My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
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
To be an ordinary mystic is to lead with love, to prioritize compassion,
Mirabai Starr
to regard the world with a sincere desire to see the goodness in others.
What I like about her quote is the word ordinary. We do live in a society that thinks we need to be special, different, even superior or that we already are, rather than seeing each other as ordinary equals. We are all human, made of the same stuff, but each with our own unique gifts and talents. Seems to me the world could use a few more ordinary mystics who have a sincere desire to see the goodness in others and embrace that goodness.
“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 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!
“For me it was important to be alone; solitude was a prerequisite to being openly and joyfully susceptible and responsive to the world of leaves, light, birdsong, flowers, flowing water.”
Mary Oliver, Upstream: Selected Essays
A spring like day. We reached 71 degrees and nature painted clouds all over the blue canvas sky. It makes me smile! I spent some time at a couple natural areas this afternoon to watch the art show and journal. I hope you had a good day!
“There are a hundred paths through the world that are easier than loving.
Mary Oliver
But, who wants easier?”
I finally got in my much needed bicycle ride yesterday afternoon. I rode out to Spring Canyon Park and back, a 5.9 mile ride. The last time I rode was December 27th. It felt good physically and mentally to ride again. I followed that up with a round trip ride to Mugs and back this morning, about 5.4 miles. My Fitbit is telling me to take it easy and go slower and I am. It has been cloudy and overcast today with the wind gusting up to 16 mph but the temperature is 68 degrees. Winter is not showing up in Colorado. The above image was taken last week on a drive along Horsetooth Reservoir. Love the blue and the effort!
For many years I had no clue what love was. I guess you can say I took a lot of those paths Mary Oliver mentions in search of it , while not really knowing what I was looking for. It also took a while to realize how I had love, lust and desires all tangled up in my head. I am happy to say that the past 25-30 years have given me an appreciation of all the varieties of love we can experience in life and the wisdom that there is no need to define love, but only experience the gift of loving and being loved. It requires knowing ourselves, letting go of preconditioned notions of love, taking risks, being open to the other, and an openness to the unlimited possibilities. That’s true whether loving or being loved. As Mary suggests it is not easy but in my experience, well worth the effort! I would even suggest it’s much easier than being full of hate. I hope you are having a good day.
I took a friend to get a heart catheterization done early Monday morning. On my drive over there I notice the lovely clouds and the their colors. I stopped and accepted a sunrise photo with the silhouette of the farm adding a special touch. It was worth the time to stop.
Tuesday was cloudy and cold. About mid morning we had light snow and rain but nothing measurable. Wednesday was warmer with sunshine. Today is sunshine with possible rain showers beginning at 3pm. There I got you caught up with the weather. I will post this quickly as I have a friend coming over for lunch. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Joan Chittister suggests that “we must be a gift to the world some way, somehow, for someone.” I’m not sure how many people see themselves as a gift to the world. I’m not sure how many see themselves negatively and therefore not worthy to be a gift. I’m not sure how many see themselves narcistically as the gift to the world and therefore unable to see themselves as a gift they could be. As I pondered those questions this morning I wondered what our world would look like if we did accept ourselves as a gift to this world in some way, somehow, for someone. Would we know peace, serenity, love, compassion, tolerance, generosity, and see ourselves as equals, no one better than or less than. I would love to see the world know the gifts we are to the world and one another! Happy Sunday!!
I made a drive out to Reservoir Ridge Natural Area this afternoon to journal while looking for the possibility of a photo of the setting sun. It was quiet out there even though it has been a beautiful day. I saw two pairs of dogs walking their owners and that was it. It has also been a day for seeing raptures. As I left my condo for coffee shop this morning there were two bald eagles soaring above me and sending out their shrill and high pitched calls. Their size, beautiful flights and calls always stop me in my tracks. I saw two more again about mid day on the other side of my pond. Then this afternoon I watched a falcon hunting while at Reservoir Ridge.
“Helping, fixing, and serving represent three different ways of seeing life.
Rachel Naomi Remen
When you help, you see life as weak.
When you fix, you see life as broken.
When you serve, you see life as whole.
Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego,
and service the work of the soul.”
I would like to remove the words “may be” in Remen’s quote and replace them so that line reads, “Fixing and helping is the work of the ego.” For those of you in North Carolina, North Berwick and Sterling Heights stay warm and safe this weekend.