A sweet redolence
A cleansing condensation
A buttery bouquet basking in relief
from the arid air
Parched peat perfumed
in a floral fragrance
Tar traced in rainbowed droplets
Upside-down stars
The backyard a blanket
of nippy dew
We breath deep
and smile
Grateful for the gift
of Mother Earth’s renewal
A perfect prompt from Kellie Elmore this week for the first day of a favorite season!
Credit: fineartamerica.com
Sitting here in an early June quiet. The days have finally grown into a full warmth. This late spring surge of sun has distracted me from my writing. We cut grass, plant flowers that will last well into early fall, lay down mulch. Fret over carpenter bees boring holes in the upper eaves at the back of the house (I need a 25 foot ladder to reach them). Douse the paper wasp nest with chemicals before it outgrows the strength of our spray can. Stain the long neglected front porch a luscious mahogany red while noticing that we need new risers. The rails need a fresh coat of white. The north side of the house looks tired. Long winters and years of just plain wear are evident at this direction of the house’s compass. I try not to worry about the expense of repairs and send out intentions of abundance to the universe.
A year from now, this house will be my sons’ domain. Rented with others in order to afford payments. We are shifting gears. Learning to be present in a major life transition. Sharing in the pulls and tugs of the here and now as we move into the there and then. Keeping our eyes wide open while we let go of the old life little by little. We are all making our way into an independent dynamic. There is much to do before my wings take flight. I send out more intentions-ones where I hope to avoid the vortex of panic and anxiety. A friend says “Don’t be afraid to pray for big things.” So I do.
For now, I am staying in this moment. Sitting up in bed, nearly ready for sleep. The house is empty except for me. The crickets are back and the night breeze is full. Cool and cleansing, sort of a northern climate mini spa in my mind. I look forward to refreshing dreams and a new morning sun.
“Listen to yourself. And in that quietude you will hear the voice of God”
– Maya Angelou
Credit: www.nobigdill.com
Tori pushed the pedal to the metal as she rounded the curve on the not yet familiar rural road. The predawn air was cool but she had rolled down the top of her jeep anyway. Eager to breathe in the scent of pine and dirt and cleanse herself of last night’s forays and rumblings. She hadn’t any time to shower. With a nearly two-hour drive back and her kids to get off to school and herself to get off to work, a shower fell off the list of things to do.
This was the first night she spent at Max’s place. Normally, he would stay at her house when her kids were with their father. But the modest cape on the suburban cul-de-sac was at once gossip central in her neighborhood and at odds with the passionate love affair she had recently begun with Max. She wanted and needed a separation between her life as a mother and a newly single woman. Lack of privacy seemed the norm once you had children. Neighbors and friends always asking after them and their activities, how they were doing in school. Inevitably, the conversation steered towards you and your interests and activities. That’s what people were after anyway.
She stole a glance at the early spring sky. Sunrise soon. The few clouds a wispy gray and brushstrokes of tangerine. She buried her wish to be free of the chains of motherhood. She loved her children. Aslain and Anton were precocious 11-year-old twins who kept her on her toes. Both demanding and entertaining. Full of spunk. Truly replicas of herself at that age and what she continued to be until her marriage to Eddie sucked her self out of herself.
The ride on this road was the beginning of her new beginning. An awakening and a reawakening. She sipped her coffee Max brewed for her as she attempted to dress herself. For each zip of her fly and buttoning of her shirt, he would be doing the opposite until she finally gave up. They made love one last time while waiting for the coffee to finish. She knew she was half dressed and still moist and she didn’t care. It tasted good.
She shifted into fifth and roared down the highway.
Kellie Elmore offered us the best challenge ever for Free Write Friday. This piece has been stirring inside me since last fall. And it has been trying to tell itself more so than ever this week. Just haven’t been able to get the words down. So here’s the start of something I hope!
You have a story in you. Everyone does. And I challenge you to take the first step toward telling it. The prompt this week can only come from you. That idea you once had. Or maybe it’s that idea you just had. That story that hasn’t been told that you want to hear, it needs you to bring it to life. And it all begins with one step. That first opening line on that first page of that first chapter. What does it say? That is your prompt.
Just see how far it takes you. 🙂
Credit: bizdaily.com.sg
One of my favorite parts of the week is Sunday morning. Actually, Sunday mornings when I am training for another half-marathon to be precise. By the time I have laced up my shoes, I have already mapped out the run in my head. There is a kernel of excitement and an inner energy stirring in my brain. I feel almost twitchy in my muscles (stretched to near perfection from Saturday morning’s 90 minute marathon of hot yoga!).
I am what you call a running purist. I keep things simple. No doodads or hoohas of technology adorn my body. No solid foods for energy boosting during the run. Definitely water, though. I have been known to place water bottles at strategic mile markers along a route as I despise water belts (although I own one and have worn it from time to time) They interfere with my stride, really. I actually prefer a loved one to meet me along the course with liquid refreshment; it’s a great incentive to keep going!
That being said, there are times when I have too many thoughts spinning in my head and demons dominating my domain. Most of the time, a straight-on run with the sounds of nature give me peace. But on the rare occasion when music is a soothing solution, I confiscate my oldest son’s Ipod. You never know what you will find when you listen, just as you never know how you’ll expect to feel as your feet hit the pavement and pound out mile after mile. The music is the best kind of mix. I can be cruising along and Wyclef Jean will pop on, only to be followed by John Coltrane and then Adele. Seventies rock, Dave Matthews, Lady Gaga, Brad Paisley and Frank Sinatra keep me company on my ever changing route.
On this particular Sunday, I chose a more challenging route than usual. Of course, the area where I live does not lack for hills but the route I planned has more than its usual share. And to add to the pain, the last 3 miles were essentially uphill! At times during a run, the most difficult parts of a course can reek havoc on my mental strength- most especially when I feel vulnerable or have a lot on my plate. And this is where my rare use of the Ipod comes in handy.
With 2.5 miles or so to go, a favorite song of mine came on. Martina McBride’s “Independence Day” is a piece that gives me strength and makes me want to shout out loud. Although I have not directly experienced the exact situation spoken of in the song, the theme certainly is the same. The refrain, ‘let freedom ring’ is my anthem! And days or hours or even minutes when the devil of the past pokes me, this song lifts me up. I was so grateful for the timing. I was dog tired with fatigue and I had six more hills to climb. With each refrain, I was able to dig deep, lean in and lift my legs (needless to say, I replayed it!). With a mile to go, the hills were done and so was the Ipod. The battery gave out just in time and I ran the last mile in perfect peace.
And really, this is all I need. Quiet and room to breathe. A means to slough off the negative energy that invades my spirit sometimes. I haven’t felt as good on my subsequent runs this week as I did on Sunday, but that is okay. The mornings have been cool and beautiful with the sun rising earlier each minute. The birds serenade my miles.
I think of Sunday and dream of distance.
Credit: 1hdwallpapers.com
A light rain settled on his windshield
Little droplets of tears resting at eye view
The April morning more like November
Raw, gray, bone seeping dankness
Void of color
Empty of Hope
Unsure of what he was seeking
He came from another place
Driving down Main Street
His truck making a detour back to a life he once knew
A quarter century ago
Half his age plus two now
His mind drifting to the covenant he made
on this same April day
Did he hope to see her?
He pulled into a vacant spot
The rain growing colder
Pelting his windshield
Sharp pieces of pain
He shivered and walked to the storefront of her favorite cafe’
His eyes peeled for the woman who was once his bride
Too late once again
She remained hidden
Traveling another route
Building her new dreams
Forging her own paths
And breathing a life-long sigh
That he didn’t see her pass him right by
Day 30 of the challenge. Last but not least…
Credit: www.lynnegolodner.com
Black coffee in bed
The morning quiet adding the sweetness to my first sip
My day unfolds with no set plans
A run in the rain
I lose myself in dreams
My body a zen-like stream
as I am carried over these endless rises
A heated cleansing
The ritual soothing to the double digit distance
Stomach empty- a primal hunger invades
I sip and sup listening to Saturday stories
The day turns raw
I shelter myself baking, laundering and dancing
A spontaneous urge propels me out the door
Seeking sustenance
I turn my wheels and spy two mates
We gather at the bar
Coffee, Tea for they and me
Tall tales Told (gosh are we getting old!)
Time flies by
We leave and say goodbye
I arrive at the stead new plans ahead
Dinner to make or should I bake?
The night is a pup
At five, I fill my cup
One needs to dine with a good fine wine!
Day 26 of the Challenge. For my friends L and J: Thanks for being a part of my day! XO
Air: A clean briskness as we commenced our ascent
The rugged and roughed terrain slick with mud
and granite waterfalls
and thick, melting snow
We bushwack our way off the trail
Avoiding the micro glaciers that are sure to plant us on our face
The breath and sweat from our exertions is soon evident
I slip my crampons on
Each step closer to the rock face warmth
Trail anointed by silver cairns and orange blazes
The subalpine space is 360 degrees wide open
A tristate view
Higher peaks still holding onto the fourth season
Yet their lower elevation cousins a blanket of purple-brown
We lunch by the lookout
A trinity already risen
Celebrating another resurrection
A luscious Easter Feast
My sons and I climbed a mountain on this Easter Day. This inscription was on the Lookout tower at the summit. Poetry at 3511 feet! (photos taken with my phone)
Credit: davegetzschman.photoshelter.com
I run for no specific reason
I run because I like to feel the morning air on my face
The dark nip of winter
The welcoming breeze of spring
The heat of summer
and the tri-colored relief of autumn
I run to feel the aches
as I first shuffle my feet
and the sweet release as I enter my stride
I run to see the changes in my world reveal themselves bit by bit
I run to listen to the day’s first stirrings
and the night’s final slumber
to hear the coyotes’ howls
the red tail’s hunt
the snort of deer
and the yip of the fox
I run to peek at Venus, my morning star in the east
I run to watch the moon’s final rise at the first mile
and the sun’s first with one to go
I run to breathe, to think (or not)
I run because I want to feel alive
and take in my daily dose of peace
I watched the Blood Moon rise tonight
Fighting to be center stage with the fierce Spring winds
Its appearance is a ball of dust in the gray black dusk
Shape shifting second by second
Securing its space in the sky
To the unknowing eye it is but a whiff of smoke
A vampy vapor vieing for luminosity
But the wind is hip to her vice
Shrouding her shame
Tamping down her flame
We’ll see then if the winds wins over this feisty dame
Monday and Tuesday night promised a lunar eclipse but the forecast called for rain overnight. I took this photo with my phone (thus the quality!) in order to at least get a glimpse of one of Mother Nature’s miracles. Sometimes my backyard is a slice of heaven!
Credit: www.lululemon.com
I smelled the rain before I saw it
Butter in the air
The roads were still dry after yesterday’s Spring baking
A welcome sign then after Winter‘s marathon of cold
As I neared the pond, I could hear the first drops’ pings hit the leaves
Too late to turn back and I never would anyway
By mile 1 the roads were already glistening
I was stiff and moving slow
but not really thinking of when I would end this march into my daily reverie
Warming up the mind occurs at mile 2
When the bell tower was reached, I turned to hear a friendly beep
My white truck clad neighbor
An incentive to go further than planned
The rain drops seemed to miss me
as I descended the long hill
and turned left on the only flats I swear exist in this town
My cares and worries from yesterday fell to the pavement
melting with the sky’s happy tears
My Sunday expedition reminds me of why I lift my feet
take in my surroundings
watch my world change minute to minute
I take stock and notice with all of my senses
I seem to float on the next mile’s ascent
This town is full of hills
A runner’s speed work in disguise
I realize the rain has picked up but I am barely wet
This is a good place to be
Alone
To not worry about what’s coming next, to just keep moving forward
Building A Life Of Hope 