What Will You Focus on Today?

Will you start today with a new mindset and change your life? Yesterday is gone, you can’t change what you said, did, thought . . . Don’t waste the day in yesterday, move forward from this day. Some actions you can take:

• Write in your gratitude journal everything you are grateful for in this moment. Some things to be grateful for:
  • Family – love, connections, compassion
  • A good friend – or many
  • A job that provides necessities and security
  • A warm bed – pillows, warm blanket
  • Sitting in the Sunshine – feeling the warmth dancing along your face
  • Walking in the Rain, listening to the rain drops dapping on the roof
  • Healthy food choices – vegetables and fruits – enjoying the colors, textures, patterns, taste, feel
  • Water – potable drinking water, streams, swamps, rivers, lakes, oceans
  • A roof over your head – a place to cool or warm your body
  • Breathe – pay attention to the slow in and out breath
  • Nature – the gifts of food, all the variety of trees and the gifts they provide, vegetation, dirt, rocks, color, scents, textures, various size of each gift of nature
  • The way shadows and light play on the floor and walls around you
  • Children sharing flowers
  • Dew decorating leaves and flowers
  • Those creative moments when you bring items to life in a new way
  • The delightful sounds of birds singing, tinkle of wind chimes, rustling of leaves
  • And so much more

Here are a few things that bring me joy throughout the day, week, month, year.

Nature is ever changing just as our lives and what a beautiful way to embrace life by just enjoying the simple pleasures. Over the past year I have been incorporating nature into crafts whether using a sticks and seashells along with beads to create wind chimes, taking nature photos, using found sea glass and small stones to create jewelry, essential oils to create emotion roller balls, it has brought me closer to where I want to be in life. Living in a state of simple pleasure, being grateful for all experiences – those we label as good or bad, happy or sad . . . Each brings with it a learning lesson.

During times when we find ourselves out of vibration with where we were intending to be are the best times to focus on gratitude. Gratitude for the life lesson which confirms we are not moving in the direction of choice. Life happens – illnesses arise in ourselves or others, death occurs, jobs and relationships may end – however it is during those times that we can be thankful for the experiences, for the pleasure of knowing those who are no longer with us and the lessons learned from having them in our lives. Once we overcome the low vibration we can set out vision on the higher vibration by giving gratitude for simple pleasures and remain focused on those. Before you know it, new adventures present themselves, new people come into our lives, new life events to be grateful for and we are back on the path leading to where we rather be. Remember, not everyday may be filled with high vibration – someone may cut you off, you may spill coffee on your work clothing, you may be exhausted from a night of crying baby – however, it is your reaction to those events that will influence your day and what you remember of the day. Where you place your focus will determine the overall outcome so why not focus on all the blessings of the day and let the other flow off you like eggs on a Teflon pan.

So the question is, what will you focus on today? If you would like to share please leave a comment or complete the contact form below.

Love and Light!

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WPC – Focus

This week, share a photo that represents focus to you. Are you a stickler for getting in close to your subjects and capturing every detail, or do you prefer a more ethereal look that illustrates the sensations of the moment? Or both? And remember, you don’t need a professional camera to consider focus. Using your phone camera can provide an even more interesting approach.

“By celebrating the small stuff and feeling gratitude for it, things you never noticed before will come into focus.” ~ Jane Trumbull, Complaining isn’t a Solution! ~

Isn’t that the truth. When we take time to slow down and celebrate the little things in life we begin to notice more that we can be grateful for and our world begins to expand.

I love getting down on the ground with my camera and seeing the world a little differently through the lens. There is so much beauty in the world if we focus on the gifts of nature.

Walking out of my back door in the fall is such a wonderful treat when the ground is covered in a red blanket of the freshly fallen leaves. I do not touch them until they have shriveled up and turned brown because I love pulling into the driveway to the welcoming sight of the red carpet welcoming me home.

“Take five minutes to center yourself in the morning – set your intention every day.” ~ Oprah Winfrey ~

We can do this every morning as we set our intention for the day. Sit still for a minute or two and set your intention to see something new today or to stop once in a while during the day to change your thoughts. If your mind is always racing this is a good way to allow yourself to learn to relax a little during the day. Eventually you will find peace within the day, even on those hectic days and your mind, body and spirit will thank you.

In the morning stop to notice dew drops decorating spider’s webs, leaves, and flower petals. Just slowing down for those few seconds can can be very uplifting. There is a feeling of magic when carefully observing the morning dew, the trees, birds singing, squirrels playing.

One day I spent an hour sitting in the grass observing bees as they made their way from one spring flower to another. With great patience and still camera I was able to capture a couple of the bees in flight. Love how the world becomes a little out of focus while the bee is captured in flight.

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” ~ Van Gogh ~

I had a peaceful experience sitting on a beach at Moreau State Park as I watched dragonflies enjoying summer day. Eventually I was successful in capturing a couple of dragonflies in flight. With time, patience, and focus there was peace, calm and success.

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” ~ Mark Twain ~

If you want to truly ‘see’ your world, slow down and look a little closer. This is true whether with nature, people or a situation. If your mind is out of focus your world will be out of focus and clear thinking is impossible.

Today, stop on your way out the door to take a moment to breathe. If you live in the city stop near a tree in the sidewalk and notice the bark, leaves, colors. If you are passing a flower stand stop to allow your eyes to take in the color. While making breakfast (please make yourself breakfast) pay attention to the colors and textures. Bring everything into focus with your sight, smell, taste, and remember to be grateful.

Look closer at the petals and detail of the flower and stem. Notice the color of your fruits and vegetables. Remember where they come from – the soil of the Earth. Not the grocery store. Notice reflections in puddles. No matter where you live, work, travel give yourself the gift of focus and slow down to see the beauty all around you.

If you would like to view additional photos or submit your own photos, click on the link below:

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/out-of-focus

May your day be filled with beauty, peace, love, joy, health, and abundance.

Love and Light!

WPC – Graceful

Whether it’s a person, a building, or an abstract shape, show us something that exists harmoniously with its surroundings.

“Nature is powerful and beautiful,
Nature is destructive and creative,
Nature is amazing and wonderful,
Nature is loving and graceful.” 
~ Debasish Mridha ~

I find dewdrops decorating pine needles gives the feel of gracefulness and beauty. No words are needed when one finds themselves in this environment.

Seeded dandelions are very graceful. This is especially true when they release their seeds to the wind resembling little fairies in flight.

“Gratitude is the spirit of graceful sacred-existence.” 
~ Lailah Gifty Akita, Think Great: Be Great! ~

“Grace is what picks me up and lifts my wings high above and I fly! Grace always conquers! Be graceful in everything; in anger, in sadness, in joy, in kindness, in unkindness, retain grace with you!”   ~ C. JoyBell C. ~

If you would like to view additional entries for this week’s challenge or would like to enter your own, click on the link below:

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/graceful/

Love and Light!

WPC – Edge 2

“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” ~Henry David Thoreau ~

Take a seat at the edge of the water, release anything weighing on your mind, breathe in the fresh air and enjoy Mirror Lake. Some run by quickly, others drive by, and some go into their houses never to notice the beauty. On this bench one only has to sit and hear the call of the loons, look to the right and left to absorb the beauty of the mountains. When its time to get up you will feel like a new person.

Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, NY

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
~ Albert Einstein ~

If you wold like to see other posts for this week’s challenge or would like to submit your own please click on the link below:

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/edge

Love and Light!

(I submitted this photo for WPC – Mirror however I thought it was a perfect fit for this week’s edge as well)

WPC – Mirror

“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.” ~ Ernest Holmes ~

This week’s topic – Mirror – is one of my favorites to capture with my camera. Whenever I see a mirror image it makes me stop to admire this phenomenon. It is a miracle that occurs right before our eyes.

My first image is of my grandson. While visiting him a couple of week’s ago I noticed his reflection in the counter top. If I had turned the camera upside down and only captured the county photo it would have been the same except the background would look as if he were in a dark room. Thankfully he was so involved playing with his new car that I had purchased, he didn’t even pay attention to Mimi.

Lakes are another love of mine to capture when there is a mirror image. Fortunately I was visiting Lake Placid when the water on Mirror Lake was exactly that, mirror like. It was a perfect day for taking photos and reflecting.

Mirror Lake – Lake Placid, NY

Mirror Lake, Lake Placid, NY

Mirror Lake, Lake Placid, NY

Mirror Lake, Lake Placid, NY

Glass windows are another way to capture a mirror image. In the photo below my son and grandson were looking at toys in the window. My favorite part of the photo was their hands. Tanner’s hand on the window and the reflection look like two children touching hands. As my son’s face is a little distorted due to the toy on the shelve behind the window it made the photo feel like another person was pointing back at him. Notice Tanner’s other hand with is right index finger, pointing down mimicking his uncle Joe. Wonder if that was unconscious on his part.

Another fun way to capture mirror images is on the wet sand while walking on the beach. My grandson, daughter, her husband, sister-in-law and mother-in-law were walking in front of me jumping and being silly with Tanner. They were having such fun and their mirror images were interesting captures. Notice in the one to the right, Tanner is actually in the air. If you look close you can see his little feet in the mirror image.

Still rivers are also perfect for taking mirror images. This is the railroad bridge located along the Hudson River between Mechanicville and Stillwater New York. It is a popular spot for photographers who come from miles away to capture this bridge. On this day we were riding by and I had my daughter stop the car so I could capture this beautiful shot. One of my favorites.

The dock on the Hudson River in Stillwater is another popular spot for photographers, especially in Autumn.

We can’t have mirror images without some wildlife included. This is a photo from a little stream in Congress Park in Saratoga New York. The ducks were enjoying some family time bathing in the water.

Congress Park, Saratoga Springs New York

Congress Park Saratoga Springs New York

Saratoga State Park

Adirondack Lake in Indian Lake New York has become one of my favorite places to visit and kayak. The lake is like a mirror, the loons sing to one another, and it is very peaceful.

Autumn is a perfect time to capture the beautiful color of nature. When mirrored on a lake it can take your breath away. Autumn is my favorite time of year. If it would only stay with us for several months instead of a such a short period of time. Every weekend and during the week while traveling for work I love to stop and take in the scenery, smell the freshly fallen leaves while enjoying a cup of pumpkin flavored coffee and an apple cider donut.

Adirondack Lake, Indian Lake New York

Adirondack Lake, Indian Lake, NY

Adirondack Lake, Indian Lake, NY

Arlington, Vermont

And, we can’t forget the beauty of winter snow and decorative lights. I love to capture photos in the winter just before sunset, that little lull between sun and darkness which is short-lived and earlier than we would like during those cold nights.

“We constantly wait in anticipation for a miracle to happen in our life, unaware that the miracle is actually life itself.” ~ Daniel Chadiac

Everything before you is a miracle – YOU are a miracle. Just think about birth – no one can yet explain why we are alive, where our thoughts come from, how one is conceived or how our bodies actually work – it is a guessing game with new ideas and discoveries occurring daily.

I hope you enjoyed viewing my entries for this week. If you would like to view more photos for this week’s challenge or would like to enter your own photos please click on the link below:

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/mirror

Love and Light!

 

Terrific Tuesday!

Wishing you all a Terrific Tuesday. Take time to enjoy the little moments in life that diminish before your eyes. They will not return for a later day.

Spending time walking on the pier with my daughter and grandson (2.5 years) reminded me of when my daughter at the same age. We would walk together holding hands enjoying the day. At home she would follow me around the house singing “I’m watching you, watching you…” while we prepared meals together.

Those were cherished times – holding hands and cuddling were my favorite times of the day. My grandson didn’t want to cuddle as much on this visit so we shared special moments playing, enjoying nature walks, and watching Curious George. Yesterday before heading back to San Diego he wanted to repair the tire on our McDonald’s toy. I gave him a roll of tape and he worked on repairing the tire. It was adorable. While watching Curious George they would show George’s antics and then children would try to replicate the cartoon by drawing maps of their park and finding their way around, learning about pulls bringing items to the second floor of the porch, and repairing things. Tanner was absorbing everything the entire time he watched the movie.

Thankfully I knew during our visits as we explored nature, laughed and played that these were precious moments. Exploring with children can open your eyes to things you may have long forgotten to notice. Watching them absorb their environment, observe the adults actions and listen to stories is amazing.

For today, enjoy those you are spending time with, get out in nature, check out shadows, the sound of trees rustling in the breeze, water dripping, and all the wonders of life. You don’t have to travel to enjoy your day – there is beauty all around you.

Have a terrific Tuesday:)

Love and Light!

WPC- Frame

“A cheerful frame of mind, reinforced by relaxation… is the medicine that puts all ghosts of fear on the run.” ~ George Matthew Adams ~

Try looking at objects from a framed reference point to see the world a little differently. 

Try looking through something to see objects through a new frame of reference. I discovered looking through an opening in a cross on a cemetery stone allowed me to focus in on the engravings on the cross. Framing the deer within the trees provided a nice photo of the deer peering back at me.

If we learn to slow down and see the world around us through new eyes we can change our life by enjoying every moment a little bit more.

If you would like to participate in this week’s photo challenge or would like to view other photos please click on the link below:

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/frame/

Love and Light!

WPC – Fun!

This week’s theme is simple: share a photo of something fun! Let’s all shake our booties, literal or figurative.

This week I had the privilege of having some fun with my two year old grandson in San Diego. We went for a walk to Rite Aid so I could pick up a pair of flip flops and my grandson wanted an ice cream. Two year olds love colorful ice cream so we went with the Bubblegum flavor. San Diego is experiencing a heat wave which resulted in some melting ice cream as soon as we left the store. Two blocks later this was the little face under the cover of the carriage. Oh what fun Tanner had. Check out his nose:)

 

Later in the day we headed to the water park for some fun in the water and a picnic.

Tanner had fun running in the water while his mother and I had fun watching him experiencing running through the water. As he became a little more comfortable with the water fountains he climbed up and stood over the water flow. Pure joy and fun was had by all.

While watching Tanner, Channel 9 San Diego newsman stopped to ask me my thoughts on the heat. As I was in the moment, the heat was not really bothering me and coming from high 90s in upstate New York, the 80s in San Diego wasn’t bothering me. Not sure my response was the response they were looking for as they were discussing the heat wave across the country. Guess if you are in the midst of having fun at a water park you don’t really think about anything else.

There is a time and place for everything. Sometimes in the midst of having fun it is better to release thought about problems that you haven’t any control over anyway. Do you live in the moment? Or, is your mind always focused on what you have no control over?

It has been such a fun week visiting my daughter and her family. I look forward to more fun for the remainder of the week!!

If you are interested in viewing additional photos for this week’s challenge or submitting your own, click on the link below:

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/fun/

Love and Light!

WPC – Morning

This morning I had the pleasure of waking at my son’s home to a light rain. I grabbed my camera and headed out the bedroom door into the woods and captured the beauty of nature.

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~ Marcus Aurelius ~

“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” ~  J. B. Priestley ~

 

Thursday morning I also woke in the morning at my son’s home and after witnessing the morning light shining through the trees grabbed my camera and explored the paths behind his home. It is like awaking into a dream world here. Feeling blessed.

“The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.” ~ Henry David Thoreau ~

 

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden ~

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden ~

Wishing you the joy of adventure and enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures. Open you eyes to the beauty around you.

If you would like to view additional entries for this week’s challenge or would like to submit your own click on the link below:
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/morning-2016

Love and Light!

WPC – Narrow

“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” ~ Henry David Thoreau ~

The paths through Thatcher Park in Berne, NY can be narrow and crooked. In some areas you have to duck under a large boulder in order to continue along the path. One cannot help but feel connected to nature when in the midst of such beauty. If you get tired you can sit on one of the benches along the trail or one of the large boulders. There are two waterfalls along the path. In the spring the waters flow, at the present time the water trickles due to the lack of rain. Autumn is my favorite time to visit.

Some paths have stairs leading to the unknown

Paths with some bumps and curves

Walking along the narrow path in nature is like walking along life’s path – each step interesting and beautiful in its own right. Sometimes you are in darkness and other times in light, each providing a learning experience.

“Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.” ~ Oprah Winfrey ~

If you are interested in viewing other photos for this week’s challenge or would like to enter your own click on the link below:

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/narrow

Love and Light!