AMBLING

I am working hard, not so much physically, of course, but I have been spending most of my time in my creative center, accessing and processing ways to market an upcoming conference to a new audience.

Grateful that I don't have to do it all by myself, I nevertheless am totally invested in this conference's success with the addition of new comers.

It was I who ventured into the notion of inviting a new audience to come and learn about us.

I feel like Beethoven in Amadeus (I should be so lucky) with Antonio Salieri lurking in the background ready to sabotage at every opportunity.

And yet, when I take time to step back, reflect, and take some discontinuous time to renew, Salieri fades into the background, assuming a position of the status quo while I continue t0 venture beyond that which has been.

A walk on the beach, writing a blog entry, a good laugh over a glass of wine, a day of meditation - whatever it takes to return to ambling through that creative place toward that which I have chosen to see through to its outcome.

Then I thought, why not do both at the same time - amble and create!

Leanne and I ambling along Kure Beach one morning

CARDINAL

Old cat, Bo, thinks he is a bird.
He has been seen perched on a small round post, looking like an owl.
Cats aren't normally inclined to do so.
Last Spring, he settled himself in the key lime tree on a nest of bird eggs,leaving all the eggs ready for hatching soon.
The mother bird was most distraught for the duration, however, letting us all know, loudly and clearly.
This week, Bo is sitting in the grapefruit tree, home of a blue jay nest and a cardinal nest.
Much to the dismay of both mothers, Bo, did not budge from his post on a limb near the nests.
So, until the squawking finally woke him, irritated at the intrusion, he  left the tree to the birds.
Old Bo will is surely waiting to go to the heavy side layer and return as a mother bird.
Hopefully, he will return to my trees when he does, for he is a dearly loved, this gentle friend.

Cardinal on the fence, announcing irritation at Bo's intrusion.

SISTERS

An old folk song has been swimming in my head lately and I find myself wondering about its real meaning.

It goes like this: "I had a sister Sally, she was younger than I am. She had so many sweethearts, she had to deny them. But, as for sister Sara, you know she hadn't many, but if you knew her well, she'd be grateful for any...don't let her die an old maid, but take her out of pity..."

Easily, I can relate it to the difference between when I was young and now, but I'm finding there's more to it than that.

There's Sally who chooses among many options .Then there's Sara who is grateful for life as it is given to her.  

These two parts exist in all of us - one is Sally and one is Sara. They are sisters.

Perhaps, too, when I was younger, I focused on choosing among the many possibilities and today I focus on choosing gratitude.

TIME

I have a tendency to measure time's passing with each daily visit to the pill box.

I count out the pills out every two weeks.

Lately, it feels like time is going by very quickly, as judged by seeing that a week has passed "already"
.
This time passing quickly can be a blessing if there is to be longevity -plenty of time for milliartins of experiences ahead.

This time passing quickly can create a sense of urgency if the last day appears to be coming sooner-than-later. Bucket lists of fun times fall by the wayside, unfinished business is tended to in a timely fashion.

None of us really knows where we fall on the spectrum of longevity  and sooner-than-later, whether at the pill counting out stage or any age. Ain't it the truth!!

A stairway in Assissi - one up, one down?

POMEGRANATE

The pomegranate is a powerful symbol as well as a truly unusual fruit.

Every year I have a pomegranate on the table during the holidays. 

For the most part it goes uneaten in preference to dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds - which don't feel like seeds at all..

The covering of the seeds are a sweet-tart experience. 

Unlike watermelon seeds which get spit onto the lawn, I still do not know proper etiquette for disposing of pomegranate seeds.

The pomegranate has medicinal qualities and therefore, in some cultures, is a symbol for the medical profession. Most of us, today, know it as an antioxidant. 

How boring, considering the rich ancient lore available about the pomegranate. The pomegranate for some religions is a symbol of life and hope, and has been known to be used as a potion for producing offspring.

 

Just to look at a pomegranate's scarlet hues, evokes mystery, wonder, and a certain sense of amazing presence -  noble fruit filled with seeds, and red juice which drips like a fresh wound's bleeding when cut open for the first time.