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Food For Thought


“Wonder and knowledge are both to be cherished. Shall we appreciate any less the beauty of nature because its harmony is unplanned? And shall the potential of mind stop to inspire our awe and fear because several billion neurons live in our skulls?”

– Stephen Jay Gould

I have often asked myself if knowledge should be cherished a bit more than wonder. Knowledge of nature and how we can keep the planet is very important. But doesn’t wonder entice and leads us to more knowledge?

What do you think?

 

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In Tune with Nature


Today was another beautiful day. The temperature was perfect for gardening a little more and for just visiting with nature. I took a walk around the neighborhood and noticed the trees were starting to show off their foliage.

The trees with bright red crimson leaves seemed to smile back at me. The trees in my backyard are still very bare. I looked at the grey limbs and tried to visualize them full of leaves.

I read a few poems every day. This month is National Poetry Month so I even keep a poem in my pocket as suggested by the Poetry Foundation. Poem in Your Pocket Day is a part of the National  Poetry Month celebration.

I looked for poems about trees or the beauty of trees. I want to share this excerpt from “When I Am Among Trees” by Mary Oliver in her Collection of Poems titled Thirst. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Gardening and Nature Watching. Also Happy National Poetry Month.

“When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness,

I would almost say they save me, and daily.”

 

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Quote


“A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than knowledge that is Idle.”                                              -Kahlil Gibran

Way too many of us have acted on the knowledge we have acquired in our lives. But many of us are as idle as an old Jalopy. The world is being tortured emotionally with so many threats. It seems that even Mother nature insists on teaching us some valuable lessons about caring and loving each other. It seems that it is only when she decides to come storming in to shake us up that we respond and act with kindness and selflessness.

Many people are facing a new weather threat with more hurricanes traveling the same path of Hurricane Irma. God help those small helpless islands and the people already devastated.

It seems to me that we have collectively acquired sufficient knowledge about the atmosphere and weather patterns to help people protect themselves better. We know that we need to protect the environment more as individuals, thus acting on the “little knowledge” we have to help avoid infinite repercussions.

“The universe is transformation. Our life is what out thoughts make it.”- Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and philosopher in 121-180 AD. His thought was full of knowledge and insight. Yet, we continue to toss negatively around like the hurricane does when it attacks full speed. We are the universe. We are what our thoughts make us.

I hope our thoughts can somehow sync with each other to make our world a better place; I hope we can sync our positive ideas because they can no longer be idle. For the greater good our “little knowledge” must grow into a harvest infinitely. Let’s do it.

 

 

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About Storms


 

 

Thunder blossoms gorgeously above our heads,
Great, hollow, bell-like flowers,
Rumbling in the wind,
Stretching clappers to strike our ears . . [.]
Full-lipped flowers
Bitten by the sun
Bleeding rain
Dripping rain like golden honey—
And the sweet earth flying from the thunder.

-Jean Toomer

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“Let’s Do It”


 

Reinventing yourself?
Are you the curious observer?
Are you the deep thinker?
Release those thoughts!
Instead be still and take in the view
Breathe deeply
Cultivate Calm
transcend the ordinary
Love self.
Love others selflessly
Love, Love, Love
all of nature knows the rules
all of nature knows how to do it
“let’s do it”
Let’s love each other
Like Cole Porter wrote,
“Even lazy jelly fish do it”
Reinventing yourself?
Just do it.
Love will make it happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What Shapes Us


“The same law that shapes the earth-star shapes the snow-star. As surely as the petals of a flower are fixed, each of these countless snow-stars comes whirling to earth…these glorious spangles, the sweeping of heaven’s floor.”                       
                                                                                                 – Thoreau
What Shapes Us
This law I believe applies to all things live.
Can we all be glorious spangles?
Perhaps not. Perhaps yes.
I hope yes!
Are we capable of seeing the connection?
Can we try harder?
Can we open our eyes a little wider?
I hope yes.
The same law shaped our hearts.
When tragedy hits, we feel the hurt of others.
What shapes us is not a mystery;
It is divine.
It is intentional.
You, me,
all of us
shaped in the same way.
Can you dig it?

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When We Listen


When We listen

When we listen
we can hear the unspoken words
of the sages of the future

when we listen
the songs of the crickets
are meant to heal our souls

when we listen
we can decipher
the secret whispers
of the butterflies

DSC_1090

Photo by Melba Christie

When we listen
we can hear
the heart strings of a young lover
strumming like an acoustic guitar

when we listen
we can hear
the harp of our soul
playing an opus
to help us become
more aware of who we are

when we listen
there’s no telling
what sounds will resonate
to help us appreciate
the life we take for granted
all the more.