Small Stone - City Lights

Bob on Larimer Street in Denver

In the city, there are lights everywhere.

Yet, I miss seeing the glimmer of starlight on the velvet tapestry of night.

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Judge Not...

What does it mean to be non-judgemental?

The brain, left to its own devices, is judgemental. 

We judge good/bad, right/wrong, fair/unfair.  

We have biases and often act on them immediately.

Larimer Square, Denver - Christmas Eve.

For many years, I've practiced delaying opinion.

Careful listening and observation are positive practices.

In the moment, I try to see nuance.

I attempt to get a clear picture of reality with an awareness that lacks bias.

I try to understand others' ideas and behaviors rather than leap to preset judgements.

However, I often fail and fall back on my old ways of thinking/behaving.

It's definitely difficult to suspend judgement.

Bob outside Union Station, Denver

So, as I say goodbye to 2017, I'm determined to renew my efforts.

I'm not perfect, and I hope others won't judge me too harshly.

Likewise, I hope to moderate my rush to judgement.

I'd like my opinions to be formed with a contemplative mind.

In today's ever-changing world, I owe myself the ability to adapt.

Leaping to judgement stymies adaptation.

I don't want to remain mired in old thought processes and behaviors.

Antique sled on our front porch in Breckenridge - old even when I used it as a girl.

In 2018, I hope to 

pause more,

listen carefully,

see clearly,

and

slow my judgmental mind.

I hope for mindfulness and peace that calm the spirit.

I wish the same for you.

My first day of skiing in December 2017 - Peak 9, Breckenridge Ski Area

Happy New Year from Barb!

A fresh start is my One Good Thing today.

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Bonus Time

in the past week

I've moved through

varying ecosystems:

Granite Mt, McDowell Sonoran Preserve, AZ

 desert wilderness

open space, Denver, CO

 urban greenbelt

Breckenridge Ski area - May 2014

  

high altitude peaks

Mile High City and snow covered Continental Divide

 back to the city

with views of peaks

each place I visit - so different

yet, each in its own way

full of wonder:

a celebration

and so it is with all of us:

bound by our shared humanity

yet unique individuals

splendid and wonderous

one-of-a-kind

Barb inside glass sculpture - Scottsdale, AZ

my son says that living after age 70 is "bonus time"

tomorrow, I begin Bonus Time

I hope to continue life's adventure!

(another One Good Thing)

Denver Blooms

suddenly

a realization of longing

after a secret wish is

fulfilled

the arrival of spring in Denver

I'm enjoying the city while it continues to snow in Breckenridge.

Denver is blooming!

I fly to Arizona tomorrow.

I haven't seen my friend for a year.

We'll be road-tripping, talking, eating, playing...

did I mention talking?

Friends are always my One Good Thing!

Leaving Snow Behind!

Ben (11) off Peak 6, Breckenridge

Snow continues to dominate the mountain landscape.
Another 15" (38 cm) fell overnight.

rock garden, Denver Botanic

However, spring is showing itself 90 miles away in Denver.

I'm veering toward that warmth!

Sam (19 months), Japanese Garden, Denver Botanic

In about a week, I'm bound for Arizona.

I hear the Saguaros are in bloom.
I'll be visiting my friend, Mary.

I asked Fox to keep watch until I return.

Fundamentally the Same

asked about my hobbies when I was a little girl

I'd reply that I liked to read and to write

nothing has changed much

in all these years

art installation, Denver Botanic Garden

I wonder if we are mostly formed

even as children

following our life paths

to conclusion

though people think they change

possibly they remain the same

as their childhood selves

think about your own life

are you so different as an adult

than the child you once were

a fun app called Waterlogue allows me to change my photos to watercolors

however, they aren't fundamentally changed, are they?

Zen Garden

zen garden

the eyes rest

the spirit calms

to have the rake in hand

perhaps before dawn or

just at dusk before sunset

the tines flowing around rock

streams and mountains forming

from the most essential elements

moving slowly, carefully

each moment a blessing

a kinetic meditation

Mindful Writing Challenge

the Zen Garden in winter, Denver Botanic Garden

Warmth in Winter - Hallelujah!

In the flickering light of winter woods, the Hallelujah Chorus plays a silent loop through my brain. Suddenly, I realize I'm humming along.

  

Denver Botanic Garden, mid afternoon, nothing much on my mind - except a praise song

Mindful Writing Challenge

What's Your Story?

tickle of dried grass

weak winter sun
warming the pages

Walking through a pocket park in the city, I noticed a young man lying on the grass reading a paperback book. It was a mild day - maybe in the low 50's. He had long haired pulled into a ponytail and strong arms bared to the sun. There was an old-style scooter some distance from him, looking like it was made from a hodgepodge of discarded trike parts. Both the man and the scooter seemed like separate entities, brought together by the light and the sheltering trees. I walked until I framed the photo with both the man and the trike, the globe lights in the background adding a feeling of nostalgia. I don't often take photos of strangers, though I'm acutely aware of them, watching and sometimes listening as I tell myself silent stories about what I'm seeing. We all have stories, some intensely private, others displayed for the world to interpret.

Mindful Writing Challenge

I took this photo zooming a bit on the iPhone which degraded the clarity. I wanted only ambiance.  I like the feel of it, so I decided to make it part of my Small Stone today. (Edited in Snapseed and TitleFix.) 

Sunflower Days

morning in the city

alley cruising on garbage day

scavenger man nods and smiles

me working up a sweat

him all business

sentry of sunflowers

keeping watch

One Good Thing - a sunflower day

Spending time in Denver over the Labor Day weekend, I rise early to exercise before heat bears down on the city. A Latino man in a white pickup is out early, too. I "meet" him several times as I run my route. He enters and exits the alleys, looking for cast-offs left behind garages and on curbs. We "recognize" each other in passing. 

A sunflower morning unfolds for us both.

(iPhone 5 photo edited with Snapseed and Titlefx)

Desert-Mountains-City

Within a week, I've visited several different ecosystems.

The AZ desert landscape enveloped me in warmth.

Breckenridge, CO, (and fox) welcomed me home to a yard still snow-covered.

(Hopefully not for much longer - it is, after all, the end of May!)

So, to compromise, I'm staying in Denver for awhile.

My container gardens are already flourishing in the city.

I sit on our tiny patio to read and to relax.

In the filtered sunshine, I daydream of lizards and foxes and melting snow.

I'm rejuvenated from my travels.

For me, that's 

One Good Thing.

City Snowfall - Mindful Writing Challenge

sifting snow filagrees the trees as city lights turn the sky sienna

Mindful Writing Challenge

A temperature drop of 40 degrees in Denver overnight - we woke to a couple inches of snow. 

By the weekend, it's supposed to be spring-like again.

Crazy winter weather. 

Just Another Day - Mindful Writing Challenge

driving out of the foothills early morning, we catch a glimpse of Denver, the sun winking through smog as feathery clouds hang languidly behind hazy skyscrapers - we join commuters jockeying for position as they head to work

small stone - Mindful Writing Challenge

Very little sleep last night - an early-morning emergency call to my dermatologist, and we head down the Interstate to Denver. The burning/itching is maddening. Biopsies of two areas on my hands - face inspected with magnifier. Still no relief in sight. Raw torture. Another day goes by. "Healing takes time" is a repeat lesson I don't want to learn.

Giraffe - Spreading the Love

This male giraffe at the Denver Zoo is supposedly extra-randy. The day I saw him, he actually looked very tired (possibly from his sexual exploits). He was resting all by himself, gazing longingly toward the girls. Rumor has it that they've been put on birth control since they can't avoid his advances.

The gals were busy kibitzing at the other end of the pen, glad for a little reprieve from Romeo.

A bit of humor is often One Good Thing.

iPhone photos edited with CAMERA!

A Muted Landscape

sometimes, just the slightest hint of color

is enough

We woke to a white world today in Denver, Colorado. More snow is expected overnight.

I walked through a muted landscape this morning.

The purity and silence of white was my One Good Thing.