200. wonder chickens!

what in the world—
where did these come from?
quick....make a wish!



 —ancient romans believed that chicken bones held the power to grant good fortune.  when two people pulled apart the wishbone, the person who held the longer piece got the good luck, or a wish granted!





199. when

when I am gone
play me no sad songs but the
music of dawn
*
a thousand
fluttering melodies 
lifting me heavenward



 —in the Japanese tradition, a haiku poet prepares a farewell poem or two to be remembered by...and I would add here, ‘to celebrate this life.’   Don’t worry, folks, I’m not going anywhere yet, just wanting to be prepared.πŸ˜‡






198. i wonder

who scattered these stones,
was it the wind or the rain
or hand of some god?



—i often wonder how things come to be.  the creative mind is curious and loves to explore....that’s what it does, so i offer it something pleasant to wonder about. 





 

197. slow down

no need to hurry
my friend, slow down....stay grounded
enjoy a little



 —life looks different when you slow down and get down. little miracles are everywhere, take care not to step on them!






196. hats rock!

all those hats 
in the back seat window well—
hats rock!



 —can’t have too many hats! πŸ§’πŸ‘’πŸŽ©πŸ§’πŸ‘





195. springtime sonata

April showers
....the fiddlehead ferns unfurl
and play their fiddles







 

194. life 101: survival

box turtle
not wanting to be boxed in—
skedaddling....



 —from ten feet away, this turtle immediately caught sight of us and, as we slowly approached, kept absolutely still, its eye focused on us...then gradually the turtle began very slowly to pull in its legs and head....then in a flash took off running away. 

—we’re all hard-wired for survival and in response to feeling threatened, will automatically respond in one of three ways: fight...flee...or freeze.  it was interesting to observe the turtle responding to us in survival mode. good thing he didn’t feel the need to attack!





193. this old tree

holding on:  this tree, 
like my papa, from China—
feeling solid






 

192. what if....

a tangled mess—
who knows....maybe chaos is
perfection, after all



—what is really going on, anyway?  what if what we think is true, really isn’t....what if the way things really are isn’t what you think?






 

191. cool....

settle down, my friend
everything’s gonna be cool—
i’m all ears


—sometimes all it takes is just to be heard,  deep listening. 





 

190. ohm shanti shanti shanti

may we have peace
in our hearts....in our homes
and in our world



shanti is the Sanskrit word for peace





 

189. time out

time out—
take a break, sit down and smile
just smile😻



—a smile a day keeps the hounds at bay!
 






188. paradox


sometimes a wimp
sometimes a warrior....
it all depends  


 (origami fan)

—we all have another side:  tender/tough....quiet/loud....calm/stormy—neither is always right or wrong, good or bad.  given enough loving and living and learning, we can grow and allow ourselves to let go, to just be ourselves— open, honest, and sincere. 




187. last night’s dreaming #2

braving the dark
no need to run nor to hide
just swim



 —when in the doubt just swim, just keep swimming.... sometimes we need to brave the darkness to find our light.  





186. double exposure

posing
in...out...around and around
seeing double 






 

185. look out! πŸ‘€

up on the roof
birds fluttering and mating—
the cat’s watching



—Willey’s always on the lookout!




 

184. holy sparks

if i was 29
i’d explode all over again
like fireworks 



 —this is a picture of tree blossoms glistening and glittered on stones.  harmony of the physical and spiritual give birth to life every spring in a beautiful marriage of holy sparks....isn’t it exciting?





183. rock garden

under the mailbox
a little heaven on earth
signed: Ava






 

182. even a dandelion....


slowing down....
to rest the mind
on beauty
*
slowing down....
pausing to look and see 
what really matters






181. what is this?


in the dark
a mysterious bird calls
again and again





180. in the dark

in the dark,
feeling my way breath by breath
like using Braille 


—at times, it becomes necessary to let go of the rules and follow our hearts; it takes courage 







179. cat to cat 🐈 🐈‍⬛

shadows and sunlight
getting our daily D’s
paw to paw 🐾 



—vitamin D’s






 

178. who am i


after all
he is a butterfly....and i,
i am just me



 —from a Taoist parable:  ”...I dreamt I was a butterfly, conscious only of my happiness fluttering hear and there, unaware that I was a human.  Soon I awakened and there I was, myself again. Now I do not know whether then I was a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether now I am a butterfly dreaming I am a man....”





177. good medicine

drink water
go for a little walk....and
be a little kinder



 —it’s been a tough year....kindness is good medicine....remember to be kind to yourself






176. yakety-yak

caw....caw, yakety-yak
like a used car salesman
or politician 
that old crow






 

175. like flowers



we’re all like flowers
given some water and sunshine
most of us will bloom





 
 

174. Happy Easter!

it’s Easter
today and everyday
keep hopping!🐰






 

173. yin and yang

moon and clouds 
just playing a nighttime game
of yin and yang



 —yin and yang: opposing yet complimentary forces of life energy...stillness and movement...coolness and warmth...heaviness and lightness 





172. last night’s dreaming #1

wise and happy thoughts
emerging from who knows where....
BOOM!


—Guidance comes in many guises....take off the dark glasses.  Don’t be afraid of darkness, find your own truth....and grow it.  May you receive wise and happy thoughts from every part of the universe.