Cattitude and Gratitude

For a deaf and blind person, Helen Keller saw and understood more than many sighted people. How many of us truly see what’s around us? We have the gift of sight but fail to see for whatever reason. Perhaps we’re too busy and distracted, too tired, too complacent and too apathetic. We could learn a lot from children who delight in seeing and interacting with everything around them. They see so much that we miss. When was the last time you really looked with that first time feeling of newness and excitement? Surely as adults, we can recapture that feeling if we try hard enough. Why not give ourselves permission to be in the moment and just be?  Put the “to do” list away for a while and ditch the guilt.  Go and see what you've been missing. I am participating at Write Tribe  and the Ultimate Blogging Challenge for July.  Love those challenges! They're the best!

Long summer days, so hot and hazy Reading a book and feeling lazy, Boating, swimming, taking a hike Riding a country road on your bike, Strawberries, watermelon, ice cream, too Barbecued hamburgers, a cold case of Blue, Sitting around a campfire getting smokey Singing songs that are really hokey, Canadian summer, short and sweet Savour it like a tasty treat, Soon Old ManWinter will reappear Enjoy our summer while it’s here!

I love taking photos of this Buddha statue in every season. In any any kind of weather, the Buddha endures and is always calm and thoughtful as he meditates in the moment.  I love Buddha's wise quotes, too. Here is a good one to remember.  "You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection." Self love is something that doesn't come naturally to us, especially women. We're often down on ourselves thinking we're not good enough, not pretty enough, not slim enough, not clever enough,....not enough period.  We are locked inside our bodies for a lifetime and it's up to us to love this body that has been lent to us for a short time and make the best of it.  Buddha's wise words remind us to love ourselves, despite our imperfections and...

Music is all around us, especially in Nature. I managed to get this photo of a loon on the St. Lawrence the other evening. It wasn't easy as it kept diving and then it would reappear in a different spot. I couldn't keep up! I love the plaintive sound of a loon's cry. It gives me shivers as it is so haunting and sad. So true what Tolstoy says about music being the shorthand of emotion. The loon is one of our Canadian symbols and is featured on our dollar coin, affectionately called the Loonie. As we celebrate Canada's 147th birthday today, it's fitting to listen to the music of the loon, just one of the many beautiful musical sounds in Nature in our glorious country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTH30m87yL4

I really like Laurel Reagan's idea of the weekly gratitude list and am trying to participate regularly. http://www.alphabetsalad.com/todays-gratitude-list-linkup-no-36/ When you have gratitude, it's hard to be negative. Remembering all the good things beats the heck out of dwelling on the bad, getting down on yourself and having regrets. I've been that route and it's a big waste of time and energy. I am grateful for:      the beautiful summer weather that we Canadians wait for so long all year. We must appreciate it while it’s here. As my dad says, “It’s a longgggggg winter.” the screened-in porch where I can listen to the birds and look at the beauty of nature all around me. We only use the porch a few months of the year so I am grateful for this room where I can write, read, daydream, scrapbook and share meals with the family.   supportive inlaws who just celebrated their 60 th anniversary this week. Bravo to them. Hope hubby and I make it to 60 ...

Here is another photo I took the other evening as it was approaching sunset on the St. Lawrence River. There is something so magical about the lighting at that time of day. I like the way the grass is silhouetted against the sky and looks like an ink brush painting. This quote reminds us that there is no such thing as true reality. Everything passes through our mind’s filter, a combination of our thoughts, mood, personality and past experiences. Our thoughts are so powerful and dictate how we experience our world while creating our own unique reality. Here is a poem I wrote on the subject of thoughts: Thoughts of fear and thoughts of hate Can put our minds in an awful state, Self doubt and self loathing cause such pain Pelting down like a constant rain, You can change the way you think Like stagnant water in the sink, Flush those bad thoughts down the drain Turn on the tap and start again, Positive thoughts, all clean and new Are waiting to be c...

I found this four leaf clover the other day. This is very rare as I never find four leaf clovers. I put it down on this piece of fabric that the hubby put on my worktable. I liked the way the stripes framed the little four leaf clover and made it stand out against the pink. Another poster was born! Okay, luck, come get me, I'm waiting for you! *Sits and waits clutching four leaf clover in sweaty hand* Maybe that's the wrong approach. Maybe I do have to go out and make my own luck as Thomas Jefferson's quote states. He says that hard work and preparation go much further than sitting around waiting for luck to fall from the sky. I have mixed feelings about that. Sure, hard work and preparation are important, but sometimes amazing things do happen and it's good to be open to them. I've always envied people who seem lucky. Everything goes their way and their lives look so perfect. If only I could be so lucky. What do you think? Is it just a case of the per...