Commitment

To embark on the journey towards your goals and dreams requires bravery. To remain on that path requires courage. The bridge that merges the two is commitment. 

(Steve Maraboli)

Random Fall Haiku

old man winter howls
small birds seeking out cover
pileated laughs

phoebe steps outside
raccoons race out of her reach
curses foiled again

too many gray days
the clouds part and there it is
wonderful sunshine

phoebe's restless dreams
four feet running nose twitching
woofing at unseens

sleet gives way to rain
dark eyed juncos scratch hopping
pileateds laugh

large flock of sandhills
a lone bird trails far behind
wait for me he calls

maples undressing
limbs shiver in their bareness
as leaves of gold fall

four beady black eyes
young possums prowling about
phoebe wants them gone

sweet trilling voices
bouncing dapper birds of gray
welcome back juncos

in constant motion
tiny bird flicking its wings
golden crowned kinglet

phoebe's hair on end
the floodlights reveal her fear
beady eyes of bear

Birthday Thoughts..

Walking, I can almost hear the redwoods beating. And the oceans are above me here, rolling clouds, heavy and dark. It is winter and there is smoke from the fires. It is a world of elemental attention, of all things working together, listening to what speaks in the blood. Whichever road I follow, I walk in the land of many gods, and they love and eat one another. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.

(Linda Hogan)

Why Not Nature?

We are social animals. We like to feel a part of something of beauty and power that transcends our insignificance. It can be a religion, a political party, a ball club. Why not also Nature? I feel a strong identity with the world of living things. I was born into it; we all were. But we may not feel the ties unless we gain intimacy by seeing, feeling, smelling, touching and studying the natural world. Trying to live in harmony with the dictates of nature is probably as inspirational as living in harmony with the Koran or the Bible. Perhaps it is also a timely undertaking.

(Bernd Heinrich, One Man's Owl)

Unwritten Words

And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.  

(William Shakespeare)