Just Me

“Body acceptance means, as much as possible,

approving of and loving your body, despite its

“imperfections”, real or perceived.

That means accepting that your body is fatter

than some others, or thinner than some others,

that your eyes are a little crooked, that you have

a disability that makes walking difficult,

that you have health concerns that you have to

deal with — but all of that doesn’t mean

you need to be ashamed of your body or

try to change it.  Body acceptance allows

for the fact that there is a diversity of bodies

in the world, and that there’s

no wrong way to have one.”

― Golda Poretsky

Wonderful

"Today,

and every day,

take as your

personal mantra:

I am what I am,

and what I am

is wonderful."

~Sarah Ban Breathnach





Sometimes I find waking up with a positive thought

- before I let the day's worries creep in -

changes my attitude about things

before my day gets started.

It worked today, it was a much better

day than the past three have been.

And that's always a good thing!

Monday, Monday

“So. 

Monday. 

We meet again."

Some days after a

typical Monday,

all you want to do

is find a corner

to sit and watch

the world go by.

Stormin'

“It’s not a bad lesson to learn in the

bleaker months: how you view a storm

is a question of perspective; provided

you find the right rock to watch it from,

it could be the most incredible thing

you’ll ever witness.”

― Dan Stevens







My house sits a half mile from

a freeway that runs east/west

and when something is going down,

it's the freeway that the local helicopters -

news media and police/rescue -

follow to get across the Valley.

Every once in a while, one goes

screaming across the sky

when I'm in the backyard

taking photos..... oopsie!

*giggles*

Storms

“Be peaceful like a mountain. 

Be loving like a flower. 

Be wonderous like thunder.” 

― Debasish Mridha

“You can dance through any storm if thunder is music to your ears.” 

― Matshona Dhliwayo

Life Imitates Art

Ever wonder if you can

pull off something you've

seen?

That metal sculpture of

the cowboy silhouette

leaning against the fence

was my thought  ......

*laughs*

Sometimes I'm just plain silly

Maybe Next Time

Some days .... aren't easy

When I have a day off work,

I look ahead at the number of hours

I have in order to do things that need to get done

.... and somehow time gets away from me.

When the list of chores is long,

finding a way to pull some creativity out of that

isn't always easy.

And sometimes in my mind's eye

what I'm hoping for in a shot

doesn't appear in the lens.

maybe next time.

Backyard Time

Just a little backyard time, watching Sadie run about

before the wind kicks up, or a thunderstorm rolls in.

Why does all the fun stuff happen

when I'm either at work, or in bed?

Being Good

Being good to yourself isn't corny ...

it's part of respecting yourself

as a worthy human,

no matter your relationship status

or day of the year.




Not sure where I read this,

but it seems appropriate for me.

Sometimes we forget to take care

of us.  We get busy doing for others,

or with our jobs or housekeeping

that we forget to do the things

that make us feel good,

make us feel alive.

For me, that's making photographs.

Another little top I found in the back

of the closet - one last photo before it goes.

Relaxed

A fav shot of mine!  I feel like I look ... relaxed. 

Lately I've been doing a lot of reading.

I know I've talked about being an "old soul"

before, and its a topic that continues to 

fascinate me.  

"Have you always felt older than what your age reflects? 

Are you solitary, thoughtful and intuitive? 

Do you feel like an outsider constantly looking into a society 

that doesn’t feel like your home? 

If so, you may be an Old Soul."

I observe my family, and sometimes am a part of it all,

but most times, I am on the outside looking in.

There are parts of me that know that I cannot live my life

as they live theirs.   I'm ok with that, but there's a small

part of me that wishes I could.  I've finally come to the

conclusion that it's ok to be different; sometimes life makes

us feel like we're missing out on something important.

But I've found that in reading up on the topic, I feel at home

with those who describe themselves as introverted, eccentric,

preferring solitude and/or non-attachment,

where empathy and quiet wisdom have meaning and context.

And maybe that's a little too much for this blog,

but ... it's me, being me.

Quirky

In the right light,

at the right time,

everything is extraordinary.    

-Aaron Rose














Ok, maybe it's not "extraordinary"

but I'm having fun experimenting

with filters, light and editing.

and of course, being my own quirky self!

Explore

“Owning our story can be hard 

but not nearly as difficult 

as spending our lives running from it. 

Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky 

but not nearly as dangerous 

as giving up on love and belonging and joy—

the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. 

Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness 

will we discover the infinite power of our light.” 

― Brené Brown

Making these photos

puts the vulnerable side of me

out there into the world.

Thank you for allowing me

to share myself without fear.

Although there's always a 

little fear, to be honest. 

But that's ok, it's good to take chances.

Embracing our fears makes us stronger.

Looking back

“If you can love someone

with your whole heart,

even one person,

then there's salvation in life.

Even if you can't

get together with that person.”

― Haruki Murakami, 1Q84









This is one of my fav authors,

but when I read this, I realized

that sometimes this is how life is.

Have you ever met someone and

thought "Oh yeah, I love this person",

even though you know in your heart

that you could never be together?

I've had that once.

Sometimes I get reflective on things like that.

A sign of growing older ... lots of reflecting.

Invisibility

"I like to be left alone

But when people don't notice I'm absent

It hurts

And I know it's my own fault

For becoming invisible

For isolating myself

But just once I want someone to notice

To truly notice and care."

-G.P.

I often wonder, sometimes marvel,
at the way we have become the persons
we are, each of us.
What influences in younger years
made us into who we are?

I've been thinking on this a lot lately,
wondering why I'm the way I am
when it comes to work.  Not my job, per se,
but more 'doing things' rather than spending
time with people.

I like being alone.    Most of the time.
Because being around people isn't easy for me.
As I get older, it's becoming even more that way.
So I'm alone a lot.
(Unless of course, you count Sadie!)

But what part of my upbringing
brought me to this point?
Or was it something in my later years,
perhaps something to do with my divorces?

All the wondering and pondering
isn't going to change anything.
So I plod along, as most of us do.

Invisible

“People spot a big black lens, 

and they worry about what they're doing, or how their hair looks. 

Nobody sees the person holding the camera.” 

― Erica O'Rourke

Do you ever feel invisible?

Lately, I feel that way.

More than I have in the past.

Women over 50 often feel this way.

They no longer get looks from men

like they did when they were 20.  

Or even 30.  Or 40.

Society embraces the youthful,

clear skinned, smiling women who

look as if they don't have a care in the world.

But I have cares, pains, and scars.  

I have lived a full, busy, productive,

beautiful life.   It's my turn again

to not have a care in the world. 

If only it were that easy.

Backyard Breeze

There is nothing in all the world 

more beautiful or significant of the laws of the universe 

than the nude human body. 

-Robert Henri

Catch the Wind

“For example, the wind has its reasons. 

We just don't notice as we go about our lives. 

But then, at some point, we are made to notice. 

The wind envelops you with a certain purpose in mind, and it rocks you. 

The wind knows everything that's inside you. 

And not just the wind. Everything, including a stone. 

They all know us very well. From top to bottom. 

It only occurs to us at certain times. 

And all we can do is go with those things. 

As we take them in, we survive, and deepen.” 

― Haruki Murakami, Hear the Wind Sing

I was born during a summer thunderstorm

and I have always liked the wind.

There's just something about the

movement of air, just because.

So I tried to run out and catch some

breeze with my scarf......

Sometimes the ideas in my mind

aren't what appear when I want it to.

Happy Weekend!

Lacy Panties

I think lingerie plays a big part

in how you carry yourself.

--Nicole Rickie

You can tell a lot about a person

from her underwear.

-Rachel Bilson

I saw both these quotes

and I couldn't help but laugh

at myself

Yes, I have some nice lingerie.

Yes, I put it on, on occasion.

Or I used to.

But if you can tell a lot about a person

from her underwear......

what does simple colored cotton

say about me?

I know that when it comes to 

lace and lingerie

it's rare to find that any of it is

actually comfortable. 

Or maybe manufacturers don't make

it that way for a pluscious woman.

To me, the lace is scratchy, and the

fit doesn't allow you much movement.

And for me, in my job, I need to be

comfy, be able to move, and the fabric

has to breathe. 

When I work, I work hard.

And there's no way I have time to 

pinch, twist or rearrange my undies

every time I move around! 

*giggles*

In the Pink

“Pink is a beautiful color, 

because it is one of the colors 

that the sun makes at twilight and in the dawns.” 

― C. JoyBell C.

Both twilight and dawn

are my fav times of day.

Between dawn and twilight

is a lot of time usually filled

with work, chores, duties

to be fulfilled. 

But at dawn when I walk with Sadie,

the world is just waking up.

There is a peaceful harmony,

a promise of a new day.

And twilight, the day's end,

a time for reflecting on the day:

Did I do my best?

Do I have regrets how I spent my time?

People are less intense, 

more peaceful, at dawn and twilight.

Dreamy

“She never felt like she belonged anywhere,

except for when she was lying on her bed, 

pretending to be somewhere else.” 

― Rainbow Rowell

a dreamy little pix

and then this quote appeared

and it was like they were meant

for each other.

I don't know about you,

but there are times when I've felt

this way, imagining me being in some

other place, or more often, in some other time.

I've often wondered strange things, like 

"Was I born in the wrong time?"  It sometimes

feels that way.  I'm not comfortable with a lot of

the way things are, all the people rushing around

from here to there.  I'm a home-body, always 

have been.  I think I get that from my Dad.  

Mom was always the social one, but Dad? 

Happy to be at home every night, with his family.

He was always a man of few words.

I'm just like him.

Until I get to writing.   *laughs*