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Posts tagged ‘Golden Retriever’

Aug 9

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Wearing the Woods

“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.”― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

A few minutes off leash in the woods.
Up and down and all around.
Romping up the side of the hill, over branches, through bushes.
Big smile inside and out.
A fresh coat of the woods to brush out.
Worth it.
Put on your big boots, go off leash, do some crazy good things.
Get off trail today.

“She would know a good thing to do without thinking about it.”― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Jun 18

To Take and Give Delight

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” – Khalil Gibran

“For everything that lives is holy, life delights in life.” – William Blake

Take delight in this day.
Feel the earth beneath you.
Lighten up.
Have fun.
Life is not a job.
It’s a call, a vocation, a gift.
Participate fully in the present.
Someday is today.
In taking delight, we give it away too.
May joy take you be the hand to the playground of wonder.
Holy ground.

“Laughter is carbonated holiness.” – Anne Lamott

May 18

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Prayer of Attention

“Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”― Karl Barth

“I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?”
― Mary Oliver, House of Light

In spiral.
In staleness.
In routine.
Break the pattern.
Stillness.
Rest.
Wander.
Wonder.
Walk lightly.
Laugh, delight, play.
Reset.
Pay attention.
Be made new each day.

“there is a great choice that awaits us every day: whether we go around carving holes in others because we have been so painfully carved ourselves, or whether we let spirit play its song through our tender experience, enabling us to listen, as well, to the miraculous music coming through others.”― Mark Nepo, Finding Inner Courage

Mar 12

Stay Awake

“Wherever you are, and whatever you do, be in love.”― Rumi

“The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you
Don’t go back to sleep!
You must ask for what you really want.
Don’t go back to sleep!
People are going back and forth
across the doorsill where the two worlds touch,
The door is round and open
Don’t go back to sleep!”
– Rumi

Crack the window.
Then some more.
Fresh air.
Soft breeze.
Wind in your hair.
Awake and in wonder.
Invite and welcome in.
The light too.
Engage in life.
Which is this day.
Stay awake. Stay awake.
Blessings all around.

“But listen to me. For one moment
quit being sad. Hear blessings
dropping their blossoms
around you.”― Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi

Feb 28

The Steps Along the Way

“…there are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths.”― Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening

“We work so hard to get somewhere, to realize a dream, to arrive at some destination, that we often forget that though some satisfaction may be waiting at the end of our endurance and effort, there is great and irreplaceable aliveness in the steps along the way.”― Mark Nepo

The alluring promise of someday.
The comfort of remembering when.
The hot pursuit of the finish line.
The satisfaction in the completion of our “to do” list.
In the midst of our striving, figuring, pursuing, the present sits quietly awaiting to be seen and entered into.
The path beneath our feet.
Sacred ground.
Root in today.
Witness and partake.
Simple joys in the steps along the way.

“Rest is not for weaklings. Hollowing out space for rest is work. Finding time for rest is the hands and feet of the promises we long to claim. It means saying no. It means having limits with ourselves. It means having limits with others. It takes courage to rest in the midst of an outcome-driven society. It takes strength to walk away from good in the pursuit of better.”― Saundra Dalton-Smith, Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity

Feb 22

Joy at Work, In Play

“A sense of humor is just common sense dancing.”― William James

Joy Chose You
by Donna Ashworth

“Joy does not arrive with a fanfare,
on a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.
Joy sneaks in, as you pour a cup of coffee,
watching the sun hit your favourite tree, just right.
And you usher joy away,
because you are not ready for it.
Your house is not as it must be,
for such a distinguished guest.
But joy cares nothing for your messy home,
or your bank-balance,
or your waistline, you see.
Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life,
that’s how joy works.
You cannot invite her, you can only be ready when she appears.
And hug her with meaning,
because in this very moment,
joy chose you.”

Notice joy this day.
In moments.
In small things.
In brief exchanges.
Amidst delays, detours, distractions, interruptions.
In a smile.
In play and laughter.
Doing its work in you and for you.
On the path you walk today.
Choose and be chosen.
Give and receive.
Open and embrace.
Awe and wonder for the ready heart.

“There is no happiness in having and getting, but only in giving . . . half the world is on the wrong scent in the pursuit of happiness.”― Henry Drummond, Beautiful Thoughts

Feb 9

Adventures in the Ordinary

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.”― A.A. Milne

Do what you must and more.
“To Do” list, commitments, one thing to the next.
Being present should be at the top of the list.
Pause in between.
Look up and around.
Witness and notice the day.
Partake.
Enjoyment is a worthy pursuit.
Play, have fun, tennis ball fur on your lip kind.
Delight in this day.
Adventures ahead in an ordinary day made extraordinary.

“Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.” – Randy Pausch

Feb 1

The Wonderful Things

“What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this would be like without dogs?”― Mary Oliver, Dog Songs: Poems

“Or maybe it’s about the wonderful things that may happen if you break the ropes that are holding you.”― Mary Oliver, Dog Songs

Look, look again.
See what is before you.
Pull it to the forefront.
Main stage.
Sweep aside somedays, perfection, shoulds, weren’ts, messy, busy.
The ropes that hold you.
Wonderful things in reach, in view, in abundance.
Woven in the ordinary, daily, presence.
Gratitude bears joy, delight and contentment.
Smiles. Laughter. Light.
Let them in.
Wonderful things off leash.

“Come with me into the woods where spring is
advancing, as it does, no matter what,
not being singular or particular, but one
of the forever gifts, and certainly visible.”
― Mary Oliver, Dog Songs: Poems

“A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.” – William Hazlitt

Dec 27

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Happy Christmastide

“Play is the exultation of the possible.”― Martin Buber

“Christmastide (December 25 – January 5) is about the gradual departure of darkness and the gentle dawning of light at Epiphany. We don’t have to cram all of Christmas into one day. At Christmastide, we shed the pressure of “the holidays” and how we always do things, and take on a new, relaxed rhythm of celebration. Kinder. Quirkier. Gentler.” – Kate Bowler

The gentle dawning of light unfolding.
In slowing.
In playing.
In savoring.
In lingering.
In wandering.
In allowing.
In being, not mere doing.
Enter a relaxed rhythm.
And, of course, dance.
Joy. Hope. Wonder. Awe.
Today and each day, even slivers will do.
Happy Christmastide.

“Time is a game played beautifully by children.” (and dogs) ― Heraclitus, Fragments

Dec 16

Bright Eyes, New Day

“Enthusiasm is a supernatural serenity.”― Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

“to leap into it and hold on, connecting everything,”― Mary Oliver, House of Light

Regret looking backward.
Worry looking forward.
Sacrificing today.
Be present and steeped in today.
Get the full flavor.
Soak in beauty.
Be a blessing.
Take the “Do Not Disturb” sign off and be interrupted.
Wander off trail.
Take the detours.
Slow down.
Enjoy the scenery.
Play and have fun.
Put on enthusiasm, joy and delight.
It looks good on you.

“Today is life – the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto”― Dale Carnegie

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