Breathe...

"Remember to breathe.

It is, after all, the secret of life.”

Gregory Maguire, A Lion Among Men

 

 

To any who follow my writing here, it's obvious that from time to time I take a break. This last one has been longer than usual, but it was something I needed. Rest assured I have not been idle! Each person who blogs does so for their own reasons and mine are rather simple - to share my experiences, ideas, and talents in a way that will be uplifting to others and present some food for thought. I'm not in business here, nor am I promoting news, networking or any professional endeavors. I've spent a lifetime working hard long before the age of computers and the internet and so I am here only to humbly (I do hope) offer something of value. My mind is brimming with a lifetime of experiences, thoughts, and opinions to share and I never feel that my creative well has run dry. My own personal standards are such that I want the subjects I present to be relevant and clear, the photographs to be worthy, and the writing to be as good as I can make it. I have many interests and activities in my life and blogging has never been at the very top of the list; there are times when there is just not enough of me to go around. I am also committed to not allowing technology to replace the other things that I consider important in life and therefore do limit screen time. I hope that you will find something here that touches your inner being and helps you to see the connections in the natural world that surrounds us. After all, "We're all in this together..."

 

 

 "Breathe.

Let go.

And remind yourself that this very moment

is the only one you know you have for sure."

Oprah Winfrey

Summer here in the Pacific Northwest was outstanding - warm, sunny, dry, and seemingly endless. But now autumn has arrived, bringing with it a cooling - warmth dropping a peg or two, and rain up more than that. I have loved the rich fecundity of summer but our temperate forests need the rain. It is time, once again, for acceptance of change:

 

 

• To work long and hard amid living things is a priceless experience.
• Tens of thousands of sea stars are dying and we've yet to know why.
• To fully hear the sounds of the earth is to deeply connect on another level.
• Contemplate all who came before - and all who are yet to come.
• Solitude is not the same as loneliness.

 

 

“I am never alone wherever I am.

The air itself supplies me with a century of love.

When I breathe in, I am breathing in the laughter, tears, victories,

passions, thoughts, memories, existence, joys, moments,

and the hues of the sunlight on many tones of skin;

I am breathing in the same air that was exhaled by many before me.

The air that bore them life.

And so how can I ever say that I am alone?”

~ C. JoyBell C.

 

 

• For most, busyness has become a way of life.
• Many of us can change our lives - if we want.
• Some are nesters, fussing and rearranging without going anywhere.
• Some are travelers, coming, going, yearning to be elsewhere.
• Some are both.

 

 

“Divide the constant tide and random noisiness of energetic flow,

with conscious recurring moments of empty mind,

solitude, gratitude

and deep...slow...breathing.

Of this, the natural law of self-preservation demands.”

~ T. F. Hodge

 

Photo by Linda Baker 

• We are all growing older.
• Growing older is not the same as being older.
• None of us knows how long we will be here.
• NEVER let a day pass without saying "I love you" - to someone.
• And mean it.

Photo by Linda Baker

“The river is now.
This moment.
This breath between us.
The space between your heartbeats.
The moment before you blink.
The instant a thought flashes through your mind.
It is everything that is around us.
Life. Energy.
Flowing, endlessly flowing, carrying you
from then...to now...to tomorrow.
Listen: you can hear the music of it.
Of the passage of time.”
~ Lisa Mangum

It's good to be back - I hope that you will be also...