I am so excited to be a featured author in the upcoming release of, the INside effects: How the Body Heals Itself. Also featured in the book are John Demartini, from the hit movie, The Secret, Lynne McTaggart from What the Bleep, and comedian, JP Sears.
You are invited to a special LIVE online book launch party event on Wednesday, July 5th from 7pm – 9:30 Eastern Time. Please register now to claim your spot. You will meet the authors, the publisher, learn how a book becomes a bestseller, and you. . . will be a part of helping us make our book a bestseller!
Please wait until the time of the live event (Wednesday, July 5th from 7pm – 9:30 Eastern Time) to purchase your book.
Last week I had a photoshoot along the jetties at Panama City Beach, FL. This was scheduled to accompany an article I was asked to write about the Catnip of Life, which will be published during the month of June (Stroll Grand Lagoon – Delivering Neighborhood Connections). The photo shoot was an absolute blast! There are always stories to tell and of course, there is a ‘doozy’ behind this photo.
There were quite a number of photo shoots going on the day we were at the jetties. Some photographers had their professional equipment set up in the sand, while others were shooting with their phones. Mandjo Brokaw had just finished a shot when I turned around and spotted a young man standing tall on top of the same rock as depicted below. Another young man was snapping pictures with his phone.
Without even thinking twice, I turned to Mandjo Brokaw and exclaimed, “I want a photo on top of that rock (pointing to the young man as he stood proudly upon the rock, which was about 6 ft above the sand)! In an instant, I approached the young man with the camera after he finished snapping pictures.
Yes! I introduced myself and asked a favor. “I want a picture on that rock but need assistance getting to the top.” He grabbed me by the hand and up we went! I was barefoot so had to be careful because the sand was slippery on the rocks. He was steady as could be and led me right to the top, stepped aside, and I raised my hands to the glory of our Heavenly Father! (The young man’s name is Colin and very handsome!)
My only regret is that I didn’t have more pictures taken while I was there, perhaps sitting, instead of only standing, and on one foot, instead of both feet! hahahahaha Tomorrow IS another day and the jetties are surely not going anywhere soon!
Observe. Listen. Embrace. Breathe. Savor. Life to Its Fullest!
“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy.” — Richard Halloway
Simplicity:What does simplicity mean to you? Artless. Plain. Dull. Monotonous. Boring. Naivé. WHOA! Let’s change the words… Natural! Unfussy! Effortless! Genuine! Humble! Honest! Does such a difference add complexity to simpleness? Perhaps simple is not so simple after all. Then, it simply may be all in the manner in which it is perceived. That perception varies by which one might view something as being simple.
Let’s examine a word along with simplicity that has not been mentioned. Think about this question: Would you consider simplicity as powerful?
There IS power in simplicity. It allows the flow of creative juices to become less complex leaving out all the fussiness that often muddies the water. It allows us to examine the ideas that are truly important, those that really matter. We then toss aside the rocks within the river bed that break the flow making the way fluent, not choppy, thereby being creative within simplicity!
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Another question to think about: Does beauty exist in simplicity?
There is awesomeness in simplicity as so beautifully put in the photography by Alastair! The photos featured below are the winners in Alastair’s monthly photo contest. All are his photography as his readers vote on which is the best fit for each month. Visit Alastair being sure to return and cast your vote for the month of April @
With the help of our friend, Google, translation at its best is Consonance & DissonanceStates of Soul and Spirit against the current era of our Humanity. Unfortunately, there were some parts that did not translate sensibly and my Spanish is low, very low, on the totem pole. That, by no means, takes anything away from Vate’s site. I encourage you to visit and read more HERE!
I first saw the photograph last evening and immediately wrote…
Aged with Time
The chair
so empty and bare
What good are you
just sitting there?
Aged with time
paint chipped and peeling
Who would want you
discolored, unappealing?
Your back’s not straight
Resembling a sick tree
What’s with those legs?
Much too short I see
There’s a hint of beauty
beneath your scarred skin
Why were you abandoned
in the shape you’re in?
Eying you closer
I ponder and ponder
A little love and care?
I wonder, I wonder
I’ll take you home
make you mine
Where will I find
time, time, time?
Time to repair
Time to mend
Time together
When, when, when?
What inspiration did you gather when you first saw the photograph?
How many times do you stop to ponder “Where will I find the time?” If you could recapture those moments and add them all together, you might be surprised at how much time you’d have on your hands!
It is so awesome when I can match my poetry with photos from such wonderful photographers. Today, catnip features a couple of her own, along with Alastair Forbes and Barbara Beacham. You can tell whose is whose by the watermarks. Of course, that is a feature catnip is yet to learn so the first two are hers, unmarked. Be sure to visit Alastair @A Mixed Bag and Barbara @Life in the Foothills. You will not be disappointed and probably will not leave without following! Tell them catnip sent you!
Dawn ’til Dusk
Whispers of Dawn…
Awaken a new day
As watercolor skies
Replace night’s gray
Figures of light
Dance into view
While pre-dawn colors
Fade into metallic blue
Heat of Midday…
Emanates sun’s bright glare
As vivid natural colors
Create balance in the air
Cool afternoon breezes
Relinquish the noonday heat
As an allusion of rain
Renders the day complete
Serenity of Twilight…
Brings closure to the day
While red-orange hues
Emerge without delay
A surreal saffron hue
Casts an illusionary show
As soft billowy clouds
Reflect sun’s fading glow
Music of the Night…
Stimulates harmony in the soul
While a symphony of sounds
Performs melodies to console
Subdued radiance
Slowly transcends the darkness
As night comes, light disappears
In an awe of bitter sweetness
Awakenings featured Marcy @Hot Rod Cowgirl who is Riding Through Life One Horse At A Time…Courage Is Being Scared To Death But Saddling Up Anyway! Marcy is a true American who captures America the beautiful not only with her poignant words but also her awesome photography.
You are encouraged to visit Hot Rod Cowgirl where Marcy and Wild Bill are both riding through life one horse at a time! Giddy-up! AND Whoa! only when there is no other place to go!
French based photographer Laurent Laveder create amazing Moon Photography, these are part of his project titled Moon Games. His entire collection is a MUST SEE!
Sharla Shults‘s insight:
These are just as wonderful as the first time I ever saw this photography. No matter how many times you view them a new inspiration occurs!
I always marvel at the photography of Bob Mielke. He often visits the Portland Oregon Zoo where he knows most of the animals by name. If they could speak, I am sure each one would greet him daily, “Hello, Bob. Glad you are here today!”
Nature. What compels us to seek her wonders? She calls us forth when we least expect it, inspires us beyond words and changes her moods more often than any woman! Captivating is her charm, fiery is her anger, breathtaking is her beauty! She is the epitome of poetry, the effervescence of life!
Have you ever thought about what happens when left meets right in nature? Is the left wing of a butterfly different from the right? Did you know a snowflake is completely symmetrical within itself, while not matching any other snowflake? What about something as simple as leaf symmetry? Some leaves are flat and wide; others are spiky and thin but if you fold one in half, is one side larger, smaller, fatter, thinner than the other?
Such questions go on…and on…and on… Nature is Fascinating. Luxurious. Amazing. Miraculous. Extraordinary. Splendorous. It flames within a natural framework often making the ordinary extraordinary. Do you agree? Not sure? Within the poetry and photographs below are only a few of nature’s finest! Thanks again to Barb Beacham, Life in the Foothills, for sharing some of her ‘flaming’ photography!
Symmetry in Nature
Sand dollars, seashells, and crabs Spiny starfish under the sea Two parts reflect along an axis A concept known as symmetry
Honey bees, insects and leaves
One side the mirror image of the other
Beauty to behold as left matches right
Especially in butterflies one after another
Reflections along the water’s edge
Create amazing mirror imagery
Shimmering, shining in crystal splendor
The very dawn of existence’s mystery
Regal tiger, graceful deer, majestic elephant
Even the grunting, voracious agouty
One half the same shape and size as the other
Perfectly balanced, evocation of beauty
Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Proportions of Man’
Balances the human form in equilibrium
Life emulates the mirrors of the world
Especially reflections in an emporium
catnipoflife 