Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Sunday, 28 April 2019

A woman of substance can make a life anywhere.

“Become a documentarian of what you do.” 
~ Austin Kleon
I take photographs.
Lots of them.
Sunrise at Pt. England
They document an aspect of my life that I love
- what I see on those early morning walks.
It’s not always easy getting up early though.
It’s tempting to pull the covers up more when the alarm goes off.
Especially as winter approaches and the air gets chillier 
and the mornings darker.
A misty morning sunrise
I try not to give my brain time to ponder over why I’m rising before the sun. 
It will talk me out of it if I let it.
It’s feet on the floor and zombie walk to the kitchen,
with the furball doing her best to trip me up.
Food is a priority in her eyes, and she doesn’t let me forget it.
I know once I’m up though, I won’t go back to bed.
And just sometimes, the moon is setting as the sun's trying to get out of bed.
With the furball fed, there’s just time to make the bed
 and grab the backpack before heading out the door. 
Sunrise over the city
There’s a strange sense of satisfaction in knowing that
my day is starting while most people are still warmly ensconced in bed.
They miss SO much!
The peace and quiet of an early morning is startling.
Especially in winter.
The world hasn’t quite woken up yet and I revel in the silence.
There’s so much else about my early morning walks that I love too.
For starters, the sunrises.
Sunrise from Achilles Point
I see SO many!
Sunrise over the Tamaki Estuary
It’s a little ritual the sun and I have.
Our good morning wave to one another.
Here’s to our day!
Sunrise over Kohi Beach
It has a ripple effect that touches all areas of my life
and helps me be a better person.
I take control of my day just by waking up early!
I value these small frequent positive experiences that happen every day.
They give me reason to pause.
To wonder at the chain of events that caused me 
to be living where I am, and how I am.
And to give thanks.
Because life really IS wonderful.
“Don’t explain your philosophy. 
Embody it.” 
~ Epictetus

Saturday, 2 February 2019

Our lives are lived in hours.


“There is a voice that doesn’t use words.  
Listen.” 
~ Rumi
Hard to believe but January’s already done and dusted.  
We've used every second, every minute, every  hour of 31 precious days 
and are a month into THIS new year.
Another loop around the sun.
One more winter, summer, autumn and spring.
I was trying to decide which was my favourite season.
But I love them all.
Even winter!
Time really IS fleeting though.  
We can't buy more of it.
Not even a minute.
No matter how wealthy or otherwise we are.
There's this notion inside of me too that  I still have so much to see and do 
and that clock is ticking on relentlessly.
 My life's a little like a roller-coaster ride. 
I'm sure most of ours are!
Exhilarating one moment and terrifying the next.
It's all too easy to hurtle into a downward spiral
and to doubt you'll ever resurface.
But that little voice inside always urges me up.
It's unrelenting.
Even in the times when I struggle to hear it. 
It's the voice that sees infinite possibilities where I see obstacles.
The one that tells me I’m stronger than I sometimes think I am.
The one that reassures me that I have more than enough courage 
for any challenge I need to face.
It reminds me that every hour I have is precious.
To make decisions that are right 
for the moment in time that I'm making them.
To BE mindful. 
To be present enough to feel every terrifying, 
exhilarating, imperfect moment of life.
And to LISTEN to the wisdom within.
The more I listen to that inner voice,
the more I believe in me
and the more completely I embrace life.
Our lives are lived in hours.
Make the MOST of them.
“We do not need magic to transform the world. 
We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.” 
~ J.K. Rowling