• musings,  People/Portraits,  street photography

    Thanks for listening…

    So this morning I needed to take my car in because it was making a noise. I dropped it off then took the bus home. It takes two bus rides and a walk halfway across campus to get home and about 45 minutes. I discovered and appreciate just how easy bicycling really is.

    Took this image on the second bus ride as we left campus.

    I feel sadness today. Found out my medical insurance did not pay as much as expected so now I owe more. The car is going to cost more than expected. This country, and the world, seems to be bent on hatred and violence, unrest and division, all of which causes finger pointing, blaming, and always perpetuating resentments. Coming to mutual solutions doesn’t seem to be on the horizon. And believing our diversity is our strength rather than a problem doesn’t seem to be part of anyone’s vision.

    But on a positive note we have beautiful blue skies and sunshine to bask in. So, once I arrived home, I let nature speak to my soul, as only she can. I sat in the warm sun, which feels almost like being hugged, and ate a refreshing orange. I watched leaves dancing with the wind and excitedly take to the air. I watched a group of Sparrows snatching insects out of the air. I listened to Blue Jays making a racket in the trees. They could be arguing but I doubt they will kill each other. And, I sit with inner silence, my journal, pen and let my breath be my prayer. Thanks for listening if you read this far.

  • flowers,  Plants,  poems

    A Beautiful Spring Day

    inspired by a beautiful spring day
    I caught the Max to campus

    with an iced chai, I found a spot surrounded
    by the quiet of the campus courtyard

    soaking in the silence, I began listening
    and writing words in my journal

    abruptly, the quiet became chaos
    as students poured out of classrooms

    now surrounded by every size, shape, color
    of student and backpack imaginable

    conversations exploded everywhere,
    gossip, tales from last night and laughter.

    then gently, peace and quiet returned
    as everyone moved on to their next period.

    and in this quiet I wondered,
    how many saw the daffodils?

    mws
  • Candid Portraits,  coffee life,  musings

    Sunday Smiles

    Smiles… they are the simplest gift we can offer the world. There is an unending supply within each one of us. Each one is unique, no two are alike! They can be repeatedly given throughout our day. They are extremely contagious. They are free with no monetary value placed on them. They are not to be hidden but need/must to be set free, released, given, and received.

    They lift the spirit of both the giver and receiver. They may unknowingly offer healing to anyone who may be silently suffering. They are a sign of our inner joy and happiness, that life is good. And they can be an invitation to return a smile, begin a conversation or make eye contact. They break down all barriers that separate, isolate or reject. They express what words may not be able to say. They enhance our external and internal attractiveness and beauty. And, in my world, smiles are what keep me returning to coffee shops! Seems the world would be at a better place if each of us offered more smiles. We for sure will feel better!!! Thanks to my baristas, Keera and Emma!!

  • Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Moving on…

    “Whether we experience what happens to us as obstacle and enemy or as a teacher and friend depends entirely on our perception of reality. It depends on our relationship with ourselves.”

    Pema Chödrön

    Weather app says it’s −11° and feels like -24°. They are spot on. We also had a dusting of snow overnight. After quiet time I made myself a bhakti chai, wrapped a blanket around myself, settled in for some reading and journaling. After my phone call with Eric I drove to Starry Night because today is Stephen’s last day as my barista. He’s a very good barista and very personable, one of my favorites. No one who walks in will feel like a stranger when he is working. So, I wanted to say goodby on his last day. He has been working and studying to be an EMT and was just hired by the fire department in Johnstown. I enjoy watching as young people move on to new paths. I’ve seen that a lot with baristas, which means I have to train another barista. Good luck and have fun, Stephen! Its now 11:43 am and we’ve warmed up to −6°.

  • Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Mystifying world…

    So many unknown people in this world

    The world… is indeed a strange and deeply mysterious place, forever changing and remaking itself anew. But this is not a novel condition, our world hasn’t only recently become bizarre and temporary, it has been so ever since its inception, and it will continue to be such until its end — mystifying and forever in a state of flux.

    Nick Cave

    This quote hits home for me. I suggest going to this link and read more about what he has to say about our mystifying world. From what I’ve read about him and his life, I’d like to invite him to join us for coffee. Enjoy your day and and the upcoming weekend.

  • Candid Portraits,  coffee life,  quotes

    Empathy and Compassion

    It says something about our species that we have eradicated smallpox and invented vaccines and antibiotics for yellow fever and the Black Death, but war continues to plague us; that in the past century — this supposed pinnacle of enlightened modernity — war has claimed or maimed more of our children’s lives than any virus or bacterium. It says something about both our immense imagination and our immense blind spots: Our species’ failure to eradicate war is a failure of the imagination, a failure to imagine what it is like to be anybody else, without which there can be no empathy and compassion — those vital molecules of harmony, the other name for which is peace.

    Maria Popova

    Maria’s quote is spot on. Could it be that much of our world is unable to imagine what it is like to be anybody else, find our similarities, because we are trying hard to be somebody we aren’t rather than accepting who we are. I love her idea that molecules of harmony, empathy and compassion, will bring peace.

    About a month ago I posted a quote by Vincent Van Gogh which I liked. Just after I posted that quote they put up this new mural at Starry Night coffee shop. I had to have a photo the moment I saw the mural and quote. It’s interesting that as a photographer we can draw people’s attention to things they have not yet seen while sitting right next to them. You can see how the one woman turned to see what the silly photographer was pointing his camera at. Happens all the time! I’m off to meet Mark for breakfast and conversation.

    May you have a wonderful day and may what you do in love today be done well!!

  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  Humor,  People/Portraits

    One of the regulars

    This is my reflections on Sunday morning from Starry Night. A young man sat against the south wall, phone in hand and a latte sitting on his table. He was not familiar to me. Sitting next to him was a couple who come here often, what we call regulars. A couple men sat in the lounge chairs near the front window deep in conversation, more regulars. Then Lucy came in who is one of the solid regulars. I see her almost every time I come to this coffee shop. She usually is out walking and stopping here is part of her routine. Sometimes she meets up with friends and sometimes she reads the paper. The baristas know her, as do us regulars. I asked if I could take her photo today. So meet Lucy!