Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Thursday, 18 June 2020


You know that isolation is getting to you when you start looking at mice as kindred spirits!
As I was meditating my way through some Tai Chi movements this morning, I happened to notice a mousetrap set in the corner of the room, and my mind suddenly headed off on a nostalgia trip.   It took me back to some of my early artistic endeavours; children's pictures that included  some of these wee folk dressed up in quaint costumes; happy little pictures, of happy little creatures, in happy little settings.
In this time of isolation, when our individual personal environments are drastically reduced, when our tactile interaction with those we love is interrupted,  I am reminded that we all share a larger family home:  Nature waits, with its arms wide open, to welcome our long-overdue attention and appreciation, and to give back happiness in return - we need look no further than the small, simple things.

  A Mousey Meditation!

As I sat, meditating,
And searching for light,
An ominous mouse trap
Came into my sight;
Off in a corner,
Of my humble house,
Sitting there, waiting
For some little mouse
To come, uninvited,
And fall for the trap;
I winced as I thought of him
Caught with a snap!

Perhaps that wee creature
Was watching me too,
Waiting nearby,
And seeing right through
My frustrated efforts,
As I tried too hard
To find life's deep meaning;
He'd catch me off guard;
Keeping it simple,
He'd gobble the cheese,
And leave with a 'thank you!'
As bold as you please,
Wishing me luck,
As I seemed to be stuck,
Caught in my own mousetrap! 

  Keep it simple -  gobble the love, leave pride in the trap!

Monday, 5 October 2015

Pull On Those Boots!


Pull on Those Boots!

I ran into a lovely friend at a CafĂ© the other day who has been having serious health issues.  She told me that she has made a conscious decision to look on the bright and happy side of life - no matter what pain or disability she is suffering at any given moment,  to look around her and find beauty ;  to encounter happiness in whatever form, in her present surroundings and to do something that made her happy - right now.  She would no longer stress about the things that were out of her control, longing to be able to do larger things that were goals for a future time when her health improved, but she would build up her life from this exact moment on - in happiness.
How inspiring!   I got back home and headed out for a walk to meditate on all of the things going on in my own life, and I experienced one such moment - a child moment!   I was filled with a sense of peace and wonder as I let myself notice an intricate fallen leaf on the ground, a tiny yellow flower struggling through the long grass, a bird singing its song over the blustering of  the wind, the sound of the water lapping against the rocks and spraying the shoreline, the pair of mallard ducks bobbing over the waves, unperturbed by the frigid water temperature, and I breathed in the indescribable smells of the river - the smells of life and the scent  of memories;  so much happening around me, partners of adversity and peace moving with grace around this great dance hall, constantly learning new steps.  
 A little poem in my "How To Grow A Puddle" book popped into my head; It's a reminder of what we miss when we look too far or too high in our search for beauty and wonder on life's walk:

           Big Boot And Little Boot

            Big Boot
            And Little Boot,
            Walking hand in hand,
            Down the lane together,
            Found a wonderland!

            Every pebble
            Was a treasure,
            Every tiny flower and weed
            Was worth a closer look;
            Yes!  It’s beautiful, indeed!

            Bigger boots
            See larger
            And more complicated views,
            Than what lies beneath our noses,
            And underneath our shoes!

Just for this day, one moment at a time, I will check for the treasures under and around my 'boots',  smile often,  and count my blessings!