Blaze...

On a cold night, coaxing comfort and warmth
To a cold heart, offering serenity and thought
On a mind frozen by hurt so immense, a soft ember to soothe
To ease a memory, a light to guide

Worn...

Worn by time and nature's touch
To make the leap takes uninhibited trust
One reaches out...surrendering to fate
Advancing slowly...hesitating at the shore of the unknown

On the surface...

Leaves painting an oil slick of rustic color
Reflecting solid forms around which it must pass
Ripples changing shape with every breeze
Each season's image more brilliant than the last

Trio...

Mind the song that speaks to your heart
Mind the dance that reaches your soul
Mind that you don't know the magnitude of your part
Mind that these are the pieces that make you whole

Elements...

Air.....was cool and crisp, rich with the fragrance of autumn leaves
Water....shimmering under the sun, revealing the mirror image of what the sky sees
Earth...supporting my feet as I walked into what must be nature’s center
Fire...was in my heart, ever grateful for being allowed to witness such splendor

Focal point...

Sometimes you know exactly where you need to be;

Other times your path, the steps to take, aren't so clear to see.

To keep exploring forward, moving closer to the unknown;

You feel the twinge of fear, this journey is one you must own.

Know this, that each breath is yours, each experience as well;

To grow from this quest or to perish while trying...only time will tell.

Floating silence...

They floated quietly surrounded by the noisy chorus of autumnal color.

Amazing...

There was a huge colony of these mushrooms at the grassy end of someone's driveway.  I spied them when I was setting out on my day.  I didn't have time to stop then, but one my way home I pulled over and snapped a few shots.  The grass around them wasn't all that tall, so I'm guessing they grow pretty quickly.  Quickly indeed...they were between 5 and 7 inches tall!  Amazing nature!

What do you see...

Stairs leading upward
Adding dimension from side to side
Canopies providing shelter
Under which something little may hide

Juxtaposition...

Hard stone, water's caress
Focus of vision, aimless descent
Dark tones, lightest of light
Fiercely peaceful

Reaching...

Reaching upward
Sensing their prime
Hoping for solace
Wishing for more time

Beginning, middle and end...

Gather at the beginning to celebrate your life anew

Gather once again to share what it all means to you

Gather with another to blend a life...your heart

Gather one last time when your body and soul do part

Cool shadows...

This was taken on a really hot summer day, but the rocks were cold...as was the water.  What was so beautiful about this spot was that the water was accentuating the grain of the worn rocks as it spilled from one pool to the next.

The location is Bull’s Bridge in Kent, CT.  If you’ve been there you know the water is usually high and insanely fast moving.  On this day, the water meandered as it succumbed to the dog days of summer.

Half full...half empty...

I found this spider web glistening with fresh rain.  I was amazed by how perfect it was given that it had just endured a torrential downpour.

Fantastic how something that appears so fragile could be so strong.

Wood windless...

The day I saw you, you were quiet
The air was still, you had nothing to say.

I didn’t speak
So no breath disturbed your peaceful place.

I can imagine what music you make
Will you talk to me, when next we meet?

To be or not to be...a gourd...

Today, everyone was walking around with their chosen “perfect pumpkin”.  Blemish-free and bright orange...long curly stems.  Some will remain intact, others will be changed into something else.  But, they were chosen for a specific reason...their new owners, proud.

Then I saw them...the gourds.  They are little...much too little to boast an autumnal presence alone.  So they are all together in a crate, forcing passersby to walk around them...to acknowledge them.  They have bumps and lumps.  They do not possess long, luxurious stems.  Their colors are uneven and not altogether vibrant.  They don’t look sad...and make no mistake, they aren’t ugly.  They just aren’t...pumpkins.  So, they get passed by.

I walked away from the orchard today with my purchase in tow.
Five...perfectly lumpy and bumpy gourds...thought I’d let you know.

I thought about...

 When I saw this old train, I thought about...

~ How many places it had been.  ~ How many people it had taken someplace new or back home again.  ~ How many snow storms it had endured.  ~ How many rain drops had fallen upon it.  ~ Had it welcomed the sun on those hot summer days?

It never left its tracks, it traveled the same route over and over again.  Did it see each trip the same way...or did it look for newness in the familiar?

By day...by night...

In my quest to see things differently, for one day I decided to photograph everyday things from unique angles.  This what I got when I shot a common potted cactus.

When I looked at it later I realized that it looked a lot like an aerial view of daytime Manhattan.  This is what I saw looking down and stopped to realize that some other creatures would be looking up in their world (much like we do when we look at skyscrapers).  So, me being me, I had to play around a little with the shot and make a nighttime view as well.
The end result was what you might see looking down at Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

Just choosing to BE me!!!

Nobody told her...

She didn’t know
Nobody told her
The season had changed
And with it, the weather

She kept her vibrance
Letting her new audience see
All her friends had gone
So much quieter she didn’t think it would be

Oh, but she is strong
She would wait for them to return next year
They would say they missed her so
She’d whisper, “I was waiting...right here.”

Heart of the matter...

They said it was going to be rainy and cold and all I could think about was soup.  Funny how we pair things in our minds.  I kept it basic, chicken soup...nothing fancy, nothing that required a cookbook.  I needed to kick it old school. 

I remember making stamps in grade school.  We used apples and oranges.  We cut into potatoes.  Then we dipped them in paint and stamped designs on paper.  That’s what I thought of when I looked at the celery.  How many of those things do you think we made?

In the heart of my house, in the heart of a rainy morning, old thoughts were warming my heart...and it felt great!

To lead...to follow...

The stones have worn over time
Many have used this way.

A heart has been broken, a hand has been held
Along the way getting to the next.

A sigh of relief for found guidance on this path anew
A breath of desperation on a trail of habit.

Leading to someplace better
Followed back to the expected.

Some things I know...

I know I will never be 17 again...it wasn’t the best time for me to BE;
Not wanting to revisit all the things of the person who WAS me.

I know I won’t look or act the same as years gone by;
The things I said and did then...now, I don’t know why.

I know I am different...I’m still me but, yet not the same;
A changed view?  A new breath of air?  It doesn’t have a name.

I know what I want...what I need, and yet my quest remains...how;
For every day I am searching, I must be patient, the answer is not ready now.

I know there is more...more for all that IS me;

I know I have a choice...and for now I choose to BE.

Being Grateful...

At the end of every day I am grateful

...for the ability to take time to reflect
...for each day allows me to grow into a better person
...for the opportunity to give more of myself
...for all that I have experienced
...for the promise of experiences yet to come

If you lived here...

You would know the sun doesn’t always shine.  The clouds are sometimes dark and seem an ocean’s depth.

If you lived here...
You would know why a smile doesn’t have to mean anything at all.

If you lived here...
You would see how something simple has to the power to illuminate a day and a night.

If you lived here...
You would know that the quiet can be deafening and the laughter offers a calm.

If you lived here...
You could see the world, knowing it is just beyond your grasp.

Well, just because...

For someone who has a "journal writing" phobia (ummm...me), a blog might not seem like a logical venue for me to make my thought sharing debut.  But here I am, stepping SO far out of my comfort zone, it's crazy.  Now, I know you're saying, "Seriously?  You're talking and joking all the time!"  And you are 100% correct, but it's those inside things...the abstract things that need some place to go.

Over the past two years I have been making a shift in my thinking.  A positive shift.  I have been trying to be a better person to myself, my children, my family...to strangers!  It's part, pay it forward...it's part, there is more than just me.  I'm not going to lie, it isn't always easy...old habits are hard to break.  But, I try every single day and don't beat myself up if I falter.  I just know I have to try harder.

So, get ready for my "Random Thought of the Day" and whatever else I've got going on in there.

~B~