The nice thing about living in a tourist town
is that you get to pretend that you are on vacation from time to time.
A long walk on the beach (thank you knees!),
dinner after, at your favorite taco shop,
sitting at a colorful picnic table,
under the palm trees…
2 fish tacos and a beer,
enjoying the evening breezes and the other tourists,
as the day's light fades.
Ain't it great to be alive!
St. Augustine Beach Pier sign.
According to the great mythologist, Joseph Campbell,
"…we cancelled the Declaration of Independence," when we entered the First World War
and re-joined the chaos of Europe.
He believed that it was a turning point in American politics that has led us away from idealism
and onto the slippery slope of greed, "the principal passion in politics".
There are a great many freedoms in America and more on the horizon,
and we are still part of the Great Experiment of Democracy,
and there is still time to get it right.
Happy 4th of July!
Reprinted from LainesBlog, July 4, 2012, with her permission!!
The storm off shore stirred things up at the beach.
A little too wild for this boogie boarder,
but there were some fool hearty souls out there.
Not much rain, but a great gusty wind,
just right to stir the spirit.
Villano Beach, St. Augustine, Florida.
You know that you must be busy
when you are surprised by the crescent moon in the evening sky.
Where did that week go?
It feels like someone is bending time and it's impossible to keep up.
Breathe.
Being busy is a good thing,
as long as you can punctuate it with quality down time.
Time alone.
Time with friends.
Time out in the air, (even if it is a little humid!).
It's nice when the moon smiles at our folly,
and reminds us to
hold onto our hats,
as the earth is spinning a little faster than it used to.
Cresent moon off the deck, St. Augustine, Florida.
at the Cathedral Basilica,
the last night,
Mozart and more Mozart!
Sublime.
The sound of the strings in this church is so wonderful,
it transports you to another time and place.
Oboe and horn are also just as wonderful!
Piano too.
Thank you to SAMF Chamber Orchestra,
the Church and all the performers.
And it's free,
for 6 nights in the summer.
Time well spent.
No flash photography and tripod in car…
Have you ever listened to someone's life story and thought,
this can't be true?
How could she have done all of those things in 55 years?
Well, wait until you are 60,
you realize that – yes –
it was all possible and true!
The butterfly lives for a very short time,
but we get to do a lot of lot of things
in our relatively short lives.
Pretty cool!
Butterfly shot at the Butterfly Exhibit in Key West by Paula Post and used without her permission!
(And my knee is much better today, thank you!)
Pain.
Physical pain.
Whenever it happens to me,
I know it is going to kill me.
Then I remember the little tricks I have in my bag to relieve it –
and cure it.
Some tapping. (EFT)
Checking in with Louise Hay's book, You Can Heal Your Life.
Sleep.
Ice.
Dit Dut Jiao. (herbal concontion a friend made)
Ibuprofin.
Rest
and
repeat.
All is getting better and better.
Thank the goddess!
Sand fences, St. Augustine Beach, keeping the tide and winds at bay.
The very best advice that I have given myself lately has been
to be open and loving,
and honest about my own needs and desires.
Like the new fronds of the Sago Palm,
open to the light and air and love all around.
The other side of the screen-
the painted fern.
Happy Summer Solstice!
Enjoy the long day.
Is it any wonder that humans took to painting and drawing?
Here the sun paints the fern onto the screen.
Gleanings From Living Long
Lainesblog Thinking Out Loud 