Time appears to stand still when you come across a peaceful scene along the river. The gentle curving of the walkway meant that you slow down your pace…. your eyes follow the shoreline, birds are singing happily from somewhere off in the distance. It feels good to have the moment to yourself, The sun is high in the sky, but the surrounding trees are providing dappled shade. This walkway follows the wanderings of the Rideau River…along Riverside Drive (Ottawa)… There has been a lot of construction this summer along Bank Street, (cross street) This could be the reason, but in my exploring the other day, there were very few people enjoying the “park” ..note… the colours are starting to appear. Mother Nature has begun to weave her magic.
When you are not having fun, could it be because you’re being lazy
Sometimes you feel blue or can’t seem to find the joy in doing anything. At times like this, just get up and move your body or work your mind to the fullest extent.
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Ottawa is surrounded by beautiful really beautiful landscapes. An outdoor enthusiast paradise, a photographers dream
Roller skates.. .. the other day, when I went on FB to post to the PL Brazil site.. I saw what they call “reels’ and people roller skating. That took me down memory lane, I once flew into California to skate along a famous stretch of beach in California…. that was many many years ago.. at that time skating was all the rage, I got to skate where I would never have imagined, along a boardwalk, with sand /surf for a backdrop… I think from what I saw, it is back and very popular in some States…. L U C K Y !
All this to say, that was yesterday, a distant time in the scheme of things. it was a reality then .. all those years back when I thought anything was possible… I sit today and think of how much the world has changed, yet… no matter how many lives I’ve lived, places I’ve been, I am still ME. Imagine that. I look in the mirror, the face looking back at me is different, yes, the signs of having lived a full life are there.. but it is my eyes…they have changed.. they look somewhat the same.. but no.. if one really looks, there is an un readable depth.. that no matter how hard I try, I can’t penetrate.
I’ve started drawing/sketching again. I will wake up and have this need to grab a coloured marker and sketch. I don’t write, I draw…. I met a young man the other day, in way of introduction, he said, he wanted to meet and talk with me because I was an “artist”. That gave me pause, I draw/paint etc. does that make me an artist.. I didn’t feel a first meeting was a time for me to go into the philosophy of why I don’t like labels.. dear man was spared. I say PoTAYToh.. and you say PaTA..TTOE -( root vegetable commonly called a potato or spud)
Tell yourself “Things Happen“
Even if something is inconvenient, once you accept it, you will be able to move on to the next step.
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Have a good day everyone.. remember anything is possible..
I try to do lessons every day, I study most nights for at least 2 – 3 hours. I focus on quieting the mind, letting information filter through my gray cells. Some information stays with me, some fades into the night … one of the realities of living on one’s own .. is that how we plan our day/nights is a learning curve on its own. I am blessed with many of you who write blogs, you share your ideas/pictures and allow me a glimpse into the colours and pieces of your lives. AND your thoughts, ideas and your creativity always give me pause to reflect on how multi-faceted the world is.
The last few days have been revealing in a way that I would have preferred not to have lived it, but, it was not to be.. I relearned a valuable lesson..
In PL.. you have all seen my posting the Precept. # 5 One’s self is lost by being emotional. Guess who got caught by scammers…. yup yours truly, I dealt with it… but it was a very loud reminder that I need to look for shortcomings in my own thinking and actions. I reacted to an e-mail I received, and didn’t heed the inner voice that screamed Beware!!! I was lucky I it seems I acted in time to avert a serious breech. Thank you to everyone who helped me through the “crisis.”
Don’t give up? Keep at it until you accomplish what you started
The key to achieving something is to stick to it. If you are able to continue something from start to finish, you will be sure to accomplish it no matter how difficult the task is.
I recall a trip we took years ago.. we drove to Montana, (my previous time to go there I had flown in, and never did I want to do that again).. So my husband the planner said, “let’s drive there” he planned out the route we would take from here in Ontario (Canada) and on a lovely September day, we took off with the two dogs for Montana. The only States I had visited before this was NY, Vermont, NH, Florida, and California. We drove down into NY State and from there he took us through as many of the middle states towards Montana.. What a diverse geography the landscapes were at times “mind blowing” especially as we got closer to Montana itself. I got to see Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wyoming, Idaho and then into Montana, It was many years ago now and my husband is no longer here to tell me if I’ve missed any of the States we drove through. He promised we’d go back, I had wanted to see Arizona and spend more time exploring, but we had limited time and our goal was my friend in Montana.
What brings the trip back is stories I have been listening to that take place in the “old west” life in the 1800’s and the fact that Brian always wanted to take me away during my birthday month. His birthday gift to me was to take me to places he wanted me to experience.(He had been a journalist and media personality, his work had taken him to all four corners of the globe. I used to love listening to his adventures.. ) Now of course I have to plan and decide my own “birthday month”.. After the years of having adventures planned out for me, I confess I was spoiled.. it is an adjustment.. I find myself, part of me anyway, wanting to pack the car and take off to explore… etc… however… another part of me says, “you’ve done that… and… blah blah blah)
In PL we say ” PL Precept # 1 Life is Art ” every day is a new beginning.. a new canvas.. At the moment I have a new living space to adapt to and make my own… a new “lifestyle” ….
The Excitement of life comes from expressing your individuality
In PL we say it is important to live each moment of your life expressing your true self with Makoto (sincerity) when we can do this we will experience the true joy of self expression.” Learn to live respecting one another and working for each other’s happiness.” a lesson we are reminded of daily when we recite the PL Prayer.
After mulling about what I want to do, and simply not getting anywhere, I opened my calendar to today’s reading…and et voila…
Whether you like or dislike something, give it a try
Instead of avoiding something because it’s complicated or difficult to understand, just give it a try. Then you will be able to find it interesting,
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The picture for those who are unfamiliar with the Teepe or Tipi as it is traditionally know.. is a conical dwelling many Native American Plains tribes used as dwellings.
Whatever your day brings, enjoy .. smile.. be happy.
Oyashikiri
Why do teepees have 13 poles?
According to these teachings, the poles of the tipi represent the nations of people living upon Mother Earth and form the circle of life. Each one of the 13 poles also represents a trait to be honoured, starting with the three anchor poles that signify respect, obedience and humility. (wiki)
Sometimes when we make a change, it isn’t a simple action… there are consequences and new perspectives, Changes require that one relearn and regroup whether one wants to or not.
Rather than thinking “I have to…” Think “ok, Let’s do this!”
When you procrastinate, put things off until later, you will make things harder than they need to be. Get up and do it now.
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Oyashikiri
For the curious that is a cardboard avatar (Second Life) and the living space is one of the Linden Lab Premium houses ..Lighting was in the Firestorm viewer. love the light and shadows.
It seems easy … just sit back, relax…. let the moments come and go.
I watched a short clip today, where there is a moving ball, starts at one side of the frame, moves slowly to the top (centre) of the frame pauses and then slowly slides to the other side of the frame. The caption and voice, asks that you watch taking a slow breath, then hold when the ball pauses, then release as it slowly drops down to the other side. Lovely reminder to pause during your day, to take a moment to just stop relax for a moment before hurrying on with whatever you are doing.
So often we live our lives on automatic pilot, When I was out yesterday driving to the conservation area I frequent, I thought about how often I had done this over this years.. and how the car just seemed to know where it was going. Ottawa is surrounded by green spaces. We are very lucky that way. I found myself asking the empty space around me (in the car) why I always went to the same locations. Why with hundreds of options, did I always go where it was familiar. (didn’t get an answer)(working on it)
When finally home, I settled down for a wee nap, and turned my iPad on to listen to one of my lessons, but instead of a podcast on male *health/ psychology, a story came up about a woman pilot.. a woman who had military training … now no longer in the military she was on a commercial flight when there was an incident that required quick thinking and the skills she had acquired while in the military,
This was not something usually on my radar.. but I was tired, comfortable, my eyes closed… so I let the story unfold. I woke to a story about a woman living in the wilderness of Nevada back in the 1800 when the land was wild, and civilization sparse ,… She tended a trading post on her own, in the middle of nowhere… stepping outside when she heard movement, she found an injured wolf… the story was about how she took responsibility for the injured animal.. and the consequences of her actions. (women did not have it easy!)
Both stories were nothing I would ever have searched out, but there they were.. … both told of courage, of kindness, of persons who put the safety and what was morally right first. Made me wonder what other “stories” were being offered. Interestingly I found that there are human interest stories .. that speak of kindness and helping others in all walks of life. There are consequences in life, and we are often the creators of our own “destiny”.
No one can take away the joy you get from putting your whole heart into something
The joy you feel when you’ve put your all into something is yours and yours alone. Nobody can take that away from you
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Have a great day everyone.. try something different. But keep smiling.
Oyashikiri
*this is a field of its own, men do have issues and problems specific to their gender.
The other day while driving down towards the St. Lawrence (river), which is south of where I live, I was surprised to see that some of the trees were already showing signs of fall. We’ve had a very hot and humid summer, but fall doesn’t officially start till mid/late September. Still, I must admit, I am looking forward to the changing season. That fresh crispness that wafts through the air on clear sunny days,
Pay careful attention without overly straining yourself of taking things too lightly
Having the right amount of tension in your life allows you to notice many things, and that will help you to better express yourself.
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Where ever you are in the world, make it a special YOU day. Smile it is such a precious gift.
Curious, have you started preparing for the joyful season coming up? (including the howling time)
Is it a summer cold… is it allergies… what … what is it…. woke to a feeling of unease, stuffed ..congested, a throat that was on fire.. and…. a glue gun that wouldn’t work like it should. Oh groan… sigh… it is going to be one of those days. The sky outside looked gloomy, a gray pallor hung over the buildings I could see from my window. The bright eyed smiling girl of the other day, failed to make an appearance, I did attempt to run a few errands,, but the “adult” portion of my gray cells,. finally broke through the fog in my head… and I was encouraged to drive home, straight home.. and cease and desist ignoring what my body was trying to tell me. Tomorrow will be another day!
When you get stuck, take a step back.
When you are able to see things objectively, your viewpoint will change and you will receive new wisdom.
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Did you know that yesterday the 22nd, was the black moon? Did you stay in? (at night) I had forgotten, it wasn’t till I was shutting down for the night that I saw my reminder.,… I was able to take time, to reflect and enjoy the tranquility of the event. Black moon encourages empowerment, and connecting with your intuition to embrace and change and ignite one’s inner light. probably why I am disappointed to wake to a new day and find my body is having a wee tantrum.
Been watching video on the dissection of the female anatomy. We should never take our bodies for granted,, (stop the snigger guys .. the male anatomy is the next lesson…
Let’s be thankful for everything we have right now.
“Now” is an accumulation of every moment leading up to it, and everything that continues to progress and develop to become “now” Be thankful for everything.
Life is an accumulation of the efforts you make, day by day. Live keeping in mind that “today” only comes once and live your precious life to the fullest.
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.