Wordless Wednesday 4.26.17

sit quietly with me
see my many faces
I can be anyone you want me to be
first, you have to find me
Q

sit quietly with me
see my many faces
I can be anyone you want me to be
first, you have to find me
Q
Ok really, trains passing, going at a clip, for one reason or another, I just wasn’t getting what I wanted. Some times like this morning. I was looking for a picture of “nothing” You know, emptiness. But .. all I could find were pictures of this, that and whatever.
OH, how about this empty lot, in the spring, before it became an active fresh veggie stop, no that didn’t work, I’ve used other versions of it before. These long week-ends are soooo long, on Friday I was thinking it was Sunday, on Saturday a non holiday, I thought it was Monday, Sunday was Sunday, then Monday, a regular day for us, but a holiday in the States, I was thinking it was Wednesday.
There is really no such thing as an empty space, nothing, there is always something. we need only really look, we have all heard the expression, “seek and you shall find”
and here is another one, “perception is reality”
Namaste – Oyashikiri
There is always the first time for something. Today was my first time to experience, off roading in a jeep. This is the jeep that I was travelling in, and at this stage of the ride, it was not longer pristine clean. Off roading is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time, the opportunity simply had never presented itself before. Darling sweet Brig, (owner of the jeep) asked if we would go along for the opening of the season ride. What a beautiful day it was.
The whole experience of meeting up with folks who were set and ready to get out and ride, was awesome. Everyone gathered in an agreed to rendez vos, for a set time, and from there we left heading out of the city to the next pick up point. The convoy had to be about 40 vehicles long. You can see the weather cooperated, it was a gorgeous day.
There is something to be said about fresh air, and the strong desire to conquer a challenge. Everyone worked together, and everyone, cheered and supported the drivers who took the harder challenges. The obstacles were there, if you wanted to try them, there were spotters and experienced drivers to coach you through, if you preferred the less arduous route, that was OK too.
There was no easy road, it was all an assortment of ” fun” “bush terrain, with rocks, boulders, mud, and lets not forget the mud ponds with their hidden “treasures” . It was just a matter of deciding if you wanted the rock and roll, the muddy waters, or the roller coaster rock and mud slide.
Our hostess was magnificent, she went up a 45 degree. incline of rock face like it was a piece of cake, honestly I was so proud of her .. she did it on her first try. We saw others having to make several stabs at it. There were moments where I found myself holding my breath, the action was so intense.
Here is a jeep preparing to crawl up one of the rocks. I got to scamper over the rocks up the trails, around the mud, over fallen tree stumps, and of course the personal challenge of finding “private” space (when needed) At least we were out on a day, without the horse flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. We had a GRAND day.
I stepped outside my comfort zone, I explored the backwoods of a countryside I had not been in before. Met some very nice people, took part in a convoy, (that was very well run.) the leader, the spotters, everyone, were so totally focused on enjoying the moment, it was a positive, energizing day.
Who knew… a road is what you want it to be.
Today we saw first hand
When you want to be somewhere
or get to a destination
no matter the challenges
when you listen with an open mind
to the encouragement of friends
and believe in your ability to do something
the rewards are satisfying
Pl Precept # 1 Life is Art
This is what ice and cold can do to a perfectly good wharf over a winter season. In my journey west of the city yesterday, the ice and snow was gone. Today my travels were taking me towards Montreal, on the old hwy. After a stop for some supplies in the town of Alfred (famous for its fries, and small bakery) we decided to return home via Hawksbury. Already as we had been making our way east, we saw how there was still snow in the fields.
It had been such a mild day yesterday, with the sun so bright today, I was ill prepared for how cold it was by the water. Like duh… look at the ice, it is still in chunks and plenty of it. Never-the-less I had a great day, the dogs got to walk in new territory, I got to browse and peruse two floors of supplies for my card making. I decided to try the Motorola cell phone to take some of the pictures, I usually use my all-purpose iPhone when wandering.
Thought I’d do a colour and clarity test. I had been very happy with the Motorola till I went back to using my iPhone for my one and only means of communication (phone/cell) we did away with our land line.
Sometimes, the mind just wants to try something different, and needs to experiment and be creative. One of my “lessons” in life is to try to be less lazy. Yes I said lazy. I was going to bring my “wellies” but didn’t because it would have meant going back in the house and carrying them out to the car. that meant, when I wanted to get a good picture of the above tractor, I had to stay in the truck because the ground around was simply too muddy and wet for my “expensive dress shoes” You might as well get the tissue box out, there is more.
There was some wonderful old wall paper (cornflowers) in the old house. The door was wide open, I could see inside. Because I didn’t have the proper footwear, I had to stay on the road, for this picture. So I can only tell you how pretty it was, even stained and aged. It sent my mind into story telling mode, I wanted to write about what it must have been like living in the old house when it was young and vibrant. We drove on with the passing miles so did the mood. I was looking forward to seeing the pictures that I did get.
There are repercussions to actions we take or don’t make time for. Here is how it goes, I took great pictures with the Motorola, when we got home I was keen to see them, they looked great. BUT when I came to send them to the computer (desktop) they wouldn’t load. I tried to hook the cell phone up to the hard drive, so that I could copy the files from the phone to my PC, that wouldn’t work either, I kept getting an empty message.
Grrrr I had in mind what I wanted to write about and the pictures I wanted to use. This is where PL Precept # 4 Being Annoyed limits your Expression.. comes in mighty handy. I spent a long time, trying everything I could think of, I realized that to move the pictures I might have to figure out how to resize the pictures, one by one. Then I thought to send them to my Flickr page, but that didn’t work because for some reason, I couldn’t log in.
I got out the Pl Principles and looked for positive support, PL Principle #1 is I will live paying careful attention, putting Makoto (sincerity) into all I say and do. Right away, I knew that I had not been applying that to my actions during the day. I was enjoying myself yes, but I did things without thinking through or considering the consequences. PL Principle #8. I will not have a mind to be greedy. and yes, I was wanting to do this, this and this.. I was not taking time to appreciate what I was doing I was just reacting to my “wants”.
PL Principle # 3 I will live with a mind of appreciation towards others and things.
Like the frozen ice, and the effects it had on the material objects around it, when it froze, thawed, and froze up again, nothing stayed the same, with each change the water/ice/snow went through, there was a change to the inanimate objects around and on it.
I did get some of the pictures, but others are lost to me at the moment, this last picture was taken in Siberia (photographer unknown) I think my mind spent some time astral traveling today, it was a good day, a lot of exciting moments, and for sure some good lessons for me to consider and work on.
One of the reasons I love life so much, is that everyday is a new beginning. Having wonderful friends, and an ongoing communication with God, means that the blessings are always there, we need only recognize them, appreciate them and grow in LOVE.
Namaste – Oyashikiri
PL Precept #11 Always be with God
first sentence in PL Principle # 14
I will not have a mind to be lazy
last picture is from Pinterest
others are my own
There are times when you travel down a back road, that the country side beckons to travel just a little further, and even lures you down a long forgotten,overgrown dirt road. Just enough width for you to slowly inch your way, so that the brush doesn’t leave a trail on the side of the vehicle, and your muffler if you are lucky, will make it intact, till you find a place to turn around.
You see signs of previous activities, but little else, the farther you go, the land opens up, and you see nature the way it is intended to be enjoyed. No parking lots, and fast food shacks, just the outdoors.
We were able to find a place to park off the single road we’d been on, and made the time to climb the embankment and sit a spell.. The dogs loved it, even though they had to dive, they swam and played, enjoying the freedom of being in that space and time, just as we did. What is it about the human race that we all want to travel to foreign lands, and only feel that we’ve been on a holiday, if we fight the traffic to the airport, wait in airport lobbies, and sit like sardines in metal contraptions that fly us through congested skies. To arrive in an exotic place that isn’t home, (to us) rush around to try to see everything there is to see, then tired and over spent, we head home. Back into the crowded airports, stand in line to go through customs, maybe even be detained. Then on arrival back home, we still have to get to our homes.. only to be faced with a pile of mail we have to deal with, maybe a good night’s sleep, and then we are back at work, dealing with the backlog of “stuff” that was what we wanted to escape with our well-earned holiday.
When really, not very far from where you live now, just by driving off the main roads. you will find a wonderland, that is pure, unpopulated by commerce and just a little farther, down the road waiting to be discovered.
Every time we venture off the tedious road of routine, we allow our “selves” to really holiday. A holiday is when we re-energize, re-group, reconnect with the person we are. Nature is the only true balm for the “soul”
Namaste – Oyashikiri
Did you have to look twice. Photographer Seth Casteel is the photographer that captured these wonderful pctures of dogs underwater. In combination with the under water currents, mixed with his skills using his high speed camera, he was able to transform our darling little love cuddles, into aquatic fur hounds.
There is something mesmerizing about the pictures.. I look at them and see the happy smiles.. of the dogs in action, their anticipation of the catch. Dogs do love having fun, and many of them love the fetch and catch played with their owners. What we don’t see is the owners, their human getting them revved up and then tossing the ball into the water so they’ll dive in to retrieve it. Our first Porti was like that.. she loved the water and she loved to fetch.. she would egg you on all day, there was no tiring her out if there was water nearby, or a ball.
The photographer, Seth Casteel is on Facebook .. the article I found on his work was back in 2012.. so I can’t be sure if it is still up, nor was I able to get a web addy. But my hat is off to this artist… his creativity and patience to go underwater and get these pictures.. well… I say… bravo and thank you.
In life, we have to grab the moment, seize the day so to speak…. we only go around once, we only get to live the day once… and no two days are ever alike.. the endless possibilities.. are beyond categorizing. A friend I met up with, was very upset and angry at himself.. he had let someone else ruin his “day” As humans we think too much, we want to dissect and rethink everything. Eventually he got past it.. it wasn’t a mistake, because he learned from his experience.
I learned something too. I learned that guys hurt just as much as we do when they are wronged, It is not that I didn’t know that.. but.. it wasn’t top of mind. it is not only guys who can be the person doing wrong, so can the woman Being a woman, I hear all about how so and so, was this and that…. or how the marriage ended because…. and usually for me it was always the man’s fault.
There is no such thing as someone else’s fault. WE make our choices, and we are responsible for our own actions and decisions. No matter what the story is.. there is always another version. Somewhere in between lies the truth.. and even then.. it depends on the telling.
When our dog pals, are with us.. they are happy just sharing time with us.. when we want to play they are over joyed.. “come on, Fetch” and the sight of a ball whizzing past them is irresistable, they are off and running. they don’t cogitate on what does he want me to do.. they see the ball, hear the words and they are gone.. propelled by the moment, and the thrill of sharing that moment with their “human/partner”
Sharing time with another person,can be so rewarding, it all begins with respecting the other person’s unique individuality, and sincerely wanting to be with them. If honesty of intention is not at the core of the friendship, then it is doomed from the start.
Love is life.
Let love touch your heart today.
Namaste – Oyashikiri
http://www.sethcasteel.com/#!/home
he has books, calendars and is working on another book to be out in 2016
Leonard Cohen
Every lyric, every verse, comes from someone’s soul, the wordsmith paints with words, the photographer captures with his/her lens, the singer emotes with the smoldering passion within. How many times have you cried, drowning in the words of a song that you are hearing over and over, or found yourself completely lost while dancing in someone’s arms, not necessarily because of the person dancing with you, but for the memories that the music is invoking. Sometimes this causes a lot of confusion.
“I feel, therefore I am” remember hearing that.before. We do feel, each and every one of us has feelings, some are just better than others at either masking them, or denying them. While others live their feelings and enjoy the moments of creation. Expression. The sharing of the soul.
The road ahead lay shrouded in mist
so caught up in the landscape
I lost my way, and now wanted only to end the visit
yes, when we began there was laughter and light
everything just seemed so totally right
The sound of your name, set my heart aflame
we walked, we talked, we explored
everything was new, even though we had been there before,
nothing for either of us was the same
your eyes reflected mine, and mine drowned in yours
how were we to know that it would all
come crashing to an end.
Certainly it wasn’t our intent
yet, when the season’s changed, so did we
in our hearts we knew, the moment was gone
our song had ended, the lyrics came to an end
and once more, we stand alone
Alone with God, we can hear our heart
and feel it beat, with its steady rhythm, it is as strong as ever,
the shared moments of expression are still alive in our “hearts”
but what is voiced,expressed in media, or verbalized, is
the emotions lived…. … in loving you.
pure poetry
Q
Tibet
Gilpin Lake, Steamboat Spring Colorado USA
The quiraing, North Skye
Cave,Iceland
I, am but a thought in your mind
I am, are two words we use a lot
I’m so busy, I am late, I am not feeling well, I am hot
when do we stop
and think about exactly who/what is I
in the I am,
do we live our lives out of a can
are we ready made
we eat fast foods, and drive in cars
is the life we live really ours
I challenge YOU today
to hydrate your mind, stop what you are doing
to take 60 seconds, 1 minute
for each picture. allowing the quiet of your mind
to take in what you see
feel the sound, and the pull of the waves
listen to the sound of silence in the world around
feel the stillness that begins to unfold
your breathing will automatically be deeper,
your shoulders will relax
each drop that falls
creates a ripples
… that ripple … slowly …spreads out
wrapping you in the sunshine
that warms and calms your busy mind
60 seconds on each picture…… 60 seconds! …… if you took the challenge,
you just hydrated your mind with a short meditation ……how hard was that!
save this page…… use it again ….. whenever you need to unwind…… recharge
send it to a friend ……. share the quiet …….
know when you say “: I am ” …… you really are!
Namaste – Oyashikiri
photos -ba-bamail.
text -Q
Wow… what would it be like to open a door and have that vista before you…. This is a doorway at the Church of St. Mary’s and St. Filllans at Glenfinnan, Scotland. I sat and gazed wistfully at the far away mountains peaks, and let me thoughts drift lazily across the water. Hmm what are the ambient sounds as one steps out the door. Are the rays of the sun warm enough to wrap us in a comforting embrace…. Is there a slight breeze coming up from the lake/river that will bright with it the hint of lush woodland vegetation….. Today was a day to daydream.
Doors, represent opportunities, some are locked and closed tight, they need a key to turn the lock, and others, sit slightly open, teasing us with just a peak inside. While some are open wide, and we know what we will find inside, or we think we d0
Even now I know, that many of my inner rooms have keys that have not turned in years, and that memories and emotions I may not want to revisit are tucked away, waiting… for a day that may never come. In PL we are taught to tackle our issues in the order that they appear in our lives. That is not always possible, if we live in the moment, change is a constant factor. Sometimes when we do finally return, we find that the wood is aged, and the lock has rusted into place so that re-entry will not be easy.
I like a simple life, free of drama and remorse…. if I have gone on with my life and I’m content and happy then what is behind those doors has come and gone in my life, it not longer matters. I know… I truly believe, that should the day ever come that what is behind those doors is needed,then I will find a way, to open them, until then, I will admire the weathering and aging … I will take myself out an open door into the sunshine and the happiness of living my life in the NOW.
Come on, wear comfortable shoes, and lets explore. Let’s begin our trek down to the water’s edge. Let go of the past, let’s walk hand in hand into the start of another day. Wipe the cobwebs away, open your mind and heart to the wonders of a brand new day!
Namaste – Oyashikiri
amongraf.ro
homebunch.com