The moon is known to have a calming and serene presence. As we enter the new year, it is good to keep in mind that today is just the beginning. We are blessed with the opportunity to visit with the moon every night – to let the soft glow of its light bathe and heal the constant chatter/activity of the day. On nights when the moon rays shine in through the open window, curtains are pulled back so that the shimmering light will give just enough light for your eyes to gently close… and your mind rest.
Always have presence of mind. If you overexert yourself, you will get easily swayed by emotion. Always put the best Makoto with presence of mind.
Perfect Liberty 2023.25
Use Dissatisfaction and complaints as a springboard to improvement.
Have you ever found yourself in conversation with a squirrel. How they will look right back at you in pure defiance. There are a couple of the little red ones that are just a little bigger than a minute.. they are loud, noisy, have a lot to say … and are determined that if you want them to go away, they are going to show you, they are going to stay. I recognize that behaviour…. Have been known to display “some” of that annoying stubbornness myself.
Compromise makes things more complicated. if you go against your intuition and compromise because circumstances or conditions, things tend to get more complicated than they need to be. Always focus on the priorities and act accordingly.
Perfect Liberty 2012,22
Express straight away once you’ve found it…” great!”.. Proactively express about others’ goodness. It feels great to be told so, even about things you already know.
Perfect Liberty 2023.24 (translated in Japan from Japaneses)
Having the whole area to myself, meant I could be a little silly. OK, well maybe a bit more than a little… I had a great time, I could run, jump, spin,turn and do a stretch and bend, I tried a few high kicks.. and discovered that I no longer have that can can kick I used to be able to do. hmmm. was it because of my big winter boots*, my 2 winter weight vests, my big winter quilted coat.. or… was it plain and simple I’m not in the same condition I was 10 years ago. (* I blamed my cleats that I have put on my winter boots for stopping my ability to glide and spin properly..)
I made the time to walk the whole area, making sure I put makoto (sincerity) into every step. I had no excuse, no diversions.. I was alone… even the birds had other things to interest them.. they were not following me or wondering what I was doing.. I got about 20 minutes of walking, skipping, etc. before another car came crawling along the road and into the parking area.
Today’s little “time to myself” moments were needed. Why I think I have to be out and at the feeders at a given time is beyond me.. I need to work on my “I’m retired” skills. Yesterday I did the walk (the trail that winds its way through the evergreens at P23) and today I “played” in the parking lot. I’d say it is a good start to the new year. Keeping active will ensure that my “body/mind” will not get lazy.
Don’t rush or allow yourself to get flustered. When you rush, it limits your ability to pay attention to detail, and often leads to careless mistakes. With a prayerful mind, take a deep breath and act calmly.
Perfect Liberty 2016.22
See the dragon looking up, waiting to be fed?
Playmates are everywhere… one just has to be watchful, and aware … they are lurking waiting to be seen/found.
Snow, blowing snow, high winds, visibility is not good, roads are not all cleared, the cold temperatures means that under the fresh snow is the possibility of black ice, there are hidden dangers out there.
The path to achievement is “to start with what you can do” try to find out what you an do towards challenges in your own situation. This will pave the way for achievement.
Perfect Liberty 2023.17
Today is a brand new day! What adventures will we have today!
It was a brilliant day. Eartha and I finally got away for our day trip to Ogdensburg, NY. We didn’t gear away till mid morning, and we actually got home early evening. Ogdensburg is about an hour’s drive from here, the border crossing was unusually quiet. We had only a couple of cars ahead of us when we crossed over into the States, and we were the only car returning to Canada when we headed back. Unusual, but appreciated, cuz we were tired.
We were only hours away from home, yet the weather, was so much milder. People were in (believe this) shorts and cut offs. Mind you they were wearing fall sweaters, some had on hoodie type sweat shirts or jackets… but the snowsuits and winter apparel seen worn when we left home. Mind you, we have just had a snow dump, as you can see from the above picture that was taken in the morning when I went out to P23 and P22 to feed the birds/crows.
While in Ogdensburg we were told about a new Asian Buffet, all you can eat, with Free Ice Cream! Guess where we had lunch. (1000 Linden St. open 7 days a week) It was different from the Asian buffets I am used to here .. I did ask, the Cook was/is Chinese. They have lunch specials for take out which is something we don’t see up here at our Asian buffets. You can also do Carry Out buffet in the States, I don’t find that here too often. And KNOCK YOUR SOCKS off prices. Here a noon day buffet at our favourite buffet is over $20 ea. for lunch .There we paid just under $20 for TWO.
Happy Sunday morning everyone.. because of the storm I missed the feeders at P22 and P23 Friday, yesterday the feeders were empty and full of snow… Guess where I am headed as soon as this post is put to bed.=^_^=
Express your feelings straight away. It will be good if you could express your feelings as they are to people around you, when you are happy or when you are troubled. also it will be a good chance for you to get to know others.
Everyone has their own way of seeing and thinking. There are different points of view and ways of thinking which makes it interesting and creates new ideas. Try to enjoy other expressions.
When I arrived today, I was alone … there were no other cars parked along the road.. As I walked through the entry it seems so eerie, no ducks, birds, wild turkeys, not even a squirrel. There was a path, others had been by recently… I saw that animals had been walking along the shoreline… I pondered my situation, how often would I have Mud Lake to myself. I realized not often… this was a fluke. I wandered off the path to the water’s edge.. yup, it looked solid enough, there were tracks (animal/fowl). I stepped gingerly unto the frozen surface, and then slowly started to make my way towards the other end of the lake.
I took my time savoring the silence and the landscape. During any other season, this would be teeming with wildlife, and the water would be a deterrent … there would be no seeing the shoreline from this side of the lake. It was wonderful. The sky was cloudy, not the greatest for good pictures, especially with my new Pixel 7 that I still don’t know how to use properly yet. I said a small prayer of thanks, I was filled with a gratitude that was very soothing/comforting. It was so strange to be at Mud lake and not hear a cacophony of bird/duck sounds. I realized that I likey have never been there in the winter before.
Maybe about 15, 20 minutes into my “adventure” I heard footsteps and the sound of a walking pole hitting the ground as the walker made his way along the trail on the other side of where I was. We didn’t speak, I don’t even know if he realized that I was there. I had never before been on the lake, nor had I ever seen some of the shoreline I was seeing.. when walking on the trail, there are times the trail is a good distance from the shorelines… and the landscape/terrain between the trail and the shoreline is littered with fallen trees, thick shrubs and dense vegetation and rock.
I made my way to the “lookout” I think I’ve only ever been on it a couple of times .. certainly has a different feeling/air to it when you come at it from the water’s edge. It was here that I got off the frozen lake and found my way to the trail. On my way back towards the car I came across the lone walker who told me he was trying to find the wild turkeys, He hadn’t seen them since the holidays.. No sign of them at all, not even their tracks.
The only other people I met were a couple who were there to see if they could see/hear any birds. It had been strangely quiet. not even the chickadees made an appearance, it really was truly as one friend said “haunting” . I think I encountered maybe 3 squirrels on my way back to the car… big black ones.
Walking on water was a good meditation for me. It was time I needed to reflect and allow the world to wrap the solitude of nature around me, and to let me hear the natural silence of the day.
Enjoy what happens. People who can enjoy anything happening to them receive wisdom for the next step. Try to work on things without being over concerned.
Layers – “stop the car” I’d shout.. “stop the car !! look over there, sheep!!” that was back when I was doing a lot of felting. Now roving and materials for felting are available almost everywhere there is a hobby or craft section in stores. But when I was knee deep in working with organic products, to sculpt my designs with felt, I had to find the sheep that would then lead me to the shepherds who tended them to find a source for fleece/roving.
Now.. I stop the car for photographic images that flash before me as I make my way into conservation landscapes… where every day there is a different wonder for me to discover. The little voice in my head will persist… “stop the car” if I procrastinate… sometime I want to go just a little further, because I don’t like the way a power line crosses in my view, or a tree is leaning in on the shot I think I want.
You know what happens.. When I hesitate (which I can do) I miss the shot!!!! Why, every moment counts when the sun is coming up…every few feet I keep moving forward, I am loosing that moment and the “excitement” that caught my attention, has faded or lazily changed before my eyes. The cloud has changed its shape,… or the red has faded to a pink and the pattern of the backdrop is blocked by a fallen tree… you get the drift..
Perception is important. Take immediate action once you suddenly perceive. You might discover something important in what you perceive.
Perfect Liberty 2023.9
The day I took this picture, there was a Nuthatch or it could have been more than one, all I know the air was filled with their song, it was pure magic. I was out of the car, I was standing by a stand of trees when the song began… it was a “stop the car” moment tho’… I stood stalk still, listened for where it was coming from, and headed to where I could get a picture. Of course without my Nikon, I got the landscape, but that’s OK, this was taken with the Pixel 7…I am just learning the phone..The one layer you can see the ice covering the outstretched limbs. then the top layer with the sun breathing fire unto the branches.. was for me a super WOW moment.
Hope your day is filled with “stop the car” moments.
There is nothing we can’t do! One way or another, we do it!
Life is an accumulation of events… In my world, I encounter fallen trees, and learn to adjust and work around them, So that I can revel and enjoy the beauty of such moments as the other morning.
“Thank you” again and again. It feels great if someone tells you “Thank you”, even many times. By repeating this, become a person who comes up with the words “thank you” naturally.
Perfect Liberty 2023.8
Small change can bring about a fresh outlook. Are you just living each day and getting into a rut? By making small changes in the things you do, your day to day life can become fresh and exciting.
TAOIST Life is Art (Perfect Liberty precept #1)
contact info.- via blogs
--- there are two energies, Yin and Yang = ONE
---to have balance we must live each moment
of our lives.. with Makoto (sincerity)
The only constant in life is change. I am grounded in the reality of Living.
This is true, in all worlds. RL or virtual. I am me and only me.
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