My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Non-violence is a power which can be wielded equally by all—children, young men and women, the elders, provided they have a living faith in the Source of Love and have therefore equal love for all humankind. When non-violence is accepted as the law of life it must pervade the whole being and not be simply applied to isolated acts.
Mohandas Gandhi
Grandfather says this: in life there is sadness as well as joy, losing as well as winning, falling as well as standing. I do not say this to make you despair, but to teach you that life is a journey sometimes walked in light and sometimes walked in shadow.
Joseph Marshall III in KEEP GOING
Silence is one of the best ways to immediately reduce stress, while increasing your self-awareness and gaining the clarity that will allow you to maintain your focus on your goals, priorities, and what’s important for your life, each and every day.
Hal Elrod
The great Way is easy,
(Tao Te Ching translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995; Verse 53)
yet people prefer the side paths.
Be aware when things are out of balance.
Stay centered within the Tao.
When rich speculators prosper
While farmers lose their land;
when government officials spend money
on weapons instead of cures;
when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible
while the poor have nowhere to turn-
all this is robbery and chaos.
It is not in keeping with the Tao.
It began to mist just as I left the condo this morning. I turned the bicycle around and drove the car to the coffee shop, instead. No need for me to be damp, wet and uncomfortable. I’m glad I did as it’s been misting for the past three hours. A lot of things in our world are out of balance and not our checkbooks. I have come to appreciate how my time in nature, meditation, silence, and solitude help me stay centered and balanced at a deep level within me. The paradox, finding inner balance when the world around us is out of balance. Stay centered!
Restless at home yesterday I decided to drive to Weld County along County Roads 13 and 15. The skies were abundant with clouds. Darker clouds hung on the eastern horizon where rain was falling. Clouds in the west were displaying their silver lining as the sun set behind them. And the wind blew, reshaping clouds, and creating new works of art to enjoy. The wind also playfully rolled tumbleweeds across the open fields and roads. A hawk circled above searching for its next meal. Hundreds of Canada Geese flew in formation as they made their way to the fields for the night. I was blessed to see my first meadowlark of this year and had a second one sing its love song for me. I was glad I made the drive. I like how the irrigation system adds a leading line into the promising horizon.
This morning we have overcast skies and a mix of light rain/snow. The rain is refreshing, but the dull gray skies do not compare to the artistry of yesterday’s sky. I have a relaxing day ahead. Need to send a couple of emails and binge on chocolate. Just kidding on the chocolate!!! 😂 May you enjoy your day!
It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.
David Attenborough
“Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium.”
Sigurd Olson
Storm clouds were on the eastern horizon enticing me to head out of town to find open areas for an image or two. Before I knew it I was on a course heading north to the Soapstone Natural Area. I did get a few cloud images but I also was gifted with a few unexpected images of this beautiful landscape and a few bison images.
This natural area is the biggest one the City of Fort Collins maintains. It is 48 square miles of wide open vistas, nearly pristine grasslands, miles of trails and cultural resources. The trails are a mix for hiking, biking and horses. Thankfully they have restricted access to some areas to keep them free of man’s destructive tendencies. During excavations in the 1930s by the Smithsonian and Colorado Museum of Natural History they conclusively dated human habitation in in this area to at least 10,000 years. You can go online and find many stories about the early homesteaders, mostly ranchers and sheepherders, in this area as well as the American Indians.
In November of 2015 they introduced a herd of bison on over 1,000 acres of pasture land which is inaccessible to the public. However, the main entrance road, Rawhide Flats Road, and Cheyenne Rim Trail, follow along the edge of this pasture which gives an opportunity to observe them and even get a few photographs, if they are close enough. I find these animals so intriguing.
And of course this area is a haven for my favorite bird the meadowlark. It is also a place for many other birds, such as red-tailed hawks. The Fort Collins Audubon has a bird checklist that’s two pages long. You will find coyotes, fox, rabbits, prairie dogs, deer, antelope, and elk and of course a few snakes. I don’t go there often enough and it is always an uplifting experience for my soul when I go. It’s nice to come home with a few images but just spending time there, listening to the silence, transforms me in some wonderful way. Experiencing nature’s touch.
ominous storm clouds in the east
ms
rain, hail and wind hidden within
we watch in silence, the hawk and I
Listening to the news grieves this heart.
Voices cry warnings of a storm brewing
somewhere, every day, every moment.I want to turn away from it all,
cover my ears, bury my head in the sand,
still storm clouds rise on the far horizon.With diligence I stay alert listening to the
thunder of lies, watching for lightning bolts of anger,
each a sign of the growing storms of hatred.Oh, to wake from this nightmare, to discover
instead, a sunlight of love rising on the horizon,
offering us the gift hope. This is my prayer!mws
“On the deepest level, problems such as war and starvation are not solved by economics and politics alone. Their source is prejudice and fear in the human heart; and their solution also lies in the human heart.”
Jack Kornfield