677. cucumber magnolia

such a scary tree

cucumber magnolia

such a pretty name  🦊❤️

One of my favorite trees on the trail is a very spooky looking Cucumber Magnolia tree. Its trunk is super large and covered with large lumps and bumps, like the ones on a cucumber - only more pronounced. Its spindly, crooked limbs are all clumped toward the top of the trunk and seem to radiate outward like they have been shocked by an electrical charge. Despite its scary appearance, it has such a pretty name… Cucumber Magnolia. Sounds like a race horse’s name. Lol 🦊❤️

“cucumber magnolia”

 

 

676. when water and sunlight dance

undulating light

at the center of it all

one sun… so far out!  🦊❤️

Watching sunlight dance on undulating water is hypnotic. I took a number of pictures of their fluid dance moves at the pool yesterday. They were all wonderful photographs.  But this one especially so. If you look at the center of the photo you will see a singular white dot. That is the sun, captured at just the right position during their dance. Only one image of the sun. Every other photograph captured multiple images of the sun in the water as a result of the constant motion of the water.  Another serendipitous event for the books.  🦊❤️

 

675. warmth of the dragon

from out of the trails

a fire breathing dragon came

warm words… such fresh air  🦊❤️

 

I met Jianshan (Jason) on the trails probably 4 or so years ago. We immediately seemed to sync with each other. He is an ultra runner and when I first met him he was always in the midst of a 30, 40, 50 mile training run - but he always had time to stop and talk with me. I really came to value crossing paths with him on the trails. Yesterday was the first time I saw him in three years because of covid and the first time I saw his amazing fire breathing dragon tattoo. (Was a sweltering day and he was running shirtless) When he saw me he immediately yelled out, “I’ve been looking for you all day!!” His warmth, enthusiasm, vitality and the amazing dragon tattoo really made my day! The trails have brought me so many wonderful friends who are such breaths of fresh air! I am very grateful to share the air on the trails with them. 🦊❤️

674. “accidentally art”

an island of tables

a collective work of art

spots, spills and splatters  🦊❤️

I attended a wonderful “Plein Air Festival” at an awesome art center over the weekend with an artist friend. There were over 200 amazing landscape paintings by artists from across the country, as well as the island of Puerto Rico.  Of particular interest to me was an “island” of tables adorned with the “residue” of the innumerable artistic efforts that they assisted with in one of the studios we trespassed into. I entitled the temporary installation,  “Accidentally Art”. Jackson Pollock would be jealous. 🦊❤️

 

673. thorny aliveness

the prick of the thorn

pull it out… then watch it bleed

rejoice… you’re alive  🦊❤️

The saying, “I feel alive!” has come to mean, “Yippee I feel great!!!” Does that mean that when we don’t feel “great” we don’t “feel alive”? I thought about that question when I got snagged by a thorn and watched my beautiful red blood trickle down my arm after I pulled it out. Then I thought, “Yippee I’m alive!” 🦊❤️

 

672. baptism by dew

 

trails are overgrown

stems, leaves and grasses criss-cross

baptism by dew 🦊❤️

It’s the time of year when the trails are criss-crossed by overgrown vegetation of various types. Dewy mornings assure that my pants will be soaked by the end of the hike as the invading plants deposit their dew on them. On those mornings my mind is filled with thoughts like, “OMG my legs will be soaked soon! I hate the feel of wet legs on a chilly morning! People will think I peed my pants if they see my wet pants !(Lol)”. The book “The Untethered Soul” recommends that we choose those “low hanging fruit” negative thoughts to train ourselves to handle bigger negative mind messages. So now I look forward to those dewy mornings and can't wait to tame those wet pants thoughts!!!! I just relax, release my boohooing about wet legs, and let the dew baptize me to enjoy another day,  The wetter the better!!!! 🦊❤️

 

671. another level of quirky

for so very long

my mind and fingers craved you

so red hot, hot, hot 🦊❤️

Since starting to do pottery I have been really wanting to use “red” clay. I had my chance this week using this clay called “Sheltowee” by Kentucky Mud Works. There is something so earthy and substantial about it. It suits my creative vision of vessels that are “crude”, quirky and purposeless. It had such a good feel and it opened me up to new ideas. It kicked me up another level of quirky.  I envision this odd vessel haphazardly glazed in white to accentuate the cracking and unfinished surface.  We’ll see after bisque firing, maybe I’ll be at another level of quirky by then… 🦊❤️

 

670. reflecting on red and green

i’m red and you’re green

what a festive sight we make

6 months till christmas 🦊❤️

•••

you being so red

all of us being so green

fall… we are all brown 🦊❤️

•••

god grant me the strength

to continue to be red

in a field of green  🦊❤️

•••

what a difference

a little red life boat makes

on a sea of green 🦊❤️

•••

a planet of red

in this universe of green

earth… a miracle… 🦊❤️

I thought it was so cool that a single red flower in a tangle of green vegetation could trigger the writing of 5 haiku about life stuff. Does the photograph give you a green light to write one? Or are you stopped at a red light? I could not resist writing those two questions!!! Lol 🦊❤️ 

 

669. you’d think it was st. patrick’s day

(Photo by Diane M.)

coming face to face

after the camouflage clears

what big eyes… ribbit  🦊❤️

•••

so much green to see

leaves and moss and a big frog -

with a green mustache*  🦊❤️ 

***

in a field of green

a frog with a green mustache

waiting for a fly  🦊❤️

•••

a fly flying by

a green frog laying in wait

the way of the wild 🦊❤️

I was unable to attend the summer solstice gathering that my Qigong teacher Paul was leading. I sent him and his wife Diane a note saying I’d be there in spirit. Paul assured me that I would be included in spirit and Diane sent me a photograph of a beautiful frog with a green mustache that she took.  I wonder if that was “me” that showed up in spirit? If so… I think I was quite handsome! Lol  Happy belated Summer Solstice ! 🦊❤️

* Green mustache line was Diane’s idea!!!! 

 

668. the feel of pasta

“don’t play with your food!”

my voice from the past echoed

now… i simply smile 🦊❤️

I was sitting at the local food joint having a quiet dinner as rush hour traffic raced by my outdoor table location. I was just sitting and reflecting on my Monday’s meanderings as I waited for my food. The highlight of my dining experience was watching a cute little girl play with her pasta and the loving way that her Dad handled the situation. I’ve really come to appreciate witnessing the tenderness and patience displayed by some parents in handling these types of little kid’s things. He must have read an instruction book on Dadhood that was not available when my kids were very young. We do the best we can it is said. Ad you can see from the photo, she handled the pasta so elegantly, I can imagine her being an orchestra conductor some day. 🦊❤️

 

 

667. the sky has fallen!

such a clear blue sky

chicken little yells, “it fell”

“the field’s full of clouds!”  🦊❤️

I drove past the beautiful pasture of a local farm that was illuminated under a   cloudless blue sky. A flock of white sheep was peppered throughout the carpet of green.  I immediately thought of the story of Chicken Little and his belief that the sky was falling. I Imagined Chicken Little standing nearby yelling out, “The sky has fallen, the pasture is filled with clouds!!!!” 🦊❤️  

 

666. “fill er up please!”

life’s energy flows

you can be filled - or not filled

running on empty? 🦊❤️

The energy of life’s experiences is custom blended for only you to learn to live fully. It is always flowing and available to you. Your energy “prescription” takes many forms. Some of the energy is fuzzy and wonderful. Some of it is prickly and cold. Some of it warms the heart. Some of it breaks the heart. Regardless of the form it takes and how it makes you feel - you MUST take it all in, let it fill you up, be with it, learn from it and then relax and release it. Make the necessary adjustments in your “bucket” so that you can collect all the energy that is lovingly provided to you. 🦊❤️

 

665. the joys of not seeking

 

just strolling along

not expecting a darn thing

 oh look!!! wild berries 🦊❤️

It is cause for gratitude and reflection when small unexpected treats show up under and “out of the blue” sky. There is a biblical verse, “…seek and ye shall find…”  that is valuable to practice. I am finding that an equally valuable,  personally crafted verse is, “Stop seeking and ye will be found.” So many of life’s treats, opportunities and magical moments, big and small, are the ones that find you when you’re not looking for them.   🦊❤️

664. waiting out the fog

when life’s fog descends

find calm in its grey blanket

be still… simply wait  🦊❤️

“Hurry up and do something!”, is the mantra that’s echoed in my head for a lifetime when “life’s fogs” descend around me.  I’ve finally come to the realization that there isn’t much that can be done to clear the fogs of life. As a matter of fact, I’ve discovered that the more that I do to try to clear the fog, the more trees I run into, the more holes I fall into and the more times I have to pick myself up off the ground after tripping and falling on rocks and fallen branches. In most instances, just being still in life’s fog and doing nothing is the best that can be done. When the fog begins to clear… then the way ahead can start to become figured out and walked. Hurry up and do nothing is often the “doing” that is the wisest! 🦊❤️ 

 

663. “upstream of the bend in the creek mind”

water on the move

flowing into or out of

the bend in the stream 🦊❤️

I was standing on the banks of the Wissahickon Creek just watching the water flow by.  How smoothly it made it around the nearly 90 degree angled bend. It was a peaceful flow passing before my eyes,  like a movie, from my upstream vantage point. Then in my mind I imagined being immediately down stream of the bend.  From that vantage point I imagined the water “coming at me” around the bend -not flowing past me. This mental exercise caused me to think about the proper vantage point from which to live life. Watching and living life from an upstream position allows a view of life where things unfold, float by and then just flow away around the bend. Then more life floats by, good and not so good stuff, then disappears around the bend. 

From a vantage point on the downstream side of the bend, I imagined life “coming at me”. Good and not so good stuff rounding the bend with no time to savor the good and less time to thoughtfully address the not so good stuff. I imagined worrying thoughts like, “what’s gonna come around the bend next??”  It was at that moment that I knew I needed to watch the stream of life much more from a nice upstream vantage point, and not a downstream vantage point.  I call it the “upstream of the bend in the creek mind”! Lol  🦊❤️

662. accepting “nods” from above

i felt so special

when six beautiful horses

came… and gazed my way  🦊❤️

At age 70 I am still  exploring ways of working on my “inner Dan” versus being overly consumed with the “outer Dan” and overly affected by the “outer stuff” of life. When does this end? Right? That said,  the other day I was walking Ruffer the dog past a local farm.  There were six gorgeous horses galloping and frolicking in the field. They stopped and looked directly at us. Then in unison they rushed to assemble at the fence and they stared at us as if to say, “Hey, glad to see you. Come on over here and say hello!” I was thrilled. Ruffer, generally very excitable, was totally placid. So you know what? I took their enthusiastic assembly as a message from the universe that was saying, “You’re doin’ OK Dan! Keep at it! Even the horses feel the changes going on inside you. ” Silly maybe… but it was a wonderful moment that I decided was for me to bask in (and Ruffer too.) I immediately wanted to share it with you! 🦊❤️

I’ve come to take this daily haiku writing and posting practice seriously and I regard my daily posts as a way of living my journey out loud. I think it’s a journey that others may be trying to take themselves. I hope that you take away something of value today and everyday from my posts.  Thank you for visiting. 🦊❤️ 

661. memory of my grandmother

your little blue world

shed…now your learning to fly

ants come marchin’ in  🦊❤️

 

Shed bird eggs always catch my attention. Today all the ants around the shell also caught my attention. Although you can’t see them they really were there before I scared them away by touching the shell. They were in the broken shell feasting on the  remnants of the liquids once in the shell. It reminded me of my grandmother carefully and lovingly using her finger to scrape every single drop of egg out the shell as she baked. Such a wonderful memory. 🦊❤️

 

660. serendipity

 

when a white squirrel

encounters a bright red bird

serendipity 🦊❤️

Yesterday I spotted the white squirrel again at the trails. I quickly snapped some photos. It was only after looking at the photos that I discovered that a beautiful red Cardinal was in the shots as well. It’s called serendipity! I have been making a concerted effort over the last few months to open myself up more and more to the possibility of “serendipitous” occurrences showing up in my life… and it really seems to be bearing fruit! I’m very grateful. Give it a try! 🦊❤️

 

659. a good luck pause

 her going this way

and me going the other

we pause……… we say hi  🦊❤️

The resident barn cat walked toward me as I walked toward the trails. She usually just skulks away when she sees me coming. This time she stopped. So I stopped. I knelt down. She laid down. We finally became friends. It was a good day. I took it as black cats bring good luck  because good things happened for the rest of the day! 🦊❤️

658. awestruck

wish i could tell you

what awe you inspire

you… taking on wings 🦊❤️

I witnessed the herculean effort of an ant transporting a feather across the parking lot. When the breeze filled the feather like the wind fills a sail, it would cause the feather to skid across the pavement. No matter the ant held on. It amazed and touched me on many levels. There were things to be learned here…  🦊❤️

 

657. god

just hangling… dangling

having faith in the unseen

some of us call god 🦊❤️

I was walking through the woods on a quiet and steamy morning.  I was pondering life, and was praying for a bit of   guidance. A tiny, dried blossom was dangling in midair with no visible means of support.   I decided to not examine the situation any further to see what was suspending the blossom. Instead I just stood there and watched it twirl and dance in the slight breeze, pretending it was under its own power and defying gravity. As I walked away I thought otherwise about the dangling blossom’s feat of suspension and concluded that God was holding it up. That’s just like the stuff that God does. 🦊❤️

 

656. really loving oneself

 

unlike narcissus

the cat saw his reflection

drank… then walked away 🦊❤️

As I walked past the barn, its resident black cat was standing in front of a puddle of water, I immediately thought of the Greek mythological character Narcissus who fell in love with his reflection in the water of a lake. He lived the remainder of his life staring at his reflection in the water. The old black barn cat is not a narcissist, he took a drink… then simply walked away! 🦊❤️  

655. cloud watching - for eddie tabish

clouds come… they go by

time comes… and it goes by too

it’s cloud watching time  🦊❤️

It was a cloudy day as I looked up into the sky at the interlacing of grey and white clouds. It was a beautiful sight. I thought of my friend Ed Tabish who said he used to watch clouds - but now not so much. So this post is for Ed - hoping it will inspire him to find some time to watch the clouds today - and every day. 🦊❤️

 

654. pretty lanterns rehearsing

lanterns in daylight

hanging around… just waiting

for night time to fall  🦊❤️

A row of pretty lanterns on a fence created such a festive feel  to a nearby Korean Church. It was as if they were practicing their colors to be super pretty for when their switch was flipped at nightfall. I’m sure their show will be electrifying.   🦊❤️ 

 

653. watching clouds evaporate

 

that little white cloud

like a thought that’s being watched

just faded away 🦊❤️

The practice of simply watching the workings of my mind as unhelpful thoughts are conjured up there is pretty amazing. Just the act of observing, relaxing and allowing the thoughts to be released is so awesome.  With this technique fresh in my mind I was sitting at the pool watching this singular cloud in the sky, It just evaporate into thin air. I love how nature is always there to provide dramatic illustrations on how to live more fully and happily.  Nature’s little presentation of the cloud will be a great visualization to use as I “observe” my mind and relax away those pesky thoughts.    🦊❤️

652. me and my shadow

just prowling along

haunting my regular route

me and my shadow 🦊❤️

I had never seen these two local barn cats together before. I was tickled pink to see the black kitty acting as the perfect shadow to the tuxedo cat leading the parade.  Made my day. 🦊❤️

651. confession

oh bless me father

for i have sinned the same sins

as last time we met  🦊❤️

I guess you have to be a Catholic to really get this post about Confession. As a little kid there was always a line of people waiting to go to Confession. These days Confession is not utilized very much by parishioners. There is something very therapeutic about hearing my “transgressions” coming out of my mouth and being heard by another human being. Sort of like “doing a 4th step” in a 12 step program.  I just need to work on not committing the same sins from Confession to Confession. Lol 🦊❤️

 

650. people - pleasing

us well behaved kids

spend most hours of our days

just pleasing others 🦊❤️ 

My local roadside library hutch has again provided me with book titles that have fueled yet another haiku post. It’s my well of inspiration. 

Have you ever considered the amount of time in your life that has been devoted to “pleasing” others at the expense of yourself? Helping, giving, being agreeable, being accommodating and always being at the ready are admirable qualities. But - if our motivation for being a “saint” is to find acceptance, be liked, or to apply balm to some hurt part of our heart  it may be wise to take take a look at our unending giving and ask ourselves, “Am I as equally kind and giving to myself as I am to others?”  We are all worth a big healthy dose of our own kindness and giving.  🦊❤️ 

 

649. being still with what is

on this chilly morn

a little orange lizard

so one with the sun 🦊❤️

I was watching this beautiful orange lizard sunning itself on the side of the road.  It was lit up like a Japanese lantern. In its shadow that was cast on the gravel, I could see its heart beating a mile a minute.  As much as I wanted to protect it by scooting it off the road’s edge… I didn’t. Life is full of decisions like that. 🦊❤️

  

 

648. on a personal note - infinitus 2022 (7)

when i see you run

my heart leaps - my fingers twinge 

so i write haiku  🦊❤️

This year I had the chance to have the time to allow Infinitus to sink into my brain in a new way because both of my kids were unable to compete due to the unfolding of “life”. The pressures of crewing were not there. Hopefully they will be next year. I had the opportunity to talk more with old friends in “new ways”. I had the chance to make new friends. I had the chance to be a set of ears for hurting people to open up and spill their guts to.  I had the opportunity to provide guidance and counsel in some cases. I had the opportunity to “talk sense” into some runners. I had the opportunity to cheer people on. I had the opportunity to push people that needed pushed to keep on going.  I had the opportunity to help people stop when they could not stop themselves. I had the opportunity to more fully comprehend the complexity of the reasons why so many runners need Infinitus and the unique “stuff” it offers. I had the time to be a better observer and be able to translate those observations into little stories and haiku that seemed to resonate for many people. Applying my creative self to a “good” purpose is important to me. This years Infinitus offered that to me.  While it may sound like I am blowing my own horn - I am really saying “thank you” to all of the people I rubbed shoulders with at Infinitus 2022 who helped bring out “the best in me”. You helped me achieve a PR in being “me”.  🙏 Oh… and most importantly I had the opportunity to sit around in the cafeteria, sleep deprived,  with Andy Weinberg and Su Mittra as we laughed 🤣🤣🤣 our asses off about what we see on the “Island of Crazies” that makes Infinitus - INFINITUS.   🦊❤️