So many empty spaces filling up the morning with beauty. Those House Finches throwing out their orange light into the purple thistles, the Goldfinch gathering in the airy sunlight, just beautiful. And the new discovery of the Blue Grosbeak! A small thrill overhead. Lovely post as always. Thank you.
This is a wonderful piece of writing and a beautiful message. It’s so difficult to witness forests being destroyed to build more houses - especially while many buildings remain vacant - but this showed that at times, nature still wins.
The blue jay who visited our yard this weekend. The pigeons and mourning doves flying around a sold-out and very noisy baseball stadium. The sparrow that landed on a wire going across the stands at the stadium and sat for a full inning, a spectator like the rest of us. Nature is everywhere. Loved this post.
The Merlin app's sound ID feature has been the greatest joy of my recent life! I live in center city Philadelphia and even without so much nearby nature (comparatively speaking) it's amazing to me the bird life that makes its home here. I'm lucky to be woken by their songs every morning and now I know what they are. Thank you for this post and its badly needed message as well as the gorgeous photos.
Magnificent and thrilling! Nature will not be denied, no matter the assaults of humans. Thank you for sharing this heartwarming resurrection event. It inspires such hope!
Karen, this post is beautiful in all respects. I, like you, always fight to hold on to nature, to push back what society deems as "progress." I'm sorry that neighborhoods will be taking the place of some of the nature land that has surrounded you. This post will stay with me, reminding me that nature will always find a way. And I always say, we mimic nature. I also love the reminder about the importance of patience and trust. What a gem this post is on this lovely Sunday morning. 💜
Oh, I love this, Karen! Especially because the blue grosbeak was one of my favorites in New Mexico, especially along acequias in Albuquerque. Aren’t they gorgeous! And all those finches! Thanks for finding all these riches.
Thank you Priscilla! Blue grosbeak are gorgeous - and I found another one today, on the other end of the subdivision. Wouldn't have found it without hearing it either!
Oh, Karen ... Karen .... this so so lovely. The poem is exquisite (..."taller than the men who cut it down"... yes!) and the bird photos, in your usual fashion, so heart-stirring. Thank you for such an uplifting post.
Wonderful poem, photos and reflection. It reminded my of something someone said to me years ago (can't remember who!) - that patience is a matter of trust. If we trust (life, ourselves, others, or that which is larger) patience is accessible; if we find ourselves impatient, the questions become- Where am I distrustful? and Is there a way to trust so I may rest/wait/live in patience? Sounds good, but I must admit, some days trust and patience are hard to find. :)
Lauren, I've thought about this a lot. The temptation is to buy into the idea that we can "trust" that everything will work out either as we want it to (ha!) or in a way that is best for everyone. We have varying degrees of agency in different situations, but there is much that matters to us that we do not control. As I've sat with this, I have tried to open to "trusting" something larger- Life itself- and trust that it will continue, even if in a different form. As it relates to Karen's poem, I guess I could say I am learning to trust the emptiness and wait to see what Life (though me, other people or other life forms) will do with that spaciousness (which may be more fertile than we can imagine.)
Such good reflection Oriah. I totally agree that patience is a matter of trust. Also that sometimes trust/patience are very hard to find. Some situations and circumstances more than others, especially where I feel like I've been "fooled" or hurt before. That trust in the emptiness/something larger is what my sangha was discussing yesterday! And then the phrase I've been rolling around for weeks now, "leave space for God to walk through the room".
As I've been delving deep into learning QiGong (I signed for teacher training!) I'm also realizing how when my energy is depleted, unbalanced, or uncentered it is even harder to find trust and patience. I've been thinking my mind should be able to overcome - when it's turning out that physical balance is sometimes a much better place for me to start. And physical balance is energy, food, supplements (I've found a couple that have helped IMMENSELY with stress/anxiety), sleep, AND working through mental and emotional stuff. I'm finding I have a lot more compassion for myself to notice "well, it's going to be hard for me to trust right now because my energy is so depleted" for instance.
Hope that makes sense - I guess it's just as true to say I'm bringing more compassion to the places I don't trust.
Great insights Karen- and yes, responding to whatever arises with kindness and compassion always seem to be a good place to start (although often I only see that in hindsight :) Here's the biggest insight I am working with from the course I am taking on recovery from trauma: the nervous system (which is trained and conditioned largely from our childhood) and our prefrontal cortex don't speak directly to each other. (Hard not to see this as a design flaw but there we are.) When we are un-centred, unbalance, anxious etc. our nervous system has generally been activated- and trying to calmly "tell" it to trust (or relax etc.) has little impact. The communication happens on the level of the body- if we can bring some awareness into our bodies in the present moment and notice what is happening. . . . it starts to change. This is a hard thing to remember, in part because we (somewhat unconsciously) don't want to feel what is going on in our body when we are frazzled. It's a hard sell really- but to my amazement it actually works. It often takes me quite awhile to remember to focus on present-momented embodied awareness when I am anxious, but as soon as I slow down and turn my attention to what is happening inside (in my gut and feet and hands and back. . . .) things seem to . . . calm down. . . . So, I suppose one of the things I am learning to trust is the present-momented experience of embodied awareness (although it's taking lots of practice to get there when I need it most.)
YES! I've also been working with a somatic therapist - all roads lead to the body. QiGong is exactly that - or at least it is for me. Learning to communicate better with my body. Also learning things I can "go to" when I can't remember or think. Doesn't mean it will be "easy" of course. The simplest things are where my big "ah ha's" are. Like realizing that my feet were often kind of curled up away from the floor, that I was rarely letting my feet really relax and sink into the ground even when I was standing on them.
So many empty spaces filling up the morning with beauty. Those House Finches throwing out their orange light into the purple thistles, the Goldfinch gathering in the airy sunlight, just beautiful. And the new discovery of the Blue Grosbeak! A small thrill overhead. Lovely post as always. Thank you.
thank you Jan
This is a wonderful piece of writing and a beautiful message. It’s so difficult to witness forests being destroyed to build more houses - especially while many buildings remain vacant - but this showed that at times, nature still wins.
Thank you Dakota
Nuthin common about that gorgeous nighthawk!
It's true! Thanks Kara!
The blue jay who visited our yard this weekend. The pigeons and mourning doves flying around a sold-out and very noisy baseball stadium. The sparrow that landed on a wire going across the stands at the stadium and sat for a full inning, a spectator like the rest of us. Nature is everywhere. Loved this post.
Yes yes yes - thank you for sharing!!
The Merlin app's sound ID feature has been the greatest joy of my recent life! I live in center city Philadelphia and even without so much nearby nature (comparatively speaking) it's amazing to me the bird life that makes its home here. I'm lucky to be woken by their songs every morning and now I know what they are. Thank you for this post and its badly needed message as well as the gorgeous photos.
Yes! I really love that app. I tried it a number of years ago with no luck and was so glad someone suggested I try it again!
Magnificent and thrilling! Nature will not be denied, no matter the assaults of humans. Thank you for sharing this heartwarming resurrection event. It inspires such hope!
It's so true. Thank you Lauren!
Karen, this post is beautiful in all respects. I, like you, always fight to hold on to nature, to push back what society deems as "progress." I'm sorry that neighborhoods will be taking the place of some of the nature land that has surrounded you. This post will stay with me, reminding me that nature will always find a way. And I always say, we mimic nature. I also love the reminder about the importance of patience and trust. What a gem this post is on this lovely Sunday morning. 💜
Thank you Sue!
Oh, I love this, Karen! Especially because the blue grosbeak was one of my favorites in New Mexico, especially along acequias in Albuquerque. Aren’t they gorgeous! And all those finches! Thanks for finding all these riches.
Thank you Priscilla! Blue grosbeak are gorgeous - and I found another one today, on the other end of the subdivision. Wouldn't have found it without hearing it either!
Oh, Karen ... Karen .... this so so lovely. The poem is exquisite (..."taller than the men who cut it down"... yes!) and the bird photos, in your usual fashion, so heart-stirring. Thank you for such an uplifting post.
Thank you Jeanne!
A wonderful homage to the act of letting go and opening to receive- so glad you were there to witness this cycle on your hoop
Thank you Natasha
All the pretty birds! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Antonia!
Wonderful poem, photos and reflection. It reminded my of something someone said to me years ago (can't remember who!) - that patience is a matter of trust. If we trust (life, ourselves, others, or that which is larger) patience is accessible; if we find ourselves impatient, the questions become- Where am I distrustful? and Is there a way to trust so I may rest/wait/live in patience? Sounds good, but I must admit, some days trust and patience are hard to find. :)
The patience/trust connection has been one of the most difficult and enduring learning curves for me, too.
Lauren, I've thought about this a lot. The temptation is to buy into the idea that we can "trust" that everything will work out either as we want it to (ha!) or in a way that is best for everyone. We have varying degrees of agency in different situations, but there is much that matters to us that we do not control. As I've sat with this, I have tried to open to "trusting" something larger- Life itself- and trust that it will continue, even if in a different form. As it relates to Karen's poem, I guess I could say I am learning to trust the emptiness and wait to see what Life (though me, other people or other life forms) will do with that spaciousness (which may be more fertile than we can imagine.)
Such good reflection Oriah. I totally agree that patience is a matter of trust. Also that sometimes trust/patience are very hard to find. Some situations and circumstances more than others, especially where I feel like I've been "fooled" or hurt before. That trust in the emptiness/something larger is what my sangha was discussing yesterday! And then the phrase I've been rolling around for weeks now, "leave space for God to walk through the room".
As I've been delving deep into learning QiGong (I signed for teacher training!) I'm also realizing how when my energy is depleted, unbalanced, or uncentered it is even harder to find trust and patience. I've been thinking my mind should be able to overcome - when it's turning out that physical balance is sometimes a much better place for me to start. And physical balance is energy, food, supplements (I've found a couple that have helped IMMENSELY with stress/anxiety), sleep, AND working through mental and emotional stuff. I'm finding I have a lot more compassion for myself to notice "well, it's going to be hard for me to trust right now because my energy is so depleted" for instance.
Hope that makes sense - I guess it's just as true to say I'm bringing more compassion to the places I don't trust.
Great insights Karen- and yes, responding to whatever arises with kindness and compassion always seem to be a good place to start (although often I only see that in hindsight :) Here's the biggest insight I am working with from the course I am taking on recovery from trauma: the nervous system (which is trained and conditioned largely from our childhood) and our prefrontal cortex don't speak directly to each other. (Hard not to see this as a design flaw but there we are.) When we are un-centred, unbalance, anxious etc. our nervous system has generally been activated- and trying to calmly "tell" it to trust (or relax etc.) has little impact. The communication happens on the level of the body- if we can bring some awareness into our bodies in the present moment and notice what is happening. . . . it starts to change. This is a hard thing to remember, in part because we (somewhat unconsciously) don't want to feel what is going on in our body when we are frazzled. It's a hard sell really- but to my amazement it actually works. It often takes me quite awhile to remember to focus on present-momented embodied awareness when I am anxious, but as soon as I slow down and turn my attention to what is happening inside (in my gut and feet and hands and back. . . .) things seem to . . . calm down. . . . So, I suppose one of the things I am learning to trust is the present-momented experience of embodied awareness (although it's taking lots of practice to get there when I need it most.)
And I think the QiGong would be very helpful at developing and deepening embodied awareness!
YES! I've also been working with a somatic therapist - all roads lead to the body. QiGong is exactly that - or at least it is for me. Learning to communicate better with my body. Also learning things I can "go to" when I can't remember or think. Doesn't mean it will be "easy" of course. The simplest things are where my big "ah ha's" are. Like realizing that my feet were often kind of curled up away from the floor, that I was rarely letting my feet really relax and sink into the ground even when I was standing on them.
Wildlife is amazing!! So much sprouting from what looks like barren land… thx for sharing and such good food for thought ❤️😍👍🌱🐦⬛🐝🦋🌾🌼
Thank you Sharon!
The bird photos are stunning! And the poem was heartbreaking and hopeful. I know the heartbreak of razed fields too.
Thank you Misti - and so sorry for your razed fields - and your heat wave!
Beautiful poem Karen, thank you for sharing. Your photos are always a joy for me. Take good care.
Thank you Julie!