Awesome Nature Inspires and Renews the Spirit

 

Madrone Tree Bark

Jim Chamberlain, Photographer

Nature Inspires

"Awe is what we feel when we encounter something

vast, wonderous and beyond the ordinary."

Unknown

Each day I look to nature to relax and inspire me. 

The beauty found in the details in nature 

are works of art that never fail to renew my spirit

and fill me with a sense of awe and peace. 

I'm compelled to dig deeper into the natural world, 

and to listen more intently to its infinite wisdom, 

using photos of things in nature as a

background for my art scribbles. 

It's my way of honoring and acknowledging

the depth of how nature touches me.

Upon waking, my mind is drawn to seek messages 

to guide my day from the natural world around me. 

I especially enjoy exploring the photographs 

of nature shared by others. 

 With pen in hand, I go on a treasure hunt to

find the spirits and harmony revealed within flowers, 

forests, tree bark, sand, sea, mud, clouds, 

birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and much more.

My head is naturally filled with thoughts of love,

 healing, compassion, resiliency, laughter, community, 

courage, strength, hope and joy, so I tend to find

uplifting spirits naturally residing in the world around me.

I invite you to join me in seeking a daily dose of awe, 

inspiration and renewal from the natural world around you. 

Step outside and take it into your soul.

Find ways to be with nature, whether in your own backyard,

through nature photography, or by visiting forests, 

flower fields, deserts, or sand and sea. 

Find your way to absorb nature's beauty and 

breathe in it's inspiration, while discovering your own strength 

for gracefully thriving through the seasons and hardships of life.

Discover Your Awe in Life

The Orchid

Donna Phillips, Photographer

The Orchid

She who orchid-strates life

with the heart of a lion;

She who will not be ignored;

She who brings sunshine to the soul.

I am woman hear me roar

Tree Bark

Lee Bryant, Photographer

All Bark and No Bite

The rings of the ancient tree

show the secret to longevity~

💓All Bark and No Bite

💓Love Thy Neighbor as Yourself

💓A Loving Community Thrives

Dancing Flower

Donna Phillips, Photographer

Dancing Thru Life

She had the heart of a dancer,

moving through life with grace and ease.

Joyful.

Stepping ever so lightly,

she'd twirl and spin

welcoming others to join in.

The Sea

Jim Chamberlain, Photographer

The Dog Days of Summer

In the dog days of summer,

while I'm as lazy as can be,

what do I spy arising from the sea?

I see a wave of doggies coming to play with me,

and all of them are as happy as can be.

Lightarted Living: Do Not Despair Ukraine: Time Will Come Good Again ...

Lightarted Living: Do Not Despair Ukraine: Time Will Come Good Again ...:   Our Hearts are with you, Ukraine  We understand 

"This is the time to be slow,

Lie low to the wall

Until the bitter weather passes.

Try, as best you can, not to let the wire brush of doubt

Scrape from your heart

All sense of yourself

And your hesitant light.

If you remain generous,

Time will come good;

And you will find your feet

again on fresh pastures of promise,

Where the air will be kind

And blushed with beginning."

John O'Donohue

Lightarted Living: Positive Words for a Negative World~Right Up My Alley

Lightarted Living: Positive Words for a Negative World~Right Up My Alley: What Do Your Words Say About You? Your words, both spoken and unspoken have a powerful influence on creating the world you live in. What We Dwell on we Create

Lightarted Living: In a Moment Bursting with Joy I Know Everything is...

Lightarted Living: In a Moment Bursting with Joy I Know Everything is...:Secretly Okay!

 💓 IT WAS A BRIGHT SUNSHINY DAY 💓 ALL IS WELL 💓 I AM HAPPY AND FREE 💓 LIFE IS GOOD ...

Lightarted Living: Will Life Crush Your Spirit or Make You Stronger?

Lightarted Living: Will Life Crush Your Spirit or Make You Stronger?: Will Life Crush Your Spirit or Make You Stronger? What awful soul-crushing experiences have you had in your life? 

Choose to allow life to make you stronger. Choose to become wise and strengthened by your experiences.

Lightarted Living: To Renew Your Spirit Stay Clear of those Vexed in ...

Lightarted Living: To Renew Your Spirit Stay Clear of those Vexed in ...:   To Renew Your Spirit "Stay clear of those vexed in spirit. Learn to linger around someone of ease Who feels they have all the time in the world...

To Renew Your Spirit Stay Clear of those Vexed in Spirit: John O'Donohue

 

To Renew Your Spirit

"Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.

Learn to linger around someone of ease

Who feels they have all the time in the world."

 

John O'Donohue

 

Returning to Your Best Self

"Be excessively gentle with yourself--

Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.

Learn to linger around someone of ease

Who feels they have all the time in the world.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,

Having learned a new respect for your heart

And the joy that dwells far within slow time."

John O'Donohue

Return to the Joys of Slow Time

Learn to be 's/he who has all the time in the world'.

Start by renewing your spirit by staying clear of others vexed in spirit,

and then allow your renewed spirit to radiate out to others.

Seek out people of ease to spend time with, 

and then seek to become a person of ease.

Learn a new respect for your heart

and the joys that dwell far within slow time.

Lightarted Living: Nature's 'Good Morning' Blessings

Lightarted Living: Nature's 'Good Morning' Blessings:   The Dew-Kissed Blessings Awaken- The sun comes up And the dew-kissed blessings awaken To a bright day full of hope. Susan J Meyerott "...

Nature's 'Good Morning' Blessings

 

The Dew-Kissed Blessings Awaken

The sun comes up

And the dew-kissed blessings awaken

To a bright day full of hope.

Susan J Meyerott

"The extraordinary is waiting quietly

beneath the skin of all that is ordinary."

Mark Nepo

Falling For You 

The playful pretty-in-pink Cactus spirits

bring a lighthearted and playful mood to my day.

Their silly antics tickle my fancy

and spill a smile out of my heart onto the day.

Susan J Meyerott

The Dawn Opens

The dawn of each day 

brings a fresh perspective 

and opens us to the possibility of 

'falling in love with life at first sight'.

"First Sight opens the freshness of each moment."

"We begin so aware and grateful.

The sun somehow hangs there in the sky.

The little bird sings. 

The miracle of life just happens."

Mark Nepo 

"Hand in hand with fairy grace,

Will we sing and bless this place."

William Shakespeare

"Garden fairies come at dawn,

bless the flowers then they're gone."

Unknown

Sand and Sea fall in love at First Sight

Ribbons of blue sand whirl in the silvery moonlight,

rising to meet the gentle ocean swells 

coming ashore at dawn's first light.

The seafoam fingerlings linger to caress the sand

before silently flowing back to the sea,

calm once more.

Susan J Meyerott

Gary Mark Roberts

Photographer

Gary Mark Roberts 

Nature's Mandela Photographer

Denise Henry

Christmas Cactus Photographer

Denise Henry

Christmas Cactus Photographer

Lee Bryant

Sand Dancers Photographer

Lightarted Living: Comfort Food Brings Warm Memories

Lightarted Living: Comfort Food Brings Warm Memories:   Love is our Raison D'etre Royce rolls his yearly batch of Daddy's rolls,  Really full of love~ Our raison d'etre making life complete.

We’ll sprinkle warm memories into the dough,

To sweeten those memories of long, long ago.

Comfort Food Brings Warm Memories

 

Love is our Raison D'etre

Royce rolls his yearly batch of Daddy's rolls, 

Really full of love~

Our raison d'etre

making life complete.

The heart has it's raisons 

that raisins know nothing of...

Raisons or raisins that make life so sweet;

What are we after, but plump, juicy raisin d'etre

to make our lives sweet and complete.

We close our eyes and embrace the smells 

of the cinnamon and sweet yeasty scents;

We become children again with

the remembrance of a sweet Daddy's love

making cinnamon rolls together 

in the warmth of the kitchen again.

The Spice of Life

The spice of life is always found

hidden in Royce's rolls~

Shy, sly, sneaky buggers hidden in the folds;

Temptresses, castaways, and one doggie for good taste;

A tasty mix of sugar and spice sprinkled all over the place.

A BATCH OF LOVE

Won’t you help me cook a batch of love, little lamb?

We’ll mix together new and old, with smiles on our faces,

We’ll prepare your life to be joyful and fine,

While tucking love in all the secret places.

Let’s use my father’s recipe for cinnamon rolls,

Passed down from his mother long, long ago.

We’ll sprinkle warm memories into the dough,

To sweeten those memories of long, long ago.

And together we’ll create new memories too,

Of laughter, sweetness and fun,

And thus, we’ll pass on our family traditions,

Wrapping you in generations of love filled with

Tenderness and joy~

And celebrate that your new life has begun.

PUPPIES AND CREAM

In the dog days of winter

I had a mid-winter’s night dream,

My cinnamon rolls turned into a delicious batch of

Puppies and Cream.

A Cream of the crop pups they were indeed,

A delicious combination, so yummy, you see, 

A vision to tuck you in bed with warm memories

Good Memories Baked in the Making

Nancy, who's rolls are best

Is said in jest

as good memories are baked in with zest. 

A father's love and teachings are

 what's best baked in for life,

A dog gone good recipe, Daddy's rolls.

Lightarted Living: Are You Screwing Yourself? Stop it!

Lightarted Living: Are You Screwing Yourself? Stop it!: Do You feel Screwed or Free? We all live on an continuum that puts us on a healthy or unhealthy path in life. 

If you want to experience a sense of freedom and fluidity in your life, train yourself to spend more time in the part of your brain that gives you the freedom to chose your best path and less time in the part that makes you feel screwed. 

Are You Screwing Yourself? Stop it!

Do You feel Screwed or Free?

We all live on an continuum that puts us on a healthy or unhealthy path in life. Depending on where we are on that continuum we work out of different parts of our brain that either serves us up a sense of freedom or rigidity to our lives.

If you want to experience a sense of freedom and fluidity in your life, train yourself to spend more time in the part of your brain that gives you the freedom to chose your best path and less time in the part that makes you feel screwed. 

By training yourself to be calm and centered in response to situations that push you off-center or that rile you up,  you'll spend more of your day in the part of your brain where you have the freedom to think and act consciously and deliberately.

Life is Good!

Freedom's just another word for living out of Your Cerebral Cortex

When we spiral up to our best fully-functioning selves, we work out of our cerebral cortex where we're free to act consciously and deliberately. 

It is from this place in your brain you have the most control over your life and the greatest ability to make choices that serve you best.

Learning to calm yourself in response to stressful experiences is the key to spending more time in this part of the brain.

We're Screwed!

Feeling 'Screwed' is just another word for living out of your Reptilian Brain

When we descend into the depths of our unhealthiest and rigidly-functioning selves we plunge into our reptilian brains where we lock ourselves into obsessive and harmful ways of thinking and acting that are difficult to overcome. 

You screw yourself when you habitually lock yourself into operating out of your rigidly controlled and fixated primitive reptilian brain. Why? At this level of our brain we lose our freedom to think and act independently. 

The reptilian brain serves an essential function when we find ourselves in emergency situations where we need to react quickly--especially when we feel threatened. It is our streetwise 'fight or flight' brain that gives us that shot of adrenaline and heightens our readiness and alertness to take action. 

Everyone needs to work out of their reptilian brain many times a day. The reptilian brain is very useful when we use it for those momentary shots of adrenaline and quick reactions. But we screw ourselves when we habitually live and work out of it instead of just visiting it when needed.  

The key to visiting your reptilian brain rather than living in it is to practice calming yourself after getting riled up. The sooner you return to a place of calm, the sooner you recover your freedom to act with choice.

Feeling the Squeeze

Is your Reptilian Brain Putting the Squeeze on You? 

If your reptilian brain is putting the squeeze on you--making you feel screwed-- here's how to put a stop to it: Practice calming yourself each and every time you get riled up.

The goal is to regularly practice resetting your energy and mindset by redirecting your attention. Wherever your attention goes your energy follows. If your attention goes to calming yourself, your energy will follow.

Always start with a set of slow and relaxed inhales and exhales. Visualize breathing in 'uplift into your heart and breathing out 'calmness into your gut'. Let your attention rest on this image.

Next, put your attention towards looking for one calming activity to engage in. This doesn't have to take a lot of time, and it doesn't have to be the perfect activity. Just do something.

The more you practice calming and centering yourself after getting hyped up, the greater the sense of freedom you'll gain. 

Stop screwing yourself. Train yourself to return to a calm frame of mind in response to stressful situations.

Lightarted Living: Why Not Find the Best of You Inside and Let it Out?

Lightarted Living: Why Not Find the Best of You Inside and Let it Out?:   The Best of You When you imagine the year ahead,  what would you like to see?  Why not create a pleasant scenario filled with friends, fun and inspiration?

Why not allow yourself to turn the corner on 

hanging onto all the difficulties of the last few years?

Let it go and start afresh.

Accept what has been, and then 

leave the past in the past while creating 

what must be for a more satisfying future.

Why Not Find the Best of You Inside and Let it Out?

 

The Best of You

When you imagine the year ahead, 

what would you like to see? 

Why not create a pleasant scenario

filled with friends, fun and inspiration?

Why not find the best of you inside and let it out?

Frolicking 💓Fresh💓Free💓That's me!

Fabulously Fun💓Fully Alive💓And On Fire💓That's me!

Friendly💓Funny💓Flirtatious💓And Fiercely Kind

💓Full of Love and Charm💓That's me!💓

Right Up Your Alley!

Why not allow yourself to turn the corner on 

hanging onto all the difficulties of the last few years?

Let it go and start afresh.

Accept what has been, and then 

leave the past in the past while creating 

what must be for a more satisfying future.

Rediscover the joys of hanging out 

at the Good Outlook Vista.

You Deserve a Detour off the Dark Road of Life

If the past years have been hard--

and especially if life's still challenging, 

you deserve to take a detour off the dark road of life

to travel down Good Fortune Road a while. 

Do a little window shopping at 

The Merry Mall of Life and Good Nature Way. 

Stay a while and try on a good outlook or two.

See how a new outlook on life looks and feels on you.

Chose to take The High Road of Life 

to create an uplifting future 

even if it isn't easy.

Turn that corner, try on that new outlook, and

walk down Good Fortune Alley awhile--and then 

keep putting one foot in front of another.

Lightarted Living: The Cure for the Holiday Blues

Lightarted Living: The Cure for the Holiday Blues:    Do you or someone you know get the holiday blues? You're not alone. 

For so many the winter holidays are anything but joyful. Whether it's missing a loved one who passed, dealing with seasonal affective disorder syndrome (SADS), or dealing with ghosts from the past or hurts in the present, a sense of depression and social isolation can move in to haunt you during the cold winter months, especially in the time of Covid.