Musings at 50

So it happens nearly every year - sometimes it happens in the Fall, sometimes in the Spring, and sometimes it seems like a January thing. I get this urge to THROW AWAY EVERYTHING!! I do not consider myself a hoarder - though when I watch a Hoarding show I think to myself, am I? I don't have piles of things you need to navigate through to get to any room in the house. We do have blank space on the floor but if you open any cabinet, drawer, closet door, you will see things artfully crammed into the space - tetrised (is that even a word) and stacked very carefully- only one way to stack works, everything else comes crashing out of the space if not stacked just so. I am married, so of course there are things I can get rid of - but there are things I think I should get rid up, but I cannot because I am not the only owner. My husband is definitely someone who needs to agree to get rid of certain things. We have a basement - so we can box things up and have them out of sight and out of mi...

Write a poem that asks and answers a question...when I post these 30/30 or 61/61 - these are based on a challenge for National Poetry Month (April) to write a poem a day - and this is a group on Facebook. The prompt is shared early in the day (or at some point the night before). For most of these I wrote them on my notes app on my phone and then transferred them to a document on my computer later. I participated in 2019 and in 2020 - and the group decided to stretch it from 30/30 to 61/61 due to COVID and the pandemic. Does she know me? There are times  she smiles But her smile  doesn’t quite  Reach her eyes That politeness  Ingrained in her To not show hurt Or sorrow  or weakness  A resource  at her command I take her hand She draws back but Quickly recovers  and looks at me Does she see me? Those kind eyes that have Stared into mine across The kitchen table Asking about my life My hopes and dreams Over a cup of coffee And cookies Is she okay in ...

Well, I landed on my goals, resolutions, and intentions for 2021. It was not easy and it did take me some time. At the beginning of the year I am often full of all sorts of ideas about how I would like the year to go. Many times I am looking at self improvement and making deals with myself about how this year will be different than the ones before. This time, after my post on 12/29/2020, I decided to sit will all of those whirling ideas and thoughts. Truth be told, I started thinking about things right around Winter Solstice. I would write things down and then sit with the ideas. I looked at 2020 with the help of my yoga instructor's New Years Exercise . I worked through 2020 on 12/31/2020 and then today, I set the space to work through the second half of the exercise - Clarify for 2021. I really enjoyed taking the time to reflect - though I will be honest with you I had originally intended to work with this piece last weekend. It felt rushed though, and so I decided I would let a ...

#bendinglight I walk in the forest The ground soft under my feet Pine needles, moss, and soft dirt Ferns unfurling with spring rain Sun peeking through the canopy  Of giant trees Treetops bending light Light resting on fallen logs Deep green moss Stones and mushrooms Beetles scurrying here and there  Light spotlighting small plants Pushing their way eagerly  To soak in the sun’s rays Shades of green and brown Splashes of orange salmonberry Pink bleeding hearts Drops of rain glisten like jewels I soak in the forest It soothes my soul