Category: Nature

The sanctity of time

Wordofthedaychallenge: Fool

River side, Murchison River, Kalbarri, Western Australia

“Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard.” Lao Tsu

We often hear people say they are set in their ways as they grow older. I’m not sure about that. I wonder if time has shaped us, or are we shaped by time? The difference, I think, lies in whether one has an open mind to change, or not.

I did a lot of foolish things in my youth, but I was also wise in many ways. As I grow older, maturity has not always gifted me with wisdom, unless I seek it. So I’m come to realise, we can be foolish at any stage of the lifespan unless we acknowledge it and make better choices.

I am careful about so many facets of my life and try to live as mindfully as I can but I had a squatter within me, living rent free, that I was not aware of. The squatter sat silently, stealing the most precious and sacred thing I have, time. I became aware of this a few posts ago (‘Back in the day’) when I wrote about technology in the past being used, as intended. It set off the ‘eviction’ process within me.

I realised if I receive a call or make one, I end up checking emails, browsing the news, look for sales and before I know it, what should have been no more than three minutes … I’m 27 minutes down the hour glass. When I’m writing reports, I do the same. At the airport I buy a book and end up scrolling the phone instead. The new book pile grows and my bank balance decreases.

So I have been practicing some changes. When I am alone in the morning with a coffee (the best time of the day for me!), I am alone with coffee. I savour the moment. The stillness, the feeling of the world not intruding. I check the news twice a day. I check emails three times a day. What have I gained from these small changes?

I have been more productive than I have ever been in the last year. People respect my boundaries and not expect an immediate response to emails (when I’m not in the office).

Small changes have helped me claw back quality time I didn’t realise I was losing every day. I have time to enjoy my home and surroundings. I’m adjusting happily to a minimalist lifestyle. I don’t buy a new book each time I’m at the airport and take the book I’m reading instead. Or I enjoy just people watching. The phone is only used for boarding.

I am more relaxed and centred. I don’t need retail therapy to help me relax. I find myself relaxing because I don’t have more ‘stuff’ to clutter my home. The incidental reward is, it has shifted my thinking about surfaces. Where previously I thought those surfaces were spaces where things were areas for display or dumping, I now wake to spaciousness and a feeling of fullness.

Yes, less is more! As I hurtle towards another birthday, I would continue to be a fool, if I didn’t wholeheartedly embrace this.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

Hidden in plain sight

RDP Saturday : Hidden

I recently visited Kalbarri, Western Australia, some 600 kms (or approximately 400 miles) from home. It was my first visit to this region in 40 years. I first went there when Dr T and I were dating. It was a sleepy, tiny hamlet where river mullets danced across the river with pelicans in hot pursuit. Dolphins silhouetted the horizon at sunrise and dusk. It was a magical place and still is, despite the changes over the years.

Kalbarri is now a thriving tourist destination. The area has gorges, wildflowers, river and ocean activities that draw folks to this region. I used to fly low over this region in a five seater plane and the view was always amazing. Silently, I would promise myself I would visit one day but work always got in the way of plans. There is so much to enjoy in this small place, there is grandeur and minutiae to see and experience.

With some trepidation I impulsively booked a sunset cruise on the Murchison River. It was the perfect thing to do for a couple of hours on a warm night. The small group of tourists from all around the world were soon chatting like friends. My heart was filled with nature and photo ops. Soon my fear of being on water was a distant memory.

With a stunning landscape around us, I suspect the views became ‘more of the same’ for some folks.

Not me! I was enthralled.

Murchison River, Kalbarri, Western Australia

It was moments like this that took my breath away.

I could not get enough of this region and will be returning in spring when it will be awash with wildflowers.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird

A ‘One Percent’ Day

RDP : Change

I’m constantly on a quest to live more meaningfully and mindfully and to be honest, I’m not always successful at this. A lot of things get in the way. Then I found James Clear and reading Atomic Habits. I love some of the concepts he promotes. 

I particularly like this quote:

“Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

Clear also promotes, “If you can get 1% better each day ….” that really grabbed my attention. I always dream big but seemed to have forgotten along the way, one percent each day, can make a huge difference over time.

So each day I practice my one percent. It could be as simple as putting things back where they belong to reduce clutter, or the impulsive text I want to send someone that can cause misunderstanding. There’s a degree of pleasure in achieving the one percent each day and I look for those ‘votes’ to cast, to become the person I want to be.

One of the things I wanted to change about myself was the over cautiousness I practice when I’m in an isolated place. It is probably better to be safe than sorry I tell myself but there was one recent incident that gave me the opportunity to practice that particular day’s one percent. 

I was in Exmouth (some 1250 km or approx 800 miles north of Perth) and on the way to the airport I stopped at Pebble Beach. I love this beach for the bounty the tides bring in. 


There’s so much marine history in each pebble and I don’t think I’ve been more than a few feet along the beach, where every pebble is of interest to me.

Unfortunately, Exmouth seems to have more warning signs about dingoes in the area, than I ever recall. There have been incidents in the town, so I was wary as I turned off the main highway, and headed to the beach car park. In the car park I found a kombi van but no one was around. I sat in the car wondering if I should risk a walk when I heard the beautiful classic music. It didn’t come from the van. It sounded distant and in this place of isolation, and on a hot day, so out of place.

It was a moment of magic. I heard the siren song and went in search of it. When I stood still, the music had movement. It was close and then faded. I threw caution to the wind, dingoes forgotten, isolation forgotten, I had to find the music. Then in the distance I saw a speck that did not look like anything that belonged on the beach. I zoomed in.


Just along the seam of sea and sand, a dark speck. (If you expand this on the phone you will it too). To my utter delight it was a young man, possibly a backpacker judging from his kombi van, playing the most beautiful music on his violin. He was so lost in the beauty he was creating, he did not notice me. (It’s possible I was a speck on the beach for him too). But despite the distance, I felt I was intruding, so I turned and walked away.

I sat in the car for a few minutes to reflect. I am naturally wary of dogs having been bitten twice by them but dingoes are predators and dangerous. I realised I had talked down anxiety. ”What were the chances of dingoes being on an isolated beach of pebbles, when they have a better chance of finding food in the scrub, just a couple of kilometres away”.  I had overcome a moment of anxiety with reasoning. So I cast a vote that day. 

I am becoming who I want to be.

As always

a dawn bird

Unbroken

RDP Sunday: Knit

A few months ago I spent a week in Bali. My first visit in forty years. I went overseas filled with trepidation. The long walks at airports being one of them. 

Yes, there were changes but there were many other things that remained unchanged. I loved how the Balinese people start their day with a gesture of prayer. They have little offerings made of leaves, flowers and incense as a symbol of gratitude at their front door or business. A lovely reminder how to start one’s day. For me, gratitude is a gesture of oneness, with whomever one acknowledges that to be, that knits yesterday, today and tomorrow, seamlessly.

I had some specific things I wanted to do while I was in Bali and the usual tourist activities were definitely not the plan. The thing I wanted to do most was to visit a healer. My driver took me deep into the heart of Ubud. Even he was unfamiliar with the roads and had to stop and ask for directions several times in small villages. We reached our destination. I sat at his feet. The man, a stranger to me. His first words to me were not to share anything about myself with him. He held my feet and looked deep into my eyes for several minutes. The intimacy of the moment took me by surprise. He then proceeded to tell me a few things about my life where I had come from and where he thought I would be in the future. Sceptical, I took it all in with a big pinch of salt. 

Returning to the hotel I found myself in a different space. I wanted to wander around the beautiful gardens and did this effortlessly. I saw things I wanted to see. I found peace in unexpected places and surprisingly, within me, too. I did not touch my laptop for a week and I cannot remember the last time I did that. But my camera which has been out of reach suddenly found me again. Was it the healer’s words? I’ll never know. I felt I was back, with stories to tell.

While walking next day I noticed this wall. I loved how the soft moss nestled along the lines gave an illusion of ‘mending’, these big rocks into a wall. It made me stop and examine nature’s art more closely. There was something analogous about this but what, was elusive. 

That night the urge to write again was strong, almost visceral. The wall, physical and metaphorical, reminded me of the Japanese art of kintsugi where broken pottery is repaired with gold; the transformation a new creation, made more beautiful, than the original. Not because of the gold, but because the eye is drawn to what was once imperfect and travels along each join, where the narrative is told. 

I wrote this in response

she ran her fingers through the pieces
sifted the broken

the chosen ones,
she placed in sequence
piece by piece
glued with gold

the bowl, emerged
whole
unbroken

by a dawn bird

There was a space within me that I wanted to share, when I started this blog some years ago. It is a space that is sacred to me. It is who I am. As vulnerable as it makes me, it is my authentic self. 

May the new year bring you good health and happiness. May you seek to find that sacred place where imperfection is art and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you do, you may find this in people too.

As always

a dawn bird

Just one more step …

In response to RDP Sunday – Temptation

I’m back! Maybe intermittently, but back and hoping it will be a better year for everyone, than last year.

The end of year was busier than usual but I was thrilled to be offered work in the South West of the state, my last trip being to tall timber country. It is not an area one would want to visit during summer, being heavily wooded areas and the risk of bushfires. The upside it was easier to find accommodation even though it was peak school holiday season. Maybe the drive out, some four hours (from my home) and perhaps similar to other city folks, deterred families with children travelling that far in heat. Unlike other small towns in the South West, this area was quiet. Not just quiet. It was perfect.

Pemberton, Western Australia
Each morning I woke early and headed to the nearby forest, home of the majestic karri trees. Once I knew what I could find there, it became a trip I made three times a day.


It is unfortunate my faith promotes a negative connotation for the word temptation, but I’ve walked away from that (no pun intended!). For me, it is a feeling I’ve come to respond to in a very positive way. It gets me out of my comfort zone. I’ll explain.

Three months ago I could barely walk two doors down to my neighbour’s home without extreme fatigue. So I avoided most walks, I ordered groceries online, and the unavoidable walk had to be the one I take for work a few times a month. It was the longest walk – being from taxi to terminal and terminal to tarmac. I would find my seat on the aircraft and watched others give me concerned looks as my mask billowed on my face.

Each day I sunk to lower thinking, this is life now, as I know it. At the airport I started to read my old posts with a mixture of sadness and joy recalling some of my experiences. So when I got to Pemberton at the end of the year, despite the heat, I headed to the trees for some ‘forest bathing’ to lift my spirit.

I sat in the car park for the longest time the first day I got to the national park. I yearned to be walking. I zoomed in and saw the magnificence of the trees at ground level.

Soon I was out of the car and taking a few steps towards it.

The symbiotic relationship may be parasitic between the strong tree and delicate creeper, but for me, it represented something else. There is a certain tenacity in the most delicate of organisms, the will to survive.

I took a few steps further. Once a tall tree, having served the forest, remains home and a vibrant living environment for all kinds of insects and birds. More on the delightful birds in another post!

Despite the heat, there were remnants of spring if I looked for this.

Beautiful native ferns.

Flowering creepers.

Infused by nature, my spirit drew me deeper into the forest. An enchanted forest, all for me. Above me the tall gum trees rustled in the light breeze. If you close your eyes, you hear the sound of the sea in the movement of the leaves.

The return to the car took several attempts.

This is red winged fairy wren country. Those who are familiar with my blog, would know me by now. This was a temptation I was not going to resist!

The trip to the forest country was just what I needed.

On my return to the city, I set up my pedometer and found I barely walked 500 steps a day when I’m home based. That had to change! Within a week I was walking 3 km (nearly two miles) a day. My goal is to double that distance each day.

I accept pain is a constant companion but one that does not intrude, deter or distract, if I manage it with healthy living – eight hours sleep, keeping well hydrated and reducing stress. Such simple strategies have made a world of difference. But, fatigue was my nemesis. A vicious cycle I had inflicted on myself – “I’m fatigued, I can’t walk” which lead me to become more fatigued.

Maybe it took a forest, or maybe just one tree, but I have returned to where I want to be. May you, too, find the space you want to be in.

As always

a dawn bird

I made the sun rise

Karri forest, Pemberton, Western Australia

This morning, I fished the sun
out of the darkest sky
reeled it up high
reeled it up high

birds silenced mid-song
flowers unfurled, paused, then bloomed

deep in karri country
the gum trees
whispered like the sea

debris crunched
under my feet

lifted on air, unaware
that perfumed cloud
returned me

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Wednesday – Rise

Forest Sprite

In response to RDP -Tuesday – Moss


No roots,
growing free
tenacious, and strong
towering tree above
held firm,
by a velvet glove.

a dawn bird

I’ve always been attracted to moss when I’m out and about with my camera but I knew little about it until this word prompt. The prompt made me curious. What exactly is moss? I had to admit to myself all I knew was that I love the look of it, and nothing more.

It’s interesting to me there are so many things I take for granted or just feel are unimportant to know. Why clutter my mind is my excuse. I reminded myself while writing this post, how do we determine what is important or not, if we know nothing about it?

I learned today that moss signal there is water underneath (I sort of knew this, well, vaguely). It absorbs rain and nurtures the earth with nutrients. Moss has no roots and yet there is growth. Now in that little snippet of knowledge, was a message for me.

I know people who are like this. They are resilient like moss. They bloom, be it forest floor, or landscaped garden. They are delicate, a soft place to land, yet hold the earth steady, in their hand. Something for me to emulate.

This is my first post for 2022. I enter the year with an open heart and curious mind. My wish for you is that you experience kindness, strength, joy and gratitude.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird


Between the leaves

A feather drifted off
and nestled in debris
it once gave flight to tiny wings
kept a body warm, and spirit free
for now,
it sparkled in setting sun
this inanimate purity
held tight, for a fleeting moment in a storm
for me to contemplate the journey
how strong this fragile wisp
that once flew high above trees
surrender to wind shear,
yet hold its own
for me to see, this story.

a dawn bird

In response to RDP – Saturday – Union

Connection

Silver eye, Bunbury Wetlands, Western Australia

I’ve returned home after a few days in the South West. No trip, of course, is complete until I visit the Bunbury wetlands if I’m in the town and I never tire of my experiences there.

One evening work finished a bit earlier than planned and I rushed to the wetlands with my camera just before dusk. I was alone there. Well, not quite. The air it would seem was alive with birds but I couldn’t see them. The tiny silver eye were there in flocks. My prayer each time I’m out with my camera is a simple one. “Show me something beautiful so I can share it with others”. I was not prepared for what was to follow …

I heard them before I saw them. The clickety clack of a bike on the wooden bridge alerted me someone was approaching. I stood behind a shrub and observed, friend or foe, the area being lonely before dusk. She was a young mother, slender as a reed, she parked her bike and lifted her blond haired boy from the seat to the ground. They came around the corner and saw me. They were as surprised to see someone there as I was. We made polite conversation, she being from further south and I, from the city, north of Bunbury. Knee high to me, he was silent as mother and I pointed to the invisible birds to share our delight with him. In a random moment, I got one photograph. “Ohh! look!” I exclaimed and shared with his mother. As we laughed at my fluke shot I remembered him at my knee. Silent and barefooted, his tiny pink toes, gripping the grey footpath, he waited patiently as adults talked and laughed above his head. His patience more impressive as he is not yet two. I bent down and showed him the photograph. His face lit up. He smiled. His chocolate brown eyes shone like stars. As I drew myself to stand up, he made eye contact with me and said, “More”.

I went back to my hotel knowing, prayers do get answered, so I share this story with you.

In response to RDP – Saturday – Eyes

The Garden Within

DSCN6947

Within the labyrinth
there’s a secret garden within  me
hidden from all
untouched by seasons
my soft place to fall
it has no lines or edges
enclosed in this space, unwalled
I wake each day to take a breath
the purest breath
of joy, that restores me whole.

a dawn bird

In response to Cee’s On the Hunt for Joy Challenge – Week 17 – Start a Garden (Indoor or Outdoor)

Seagull serendipity

VJ at One Woman’s Quest has invited us to respond to a quote by the Dalai Lama.

“The planet does not need more “successful people”.  The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.”

I believe healers, peacemakers, restorers, storytellers and lovers cross our path each day.  To be unaware of their presence is a gift we can deny ourselves, and at our peril.

Every time I photograph something, it speaks to me on a deeper level.  I am more open, as I go deeper within.  The art and science of this, is never linger within, for a moment longer than necessary.  That’s when you deny yourself the gift, the mystery of serendipity.

I love photographing gulls.  They have a certain presence, a dignity, despite their reputation of being a nuisance.  I love their attitude!  They are fierce in the face of it all and captured in a brief moment between lens and me, which I now share with you.

DSCN8618

Oh! she is brave
as she faces the sun
skin freckled with age
eye brows undone
bright eyed, without sleep
her day never done
Oh! she is brave
as she faces the sun
and offers her painted lips
to no one.

a dawn bird

In response to VJs Weekly Challenge – #94 – Wild Card

An Open Heart

 

DSCN6239
Arum lily

In that space of grey
I floated free
no one else there, but me
thoughts of you came and went
there were days, I wept myself spent
until there were days of joy,
you were right there with me

In your presence I was born again
allowing love and laughter to be my friend
Oh! how time has flown
I have grown younger by the day
where did age go, I cannot say

As I navigate through stumbles and falls
eager to experience all
the time has come to smile and say
an open heart can chart new ways
this I understand, today.

a dawn bird

In response to Word of the Day Challenge – Understand