Knowing others is intelligence;
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power.
Foggy morning at CSU Oval
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A Wintery Scene
It was 13 degrees when I left the condo at about 6:47 am. No wind. No bicycle! It was cold enough I could blow off the dusting of snow covering my car. I could feel the peaceful stillness and quiet on this winter morning. I moved on to my coffee life at Mugs where my barista, Dean, made me an extra hot Old Town Mocha. It hit the spot. The coffee shop was rather quiet because of the cold morning. Only a few brave souls would be out on a morning like this. I was able to chat with a two of the brave souls, Jeff and Chris, then had some journaling time. My POD (Pen of the Day) is a Pilot Custom 823 with Yama-guri ink. It is a good combo to find words on blank pages.
As I left the coffee shop the sun was beginning to break through the clouds, offering blue skies and sunshine on the frost covered trees of the foothills. So I drove home along Horsetooth Reservoir. Nature offered its wintery gifts of low lying clouds, mist rising and floating across the open water, frost covered trees and a touch of blue sky over the foothills. And more quiet! Back home I started laundry and will have a bowl of chili soup later today. May you have a wonderful Sunday! Stay warm!
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A Morning Walk
Winter colors along the Poudre River at the Environmental Learning Center I had an invigorating ride in the fog this morning to meet Jeff for coffee. About 10:00 am I drove to the Arapaho Bend Natural Area and then over to the Environmental Learning Center. I needed to take my camera for a walk and did that at the ELC. I had not been to the ELC in a while and was shocked. Everything seemed so bleak to me, dead trees were down everywhere. It’s usually lush, green and vibrant. The last time I was there was there in June of 2023. I settled in for a walk of the Wilcox Trail, about 1.5 mile loop. By the time I headed home for lunch, I had seen seven eagles, two hawks, and a dozen whitetail deer. So I enjoyed my bicycle ride, my mocha, my conversation with Jeff and my walk in nature.
A pair of Bald Eagles near Arapaho Bend Natural Area
Blue sky and fog over Beaver Pond at Arapaho Bend Natural Area
The bleakness of the Environmental Learning Center
A whitetail doe framed and staring me down at the Environmental Learning Center -
The Literature of the Spirit
Pelican in early morning fog at Arapaho Bend Natural Area – May 2023 One of our problems today is that we are not well acquainted with the literature of the spirit. We’re interested in the news of the day and the problems of the hour.
Joseph CampbellMy wife and I separated in 1991 and sold the house that fall. I drove away with everything I owned in the back of a small Ford Ranger pickup and with a feeling I was not familiar with. Her and I were closing one chapter of our lives and moving forward into another. It was a time of letting go. One thing that I have fully embraced from that day to the present was the letting go of television. I have not owned one since then. I came to a place where I’m not interested in the news of the day, the problems of the hour or what society considers entertainment. I focus my attention on the reality of life, one-on-one time with family and friends, the gift of time in nature, reaching out to the needs of those who are suffering, time in solitude, silence, prayer and meditation, journaling, photography and listening to the spirit that pervades everything. I guess you can say that’s being acquainted with the literature of the spirit.
Six years ago today I had open heart surgery. That valve lasted about four years when it failed and they needed to replace it in a TAVR procedure, March 2023. So today I am grateful and living life as full as I can. Thank you to all who have been reading these ramblings over the years!!
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The Beauty of Mother Earth
When we recognize the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection—love is born. We want to be connected. That is the meaning of love, to be at one…. You would do anything for the benefit of the Earth, and the Earth will do anything for your well-being.
Thich Nhat Hanh -
Quiet Moment on the Poudre River
Works of art are not born in flashes of inspiration but in a daily fidelity.
Albert CamusWhere I live each condo has one numbered parking spot. The numbers are painted on the pavement and are now quite faded. This time each year we have a major turnover of residents due to college students. I now find some of the new residents parking in my space and others. Rather than be angry or say anything, I have begun to park in open spaces which means I may need to walk an extra 20 or 30 feet. Could it be that I’m finally growing into a mature adult? Or maybe I’m becoming more childlike than childish?
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Conversation in My Heart
Another morning and I wake with thirst
Mary Oliver
for the goodness I do not have. I walk
out to the pond and all the way God has
given us such beautiful lessons. Oh Lord,
I was never a quick scholar but sulked
and hunched over my books past the hour
and the bell; grant me, in your mercy,
a little more time. Love for the earth
and love for you are having such a long
conversation in my heart. Who knows what
will finally happen or where I will be sent,
yet already I have given a great many things
away, expecting to be told to pack nothing,
except the prayers which, with this thirst,
I am slowly learning. -
Full of wanderlust…
Wanderlust in Red Fox Meadows … this morning. We were gifted with a foggy, cool morning here in Colorado. So, I again wandered from the comfort of my condo to walk among the wet grasses of the meadow. My body and soul needing to feel the cool air, to be awakened, again. Each venture into nature is my place of discovery, where I feel like I’m spending time with a good friend. Yes, my soul is full of wanderlust. I like that word. And, speaking of a friend. I will meet my friend Lyndsi later. It’s been a while so we will catch up and share a hug (or two). May you have a wonderful and safe day!
The soul is full of wanderlust. When we suppress the longing to wander in the inner landscape, something within us dies. The soul and spirit are wanderers; their place of origin and destination remain unknown; they are dedicated to the discovery of what is unknown and strange.
John O’Donohue, Eternal Echoes
