Monday, June 30, 2014

Climb. Walk. Think.


I'm not sure this climbing stuff is fun. Yet. 
But it's not random anymore - like it was the first time I tried it two weeks ago.
And I'm sure it's good. 
Good for me, that is.
I'll let you know if/when it becomes fun!


I have to chuckle.
Right before the climb starts there are two paths that diverge in the woods.
A good reminder that I am choosing.
Choosing FOR myself.
We all make so many little choices each day.
One good little choice at a time,
and new, healthier habits will become part of who I am.
Or so I keep telling myself.


I can tell you that it is always fun to play with the photos I take.
Always!


These two were the only people I saw on the hill.
Friends out for a climb, a chat...the view.
I'm missing a good friend quite a bit these last few weeks...
{but I digress}
Sigh.


There were a few new spots of color.


These funny, fuzzy red things were popping up all over the place.
It never ceases to amaze me...
the variety, the creativity!


The color adds a bit of fun to all the green.
Green, green ... green!
The growth is lush and the trees are full .... summertime lovely is everywhere!


These are my favorite white dogwoods...I hope to have my own tree someday!
They are beginning to fade.
I find them beautiful, even with these imperfections.


Right around the bend,
just steps away from the fading petals,
were these new green buds.
So tiny.
Just the beginnings of ... what?
What will they become?

Renewal.
It's all around us.
It was this thought that carried me as I wandered.
Some bits fade, new growth appears.
Constantly. Simultaneously.
Such a gift.

"Take a course in good water and air;
and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own.
Go quietly, alone;
no harm will befall you."
John Muir


Joining Tamar for

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Saving Saturday


"It is the sweet, simple things of life
which are the real ones after all."
Laura Ingalls Wilder


After a long day...
full of errands and tasks and not-fun-stuff...
it was good to simply come home.


To stand on the deck 
under the late afternoon sun
and watch a robin nibble on some berries.




To cook up a delicious dinner...


...with the guy that makes everything feel all better agian.


And to watch the setting sun paint my little corner of the sky.

These are the simple things that saved my Saturday.


Linking up with

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Six Word Friday ~ Circle


Tiny circles of black, with petals
of yellow, decorate the grassy hillside.


No pretense, no flash....each little 
flower as sweet as its neighbor.




My Memory Art six word fridays
Join us today! Our word is circle ... and the challenge? 
To keep each line you write to only SIX {6} WORDS!! 
{we don't count the number of lines, syllables or letters...just the number of words!}

More Precious than Gold


The golden light, of the golden hour...on golden pond.
It dances across the water,
sparkles in the bushes,
and lights up the wings of the fleeing duck.


The golden light plays with the swaying leaves
and tickles the fuzzy feathers of the goslings.


It gives us the dramatic silhouette.


And adds warmth to everything it touches.



Joining friends for

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Black & White Wednesday ~ Light



"There are two kinds of light ~ 
the glow that illuminates
and the glare that obscures."
James Thurber



I ask myself:

With my words, do I build others up? Encourage them? 
               Or is it all me talk? My worries, woes, accomplishments?

With my actions, do I serve others? Strive to make their way easier?
                 Or do I perform? Need to be noticed?

With my mind, am I open to learning? To exploring new paths, new ideas?
              Or am concerned with being right? Being sure? Am I stuck?

And with my heart, do I react with compassion and kindness?
                   Or do I feel, deep down, "Thank goodness I'm not like them."


I ask myself...

Yes, isn't that the point? 
Searching. Asking. 
And striving to transform any of my glare into a warm glow.



My Memory Art

Please join me!
Share your Black and White photos here!
{I'm also linking up with Communal Global}
              



Monday, June 23, 2014

Good. Random. Fun!


Such a beautiful weekend here in New England! 
Our little swan family has now lost four of their seven babies...
I know this is all part of nature's way,
but it's hard to watch.
It's a good walk around my pond whenever I get to spend a little time
with the graceful swans!


Going through some old photos last week,
I found these two random shots of my boy...
We fell in love with soccer when we lived in France
{as you can tell from his clothes!}
and are still rooting for "les bleus" in our house!




I spent a few hours at the pond with my husband on Friday...
even made him sit and watch the sunset with me.
It's been a while since I've stayed this late at the pond.
So fun to hang with him on the {almost} longest
day of the year!


Joining Tamar for 

Sunday, June 22, 2014

a pup, a pond...and a sunset


"We should run through the forests,
we should swim in the streams,
we should laugh,
we should cry,
we should love,
we should dream
we should stare at the stars
and not at the screen."
Scare Away the Dark ~ Passenger







Two hours in the fresh air,
on a perfect summer evening,
at the end of a work week....
with the cutest 'grandpuppy' on the planet 
and my husband!
Doesn't get any better than this!





Thursday, June 19, 2014

Six Word Fridays ~ Wave


Under the swishing branches of a
big shade tree, I settle easily.
As the breeze plays with the 
leaves and limbs, the light dances
for me...across the grass and
across the water's ever changing surface.


With each new gust, the lapping
water kisses the shore. Gentle kisses
again and again. Again and again.


The whispers, the rustling. The ripples
and the glistening. Oh, the glistening!
I breathe. With every moment of
symphonic, theatrical delight, waves of joy
wash over me. Again and again.


My Memory Art six word fridays
Join us today! Our word is wave ... and the challenge? 
To keep each line you write to only SIX {6} WORDS!! 
{we don't count the number of lines, syllables or letters...just the number of words!}

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Fat?

#throwback
September, 1978
Freshman move-in day at Boston University

When I found this photo buried deeply in a huge pile of photos last week
my first thought could have been,
"Oh, how special! A photo with me and both of my parents!"
{other than my wedding day, not sure if there's another one}
My first thought could have been,
"Cool! Beacon St. back in the day. Look at those cars!"
Or,
"Wow, I remember that day so clearly. Moving into my dorm,
saying good-by to my parents,
on my own in Boston for the first time!"

But.
No.
If I'm going to be completely honest
my first thought when I saw this photo was
"Who in their right mind filled my head with the notion of how fat I was?"
And,
"Who put that same awful thought in my mother's head."
Seriously.
That's all I could think about.
When a well meaning mom with her own body image issues
puts you on a 
{may I just say}
completely unnecessary diet
when you're eleven....
When you hear a rumor that someone in high school called you thunder thighs....
When you spend your childhood being told that 
you really shouldn't wear that cause you're not built like other girls....
What's a girl to do?
I mean seriously.
Makes me want to scream.

I'm 53.
I am no longer
guilt ridden.
And the voices of self loathing
have long since been silenced.
I have grown to trust myself.
To believe that I am loved.
And I own my journey.
A journey that,
in spite of this ever-present knot of pain,
has been filled with joy and love and crazy adventure.

So, don't feel bad for me.
That's not what this is about.
It's just about saying it.
Cause it's not something I love to talk about.
But I am talking about it.
The shadows that kept me hidden
and some of the demons that have convinced me I couldn't
be healthier
have lost their power.

To all who share this space with me,
I am grateful for your listening hearts.
You have given me more strength, courage and inspiration
than you'll ever know.

Stay tuned....


Joining Kim for Little Things Thursday
and Mama Kat's for her Writer's Workshop