Wednesday of this week marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, 7:02 A.M. (EDT) on March 20th to be exact. Its arrival coincides with the vernal equinox, a time when days and nights are approximately equal and the sun rises and sets due east and due west. Distinguished by the birth and rebirth … More Enter Spring, with all its tiny Sweet Spots
I’ve always found these three simple, but powerful, ways will channel joy into everyday life: Smile. There is an old Chinese proverb that says every smile makes us a day younger. That said, begin and end your day with a smile. It will not only make you younger, it will cause others, even the flowers, to … More Three Powerful Channels of Joy
“Find joy and peace in this very moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh It was moments such as these, when the sun hung big and low overhead, burning through dust filled sky over the Serengeti in Tanzania, that the expanse and wildness and enormity of the day’s trek fell into perspective, and we found ourselves looking, instead, at simple moments … More Musings while on Safari
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is also in the feeling of softness, the inhaling of scent, the timbre of its presence. The gardens of the Ngorongoro Farm House in Karatu, Tanzania, which I visited while on safari in 2010, simply called out to be photographed, smelled, touched. They etched their presence … More Beauty Is a Sensual Thing
One of my favorite fascinations is to observe the earth’s flying things, whether butterflies or birds, or even kites, as they ride on currents of air high above the ground to which I am generally tethered. Seeing these winged beauties swoop and dive and glide, buck the winds, loiter in search of prey, simply cruise away … More Romance the Wind
Summer Palace, 2009, Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA. Stickwork sculpture by Patrick Dougherty. Photo: Rob Cardillo. “The groves were God’s first temples.” With these words, American poet William Cullen Bryant began his classic poem, A Forest Hymn. Said to be written in farewell to the thick foliage and tall trunks of his native Massachusetts as he … More “The groves were God’s first temples.”
Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness. – Rumi William Guion once was told that the way to make more powerful and personal photographs was to find something he loves and to photograph it—over and over and over. And … More Breathe in the Sacredness of the Trees
“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” – Eleanora Duse, Italian actress Photo: Along Saybrook Point, by … More Fed by the sight of the sky
Josh Simpson creates planets of glass and wonder. Sometimes they appear as celestial delights. Other times, as seen here, they evoke images of undersea fantasies, images that take you to the core of our world. Jules Verne told us that the sea is everything. “It covers seven-tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure … More “The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Cousteau
Sunrise and sunset present us with two of the most dramatic contrasts between light and darkness, the division between day and night. Both are sky paintings of color. Dawn is more typically soft and pale and pastel. Sunsets tend to be vibrant with reds and yellows, remnants of the day’s energy and warmth, or, as … More Celebrate the Milestones
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 