On one of my morning walks, I glanced upon the sidewalk and noticed a clump of bird feathers. The vision captured in my mind produced. . .The Last Flight. With today being the anniversary of 9/11/2001, timing seemed appropriate for sharing.
Think about your plans for the day. Is Mother Nature part of the mental picture? If you are in a area of sunshine, take a brisk walk. Observe. Listen. Breathe. No sunshine? No worries. Stand in your doorway or look out a window. Marvel at what you see for behind every cloud or within each raindrop is a degree of sunshine.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Life is too short to let a day go by without a smile and saying, “I love you!”. . . out loud! To yourself!! Love yourself so that love will be spread to others!
To all my friends and family – past, present & future – I am back where I belong, in the writing world! After three years since its completion, I have pulled to the forefront and removed the dust from the pages of Catnip of Life. The manuscript is complete, 200+ pages of poetry, times for reflection, musings on life and famous quotes that make a personal connection to each poem.
catnipoflife blog is ready to reawaken your senses to the world around you! Today, more than ever, we need to remain thankful for the beauty of this earth that brings abundant gratefulness for simply being alive. Whether you followed me in the past or are new to catnip, welcome to my world that offers insight to help you “keep a smile on your face, joy in your heart and optimism on your tongue” (Lou Vickery, former New York Yankees, Author & Radio Show Host)
It is time to take Catnip of Life manuscript off the shelf, remove the dust from its pages and share its presence with all who desire to examine life through a personal lens and ponder what is or has been missing or gone unnoticed. The essence of Catnip of Life is 200+ pages of poetry, time for personal reflection, musings on life, and quotes that make a connection of the verses to real life.
I know no subject more elevating, more amazing, more ready to the poetical enthusiasm, the philosophical reflection, and the moral sentiment than the works of nature. Where can we meet such variety, such beauty, such magnificence?
—James Thomson (Scottish Poet, 1700–1748)
Note about catnip: Catnip targets feline “happy” receptors in the brain.
To inevitably understand the catnip of life requires opening your senses to the world around you: Observe life at its best, Listen to life’s songs, Embrace life’s bounties, Breathe the breath of life, Savor life to its fullest! The sky, the hills, the sea, the birds, the blossoms—each takes you to its own unique world. Captivating moments are right before your eyes, music to your ears, within your very grasp, under your nose waiting to be enjoyed.
Catnip of Life exposes nature as a diamond in the rough with its power to heal, outwardly in addition to inwardly. The verses reveal openness to the world, how simple everyday observances make a difference in your life, furthermore allowing you to touch the lives of others. From reflections where happiness is found in the darkest of times to sunshine easing innermost fears to experiencing life being given a second chance, there exists lightheartedness, along with heaviness of heart.
Keys to the catnip of life: beauty, imagination, nature, reflection, wonder!
First up is Diamond in the Rough. You have the option to read or listen to the audio (see below).
Diamond in the Rough
Awaken to the raw power of nature When crashing waves, lightning cavort Embark on a journey of pure imagery Where the mind’s eye is the transport
Blend the defiant power of nature With wonderment amid fascination Draw on the earth’s primordial spirit Charisma amongst imagination
Succumb to nature’s wilder places Mysticism within self-awareness Become lost in nature’s miracles Healing, transforming consciousness
Evoke visions of pure impulses Those of unbridled natural power Peaceful before quite overwhelming Surpassing any meditative hour
Observe nature untouched, unpolished Like finding a diamond in the rough Leave with a better understanding Of yourself interestingly enough
Proclaim the exhilaration A freedom deep within your soul It’s observing life at its best Totally under mind’s control
Quote of the Moment:
The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear. —Daniel Defoe (Journalist, 1660–1731)
AUDIO is for your Listening Pleasure! Close your eyes and enter the visionary mind.
Don’t leave yet! Time for observation and reflection…
As you go through the days ahead, focus on observing life at its best.
Observations—
On a scale of 1 to 10, right now in the moment, leave a comment rating your catnip level in observing life at its best. With the mindset of observance in the next few days, elevate your awareness of the world around you. Remain alert to capture something new or become more deeply acquainted with something familiar. Then, return to this post, leave a smile and add comment upon something you feel you never truly noticed…until your observance through the lens of the catnip of life.
Raw, rare beauty…that’s the diamond in the rough! It exists within the yard clutter of overgrown grass, scrubby shrubs, deciduous trees being housed in the most conspicuous, often non-conspicuous places. Eruptive, wildly beautiful engagements mix with snapshots of ethereal beauty as Mother Nature balances auras of delight with intensity. From the opening gates of dawn until the final curtain of daylight, nature channels its power of enchantment bringing you to your knees or lifting your spirits skyward. At the closing of day through the midnight hour, from dusk ’til dawn, nocturnal creatures add to your world of imagination with fascination.
Awaken to the raw power of nature
When crashing waves, lightning cavort
Embark on a journey of pure imagery
Where the mind’s eye is the transport
Blend the defiant power of nature
With wonderment amid fascination
Draw on the earth’s primordial spirit
Charisma amongst imagination
Succumb to nature’s wilder places
Mysticism within self-awareness
Become lost in nature’s miracles
Of healing, transforming consciousness
The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.
—Daniel Defoe (Journalist, 1660–1731)
The expression ‘stepping outside the box’ takes you away from redundant routines into territory filled with intensiveness, often nervousness, but at the same time, opens up new horizons, bold ideas. It is a mindset establishing an entirely new way of thinking ultimately guiding you toward listening to life around you from a totally new perspective. When you wake up in the morning, what are the first thoughts that come to your mind? If they encompass dread or a boring outlook, it is time to cast off the dreary atmosphere that surrounds you. Gaze out the window, listen to life’s songs!
BEYOND THE BOX
A room bears semblance to a box
Ceiling to floor, wall to wall
Confining that which is inside
Posing not much change at all
Outside a bedroom window
Surfaces life beyond the box
Unfurling naturally
Without the need for alarm clocks
As daylight filters through the window
The new morning rises into view
Not to be seen as melancholy
But one bidding the old adieu
Greetings with the beam of light
Snap attention when your alarm rings
Not much else greets early morn
Except the voice a “good morning” brings
Consider the birds as they awaken
Filling the atmosphere with song
An ambiance of joyful melodies
To carry with you all day long
Ponder how nature greets the morning
Eye to horizon, in between
Unfolding in striking harmony
Monopolizing your first scene
Ease toward the window’s light
Thwarting thoughts of the day before
No reason stuck inside the box
This day, days to come, no more
Thoughts now align with the day ahead
Beyond the box into the light
Listening patiently, intensely
Not to miss a moment in flight
What’s Happenin’ over @ Awakenings is Nature Photography Day! Sometimes repetition is the best practice so here it is @ her sister site catnipoflife! Be sure to visit all of the sites whose photography is featured…you won’t be disappointed! To all whose photographs appear, links have been provided and full credit to each owner! MORE @Awakenings!
Wildlife, hummingbirds, butterflies and bees creatures of all kinds bring you to your knees nature’s habitats from forest floor to the skies woo, amaze and ablaze before your eyes
All across America, the world in fact, is indescribable beauty often referred to as visions of grandeur. Each day presents itself in living color with sights, sounds, even smells that tempt and tease innermost emotions. Skies may be crystal blue and cloudless, or dark and dreary with hints of an impending storm. Even within the storm lies beauty…a calm at the end of which one may be lucky enough to sight a rainbow.
What awakens your senses of a forthcoming rainbow? Is it the sight of cloudy skies, the smell of oncoming rain, or the sound of raindrops pelting the earth? Perhaps lightening pierces the haziness of morning and rolling thunder disturbs the short-lived stillness of the air with news a storm is approaching.
With each sense comes anticipation of sighting that well-known arc across the sky whose splendor boasts a colorful array of pastel hues. The RAINBOW!
Have you ever taken the time to count how many colors you see in a rainbow? Is there a set number or a continuous innumerable spectrum of colors? Speaking of colors, what about Roy G. Biv…ever heard of (him)? Are the colors the same for every rainbow that comes into view?
O-o-o-o-ooh! So many questions. Why not add a couple more: What actually forms the rainbow and is there a connection of rainbows to raindrops? Afterall, the RAINbow and RAINdrops both have ‘rain’ in common!
Did you know?
To see a rainbow, one must have both rain and sunshine,
A ray of sunlight enters and is reflected inside a raindrop, thus breaking white sunlight into colors,
There is never a single size for water drops in rain but a mixture of many sizes and shapes,
The sun is always behind you when you face a rainbow and
The center of the circular arc of the rainbow is in the direction opposite to that of the sun.
In other words…
The Rainbow
Since the beginning of time Questions arise again and again Like how far away Does a rainbow start and end?
*****
How far away are the raindrops That capture the sunlight? The nearest may be miles upon miles
Yet sparkle in the daylight
The rainbow is nature’s gift After the cleansing rain Is each one unique No two ever the same?
***** Can the eyes of two people
Seize the same rainbow in time? Each observer sees different raindrops Making each vision sublime
Size of the raindrops Sets the color’s purity
Does bigger mean brighter The smaller less clarity?
*****
What makes the colors
As vivid as can be? It’s all about angles and light
The colors that we see
A red band on the outer edge A primary rainbow declares Yet what happens when A secondary rainbow appears?
***** Are the double rainbows Mirror images of each other? Colors of the second reverse Complimenting one another
Seven colors Tiny prisms beget Orange, yellow, green Blue, indigo, violet
***** Another question arises Since above are only six Have you forgotten Red is first in the mix?
We live in an age of MORE, MORE, MORE! We have more than we possibly need yet the need for MORE surpasses the need for what we truly need indeed. Try to say that fast 3 times! The point is
WE WANT…
Can you imagine a world without wildlife? It would be as mundane as mundane could possibly be. Of course, some of you might welcome silence from chirping crickets, barking dogs, screeching owls, howling coyotes but in giving those up, you also lose the drumming sounds of the Red-headed Woodpecker in spring, the chuckling Summer Tanager, the whistled warble of the autumn Yellow-rumped Warbler, the energetic tune of the Winter Wren. That is only sounds of some of the birds!
I’ll take the sounds of wildlife, what about you?
“I know no subject more elevating, more amazing, more ready to the poetical enthusiasm, the philosophical reflection, and the moral sentiment than the works of nature. Where can we meet such variety, such beauty, such magnificence?”
Awaken inner thoughts of beauty and solitude even in the bleakness of Winter. Put your imagination to work with some new, rather unique, visions of Jack Frost. While it may be br-r-r-r cold outside, there is so much beauty to behold during the season of Winter. Yes, that’s right! Don’t be misled by visions of the drab, dreary, gloomy side of Winter but look around at the amazing sights that can only be encountered in the coldest season of the year.
Relish in the Winter spirit. The cold, crisp air refreshes the lungs with a quiet walk where the only sounds are the crunching of ice crystals underfoot. Listen to the wind-chimes as the North Wind sends a swift brush of cold through the air. Examine every tree, shrub, plant and field as it displays its own uniqueness having been gently touched by nature’s paintbrush of downy white.
You can find solace deep within yourself once you are lost in a daydream that explores the magical mysteries of Winter. Cleansing, refreshing, invigorating! Then, enjoying the warmth of a cozy fireplace after such an exhilarating experience invites a steaming hot cup of white chocolate cocoa spiked with a stick of cinnamon.
Even within the bitterest cold of winter one can find breathtaking beauty.
catnipoflife 