"And what about those shoes you're in today? They'll do no good in the bridges you burned along the way."

~ Jack Johnson

my own shade of blue

So I spent the long weekend on the tip of the Bahamas in West End.

The lesson I learned is this...

Everything always looks more intimidating from the surface.

The ocean is a good one...try being on top of it in the middle of it, on a boat about to jump in.  From the surface it looks like a deep blue.  A scary blue, one that a crayon would not be named after.  An, "oh shit" blue.  An "I am not going in there" blue.

Then I dove in.

The color, the scenery was breathtaking.  A beautiful shade of "this is heaven" blue.  Breathing in through my snorkel and being pulled through the water at 7 knots behind a boat on a ski rope created a darth vader sound that made me feel..well..like I was no longer on the dark side of the ocean.  I was in it.  Submerged in my fear. Swimming in a sea of something I don't trust.  Literally.   But I was in their territory. At peace with them.  Breathing. Being.

Nurse shark.....Breathe....Barracuda.....Breathe...swim with them....respect the space you share with them....

They live there. And they are watching you watch them.

It made me want to come back for more. I was a speck in this ocean and there was so much more to discover.

It's a reflection of me that's deeper than the surface.

It deserves my trust.

square roots

Forms of Fear

Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry - caused by too much future and not enough presence.

Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, nonforgiveness - caused by too much past and not enough presence. 

~Wayne Dyer

Time (an illusion), is the cause of your suffering - not specific situations - and until you realize this, your 'problems' will always replace one another.

worthless thoughts

Take one minute, even a few seconds, to stop and think about the purpose of worrying.
Try to come up with one good answer.

life...

There is something so liberating about having to completely clear your book of your plans for a few days.
To re-group, re-focus, re-evaluate why you're thankful that this new open space is now yours to make the most of.

window

The same tree can look so different throughout your life.

It's always there, the same tree

for everyone to see

I've seen it look 

dead

green

romantic

boring

beautiful

serene

lonely

strong

peaceful

and

pretty

soon

you see

that the tree

is you

worn out

When your world seems crazy

like there is no time to relax, 

your phone is ringing,

your email is dinging,

and you want to try to do it all,

Remember to be alone with yourself

for a new date with perspective.

what do you see?

Step outside of your narrow scope now and then

and look at the 

BIGGER

picture.

mine, yours, and somebody else's

First.

I guess I've been all about new beginnings lately.

I seem to find something that 'begins' each day.  I was distracted all day by thoughts inspired by a 'May 1' date. I thought about all of the people thinking the same thing.  "What can I begin on this first day of this month? On this first day of the rest of my life?" I thought of all the people who will vow to quit a bad habit on this day, the people who hated this day because their rent was past due, those who found new inspiration, the drivers licenses that expired, the anniversary of this and that, the first tuesday of the first date.  All of these 'firsts' stood out in my mind because they are significant to someone, somewhere.

What is your first today?