An online journal sharing my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, spirituality and asking deep questions.
Had the honor of shooting some portraits of 17 month old twins on Monday. I love how the inquisitive mind of this young lady is checking everything out. She was fascinated by the eagle then discovered the water left from an earlier sprinkling of the garden. And, had almost no interest in me.
Not quite four a.m., when the rapture of being alive
Mary Oliver, her poem The Loon from What Do I know?
strikes me from sleep, and I rise
from the comfortable bed and go
to another room, where my books are lined up
in their neat and colorful rows. How
magical they are! I choose one
and open it. Soon
I have wandered in over the waves of the words
to the temple of thought.
And then I hear
outside, over the actual waves, the small,
perfect voice of the loon. He is also awake,
and with his heavy head uplifted he calls out
to the fading moon, to the pink flush
swelling in the east that, soon,
will become the long, reasonable day.
Inside the house
it is still dark, except for the pool of lamplight
in which I am sitting.
I do not close the book.
Neither, for a long while, do I read on.
“When you come to see you are not as wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you are wiser today.”
Anthony de Mello
I like this quote and have felt for the past few years that anyone with the answers was not someone I wanted to hang with. However, I must confess there was a time when I thought I thought I knew the answer(s). It has been through the experiences of living my life that has taught me the range of life’s grayscale goes way beyond St. Ansel’s black and white zone system of 10. I’m just not as wise as I think I am or I think I should be. (Notice all the “I’s” in that sentence?)
As I look out at the world I see it only through my eyes, not yours. Therefore, my wisdom is often times different than someone else’s due to life’s experiences, culture, upbringing, lessons learned, or not, in each of our lives. Just knowing that will makes us wiser today.
And, if there is anything I would change in de Mello’s quote, I would replace the exclusive word “you” in his quote with the inclusive word of “we”. But, I’m wise enough to leave it alone. 😁
“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.
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.
prayers
ms
written in journal
cold winter night
It was 0 (zero) degrees this morning when I left the condo at 6:33 am. As I dusted off the powdery snow from the car I wonder how many neighbors were questioning my sanity. Then I thought about how connected we really are to nature and the part I play in it, how I am bundled up and prepared for the weather, how beautiful this wintery seen is, and most importantly, how good my mocha latte will taste. Yes, there is a bit of insanity in my life. However, there is much less insanity than a few years ago. 😁
About this image. It was taken by a lovely young lady at Mugs at CSU coffee shop. Unfortunately I failed to get her name so I could give her credit. The overcast sky and light reflecting off the snow gave this a nice light. She did a great job! I want to use it in an ongoing series of images that include myself, the journal, the fountain pen in the act of journaling. I already have images of the journals and pens taken over the years and will continue to add more. But I have very few of them that include me in the act of writing. Some images I can do it with a tripod and timer but this image required another person pressing the shutter button. The purpose is to share why I have been journaling almost daily for over 30 years. Now, if it was just a wee bit warmer, say 70 degrees warmer!!!! Oh, and my toes are cold.