Natures beauty stands out more. Last night going to Mass I saw my first spring crocuses blooming outside of the church. Such vibrant color! Today my son and I walked on the beach and we found a lot of neat shells. Such treasures to me : )
Simply paying attention shifts focus. Thinking of how things came to be, and came to me, shifts focus outward, to a broader awareness and appreciation. So many, many steps, coincidences, choices, decisions, happenstances if that’s a word, natural processes, sunlight and air all aligned and here I am, here we are, here is my afghan and my sofa and the coffee in my cup and the cup and the table. Extraordinary and ordinary, all at once.
I live in a rainy climate, which I do not care for. But it is my home and I cope the best I can with the lack of sunlight.
What is extraordinary is the way that so many things are in bloom despite the fact it still feels like winter some days. I look forward to more sun, more light and appreciation of the ordinary AND extraordinary.
Linda, do I remember correctly that we’re both in the Pacific NW? It’s pouring rain today in Olympia, WA, and trees in both my front yard and back yard are opening blossoms so quickly I can almost see them change. Pink in the front on the cherry plum, white with a touch of pink in the back on a tree we call the Dr. Seuss tree because we keep it trimmed straight across on the bottom so branches don’t drag on the deck below. Its slender branches arch up and over so it looks like a bowl. A spotted towhee with its orange breast (a male) hopped across the deck earlier. Birds are bubbling and chirping and singing outside even in the rain.
Beauty all over! and Interconnection wherever perception and awareness is drawn to. Gratefulness for thhis Mother Earth and all which is, all the dear people, animals, plants being here as living beings and sharing the same air, all living due to the timelessly life-giving sun and it´s warmth- and life- giving radiation. Love, humbleness and gratitude arises, and deep stillness for a moment, expanding while enclosing all. Thank you.🙏✨🙇♀️❤️🙏
Presence and increased attention to detail. For me, photography is how I best experience the extraordinary in the ordinary. Happy Sunday (& Cuddly Kitten Day)! 😻
When I can get out of my cyclical thought patterns of comparing, self pity, judgment, and so on, I see the world differently, and I am able to look closely at things and situations, and this usually leaves me in awe. As I look at the world around me and I see this planet for what it is, and all the systems of nature, and when I can get close to plants and rocks and animals, I see beauty everywhere. Even the beauty of the life cycle. The death and rebirth.
Happy Sunday to all of you that come here and share. I look forward to your thoughts and wisdom every day. I am so grateful. 🙏
When my focus shifts from what I see in front of me – such as stars, trees, my animals, dinner, a new baby, my family and friends – to the how and why, then I experience an explosion of amazement. And with experiencing that amazement comes immense love, gratitude and the realization of belonging to something so inter-connected, so massive, so immense I can only respond in awe.
That response, those moments of insight and awe are hard for me to hang on to as I go about engaging with life…I am hopeful though, that I am changed a bit each time that insight occurs…maybe?
Wow– this is so deep and inspirational, Cathie! “an explosion of amazement. And with experiencing that amazement comes immense love, gratitude and the realization of belonging to something so inter-connected, so massive, so immense I can only respond in awe.”
And it seems like you are giving an answer as to how to have those moments of insight and awe more often– by shifting focus from the “what” to the “how and why”. It doesn’t have to take long at all to do that from time to time– I think I will give that a try!
Something special – Ordinarily I see peacocks in my yard, today was Ibis.
Wishing everyone a peaceful relaxing Sunday.
Lots of good National Days Today: Chip and Dip Day, Nat’l Puppy Day , Cuddly Kitten Day, Chia Seed Day, Tamale Day, World Math Day https://nationaltoday.com/today/
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Natures beauty stands out more. Last night going to Mass I saw my first spring crocuses blooming outside of the church. Such vibrant color! Today my son and I walked on the beach and we found a lot of neat shells. Such treasures to me : )
Springs first offering
is blooming in my garden . . .
snowdrops. ♥
Simply paying attention shifts focus. Thinking of how things came to be, and came to me, shifts focus outward, to a broader awareness and appreciation. So many, many steps, coincidences, choices, decisions, happenstances if that’s a word, natural processes, sunlight and air all aligned and here I am, here we are, here is my afghan and my sofa and the coffee in my cup and the cup and the table. Extraordinary and ordinary, all at once.
A while back I collected poems on this topic that celebrate the everyday, the little things https://biketoworkbarb.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-quotidian-poems-celebrating.html.
Love “Happy Thought”
I noticed that I am more tolerable, more appreciative, more willing to cope with “what is” even when it is not what I would choose.
I’ve noticed this too,
dear Barb,
about myself . . .
I’m assuming you meant ‘tolerant’ . . . 🙂
Yes, tolerant…thank you, Sparrow
I live in a rainy climate, which I do not care for. But it is my home and I cope the best I can with the lack of sunlight.
What is extraordinary is the way that so many things are in bloom despite the fact it still feels like winter some days. I look forward to more sun, more light and appreciation of the ordinary AND extraordinary.
Linda, do I remember correctly that we’re both in the Pacific NW? It’s pouring rain today in Olympia, WA, and trees in both my front yard and back yard are opening blossoms so quickly I can almost see them change. Pink in the front on the cherry plum, white with a touch of pink in the back on a tree we call the Dr. Seuss tree because we keep it trimmed straight across on the bottom so branches don’t drag on the deck below. Its slender branches arch up and over so it looks like a bowl. A spotted towhee with its orange breast (a male) hopped across the deck earlier. Birds are bubbling and chirping and singing outside even in the rain.
Beauty all over! and Interconnection wherever perception and awareness is drawn to. Gratefulness for thhis Mother Earth and all which is, all the dear people, animals, plants being here as living beings and sharing the same air, all living due to the timelessly life-giving sun and it´s warmth- and life- giving radiation. Love, humbleness and gratitude arises, and deep stillness for a moment, expanding while enclosing all. Thank you.🙏✨🙇♀️❤️🙏
. . . that nothing is ordinary. ♥
Precisely, Sparrow!
I feel held and content.
Presence and increased attention to detail. For me, photography is how I best experience the extraordinary in the ordinary. Happy Sunday (& Cuddly Kitten Day)! 😻
Increased joy and presence in the moment.
When I can get out of my cyclical thought patterns of comparing, self pity, judgment, and so on, I see the world differently, and I am able to look closely at things and situations, and this usually leaves me in awe. As I look at the world around me and I see this planet for what it is, and all the systems of nature, and when I can get close to plants and rocks and animals, I see beauty everywhere. Even the beauty of the life cycle. The death and rebirth.
Happy Sunday to all of you that come here and share. I look forward to your thoughts and wisdom every day. I am so grateful. 🙏
As I am for all and your reflections, Charlie.
All of life feels like a grand miracle.
It is,
dear Yram . . .
an absolutely
breathtaking
miracle,
beyond anything I could imagine. ♥
When my focus shifts from what I see in front of me – such as stars, trees, my animals, dinner, a new baby, my family and friends – to the how and why, then I experience an explosion of amazement. And with experiencing that amazement comes immense love, gratitude and the realization of belonging to something so inter-connected, so massive, so immense I can only respond in awe.
That response, those moments of insight and awe are hard for me to hang on to as I go about engaging with life…I am hopeful though, that I am changed a bit each time that insight occurs…maybe?
You can count on it, Cathie.🩷
You ARE changed,
dear Cathie,
every time that insight occurs!
Everything counts. ♥
Wow– this is so deep and inspirational, Cathie! “an explosion of amazement. And with experiencing that amazement comes immense love, gratitude and the realization of belonging to something so inter-connected, so massive, so immense I can only respond in awe.”
And it seems like you are giving an answer as to how to have those moments of insight and awe more often– by shifting focus from the “what” to the “how and why”. It doesn’t have to take long at all to do that from time to time– I think I will give that a try!
Something special – Ordinarily I see peacocks in my yard, today was Ibis.
Wishing everyone a peaceful relaxing Sunday.
Lots of good National Days Today: Chip and Dip Day, Nat’l Puppy Day , Cuddly Kitten Day, Chia Seed Day, Tamale Day, World Math Day
https://nationaltoday.com/today/
An Ibis😚. I could use me some tamales too!
Thank you for introducing me to this website! There are a lot of good ones today 🙂
That I can look at the same thing again and again and see different things every time.