My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of the world, yet undisturbed by its multiplicity, for our innermost soul we know ourselves to be one with all being.
Hermann Hesse
“Some people prefer solitude. They say their peace of mind depends on this. Others say they would be better off in church. If you do well, you do well wherever you are. If you fail, you fail wherever you are. Your surroundings don’t matter. God is with you everywhere — in the marketplace as well as in seclusion or in the church. If you look for nothing but God, nothing or no one can disturb you. God is not distracted by a multitude of things.
Meister Eckhart
Nor can we be.”
I have lived alone for many years. During that time I have owned my own place and at times invited others in when necessary for short periods of time. That changes this week as I will be staying with friends in their spare bedroom while mold mitigation is done to my condo. So my surroundings are different. My lifestyle will be different. My solitude will be different. To top it off my car is in the shop for a couple days so I’m not as mobile. We will see if I do well in my new situation and temporary surroundings. 
Solitude has its own special work: a deepening awareness that the world needs. A struggle against alienation. True solitude is deeply aware of the world’s needs. It does not hold the world at arm’s length.
Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
I consider myself a man of solitude, even more-so over the past few years. Some of that is due to a practice of prayer, silence, meditation, photography, a need for connection to nature and maturity through life experiences. One grandson calls me a hermit but mostly because I have a simple life, less attachment to things than he does.
My solitude does not alienate me from some of the brokenness within the world. There are ways to keep abreast of world situations without sitting in front of a television or having our face glued to the news feed on our phones. Admittedly, I’ve been guilty of all the above. I’m finding ways to stay actively connected to the world, find solitude and not be alienated from the world.
We are a part of all creation, not apart from. Wayne Teasdale says to experience solitude as a mystic or monk in the world and not be alienated from it is to be “… engaged in the world and with others but not attached to the world’s greed, indifference, insensitivity, noise, confusion, pettiness, unease, tension and irreverence.” I may be more aware of the worlds needs than I have ever been and always a part of it.
“The Utah deserts and plateaus and canyons are not a country of big returns, but a country of spiritual healing, incomparable for contemplation, meditation, solitude, quiet, awe, peace of mind and body. We were born of wilderness, and we respond to it more than we sometimes realize. We depend upon it increasingly for relief from the termite life we have created. Factories, power plants, resorts, we can make anywhere. Wilderness, once we have given it up, is beyond our reconstruction.”
Wallace Stegner
I believe Stegner’s quote is valid for any place. Wilderness is always close by even in our cities but becoming smaller all the time. And we mistakenly call the elimination of these places development. Sigh!
I noticed some Campanula rapunculoides, also known by the common name of creeping bellflower, in a greenbelt and canal area on a walk along Shields Avenue. I felt a closer look was necessary. After a few photos I spotted these mushrooms. Since I was already on my knees I decided they also needed to have their photo taken. I took three photos of the mushrooms and later discovered the fly is only in one image. Guess the fly wanted their photo taken also.
horizon of colors
ms
with quiet and solitude
pre-dawn on the farm
I am blessed to have the natural areas so close and with easy access. Yet, this morning I felt the desire to drive eastward, into Weld County. For I can also experience the quiet and solitude my soul needs out here. Taken this morning near Weld County Road 15 and County Road 78. And, I talked myself into stopping at the Bean Cycle on the way back into town for a mocha latte to bring home. This retirement life is pretty exciting!
What’s broken can be mended.
What hurts can be healed.
And no matter how dark it gets,
The sun is going to rise again.
Well, back to another sunrise. Took this image yesterday but this one is a bit different. I arrived at predawn when the sky was pink and took a few images of those colors. It was 18 degrees and a slight breeze from the northwest. What is different about this image is the young lady located in the lower left corner of the image. She is sitting on a small bench at the trailhead, wrapped in a blanket and sipping on a thermos of hot coffee or maybe tea. I was there about 45 minutes and she was there when I arrived, sitting on that bench the whole time. We watched this lovely sunrise as well as seeing a couple coyotes walk across the frozen reservoir in search of food. We did not talk. Not sure the reason she needed to be there but for me nature is a place to go when I need to find healing, answers, peace, serenity, silence, a boost, even a good cry and most often the need to slow down the chatter of my thinking. It had warmed up to 19 degrees by the time she left. I departed soon after. We’re expecting light snow today so right now it is overcast and windy. Happy Friday!
Each of us is an artist of our days; the greater the integrity and awareness, the more original and creative our time will become.
John O’Donohue
Thought I would share a few reasons I enjoy spending more time in nature, whether that’s dreaming of living in an RV or taking a short drive to one of the natural areas near me. Some of these I’ve written about before so I apologize if I’m repeating myself.
Connection: My experiences in nature have always brought a deeper feeling of connection with nature. Connection with nature is a pleasurable experience for me. Sometimes I wonder if we are drawn closer to nature as we age, with some unconscious knowing we are nearing our time of returning to the earth. Finding a greater separation from the busyness of the city brings a deeper connection with nature. The connection includes not just observing through sound, smell, touch and sight but I also talk to creation. I used to see that as weird but seems so natural to me at this stage of life.
Solitude: Solitude is a vital part of my spiritual life. As an introvert the solitude helps recharge my batteries. I like my condo and consider it a place of solitude, a sanctuary, but there are those times I must move away from the comforts it brings and the external noises around me.
Silence: I find a deeper silence by driving to some place in the country where there is less man-made noise, allowing for the sounds of nature to dominate and heal. Once I passed the 60 year mark I needed fewer days listening to traffic, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, refrigerator, furnace, and trash trucks.
Journaling: Journaling is also a part of my spiritual life and a daily exercise. What few times I’ve missed journaling was due to hospital vacations or where words could not be heard from within. I also find the writing on this blog to be fun and enjoyable. I was a horrible English student as a youth and disliked reading and writing. Now both reading and writing make up a majority of day. Never thought I would enjoy reading poetry but find I do, even venturing into attempts at writing in a poetic form.
Photography: Photography is a real interest or goal for time in nature. I have loved nature photography since I was a teenager with my first twin lens reflex camera. Over time, photography has help develop what some call the eye of the heart, so that I see nature from a new place. A much larger world for me to experience.
Discovery: There is a world to discover beyond the small world many of us spend most of our time living in. For many years I chose my world that consisted of a cubicle with a paycheck. There are new horizons of discovery and adventure yet to be seen and fully experienced. Time in nature helps me stay alive as a fulltime student.
And, what are yours, if you care to share?
May we be the artists of our days! 
“The man who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely, no matter how much he may surround himself with people. But the man who learns, in solitude and recollection, to be at peace with his own loneliness, and to prefer its reality to the illusion of merely natural companionship, comes to know the invisible companionship of God. Such a one is alone with God in all places, and he alone truly enjoys the companionship of other men, because he loves them in God in Whom their presence is not tiresome, and because of Whom his own love for them can never know satiety.”
We had a dusting of snow yesterday evening and temperature is at 17 degrees this morning. Good morning for coffee. They had freshly made chocolate eclairs in the display but I kept my wallet in my pocket and calories off my waist. I’m calling that progress.