The Golden Light of Fall

Oct 132011
 

This photo is from last year, but it does capture a bit of what last night’s ride was like. Though we came back in near full dark. I have flashers and a reflective safety vest to wear, so were were okay for the short bit we had to ride on the road. It was a fabulous evening! Lily moved out and rated back down with ease. We mostly trotted with a bit of rocking chair canter thrown in. The air was crisp and became chilling on the last stretch. I was grinning throughout the day at work today just thinking about it. Horse therapy is the best!

So that is one think I am thankful for. More importantly, I’ve been thinking a lot about lately the wonderful children I share my life with. I feel so very fortunate to be their parent. And I look forward to when they both return from their adventures out in the wide world.

Gurunam is in South America for her study abroad. Here is a recent blog post with photos from her visit to Iguazu Falls. Look it up. It seems like a fantastic place! Apparently, when Eleanor Roosevelt visited, she said, “Poor Niagara!”

Photo courtesy of Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa

And Hargobind is at Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar, India. He has been taking part in forty days of early morning sewa at the Golden Temple. They recently celebrated Diwali and Bhandi Chhor.

My trip to India this fall was another experience for me to grateful for. There is much to say about that. I am still considering what I would like to write about it. On a pracitcal level, it was very nice to get to know the staff and see the school grounds. I found that India had not changed all that much since my visits back in the ’80′s. Yes, people have cell phones and there are a few more cars, but much still remians the same.

I love this time of year when the light turns to gold and the temperatures start to drop. And even the darkness that falls early. It is a time of reflection.

Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.

    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    • Anything You Want

    Aug 042011
     

    Today’s Thankful Thursday is a book review.


    I took this sweet little book into the backyard on this balmy Thursday evening, stretched out in my favorite chair and read it straight through. I know that I could have bought the Kindle version and read it on my laptop, but I like a the physicality of a book. There is something so very satisfying to me in turning pages and feeling the paper stock chosen by the printer. It is more personal than reading words made of pixels and light.

    This quick little read is chock full of excellent and sometimes surprising ideas. They are presented in a story about a business and one entrepreneur’s journey, but are really about so much else. There was much about the author that I could relate to, the enjoyment in solitude and learning new things, the self sufficiency. I have worked as an employee in various businesses by now. I’ve seen it from that side well enough. I’ve tried a couple on my own, but rather feebly. I may be time for me to see it from the other side soon, and in a more inventive way that I have tried in the past.

    I am passing it on to both my children. I will be sure that they read it and we will spend time discussing it as well. And I will be checking out more of the books put out by The Domino Project.

    Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

    Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

    How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.

    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    • Little things

    May 202011
     


    This morning the sunlight hit my dining room curtains in a way that made them glow. My photos didn’t really capture it unfortunately. The way that our house is situated doesn’t allow a lot of direct sunlight. While this does keep it quite cool in the summer, it also means that sights like this are rare. I enjoyed the few moments before the sun moved farther up into the sky and rays no longer came inside.


    What is less rare is this wonderful yogurt that my husband makes. I know how to make it, but he’s usually the one taking the action to actually do it. I love it when it comes out solid like this, with a bit of whey around the edges, like custard. It’s very tasty and makes a great breakfast with some ground flax and maple syrup. We also had some with our subzee and roti last night. Yumm!!


    I am glad that what started as a weekly post a few years ago has become a much more regular practice for me. When I started my Thankful Thursday posts, I was going through a bit of depression. It was really helpful for me to gain perspective and see how much wonder there really was in my life. I suppose part of it could have been me coming close to middle age. I’ll be turning 50 in just over 3 years. Maybe it was my children growing up and finding their own way in the world. Either way, my posts helped me. And I’m grateful that they are less needed, just welcomed. Enjoy finding gratitude always, not just on Thursdays!

    Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

    Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

    How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.

    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

     

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    • Spring transitions

    Apr 022011
     

    We have been working on our house for the last few weeks. Part of that included pulling everything from the built in bookshelves in the living room. In the course of pulling them down and stacking them, I found all sorts of treasures.

    Some of my favorite childhood books went off to a book conservator for repair. I want to be able to read them to children in the future, just like they were read to me. Most are by Maud & Mishka Petersham, but there are also my early editions of Alice and Through the Looking Glass with the original illustrations. I am so glad that I have carried these around through the years.

    My husband picked out a small book that I must have bought at a used bookstore somewhere. It has interesting construction with each page folder over on itself like an accordion. It was published in 1926 in Boston. The illustrations are reminiscent of the Craftsman period with art deco sort of curves and flourishes. The title is The House by the Side of The Road by Sam Walter Foss. What follows is the text from the first, middle and last pages.

    “There are hermit souls
    that live withdrawn
    In the peace of their
    self-content.
    There are souls like stars,
    that dwell apart
    In a fellowless firmament;
    There are pioneer souls that
    blaze their paths
    Where highways never ran;
    But let me live by the
    side of the road
    And be a friend to man.

    I see from my house by
    the side of the road
    By the side of the
    highway of life,
    The men who press with the
    ardor of hope
    The men who are faint with strife
    But I turn not away from
    their smiles nor their tears
    Both, parts of an infinite plan,
    Let me live in my house
    by the side of the road
    And be a friend to man.

    Let me live in my house
    by the side of the road
    Where the race of men go by
    They are good, they are bad,
    They are weak, they are strong,
    Wise, foolish — so am I
    Then why should I sit in
    the scorner’s seat
    Or hurl the cynic’s ban?
    Let me live in my house
    by the side of the road,
    And be a friend to man.

    I have a feeling that this year will end quite differently than it has begun.

    Tenacity

    Jan 062011
     



    I am grateful for the persistence of friends & family to keep pushing me to achieve my dreams. Part of that is my sharing my dreams with them. I’ve been keeping some ideas to myself more of late. When the idea has been more fully formed, it is worth sharing. That process helps me to be more clear about exactly what those dreams are. And even though I am looking to the future, I am grateful that I can be satisfied in the moment as well.

    The images here are from a walk in the large, empty parking lot at work. I like to do this on breaks. It clears my mind and I always see something interesting. I was struck yesterday, in the overcast light, with the ability of these plants to keep growing wherever they could find purchase. I can appreciate that. Much as the owner would like his empty lot to be ‘weed’ free, the plants are tenacious enough to take hold and persevere. I found a lesson in that yesterday.

    My favorite image from the group


    Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

    Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

    How:

  • Sit back, take a few deep breaths, and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.
    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back


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