My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
No writing on the solitary, meditative dimensions of life can say anything that has not already been said better by the wind in the pine trees…or the silence and peace that is “heard” when the rain wanders freely among the hills and forests. But what can the wind say where there is no hearer?
Thomas Merton, THOUGHTS ON SOLITUDE
So maybe our task is to be present and listen or what Merton refers to as the hearer.
I fear that future generations will judge us harshly for our failure to place proper value on wildness, diversity, open space, spirit, solitude, and other treasures of the natural world still available to us today. May they at least know that some of us tried.
Guy Tal
I am grateful this community I live in has placed value on the wildness of nature and have established several Natural Areas that are set aside as treasures. I am thankful no wealthy developer will be able to destroy the beauty of this morning sunrise scene. My prayer today is that everyone, including rich developers, will come to see the beauty and priceless value of this sunrise as a gift for all of us without a monetary value. And, I need to know I was one of those who tried.
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
Violence is what happens when we don’t know what else to do with our suffering.
Parker J. Palmer
My sister Sheree and I arrived home about 1:15 pm yesterday afternoon. We left Phoenix on Tuesday morning, stayed the night in Raton, New Mexico then finished the trip yesterday. It was a good day of travel. We had a near miss with a deer just outside of Raton, New Mexico yesterday morning and then one driver almost swerved into us somewhere in Denver a few hours later. Seems road construction was/is everywhere! Both of us were tired by the time we got home. My sisters keep different hours than I do, staying up later but on this trip I did also. So I was even more tired. I emptied the car, unpacked everything and then sat for some meditation and quiet. I slept in this morning. In spite of the fatigue, I had a wonderful time with my family.
It’s been a cloudy and cool with a 40% possibility for rain. Because of the possibility for rain I drove to coffee this morning. At the present time the possibility of rain has been about 23 1/2 drops of rain. Well, maybe 25. Guess I need to dance faster. The gray skies offered a day to relax, journal, and read. I have also been going through some of the things belonging to mom and dad that we brought back. I have already discovered some jewels and shed a few tears. All good stuff! I still pray for the end of violence!
The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere – in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion and in ourselves. No-one would desire not to be beautiful. When we experience the Beautiful, there is a sense of homecoming. Some of our most wonderful memories are of beautiful places where we felt immediately at home. We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul.
John O’Donohue
What a beautiful morning for a bicycle ride along Spring Creek to Mugs for coffee and wonderful conversation. This is a good time of the year for images like this due to the timing of my ride and the rising of the sun. I’m sharing this image of what I get to experience on these morning rides. Alissia was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink. A few clouds have now moved in as a cold front arrives late tonight which I hope brings us moisture in the form of rain and snow early Friday morning. And, both Friday and Saturday nights could be below freezing. I will be okay with that if we also get moisture. May you enjoy this day!
Solitude is important to man…
Margaret E. Mulac
It is his refuge when the very foundation of his life are being shaken by disastrous events.
I stopped and took this image of the predawn colors over the Lory Student Center on campus this past week on my ride to the coffee shop. Posting this late and hoping everyone has a wonderful weekend!
for the awakened heart
mws
two notes carried by the wind
the chickadees song
“But dawn – dawn is a gift. Much is revealed about a person by his or her passion, or indifference, to this opening of the door of day. No one who loves dawn, and is abroad to see it, could be a stranger to me.”
Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays
The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply.
Stephen R. Covey
Overcast skies allowed for some predawn color on my way to the coffee shop this morning. I stopped in the parking lot at the CSU Women’s Soccer field and took this image. This is a handheld shot at ISO 500 and I used Lightroom Classic denoise in post processing. I met my friend Duane for brunch today and enjoyed the food and conversation. And the conversation is always good because we are both learning to be better listeners.
The cloud is free only to go with the wind.
Wendell Berry
The rain is free only in falling.
Here is this morning’s predawn sky over campus on my bicycle ride to Mugs. Emily was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink of choice this morning. We had some dramatic winds along the Colorado Front Range and into Wyoming on Thursday. They closed I-25 and US 287 north from Fort Collins to Cheyenne and Laramie for the better part of the day. There were wind gusts recorded over 80 mph. So there has been some major wind damage. The campus had some big old pine trees toppled. They released students early on Thursday due to the winds and it was the last day of class before spring break. What was interesting to me about this wind was having it blow for almost 12 hours nonstop. As my friend, Joan, described it, it was “unsettling.” They are predicting more high winds again today and into tomorrow. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend!