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On the Road again…..

camper, diana przytakoski-Cook

Good Morning, Bon Jour!

How are you? Dull and overcast here, so what, now that the eyes are open and my thoughts have turned to you, I remember this camper I found the other day when I was researching for an earlier blog.  Can you just feel the positive vibes from this cheerful little nest on wheels.  With the nicer weather, spring in the air, the tulips will soon be in full bloom along the canal. Food vendors will be out in the main tourist areas, the smell of fries and burgers wafting through the air, tempting the runners and the walkers.  I see the ice cream shops are open again along the main street, sure sign that spring is here.

california coast

This is the California Coast, what a journey this is.  I had the pleasure of doing this highway with my sister back a few years.  There was just so much to take in that I know that even if I do it another several times, I still will marvel and make new discoveries each time I travel through the area.  For sure, when you are on the highway, driving along, this is not the view you have.  Each wind in the road is another vista, another “oh Wow”, you live it and move on.  Have you noticed that what we learn easily or master effortlessly tends to be enjoyed, assimilated and then we move on.  Its forgotten.  However, lessons in life that come back to haunt us, or replay for us that test our inner resolve, or determination to acquire or “have”, not always a “party/good time”.  We struggle, we cry, we agonize, we can even have bouts of despair.  Some well meaning friend says, “you’ll be fine, tomorrow is another day”, intellectually you may hear the words, but your just not “feeling it”

Back to the cheerful little camper at the top of the page.  Since writing this blog, I’ve met several people who have told me they want to own a little home on wheels and they want to pack up and travel.  Surprisingly not only couples, but a lot of single retired women.  Families raised, empty nesters who want to just pick up and go.  Do what they have wanted to do for years,  Another blogger who just joined us recently, has her little camper all picked out. smiles and waves, you know who you are, bravo!  We travel our journeys step by step,  it is due to the many hardships we’ve gone through that we have the inner strength to take the  actions we need to follow our dreams.

I thank each and everyone of you reading along with me, for being part of my world, I so appreciate you all,  I enjoy hearing from you, my “door” is always open.  You are the sunshine in my life  =^_^+. These flowers are for you… enjoy your day.. Sending big hugs, packed with multiple blessings  and love.                Oyashikiri

France, Monet Garden

Monet Garden, France

pictures -Pinterest

music- YouTube

Estrella (Sp.) Star

star. vixyblu.blogspot.ca

Good Morning Everyone =^_^=

Do stars mean anything to you?  I remember back (way back) when we were given a star for good behaviour, etc. in school.  Report cards would  have stars on t hem to show how well you had done in different assignments, or topics.  In school plays we got to wear a star on our  head (on a headband) and a pretty dress to show “good”.   Stars being nocturnal are associated with night.  Stars, the 17th enigma of the Tarot, the representation of the soul uniting spirit with matter (Intercommunication of the different worlds)  As a light shining in the darkness, the star is a symbol of the spirit.  In reference books it is pointed out that the star rarely carries a single meaning, it nearly always alludes to multiplicity.

star, quote

In today’s world, we don’t go around putting stars on our colleagues foreheads, or post it note it to their shoulders, but we can show appreciation by saying thank you, or job well done.  All people have good qualities, focus on the good in others. After years of marriage, my husband still says “thank you” for his dinner/supper or whatever, and tells  me when he enjoys/ likes something that I’ve done.  When we first married, he had to remind me more than once to be more verbal in my appreciation, he was right, I took for granted at time that  he would know how much I appreciated things he did around the house, I saw  them, but I didn’t say anything.  We need to say thank you, and/or recognize the good in others. We sure appreciate the kind words when they come our way.

stars, from Incredible photos bt-images.net

Let’s Find the Good in Others and Praise Them (PL Calendar for day 28)

Oyashikiri

Top picture – how to make  vixyblu-blogspot.ca.jpg

quote – Pinterest

bottom picture  – http://www.bt-images.net/incredible-universe/

Vivre au jour le jour – to live from day to day; enjoy the present

crystal ball, bare branches in the ball, by april-mo flickr

Good morning dear reader, how is your day progressing?  Ever wonder just where yesterday went, never mind last week.  Do you have a crystal ball?  I’ve had many over the years, I’ve enjoyed their beauty, and the wonderful energy I’ve been able to associate with them, however, they have never shown me life in the future.  I believe in living in the present.  Yesterday happened, today is the present and today I will do my best to live each moment “being present”.  Allow me to share another French expression,  “vivre ce n’est pas respirer, c’est agir”  living is not breathing but doing” (Rousseau)

Last night, late, I thought I would prepare ahead for this morning’s visit.  I spent over an hour carefully reviewing and researching  photographs for today, I saved and filed them away.  I know I did this. I remember the pictures vividly and the thoughts that I lined up to go with them.  I went to bed happy with my research.  Content with the knowledge that this morning I would wake and my thoughts would be in order to sit down and share with you my musings,  Well so much for planning and being in the moment, today is another day, and this morning, when I started to write, my files simply couldn’t be found. Et voila, the best laid plans, gone into the void. In living a life of Perfect Liberty we learn that each moment is a turning point. (PL precept 18).  PL Precept #4 is Being annoyed limits our expression. –So.. instead I am sharing my moment with you, because I know, that each and everyone of you, have all had such moments, C’est la vie!  It’s life. =^_^=  no help from the crystal ball!

fd34d48efd4a3f79cfdc6a39e88eb93eDoesn’t this tree show its past with dignity and grace.  the photographer who is not known, had a wonderful “eye” for the beauty before him/her.  To the unknown artist  of this photograph, I say thank you.  I enjoy your work very much..  Your presentation of that moment in time, is breathtaking!

Let’s do our best to interact pro-actively with everything and anyone who comes into our sphere today, have a grand day my friends, I send my love and prayers to each and everyone of you.

Oyashikiri

cabin, by old chum on flickr

someone built a perfect little hideaway

smilePencil

 

 

photographs >Pinterest

 

Oi Bom dia, good day everyone!

iceland, silfra, snorkel spot

The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.

The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore 

Dale Carnegie

Iceland,Siffr,snorkel spot.jpg  Pinterest

Second chances

life is a mirror - pix found on flickr

No matter how hard life can seem at times, face it head on.  Live in the present, deal with today, every moment is a chance to approach the challenge in an artistic way.  If you have already tried to deal with it one way, and that way didn’t satisfy your requirements, then re-evaluate the situation.  If it involves someone else, or others, then you have to really understand your motivation for the change(s).  The only person you can change is yourself.  You can present options, and suggest when it comes to others, but you yourself cannot change them.  They might try to change for you, but it will be short lived, if it is not something that they themselves really want to do..

second chances

Second chances, when you ask about how others feel about second chances, you get mixed responses. Some feel that there is no such thing as a second chance, you either work out a situation or you move on, the world is full of new beginnings.  Others will say, if you are given a second chance it is because the first time, was the wrong time.  Tao, belief is that there is always Yin/Yang in life.  Two sides to a coin if you will.  I have found that in life, we flow from one side to the other, that is our “Divine” gift.  The Universe balances our lives with rain, sunshine, clouds and clear skies. When we make time to reflect/pray/meditate, we find the beauty in our lives, and appreciate them for what they are, “moments in time”….    Good Day Everyone… may your day be blessed with love and activities that make for happy memories.               Oyashikiri

via Zuly L - Pinterest

 

The skills and patience, the eye of the photographer, never cease to amaze and delight.  Often the photographer is not listed, I hope that they eventually get to see just how much their “art” is appreciated and enjoyed.

 

 

* flickr

** Pinterest

*** Zuly  on Pinterest

Simplicity

camper quote

There was a time before cars got bigger, faster, when the world moved at a more leisurely pace.  A Sunday drive was something you looked forward to after a busy week. Of course, that is if you had a car, if you were determined, we could ride the bus, then transfer to a streetcar that would take us out to a beach just outside the city limits, where along with other families we could enjoy fresh air and sunshine by the water  Today this beach is still there, but it is no longer outside the city limits, it is in the heart of the city and surrounded by homes,shops and restaurants.  Life has changed, and with it, the natural wonders that were so available before are now, way way out and require travel by motor vehicle to get there, and even then, it is protected land, or parks that are managed and looked after.  To find a really wilderness like retreat,  you have to get out the maps and plan accordingly.  And  unfortunately many of us, like certain conveniences of home to be with us while we enjoy a quiet retreat.

camper, pic 1

We have friends with a wonderful good size camper that they take off in every year for camping retreats they’ve found over the years.  They found a place by the water they can rent, park their camper, and then tour in their luxury truck that they purchased to visit the areas around the park.  Both are excellent cooks and bring their skills with them, dining out with them  has to be a feast of delights. They didn’t always camp, they took it up only a couple of years back, but once the decision was made, they applied themselves, researched and took action.  Now when I hear my friend say, that soon they will take off on t heir first trip of this year I’m green with envy. I’ve talked about doing what they have done, since they first got the idea and acted on it.  Years later, they have developed a roaming lifestyle that is very enticing.  Thanks to social media we get to enjoy many of their journeys and discoveries, but we (hubby and I) meanwhile, still have it on our “bucket list”

camper,vintage

 

Vintage campers are making a comeback, people are finding them and refurbishing them, fixing them up and putting them somewhere where they can have their home away from home at certain times of the year. In researching for this blog, I saw darling little caravans, little tin rolling cans as they are affectionately called.  So caught in my search, I started a folder of small homes/campers on my Pinterest page.  To acquire the simplicity that I would so like, requires work!  Unlike in a virtual world, I can’t just click on a button and be transported to another time and different location.  In the real world, I have to downsize and plan so that I can pick up and go. AND… unlike years gone by……. I have to travel further to find undeveloped spaces.  Hmmmm simplicity  I hear that to get to some lakes now, one has to be flown in, and guess what, at the other end is a camping resort, that may or may not allow pets.  Just saying.

silence by Rimantas Bikulcius on fivehundredpx

Buongiorno good morning everyone!

Mineral Flowers @ Danakii Desert in Ethiopia

mineral flowers, dalloi volcano by pascal baegli flickr

 

This is a picture of acid lakes in the Dallol volcano * beautiful sight isn’t it. Zillions of tiny mineral deposits come together to form magnificent little rosettes that in turn, weave and join together to form natural basins for the acid waters to form.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, how often have we heard that!

It is interesting how different cultures, we go about finding a mate, or partner.  In traveling to the East, I had occasion to speak with a number of different women who were in(what appeared)  very happy relationships, and who were all from arranged marriages.  I say arranged, not the way necessarily that the west has portrayed them but arranged never-the-less.  Having spent the majority of my working life working  as a Stress Management Specialist in Health Care, where over  65% of the issues I dealt with stemmed from unhappy relationships, and in many ways very unhealthy “coupling”.  I was impressed with the natural harmony I saw and felt when talking to these woman.  They found men with common interests and goals, learned what they could about whether or not their goals were similar and found out if their paths were on the same playing field. Then made a decision on whether or not to go forward in a relationship.   This also applied to the men, looking for a wife.   Two criteria, practical and long term.  I’ve simplified this of course , more at another time.

In the culture I’ve lived in here in North America, and the social interactions that I’ve even participated in, is very different.  We seem to be attracted first to the “looks”  (outer wrappings ) of the object  we “desire”.   We can date someone for months and yes even years, and know deep down they are not satisfying our inner needs, yet …we hold on….. why…. out of fear of being alone.  Not having someone to be part of a couple with, so when we go out with friends, or go places we are doing it with someone else.  EVEN WHEN, the activities we are attending or doing (and this applies to both men and women) are not what we really want to be doing.  Ah HAH!!!!  ring any bells.  If you are going to do something, do it because you want to, do it with sincerity in your heart.  If you choose to do something, then do it with joy and enthusiasm,  you are the only person who is in control of your choices. 

nature,natural terrace pool,Pamukkale,Turkey

I like to live quietly in harmony with Nature. To know what you find compatible with your way of life, you first have to know your SELF, and what you want!.  By doing this, you will find a greater sense of inner beauty and calm.     God/Nature/Universe is with us always!         Oyashikiri

 

Acid Lakes -Ethiopia -photographer Pascal Boegli> Pboog flickr

** Natural terrace pools  Pamukkale,Turkey (turbotwister.ru)

**

Do you glance or do you read?

Good morning everyone..  earlier this week I received my PL Newsletter from Rev. Goto on New York.  In it, he has shared with us an article by Rev Toshio Suzuki*  His article began with a sentence that I read and re-read several times thinking that there was a typo.  It took a couple of readings and then going on and reading the next two sentences before what he was saying sunk in.  I am guilty myself at times of thinking I’m reading, but in fact my eyes are scanning and the brain is taking in what it is reading, but NOT necessarily  assimilating the information the way it is intended.

His opening paragraph is as follows.  Conviction and Faith, by Rev. Toshio Suzuki … If you want to see the truth of your faith, you should try to practice it very doubtfully,like “is it really true or not?”  Then you will come to the conclusion.  There is nothing more useless than neither doubting nor  believing.   To read more of what is said, please contact Rev. Goto in our New York church for a copy of this PL Newsletter.  His e-mail is goppoy@icloud.com   If you are in the NY area  (718)-424-8815.

f1a2e0ff295ca3a62c938754f2c695ba

While researching for a previous blog I found several interpretations or versions if you will of a photograph of the Mad Hatter as played by Johnny Depp. This is the one that struck me the most, and I went back to find it to use it today.  Since the picture had no explanation, as to how or why it was coloured the way it was, I can’t pass that information on to you.  I could only view it and  enjoy it from my perspective.  Most pictures I saw were in shades of black and white.  Like Rev. T.Suzuki’s words, this picture had arrested me in my search by making a statement that connected with something inside me.  I wanted more.  I really looked at it closely, the shading, the lace, the fingerless,frayed gloves, bandaged thumb,  the assorted pieces of accessories, everything.  All of the costume was very artfully pulled together to draw and capture the viewer’s attention.  When we are visual, which I am, the picture shouted at me, and I responded.  Words,are not as visual, they are a group of letters that come together to form a word.  We must read the words not necessarily by themselves, but with the words that come before and after them to really understand the intent of the writer.

floral Geranio by ceferreira on flickr

Sunshine Blessings to you on this 22nd day of April.  Oyashikiri

remember, we can all look at the same picture , read the same words, and come away with our very own story-line.

 

* Rev.Toshio Suzuki former principal of PL Elementary School, Japan  (40Years)

picture of flower, Geranio by cefferreira.flickr.jpg

picture Mad Hatter> Pinterest

Express your appreciation!

nederlands 4

Be a Peacemaker who honour the diversity of all life.

Harmony does not require that we are all the same.

A single note played simultaneously through several different instruments does not take advantage of the beautiful music that emerges when different chords are played.

Appreciate and acknowledge the differences in others, as distinct as we may seem to be, we all share the spiritual  link of being  One with the Universe.

101-best-inspirational-quotes-for-entrepreneurs-610x350

Today is the 21st.  Thanksgiving , every month (in PL) one day is set aside for special service (7pm)   Say thank you out loud, express your appreciation to those around you. the act of saying thank you will make someone else feel good and you  will too =^_^=   Good Morning Everyone!

e1aa40ffc0eb9fbd1dcb9225c571640f

Romans 12:18    “If it is possible,so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all”                              Blessings    …           Oyashikiri

Pictures > Pinterest

Sunday morning sunshine

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Open the door today, to another way

Don’t just look at the door and say

Someday

Make today that special day

Step through, then walk away

from yesterday

Today, when you pray

You will be shown “the WAY”

God, is with you today, and always!

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Oyashikiri

prayer/poem by Q

pictures>Pinterest

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