The Artistry of Aging
“…. want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.” Mary Oliver
:Hiking up 1400 feet of elevation on part of the Appalachian Trail we came around a bend in the trail taking in the fresh air gifted by the surrounding trees and plants. Then there it was, Nature’s artistry. Spread out before us was a carpet of Trillium on both sides of the trail.
Truly a magical place….”
“This is an opportunity to remember why we are here…..and what supports and sustains us. The natural world.”
Will we be more mindful of taking from her in the days to come? Our lives depend upon it….”
“Thus my offering this darkest day of the year (Northern Hemisphere) and lightest day of the year (Southern Hemisphere – save it for July!) is a magical Winter Solstice story for children. I have to say that I was enchanted…..”
“Exploring the natural world has been a lifelong passion for me and has fueled endless curiosity. As I layer clothing this morning to keep warm outside my attention goes to Winter, the Solstice only two days away
So today I am sharing some footage of a penguin colony focusing on one very small baby, the last to hatch. The social structure not so different from ours, and coming of age having it’s ups and downs too.”
“Have you ever been so immersed in nature that you truly flet you had becme one with it? A conceptual collaborative photography project between Finnish and Norwegian artists Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth started off as a riff on traditional Nordic folklore….and then transformed to individual elders all over the world communing with nature in a way they had most probably never imagined. Becoming the center point – celebrated, valued and seen. …”
“A very young voice filtered out from the trees at the local Nature Park where I walk every morning, only 2 blocks from my home. 4-year-old Liam and his father were out in nature for some father and son time this cloudy Sunday morning.
When I engaged with Liam, back pack on and a map in his hand, he told me that they were looking for acorns to plant in the park so more trees could grow. ….”
“There is much to despair of in this world and if attended too frequently can cause us to lose our way. In this poem Wendell Berry brings us the antidote …..”
“I begin this days Elder Muse post with the poem above. Indeed, I perceive life in its entirety as a regenerative flow of energy in constant motion. The beauty takes my breath away as light weaves a tapestry with shadow.
More now than ever before I feel the fragility that is embodied life. Moments are precious…..”
“I find it is not easy these days to find a space of well being, calm and peace inside amidst all that is going on in our human created world. Even to find solitude that is not cluttered with stimulus. We each have unique ways and practices to center, increase resilience and stay grounded amidst intense change and uncertain times. Most can be simple, sustainable…… and elemental. Just a moment ago I was standing on the earth barefoot and closed my eyes…..”