In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.
Ansel Adams
A Form of Exploration
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The morning begins at Arapaho Bend Natural Area -
You Must Hear It
Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything . . . It is the presence of time, undisturbed. It can be felt within the chest. Silence nurtures our nature, our human nature, and lets us know who we are. Left with a more receptive mind and a more attuned ear, we become better listeners not only to nature but to each other. Silence can be carried like embers from a fire. Silence can be found, and silence can find you. Silence can be lost and also recovered. But silence cannot be imagined, although most people think so. To experience the soul-swelling wonder of silence, you must hear it.
Gordon Hempton -
Seeing the World
Allow yourself to be like a child, seeing the world through fresh eyes. Instead of trying to control life by making sense of it, embrace ambiguity and paradox as being the domain of the truest things.
Mirabai StarrI’ve come to realize we can only experience the world when we are a part of it. Seeing it with fresh eyes. Feeling the cold. Listening to the silence. Smelling the tangy fragrance of pine. Watching the clouds constantly change shape. Realizing how a small a part we are within the cosmos. So, even at my age I desire to be childlike but not childish, seeing the world with fresh eyes, embracing ambiguity and paradoxes and letting go of the need to know the answers!
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I believe…
Pineridge Natural Area – December 2020 I have made it through some hard times in my life.
Steven Charleston
I imagine you have too.
Looking back, I can honestly say
That in more than one of those times
I was not sure I would make it.
The presence of a living and conscious love
Got me through.
I can only call it Spirit.
So my faith is not the product of an emotional need
Or an intellectual imagining.
I believe because I know. Because I have been there.
Because of my experience.
I cannot convince others of this truth.
I can only share it and wait to see
The light of memory in their eyes.I believe in the presence of a living and conscious love
because I, too, have been there and experienced it. -
The Quiet Hours
Last night’s cloudless sunset over Longs Peak and the Colorado Front Range “I will pray for you in the quiet hours.”
Steven Charleston -
Each new horizon…
Do I use age as a reason for not following my heart’s desire?
mws
Do I search for motives to avoid living my life?
Do I look for excuses to spare myself the struggle required?
Do I run away when I face something challenging or new?
Do I have the courage to venture towards each new horizon? -
The Heart of Reality
January 2022 I am continually challenged to stop arguing with reality and instead soften into what is. Over time, I learned to find beauty, meaning, and wholeness in the heart of reality. Unpredictable, ever-changing, humiliating, and humbling reality.
Mirabai StarrIt began snowing last night and is still snowing as I write this evening. We do not have much accumulation, 3-6 inches, but roads are messy and slick. Morning will probably be worse. I met friends earlier this morning for brunch and have been inside the rest of the day. I am wrapped in a blanket and curled up in a cozy chair with a cup of hot tea. A day of reading, journaling, and grazing. That is the reality of my life. Stay warm and I hope you had a good day!
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To be an artist…
A frost covered morning “Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.”
Don Miguel Ruiz
