sidewalk down the center of the oval as if they were within the spray. The wind continues to blow this morning, so my hair is a mess, but we have clear skies and sunshine. I am happy to see more and more green. The semester is over, finals are done and most students have headed home. Hope you have a wonderful day.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises

    Another Quote on Growth

    January 22, 2024
    This mornings cold predawn sunrise at Pineridge Natural Area

    The people who help us grow toward true self offer unconditional love, neither judging us to be deficient nor trying to force us to change but accepting us exactly as we are. And yet this unconditional love does not lead us to rest on our laurels. Instead, it surrounds us with a charged force field that makes us want to grow from the inside out — a force field that is safe enough to take the risks and endure the failures that growth requires.

    Parker J. Palmer

    All these challenges, obstacles, and bumps that we encounter in life provide opportunities to learn, grow and alter directions in our life. What a gift it is to have people in our lives who accept us where we are and help us grow. My belief in this unconditional love is the hope and inspiration I grasp to continue on rather than wanting to run away. It is also my desire to love unconditionally. Hoping you all have a wonderful day and week!

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  • clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    The bumps are less dramatic…

    January 21, 2024

    If we lived close to nature in an agricultural society, the seasons as metaphor and fact would continually frame our lives. But the master metaphor of our era does not come from agriculture – it comes from manufacturing. We do not believe that we ‘grow’ our lives – we believe that we ‘make’ them. Just listen to how we use the word in everyday speech: we make time, make friends, make meaning, make money, make a living, make love.

    Parker J. Palmer

    On my way to the coffee shop I just had to stop at campus and accept this image of the morning’s sunrise. It was a deep red minutes prior to taking this image. It is a much warmer day for us here in Colorado. The kind of day to be expected because it is the season of winter.

    I’ve read this quote before and agree that many in our culture no longer see themselves as growing into our lives but think we make our lives. I’m one of those. I tried to make my life happy but discovered the daily struggle to control my life and those around me wasn’t working. I’m finding it much more enjoyable to face life for what it is, gradually gaining in wisdom what I can change and what I can’t. My prayer is to continually grow in the discovery of who I am becoming. Part of growing in life is growing older, which includes all the positive stuff and the negative stuff. And, it seems when I stop trying to make my life into my wishes, I have more choices in growing into my life. The bumps are less dramatic and chaotic. Stay warm and dry!

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  • fall season,  grass,  landscape,  mountains,  natural areas,  Plants,  quotes,  Reservoir Ridge Natural Area,  sunsets

    Our Deepest Calling

    December 6, 2021

    “Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks–we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.”

    Parker Palmer

    I believe this authentic self Parker talks about is something more than being the sports hero, rock star, truck driver, doctor or whatever fantasy we’ve had. He also suggests it’s a calling and not something we attain. Nor is our authentic self found in our attempts to be accepted in some way, to fit in. Seems we need to do some self-examination to be who we were meant to be. This was taken at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area on a sunny beautiful Saturday.

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  • architecture,  Art,  Art/Design,  quotes,  shadows,  window

    Morning shadows

    February 25, 2020

    Early morning shadows last week in my living room

    “Self-care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.” Parker Palmer

    Good morning. We have overcast skies and a strong wind blowing from the north, gusting to 31 mph. So, it’s a hold on to your hat kind of day. My Gortex jacket sure didn’t keep the cold wind out on my walk to the coffee shop. But, then that makes me walk faster, the coffee or tea really hit the spot and my barista’s  smile seem warmer. Have a great day, my friends! 

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  • lifestyles,  quotes,  writing/reading

    Something for me to Ponder

    July 16, 2018

    All About Coffee
    All About Coffee

    It is sometimes difficult for those who move into the later years of life, the aging years, for the need to let go of certain things. These can be such things as driving, some physical abilities like dancing the twist, carousing late into the night, or whatever you can come up with.  I’ve heard it said the opposite of letting go is hanging on. What do we hang on to and why? Hanging on can have a sense of scarcity and fear of loss. This then asks the question what do we want to hang on to and what do we want to let go of. However, Parker J. Palmer rephrases this question and asks, “What do I want to let go of and what do I want to give myself to?” I like the sound of that. Something for me to ponder.

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