A Day Marked as Good

Alliums

Upon this bench I sit and wait

And as the people pass me by, 

Some of them do speak to me

Some look the other way.

                     ~Andrew Blakemore

There's nothing to replace,

The one we knew and loved,

But we can listen for his song of joy, 

From the chimes hung up above. 

When you hear the wind pass through them, 

You'll hear a happy sound, 

The notes will fill your heart, 

And you'll know that he's around. 

                                                                ~Evelyn Craftdiva

Life is a bridge.  Cross over it but build no house on it.

 i am addicted to them.

when they tare i hem.

then i buy one more.

and scurry quickly out the door.

but soon this one becomes a bore.

so then i buy one more.

and accidentally leave it on the floor.

and it accidentally gets a tore.

next i buy one more and more

then i find my wallet very sore.

Nothing is so aggravating as calmness.   

                        ~Mahatma Gandhi

                                                                              

Romance often begins by a splashing waterfall, and ends over a leaky sink.

Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched

for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.  We need hours

of aimless wandering or spates of time sitting on park benches, observing the mysterious world of

and and the canopy of treetops.

                                                                                                                       ~Maya Angelou

                                                                                       

                                                                                         Butterflies are self propelled flowers.

                                                                                      My wheelchair gives me freedom. Without it, I would be confined — to my bed.   

                                                                                       

                                                                                     Being a girl is about letting loose and trying new things.

Wearing make-up, getting dressed up,

hair back, down, or up . . .

I am as unique on the outside, as I am on the inside.

                                                                                     A circle of friendship

                                                                                     is bound together,

                                                                                     by sharing good moments

                                                                                     and life's stormy weather.

                                                                                 

                                          Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.

                                                                                  A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.

                                                                                                       ~Leo Buscaglia

                                                                                       

Come sit with me
And talk awhile
I'll tell you what I miss -
Your loving eyes, 
Your tender smile, 
The passion in your kiss.

We've been together since way back when
Sometimes I never want to see you again
But I want you to know, after all these years
You're still the one I want whisperin' in my ear.

                                                           ~Orleans

                                                                        there are worse things than

being alone

but it often takes decades

to realize this

and most often 

when you do

it's too late

and there's nothing worse

than 

       too late.

~Charles Bukowski          

                                                 

Prayer is worth more than a rose 
in my hand where love grows 
for God and all he knows 
The rose has a thorn

                                                                                                               John L.
Don't shoot what it looks like.  Shoot what it feels like. -
                                                                   David Alan Harvey

                                                                                                                                     Twisted Sister.

                                                    Nothing is as right as children at play.

Javatalk, photographer.

It's Worth a Good Story

                                                                                                                                              Lori Prosser

     Opportunities string before us in a fashion we often don’t recognize, seized by our own fears.  Self-doubt can keep our feet planted where they’ve been too long already.  Dust settles on the tables that used to adorn freshly cut flowers and the latest hottest novels.  We judge unknowingly – calling it “being careful,” or “following the rules.”  If an opportunity doesn’t match up to our expectations, perhaps it is our expectations that need adjusting.  Far too often we let memorable moments pass us by, saying it isn’t what we’re looking for.  Who’s to say where and in who those answers are for us unless we are willing to walk up to opportunity and welcome whatever surprise it hands us.

     Shut the door on opportunity and it will only go elsewhere - to someone willing to leave the door open.  Start closing windows around you and you’ll quite simply find yourself sitting alone amongst the dust-covered tables with all the windows closed. 

     When opportunity strikes, simply embrace it and take what it offers.  What may feel like a mistake oftentimes becomes the gift of learning, at the very least – a good story.  We can never have too many good stories.  The best stories are those told from seized opportunities that felt like failure at the moment, but later surprised us as something was revealed about ourselves – causing us to be humbled, or perhaps allowing us to laugh at our own stumbling.

     Opportunities will come and go our whole lives, but they seldom return for a second showing.  Don’t take the chance of someone else loving the one your heart pounds for, or someone else getting that job,  or your business idea becoming someone else’s achievement.  Going for it is life-changing in so many ways, and whether you stumble, or fall, or soar – you will never be the same again.  Life takes on a flavor that sparkles when we step into the unknown to stay awhile. 

     I have a dear friend who is clumsy beyond words.  Coffee stains used to trail from his work desk to mine in a somewhat endearing fashion.  I recently learned that this 51 year old, forever - single man had taken the chance on a woman that he wasn’t too sure he’d be proud to bring home.  He took an opportunity that was presented to him with great uncertainty, kept the door open to possibility,  and it became the one most life-changing experience of his life .  Turmoil ensued as he tried to figure out the perfect way to ask her to be his wife.  The perfect way presented itself to him as he entered the room she was in, and quite simply asked her to marry him.  Upon saying yes, he stepped forward – shoelace catching beneath the door – and fell quite literally flat on his face.  I’m not sure, but I suspect he most likely had coffee in his hand at this monumental moment.  It could not have been more perfect.  I have no doubt it is why she loves him.  Opportunity was seized.

     Life doesn’t always make sense at the moment, but the moment is all we have right now.  The moment is where life is happening.  The quiet nudging of our inner spirits to try, to take the time, to get up and stop wondering what if …  opportunities sail when they aren’t anchored.  With the passing of time and the changing of hearts, they can be gone forever.  The ship of opportunity does sail on.

      A great life is created by the efforts we give.  Abundant living is filled with grief and sorrow today; promise, hope, and great joy tomorrow.  Going for it and things not turning out as hoped is just a part of the growing and the flowing, but it all leads to an exhilarating life.  We are meant to be creative in this life – whether it be cooking or planting, painting or singing – and to have a beautiful  and creative soul it needs to be nurtured with good kind people and freshly ground coffee, (or good stories and the opening of hearts to listen to each other’s sorrows and sailings, challenges and pursuits, triumphs and successes.)  We are meant to create. Create a beautiful home even if all it means is a single flower placed in a container on a table.  If that’s all you have, that’s enough.  The mixing of spices for varied tastes beautifies our sense and appreciation for good food.  Creating babies, ideas, romances is what creates a beautiful spirit.  In turn we are hopefully eager to create beautiful communities with generous souls.

     Someone once said, It is not humble to play small.  It is a loss to ourselves and others.  There will be, is, a space where each of us is to be.  It is an empty side of the bed that is yours to fill.  It is an invention that is swirling in your thoughts; an invention that will allow suffering communities to heal and thrive.  It is a work of art that you have yet to complete that will change how someone sees the world, the meaning of their live, their own contribution.  That idea, that hope, that love stirring in your heart, and the return of love and sense of purpose you hope for...it is not random or meaningless.  It is yours for a reason.  Answer the question, 'what if' not in the rear view mirror, but facing forward with curiosity each day.  What if...live in the beautiful, creative mess of the answer.

jt

Don't Be a Scaredy Pants

If you're not color deficient, you may see this.




source

If you're color - deficient, it may look like this ...








Our nervous system needs input and stimulation.  Consider the effects of solitary confinement.  We become bored in the absence of a variety of colors and shapes.  Consequently, color meets one of our basic neurological needs for stimulation.


Target  Has an ad that showcases color brilliantly.  It causes me want to run out and grab more color for my life.

These flowers, from my son, complemented my living room/dining room so beautifully that I carry a picture of them with me to have on hand in case I'm purchasing anything for these rooms.

I asked a makeup artist to find my perfect red.  

Every time I wear it, I get a compliment.  People notice color, so I don't wear it on bad hair days. :)

Don't always play it safe with taupe, or black.  Try a beautiful shade of baby blue.  

Forget the dreary black umbrellas, bring it on with red.

Bake like you own the rainbow

Reflect the beautiful colors in food, and people.

Marvel at it.

                                                                                                                     Tom Klassy

Soak it in.

Sari's have color character.

So do redheads.

Nature has it naturally.

We do it deliberately.

And we'll eat it joyfully!

Smell it playfully.

Sit on it tentatively. 

Reflect on it longingly.

Live with it peacefully.                                 source




But most of all ...

don't run from it 

Embrace it.  Lovingly

mel