Shadow Games

Blundering about throughout my days often finds me overwhelmed by the everchanging shadowplay unfolding through the windows of my life. Light and contrast occupy a fascination for many as we perceive seasons, moods, and even time of day by how the light filters around us. Lazy hazy days of summer are painted with an almost impressionistic light filling your essence with pleasant sighs, while the stark contrast of winter winds chills your spine as you squint your eyes to the harsh light of the solstice. Changing seasons keep life exciting as the stage set before us morphs into a kaleidoscope making each day a new venture forward. As the new season unfolds it is exciting to dream of days to come, but as time staggers onward the days become like a worn pair of old shoes as an urgency swells for a new day to dawn. Although we are comfortable in the ragged season passing as the days go by it causes a rush in us to try on new days to come. We see foliage change, the muds about us alter, and as winter wanes about us an excitement builds for joys unfolding. As spring blossoms around us our souls will be stirred in rhythm with the sap rising in the newly budding world. Spring forward with our clocks and with a newfound synergy!

Fab Feb

Fab February- wow, time flies when you're having fun, right? it is so odd that we stumble through January with the hypnotic post christmas blues thinking winter will never end, then that silly groundhog appears in the media and we mistakenly think winter is about over. Grey days of winter this year can best be described as dusting, iced, and blustery. The recent blue skies preceding the horrid winds across the hills caused us to wistfully gaze upward and pretend summer was perhaps at hand. After all, the groundhog said only a half dozen more days of winter, right? Wrong! It isn't over until it is over to awkwardly coin one of Yogi's phrases. Often these mountains are shocked to find that local bad weather hits the hardest as we stumble towards the Easter Bunny and spring.... take a deep breath, as the most devious of the chills, snows, and winds may be yet to arrive. Oh well, at least we can take solace in eating heart shaped boxes of chocolates and sniffing flowers as cupid distracts us for a Valentine moment.

Calendar Flips

Hurrah- 2008 is here and, as usual, everything still feels the same. Initially the most difficult thing about a New Year is remembering to write "2008" on checks and our correspondance to reflect the calendar flipping over. From Christmas to New Years day it seems that we kick back in our society and let things glide under the guise of packaging everything as "Best of the Past Year" blurbs. New music Tuesday on iTunes skips a beat as the offerings are just a "hits feast," daily published news articles sum up the "year in review," and everyone pauses to socialize with those they haven't seen for a year. We seem to let the world coast by as we pause to take a beath and reflect. Every new January it seems that we collectively take a deep breath to coast us over the impending winter winds. However, we suddenly are snapped back into the present this year as the new year is consumed by "election frenzy" as every media source analyzes each breath of the struggling candidates. Seemingly it a key element of human nature to seize upon a topic to make life meaningful and drive us forward. Politicians create an awareness in where our needs are and the populace become impassioned and polarized as the days glide by. Gradually we remember to write the correct year on our checks as that simple challenge fades in the light of loftier issues. Election years are usually memorable, so ready yourself for opportunities in what may be an interesting year. Enjoy!

Seasons change

Isn't it interesting how we move from event to event in life using special holidays as cornerstones to tug us along?  It seems that we recently scurried along in our move towards Thanksgiving with our turkey in hand to only see its remains being tossed aside as the weekend gave way to the passion of Christmas.  Symbolically one holiday gives way to another much like the natural progression of life here on the planet.  From "Black Friday" forward we unwittingly are consumed by "everything Christmas" as begin to consciously attempt to "get into"the spirit with our favorite carols playing as we outdo last year with decorations around the house.  Shopping, planning, and decorating exhaust us as we also maintain the work grind as the days of December pass onward.  Would we want it any other way?  Every year it is the same, but that is not a bad thing, as "the same" often reveals some charitable and optimistic characteristics about those around us that we usually never notice.  One of the cosmic things about all of our holidays is that our involvement shows our character as we magically conjure up a time of passionate wonder and celebration throughout the year.  As we move toward the 25th let's all savor the good things about how we are energized anew around this event!  Shop, decorate, and socialize- but enjoy all of the nice things this season stirs within us all.  Merry Christmas!

Chill

Must be getting cold, because I am feeling comfortable. As the calender flips to November most of the leaves have fallen and memories of summer are fading in the same vein. Crisp autumn days have always left me with a warm feeling, as it seemingly leads me into a surrealistic dimension where it is neither too hot nor too cold. Think of how many wondrous things have been concocted by inhabitants of northern climes in response to a chillingly fresh thought! Brisk mornings leading to amazing contrasts of clouds sketched onto a vivid blue canvas is my idea of the greatest time of the year. However, this must not be a universal take, as I encounter plenty of people who grumble about frost and how difficult it is to get the temperature just right in their homes. As they sloth off to work many seem to bleat about being cold as they cling to their summer wardrobes, while those dressing for the season are bewildered by the random cries to crank up the heat. Mixing about over the past few days kept me gobsmacked by the number of shivering dismayed cries lamenting the loss of tropical breezes here in the hills. Get with the times! The calender has flipped to November and it is normal to have a bracing chill in the air. Enjoy the moment, and take a deep breath to sustain you through the upcoming mind boggling approaching holiday season.

Cows to us

Often, or so it has been said, when taking leisurely jaunts across the hills and dales, I've often noticed that the bovine creatures in our midst never cast their gazes heavenward as they are always engrossed in chomping vegetation. Did you ever ponder that one of the main differences between us and the animals around us is that they lack the tendency to pause to reflect? It seems that at times we tend to descend to the levels of beasts of burden as we get so consumed by our livelihood or social concerns that we fail to "stop to smell the roses" As of late, the circle of friends and peers about me has blinded me with smoke and mirrors as I've allowed myself to become bogged down by the matters of the day and the worries of tomorrow. In the grand scheme of things, allowing trivial things to distract and stress us out is not much different than a cow spending every waking moment groveling for grub with its head never gazing upward. Lessons in life are often best learned in simple ways! Go figure!

Third down

Suddenly the media is filled with pigskin news.  Did you ever notice that as summer rusts into fall we have a palette of distractions around us?  To battle the emotional let down from the loss of summer breezes we desperately spin around looking for something new to consume and distract us.  Evolving offerings about us come in a variety of shapes, sizes , and colors.  The sports world gets all abuzz with action and most seem to jump into some football camp, either local or national.  No matter the nation, everyone seems to follow the pattern.  To those that are a bit less sport minded it seems they swiftly go into a trance to either decorate their lodgings for the season or switch their wardrobe to tones of oranges, maroons, and browns.  Youth gleefully returns to school with sleepy but hopeful eyes.  In every venue the concert and stage worlds seem to illuminate as the air chills.  No matter your local climate, the traditions of a chilling autumn dictate an increase in activity.  On top of all of this is a world seemingly caught up in holiday cheer as shoppers dictate the success of our economy in their annual spending spree.  Is it all coincidence that we become so active as the leaves tumble?  It is as if it is "third down with inches to go," and everyone must make that last desperate attempt to score before the chill of winter freezes us into a deep sleep.  Enjoy the season.