A Pure and Peaceful Mind

 

Sunrise 2017

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth,

so virtue appears from good deeds,

and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

To walk safely through the maze of human life,

one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.”

(Buddha)

Every morning resetting goals is the “new normal.” Remembering goals, maybe, would be a better phrase. Meditation, concentration, opening my heart and mind to the Now. Accepting the Present, practicing breathing, working on posture, smoothing brow and gut. Being calm. Breathe in, breathe out.

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Wild, Wild Sea

 

Stormy beach 2016

Give me a wild sea with boiling clouds, wind that lifts my hair and shuffles the birds around willy nilly.  Give me a wild sea with chocolate waves, briny foam and pelicans diving between large waves.  Give me a wild sea in the middle of winter and an empty space where I can breathe.  Give me a wild sea where salty air is forced into my nostrils, down into my lungs cleansing my body.  Give me a wild sea.

Change

 

Sunrise – August 2, 2017

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.

Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow.

Let reality be reality.

Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

Lao Tzu

 

* Working on accepting change whether I like it or not. *

Silence

 

June 10, 2018

Sunrise

 

“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious,

too greedy, or too impatient.

‘One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach –

waiting for a gift from the sea.”

(Anne Morrow Lindbergh)

No Words

 

2017 Sunrise

Rain on the Beach

 

June 10, 2018

This is the shower I loved.

As I shot the sunrising to the northeast

(because the sun moves in that direction from my vantage point in summer),

this shower was approaching from the south.

 Tiny drops announced its arrival.

Tiny drops became bigger drops.

I ducked under a walkway and sat down at the base of a sand dune.

It felt good, the wind and light rain.

Cleansing.  Refreshing.

I laughed watching the pelicans, terns and gulls

feast on the running bluefish

as the rains kept them company.

The shower was short lived.

Pulling myself out of my lair I continued my camera-play.

Sunrise is fun.

Sunrise

 

June 10, 2018

Dead snake on the road.

Raindrop patterns in the sand.

Sudsy waves breaking.

Sand cool to the touch.

Rain shower coming from the south.

Ducking underneath a walkway.

Laughing at myself.

Pelicans, gulls and terns feasting on bluefish.

Shoot the sunrise many times.

Leave satisfied.

Coffee.

Ode to Preservation

 

A copse of gorse has been planted by time, wind and birds atop the monument

“Culloden is a war grave.  We ask that you treat it with respect.”

So indicated the sign to visitors upon entering Culloden Battlefield in Scotland.  After a moving video, where we stood in the middle of the battlefield as the fight began and ended so quickly and tragically, we slowly and silently exited the visitor center and stepped out into history.  This treasure, this field is listed in the National Trust of Scotland.  Red flags indicate British troops.  Blue flags indicate Scottish clans.  It is sobering to stand where people died in battle, where lives were lost, where the Scottish clans were decimated. In that foggy, overcast, damp day we were all humbled by the experience.  Blue and red flags snapped in the breeze.  This battlefield had no monuments but the one above. Stones marked the spot where various clans had stood; McLeod, Fraser, MacGillivray…

I write about this today because of a burning issue currently going on in Scotland.  The Highland Council voted to allow a housing development close to this historic place. From the BBC “The site is about half a mile from the location of the battle, fought between Jacobite and government forces in April 1746, it is within the battlefield’s conservation area.”  According to another report, “A campaign set up to protect the area argue that the land forms part of the historic Culloden Battlefield site and had hoped the committee would give archaeologists a chance to examine the location before making a decision.”  The National Trust of Scotland believes the battlefield may be larger than the current battlefield site that exists.

I’m not anti-growth, but instead prefer “smart growth.”  Why in heaven’s name would Scottish developers wish to do this?  Purely greed, I”m afraid.  Even my beloved Scotland holds greedy Scots.  This is my vent today.