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.😇

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! 🧢👒🎩🧢👍

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! 👀

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.