Nothing Much to Say

Triple Exposure

Grey Rose

The Dressing Room

The Dive

Young Tree by the Ocean Little Birds

“Art is the elimination of the unnecessary” - Pablo Picasso

When the Sun Comes Out

Day Evening - Sculptures by Paul Manship, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California

The Wind and the Sun
A fable by Aesop

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun said: "I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger. You begin."

So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give in despair.

Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.

Kindness affects more than severity.

I've been thinking about kindness today. I know it's a good quality and necessary for happiness, but I sometimes feel afraid of kindness. It is an open door to a room filled with light, a place of comfort and warmth. Am I good enough to be in this place? If I inhabit this space will I be able to tolerate the coldness and darkness outside that door? If I am kind, will I attract super needy people who will suck my soul dry? Is it possible to empty my soul? And... the questions never end.

I guess my ambivalence comes from my experiences with needy and sometimes greedy people. A close relative is a recovering drug addict and is living a drug free, happier life now. If I focus on this moment and forget the past, he is a real source of joy, but sometimes I remember trying to be kind to him in his drug days and getting screwed. I always felt stupid and resentful when I'd give him something to help and he'd blow it. Then I'd see the lovable person inside the addict and determined not to give up on him. Over the years, I learned the difference between being a doormat and being kind. I learned to forgive others and myself. I learned to give freely, no strings attached and only when the giving is joyful, not resentful.

I know that kindness gives comfort and support to the person not to the behavior, and this is what I need to remember. So, I blogged the fear right out of myself today. My ramblings may not make much sense overall but writing certainly clarifies issues and makes me feel good.

May all beings know kindness - no strings attached.

Vertical Variations

Windchimes - Napenthe, Big Sur, California

Ups and Downs - Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

Sky Fence - Jerome, Arizona

Rusty Pilings - Avila Beach, California

Slice of Sea - Shell Beach, California

Little Black Dress

".., A poem, to my mind, creates visible or auditory forms for something which is invisible, which is the feeling, or the emotion, or the metaphysical content of the movement. Now it also may include action, but its attack is what I could call the "vertical" attack, and this may be a little bit clearer if you will contrast it to what I would call the "horizontal" attack of a drama, which is concerned with the development, let's say, within a very small situation from feeling to feeling." - Maya Deren, avante-garde filmaker, poet and choreographer

from the 1963 "Poetry and the Film: A Symposium"

At least three or four times a year, I try to take a spectacular photo of the full moon. I have a great camera with many megapixels worth of resolution, a good quality telephoto lens, and a tripod worthy of any pro photog. My efforts to express the inexpressible beauty of a glorious full moon are disappointing.

In my viewfinder, I see the silver gleam, the network of craters, those spidery impact lines, all of which are magnifed and breathtaking under the city lights. What shows up on my computer screen is often blurry, unfocused, overblown, missing the delicate aura and sharp clarity of this fascinating satellite. My vision of this rather ordinary and natural event is influenced by my feelings. How do I express the joyful sadness of a full moon?

Clown in the Moon
by Dylan Thomas

My tears are like the quiet drift
Of petals from some magic rose;
And all my grief flows from the rift
Of unremembered skies and snows.

I think, that if I touched the earth,
It would crumble;
It is so sad and beautiful,
So tremulously like a dream

Transparency

Time Shadows

Buddy's Vantage Point

Shine On

Window of Hope

Show Me the Money

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission (FEC). This is a case that re-examines two previously decided cases {Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, 494 U.S. 652 (1990), and McConnell v. FEC, 540 U.S. 93 (2003)} which upheld the right of the government to ban corporate and union funding of election propaganda.

"This case will decide whether corporate wealth will be allowed to dominate our elections in years to come.” League of Women Voters, President, Mary G. Wilson

To be continued....

Willing to Change

Contemplating Change - Media Center Mall, Burbank, California


Making Things Better - Sedona, Arizona

Contrasts - Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, Sedona, Arizona

Changing Patterns - Thousand Oaks, California

"I love 'how to's.' All the theory in the world is useless unless we know how to apply it and make a change." - Louise Hay, author, teacher