• clouds,  landscape,  quotes,  storm clouds

    Changes

    “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

    Lao Tzu

    Friday I turned on the new furnace. It worked nicely and quietly. The leaves are letting go as they embark on their final stage of this season in life. The Canada Geese are back in town. Had to scrape frost off the windshield on Saturday morning. The days are shorter and nights longer. Cold temperatures are replacing the cooler fall temperatures. Snow will arrive shortly.
    Changes.

    I’m finding it more difficult to pull back warm blankets in the morning. It’s a fact I don’t handle the cold as I did in my younger days. I no longer stay up late but go to bed earlier and rise earlier. Conversations with high school classmates now includes medications we’re on. I now keep medication in a weekly pill dispenser. Both granddaughters are now married. Reality.

    Yes, life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. The seasons of life along with the reality of life.

  • Meister Eckhart,  natural areas,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes

    The Sunbeam

    From a late afternoon walk at Pineridge Natural Area

    “We usually miss You, cluttering our minds with expectations about where and how and who You are, but if we trust giving up our seeking and let ourselves know You in everything that is, even what’s concealed from us, we come to find You everywhere, at all times and in an equal way, no matter how strange this might seem to us.”

    Meister Eckhart’s Book of Secrets

    I believe the above is written from the perspective that You is referring to God. Even though the author is Christian his concept of You is not confined to a box but goes way beyond that. His You is not an object or deity. I also feel that way. I find it interesting to reread this and each time replace the word You with God, Love, Reality, Great Spirit, Compassion, Beauty, Nature, Creator, Truth, Justice, Peace, Serenity… and none of these are objects or material things. Thanks for listening…

  • insects,  quotes

    A Sense of Wonder

    Spotted Skimmer Dragonfly

    “We will recover our sense of wonder and our sense of the sacred only if we appreciate the universe beyond ourselves as a revelatory experience of that numinous presence whence all things come into being.  Indeed, the universe is the primary sacred reality.  We become sacred by our participation in this more sublime dimension of the world about us.”

    Thomas Berry

    Dragonflies hang around my ponds this time of the year. I really don’t know them that well but planning to change that. I do not have many images because they are such an elusive creature who needs patience to photograph. As I watched them over the weekend, I decided to set up my tripod and wait. I quickly began to sweat while standing in the 96 degree sun but I was determined. They skim and dart across the water with vigor at 22–34 mph.

    The twelve-spotted skimmer, which I think this is, has twelve dark brown wing spots, three on each wing. Males have eight additional spots that are white. Dragonflies are predatory insects. The hunting behavior of adult dragonflies is called “hawking.” Their legs are held in a basket shape during flight, which is perfect for grasping mosquitoes and other small flying insects. Many Native American tribes consider dragonflies to be medicine animals that had special powers. For example, the southwestern tribes, including the Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni, associated dragonflies with transformation. So today I watched and learned a lot about dragonflies. From now on I will look at them with different eyes, more respect and appreciation. I fell in love with this sacred creature, who I now know is my mosquito eating neighbor.

  • quotes,  Self-portraits

    No Longer Just Fantasy

    “You cannot find peace avoiding life.”

    Virginia Woolf

    There is a tendency for me to live in my head, that world of dreams, make believe and fantasy. It began early in my childhood. As a young man I would lay in the grass, gazing into the blue sky, dreaming of another time and place. I could also lay on my couch and fantasize of being the newest rock start or sports hero. We all dream dreams but none of us are able to live in those fantasy worlds because they only exist in our minds. Even as an adult dreamland can be a place I go when avoiding life, not wanting to face it. When I do, I find no peace. However, when I engage in life, face it’s challenges, put in the work towards fulfilling them, these dreams are no longer just fantasy but become reality. And, with that I find peace.

  • Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits,  quotes

    Love is…

    Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.

    Marianne Williamson

    It was just after 7:30 am and the morning light on Adriana’s auburn hair was radiating around her! She was in the spotlight. Love is shining on her and in her. She agreed to let me take a shot while she continued to work on her computer. The subject, the light and the moment, all make this image a meaningful moment. Thank you, Adriana.

  • Art/Design

    Never a Straight Path

    Barb-wire Fence
    Barb-wire Fence

    Have you ever notice how man builds things using straight lines while nature does not? Just take a walk in nature then a walk around the block in New York City. Our journey on the path of life is never a straight path. I’ve discovered experiencing the reality of life is only blocked when one expects it to be a straight line. When that happens, we can get bent out of shape.