Day Six of Seven

Day Six of Seven Days of Black and White

This has been such a fun project! Only one more day to go, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop blogging. Photography and writing feed my soul.

This particular image was taken when I was with my BFF, Patricia, when we were on one of our adventures, this time in southern CA at Venice Beach. As I look at this, I’m aware once again of the power of the ocean to make me feel humble, peaceful and serene. And the value of friendship.

Don’t you just love looking at a photograph and being instantly transported back to that time and place?

Go to the beach!

Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’

 

Circle of Friends

My circle of friends is small but tight. I value their love, their wit, their charm, their brutal honesty, their opinions, and so much more.

Acquaintances come and go and there’s value in that as well. But true friends are so rare. You know. The ones you see after time has passed and yet it feels like you haven’t missed a beat at all when you reunite.

My circle became smaller today and my heart is breaking. My only, and I mean only, consolation is that I know she is now a Guardian Angel. Keeping watch over us. Cheering us on. Laughing with us. Dancing with us. Singing with us.

We are not promised tomorrow. Live today.

Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’

Happy Trails

As the host for this year’s reunion of our Happy Trails tribe, I was facing some scheduling challenges, but it all just came together today. Woo Hoo!

Each time we’re together, it’s like no time has passed in between. Dating back to our first times in Santa Cruz (a LONG time ago), we eat too much, sometimes drink too much (what????) hahaha, we shop, laugh a lot, tell life stories, bitch about stuff, and just have a wonderful time.

And then we all ride off into the sunset with unbelievable, forever cherished memories.

The Pacific Northwest and the beach is calling us, girls.  See you soon!!!!

Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’

Drac and Daisy

I’ve heard that a tsunami of love is enveloping our beautiful blue planet and all of its inhabitants. What does that mean exactly?

I’m not sure what it means for humans, although I’ve felt a greater peace about things recently than in the past.

So if this tsunami is true, then it explains the unlikely friendship that has developed between our dog, Daisy, and a neighbor’s cat. His name is Drac. (Could that be short for Dracula)? I’ve been meaning to ask his owner about that name.

Drac walks around the neighborhood like he owns it. I think he does.

When another of our neighbors, who isn’t really a cat person, walks to the mailbox, Drac sees her coming and gets in step with her all the way to the mailbox and back. She calls him her escort. So cute!

Drac loves Daisy and the feeling is mutual. They sniff each other, he nuzzles her, and then he follows us on our daily walk. It’s amazing to me how well they get along … I guess they’ve been hit by the tsunami. Animals know good energy when they’re around it. They know if the humans they encounter have good energy or not. Drac and Daisy get it … I’m taking my cues from them.

Be good to yourself and each other. Namaste’

I Am So Grateful for You

Lately I haven’t had the time to catch up with all of you, my faithful readers and fellow bloggers. With the passing of my friend last Friday, I feel like I’ve been pulled through a knot-hole backwards. With that said, please know that I really value your friendships even though, in most cases, we’ve never met face-to-face.

When I started this blog, I had no idea that it would take me to places within and without. As the old saying goes “if you don’t go within, you go without.” Following your blog posts has allowed me to look within myself and that makes me a better contributor and a better person. You have made me a better photographer, too, but I still have a long way to go with that 🙂 I’ll keep going with it because I love it.

If you’re anything like me, you really enjoy blogging. It opens up new worlds for us that we might have never known. The friends I’ve made in the blogosphere, from Hawaii to Turkey to Holland, the UK and South Africa, as well as here in the U.S. have opened my eyes and affirmed that we are all linked together. You are all such good people with loving hearts. I cheer for you when I read that cool things happen and I empathize with you about the not-so-good stuff. And I know, really know that you feel the same for me. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. You’re the best! Namaste’

Regina (Reggie) Arnold is a “flunked retirement” entrepreneur, co-author of The Art & Science of Recruiting, an award-winning photographic artist, and photo blogger

 

And Then It is Winter

I received an email from a very dear friend of mine … a life-long friend actually.  One that I’ve known and loved for 50 years.  How many of us can be so lucky as to have a friend for that long?  I consider myself very blessed indeed.  Anyway, here’s the email – republished for you all to think about and enjoy.  Maybe we’re not all in our “winter” yet but even so, the meaning of this is appropriate for all human beings.

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AND THEN IT IS WINTER

You know. . . Time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is… The winter of my life and it catches me by surprise….How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is…my friends are retired and getting grey…they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me…but, I see the great change…Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant…but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore… it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will… I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so…now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last…this I know, that when it’s over on this earth…it’s over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done…things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you’re not in your winter yet…let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life…so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember…and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

LIVE IT WELL!

ENJOY TODAY!

DO SOMETHING FUN!

BE HAPPY !

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

And I Love each and everyone of you, some as my children, or grand & great grandchildren, and some as old friends or relatives, and one special one “just because I want to”.

Remember “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver”

LIVE HAPPY IN 2013!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN,YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE SO – ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

~Your kids are becoming you……but your grandchildren are perfect!

~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

~You forget names…But it’s OK because other people forgot they knew you!!!

~You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything…. Especially golf.

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don’t care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It’s called “pre-sleep”.

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch

.~You tend to use more 4 letter words … “what?”…”when?”… ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet…. 2 of which you will never wear.

~ But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, “OLD FRIEND!” Send this on to other “Old Friends!” and let them laugh in an AGREEMENT!!!

It’s Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.!!!

The photo below really is the last of my “winter” pictures.  I just thought it was appropriate for the theme of this post.  Namaste’

Simple Small Steps to Becoming More Conscious

So you’ve decided that there are some changes you’d like to make in your life.  This is wonderful!  Life should be full of joy and change is good.  Just the fact that you recognize the need for some changes is such a positive step.

Please accept that change takes time.  Try not to be hard on yourself.   Some days you might find yourself taking a giant leap; other days a baby step is enough.  A few weeks ago, I started walking every morning for my health.  The first few days it was tough because I pushed myself too hard.  As a result I was sore and pretty cranky.  So I cut back a little and found it easier.  After a few days of that I just picked up the pace a little so that I could walk a little further; not much, just a little.  Now I’m up to a mile a day and that’s a good change for me.  I feel better!

Keep a conscious eye on all aspects of your life.  What that means is simply to notice what feels good to you and what doesn’t.  For example, if someone is asking you to do something that you don’t want to do, notice how it feels in your body, especially your gut.  If something isn’t right for you, and you check in with your gut, you will always get the right answer.  If you gut starts to churn or you feel butterflies, the answer is probably a big NO.  We all have an inner guide.  Seek its counsel and trust your feelings.

Work on one goal at a time.  So many of us make a list of things we want to change and then set out to make everything happen at once.  Why?  Because we’re an instant gratification society.  Well, sometimes that’s great and sometimes it isn’t.  How many times have you made a knee-jerk decision only to find out the outcome didn’t serve you well.  Take one specific goal and work on that.  Then when you’ve developed a rhythm with that one thing, you will be more apt to work on the next goal and so on.  And what a feeling of accomplishment you’ll have when it all starts to work.  The Universe abhors a vacuum; it will always fill it up with something.  So make that something work for you.

If something doesn’t work out the way you want it to, again, don’t punish yourself.  Learn from whatever it was and just move forward.  Being your own worst critic is hard on you and those who love you.  Just realize that there was probably a very good reason it didn’t work out.  Who knows?  Maybe it was for your safety or that of others.

Stay positive.  The jump-start of creation is gratitude.  Yes, it may be tough, but even in your darkest times, there’s always something to be grateful for.  Make a list of those things, even if it’s that you had a nice cup of coffee this morning.  Or that the sun came up and you felt the warmth on your face.  Or that your dog cuddled beside you to keep you warm.

Keep a positive outlook and you will be thanking God for everything in your life, even the challenges. Once you have started on your journey to being a more conscious person, you will begin to notice stress in your life disappearing!

Namaste!

The Gang of Six

When my brother died last year, I thought that as each day passed it would get easier. Well, some days it was easier. Some days I was in denial. Some days I still am. Sometimes the phone will ring and for a fleeting moment, I’ll expect to see his name come up on the caller ID. It never does. He’s gone and I know it intellectually. At the heart level, I sure wish he was still here. There is so much I would have told him. We still had some “getting to know you better” conversations to have but didn’t get to.

So last year I joined a grief support group that was hosted by the hospice where he died. It is a wonderful, heart-centered organization that is staffed by people who understand completely what grief is. And yet they know it’s different for everyone.

There were six of us in the group that I attended. All were widows or widowers except for me who had lost a sibling. One of the widowers not only lost his wife but had lost his daughter to the war in Iraq.

Because of the grief that we shared we all became like a family, understanding each others need to just BE at times and at other times to share our stories about our loved ones without being told “you shouldn’t feel that way.” It honestly became very clear to me what a gift these people are and that we all came together for a reason – for the highest good of all concerned.

The group ended in September (officially) but we all decided to keep coming together once a month to stay in each others lives as the friends and confidantes that we have become. I trust them. We all trust each other.

Yesterday we met for the first of our monthly get-togethers and as I sat with “The Gang of Six” I realized just how much of a gift I have received from them. I hope my presence is a gift to them as well.

Namaste!