Photo by Anelale Nájera on Unsplash

Ripening human
Gathering sun rays, tears, joys
Moments of understanding how impermanent today is.
Appreciating the sparkling laughter of children
as a gift too soon grown and gone.
Planets withdrawn from their orbits around me.
Wisdom earned through sweat and painful mistakes.
Ever the fool, I reel, fall, rise again, stand firm
Until thrown yet again.

Ripening human
Once ripe, what then?

Photo by Clint Adair on Unsplash

Who are you connected to?
Your connections form the stuff of your life.
It's more than just choosing your clients.
You must choose your companions with intent
In order to choose your life.

A net is made strong by its many parts.
The interweaving of rope, the joining of separate pieces.

The adventure of life requires a band of merry men.
They don't need to be men, but it will help if they are merry.

Since COVID-19 hit, I host a 20-minute coffee call each Sunday morning where we discuss a topic.  For the purpose of connecting. Email [email protected] if you are interested in joining us.

Waking to my gentle musical alarm and the smell of rain.
A desert dweller much of my life, the smell is powerful and fills me with joy.
I can smell earth and water. A pungent blend.

And the Sonoran Desert, my home, has an added bonus..... the creosote bush.
Rain-kissed, this bush offers up a smell of volatile oils found in pines, citrus, and rosemary.
It is unlike any smell I have encountered. I recommend a visit here during the rainy season just to experience it.

Our rainy season this year had almost no rain, so this morning's gift is doubly blessed.
No wonder I slept so peacefully with my window open.
Rain-smell tickling and enveloping the inner reaches of my dreaming.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

I have a small basil plant bought at the grocery store.  Yes, I have decided to go to grocery stores again, even though I swore them off when their employees weren't required to wear masks for my protection.

A cellophane cone wrapped the little plant. Once removed, each stalk fell, reaching towards the ground.  Without the supporting structure of the cone, each plant could not resist the pull of gravity. 

Maybe they were planted that way... Maybe they never had to support their own weight because the cone was always there. Like a crutch.  Try as I might to train them to stand tall, they cannot. Their stalks are too tall and far from the ground to support the weight.

How often do you lean on something rather than standing up, fighting to stand tall?

What is the impact of taking the easy way out?

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

My first haiku. Constrained by the meter 5. 7. 5. made me stretch beyond what I thought I could do. The final line contains a surprise. I intended to draw the comparison between autumn drawing forth brilliant colors from trees before they become dormant and autumn of our lives drawing forth a creative spark, a renaissance of growth and beauty.  My friend Gail calls it the "third act."

It's interesting that pumpkins and squash which are autumn crops are the same colors as the tree leaves, gold and orange.  Why is that?

I also wanted to draw a comparison between the colors of autumn and the colors of sunset. It seems the imminent sunset causes a cascade of color to come from a life, whether tree or human.

Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash

Searching for ideas. Where do you find them?
Creative journeys through one's mind.
Seeking in the dark by wavering candlelight. 
Hoping for inspiration.

Where is my gut when I need it?
Your gut knows. It can lead you. Follow your gut.
Listen to the voices enfolding themselves into your sleep.

Also build discipline. Create a habit. 
Step by step, day by day.
You will get there eventually.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

First, you must decide to go.

Photo by Josh Gordon on Unsplash

Starting again, yet again.
Starting again can happen daily if needed, I guess. As long as I start.
I can tell myself any story about it as long as I move.

Forward progress or backward steps or sideways.
Any movement is good movement.
It is standing still, stuck, that is the concern.

Waiting for the perfect time or the perfect path forward. 
I could wait a lifetime just deciding.
What a waste that would be!

No, it's better to set off in a direction.  Any direction.
Feet, once in motion, will find a path. Or create one.
Free to move in the world as I am. Free to contribute my voice. Dancing as I go.

Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

Now what? Do you have a plan? 
That is what I use the back of an envelope for. 
Making the calculations to rough out a plan. 

Is it possible?
Run through scenarios...  calculations.. lists.. chains of action.

The back of any old envelope will do.
It was going to be thrown away anyway.

Re-purposing items destined for the dump
Adds a special bonus

Photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash

defending the Constitution
from threats, foreign and domestic

my oath spoken
brought tears to my eyes

the weight of my promise
touched me deeply

for love of country...
a country is just people
ordinary people, like me
all people, regardless of race or any difference

i am a patriot rather than nationalist
i fulfill my duty and include people
rather than dividing people

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

Needs are met. Bills are paid.
Now is the time for making the extras.

Like gravy.
An extra sauce to liven things up, but not necessary to life.
Gravy lives in upper Maslow tiers. 
Beyond mere survival.

Sauces make life worth living.
They spice things up... add texture, richness, body to our food.

It's gravy time!