Crystalline Brilliance

blue grey shadows cast by the winter bright moon slide over a plane of unmarred snow

crystalline brilliance

softening the sharper corners

 

everything made finer by the lace of water and cold air

the north wind

an artic kiss

 

the trees bend in deference to

crystalline brilliance

blanketing each limb

 

everything made quiet by the fabric of winter’s deep mantle

silent season

sleeping landscape

 

i take in the night

crystalline brilliance

enhancing all i see

 

everything made breathtaking by that brilliance

moonlit night

soothing stillness

Last Day

We all are being inundated with lists of the most, the best, the worst, the craziest fill in the blank of 2008.  It is a time of year when we seem to collectively look back and assess the last twelve months.  Quite frankly I have no patience for it.

That’s not to say I don’t see the value in looking back.  We certainly shouldn’t ignore where we’ve come from.  There is a lot to be learned from what we’ve done.

I want to look forward to what’s to come.  I want to focus my energy on making dreams, hopes and wishes realities.  I want to get excited about the unknown.

I will learn from the past, but I won’t live there.  I will accept mistakes have been made, but I will let them go.  I will look back on the good times fondly, but commit to creating even better times in the future.

There is so much to be grateful for, even when things seem dark at this the darkest part of the year.  The light is returning, and it is important to remember that. 

This day is not the end of something.  This day is the leaping point for more laughter, tears, joy, friendship and love.

Making Your Own Fun

My friend once told me doing things with me was never boring.  I think that’s true of everyone.  We all lead complicated lives.  I just talk about mine more.

 

I’m rarely bored.  But I’m also open to possibilities.  I think the two are pretty closely related.  Perhaps because I’m open to possibilities I end up with more of life’s little surprises.

 

Life is certainly not a straight road.  There are so many twists, turns, bumps and dead ends.  How could that ever become boring?

 

Never mind that the world is full of wonder and beauty.  Brightly colored leaves against a bright blue sky.  The delicate intricacy of a spider web covered in dew catching the early morning sunlight.  Watching beavers build dams.  Observing birds building nests.  With all this stuff going on around you all the time, why would you ever feel bored?

 

I find that the older I get, the less patience I have for people who refuse to see past their own drama to recognize how much is going on around them.  It’s very easy to become myopic.  It’s not a challenge to become bitter and jaded.  It’s a cop out.

 

I have enduring respect and admiration for folks who make the effort to see the bright side.  I appreciate people who appreciate people.  I value individuals who remind me of the beauty of this life.

 

Don’t get me wrong, we all have our dark moments.  We all get lost in our own sadness, pain and pessimism.  And that’s ok.  As long as we don’t live there.  Shake it off, rub your eyes and step into a new day. 

 

It’s not hard to find your own fun.  That doesn’t mean it’s always easy.  It’s an acquired ability.  You have to practice.  The more you practice the easier it becomes.  The easier it becomes the more fun you have.  So you see, it’s really awfully worthwhile.  And there’s no good reason not to.

Queen Anne’s Lace

Bees busily gathering pollen from Queen Anne’s Lace

White stars amid green grass fallen from grace

The shape of crows overhead

Flowers pink and berries red

Bathouses posted neatly in a row

Smooth rocks over which raging waters flow

Bees busily gathering pollen from Queen Anne’s Lace

White stars amid green grass fallen from grace

 

 

I spent a lot of time outside this past weekend.  It turns out it was exactly what I needed.

 

I used to go hiking every Sunday.  My father would call it “going to church”.  Most of the time I went alone, reveling in the tranquility of a quiet wood.  I would absorb the sights, smells, sounds and sensations of the mountainside, meadow brook or ocean shore.

 

This religious adherence to getting out has fallen by the wayside in the past few years.  Then I go out into the woods and I am reminded me why this has always been important to me.

 

There is a beauty in nature which can not be duplicated by man.  There is a wonder which only comes from discovery.  There is a stillness which can be found nowhere but the forest.  These are things which my soul craves.  Things life in a city, however small it may be, can not provide.

 

I realize how important it is to remain mindful of these needs.  They are so quiet and unobtrusive.  Therefore they are far too often overlooked.  It is up to me to keep them present and nurture them.

 

So I am embarking on a commitment to myself to stay aware of my needs.  To bring myself to the places which feed this part of me so often ignored.  To take care of my spirit and nurture my soul.