.....a new turn

Yogis,
Each time I walk Phoebe she has a strong opinion on our route. Early morning she walks straight ahead to take me down the street. Evenings are a sharp right turn from the property. If I try a different direction her feet plant, and she will point her nose toward the preferred route.

The afternoon beach walk is no exception. Going down the front steps she is already leaning right with downtown her destination. We head down the north side of Rehoboth Ave and after crossing 1^st street, her pace quickens. Thrashers Fries is on the left and with their generous fill everyone inevitably drops a fry or two while walking away. Score!  

We reach the boardwalk where she takes a right and then another to lead us up the south side of the street. Within a block her nose quivers. Grotto pizza leaves a large bowl of dog biscuits in front (and water which no dog seems to touch). I give her one and on we go.

Next a quick left down Penny Lane, a narrow alley with cute shops, including a liquor store which also provides a treat bowl. Yes! This one she discovered only recently but is now a required visit on any stroll.

At the end of the alley, she turns right. Freddie’s had a treat bowl once because it was dinner time, but usually we are much too early. She insists we check anyway.  On the best of days, it is a four-treat walk!

We do this over, and over, and over.  Life rewards her for this habit so there is no deviation. But what if there is something fantastic a mere block over? She may never find out……

Life can feel like this walk. There is nothing wrong with that. I too feel my routines have ‘treated’ me quite well. I love them. But at times a voice stirs inside and quietly asks me to take a different turn. This is one of those times.

Little turns. I add a new workout after my runs (thank you @totalsweat!) which lifts me physically and mentally. I start my day with matcha. I suddenly like red wine. I am listening to new music, being a bit more social and …..oh my gosh getting up a half hour later!

Things shift.

Today we took Phoebe on a new walk two towns down. Disappointingly lots of water bowls but not one treat. What! But so many new sights and smells.  Exhilarating!

New turns bring big changes,
SARAH

....the big hill

Yogis,
Finally some snow! After 729 snowless days we were blanketed with four inches on Tuesday, followed quickly by four more on Friday. I had forgotten how truly wonderful a snow day can feel.

Most of Tuesday’s snow fell overnight which doesn’t have quite the same impact as a day spent watching snow fall from the sky. But Friday’s, only forecast to be an inch, began before dawn and continued after dark. A snow that gloriously trimmed every branch and twig with white. The garden transformed as the world became quiet. A red cardinal the solitary splash of color.

Snow days bring back memories.

Like how there weren’t really snow boots when I was young. Plastic baggies went over my shoes, held by rubber bands, and the whole ensemble slid into a rubber boot…..with open tops to ensure snow fell in immediately. The wood and metal sleds which did more sinking into the ground or causing serious injury, than actual sledding.

Years later, spending an hour getting all three of my boys bundled up to hike to the big hill. A perfect wide steep sledding hill in a magical opening in the woods. Much laughter and tears happened on that big hill. Then in the blink of an eye they were old enough to go themselves, bringing friends back and hanging wet clothing on the radiators.  Red cheeks, hat hair and starving. They would go early and often.

Yesterday we all went to the big hill once again. Now with sons and grandkids in tow.

Nothing has changed. Trying to get little Ben to put his thumb into the thumb part of the glove….with no success. Snowpants, snow boots (although these are now really for snow), coats, scarves, gloves, hats……. A workout just getting everyone ready.

We all had turns and races. Some fared better than others. Attempting the jump and avoiding the tree. My sons recounting stories of days spent on the big hill. Many red cheeks. At least one little one needing to be carried on the way home.

On the way back my grandson Johnny exclaimed that he was starving! All of the wet clothes were strewn across heaters while we heated up the chili and built a fire. Snow days never get old.

What are your snow memories?

Grateful,
SARAH

....skyward

Yogis,
This week I wasn’t sure what to write about. That happens sometimes. Sunday morning will arrive and the sheet in front of me is blank with no inner direction on what words to place there. My heart tightens slightly. Perhaps this is the week when no words will come.

I head out for my morning run with hopes of inspiration when a concrete bench facing the small lake nearby catches my eye. Spotlighted by a golden sun beam it asks me to sit a while. I do. I tell her that in all my years of passing, I don’t think I ever sat. Eyes closed, I feel both the crisp air on my skin and the warmth of the sun. What should I write?

I imagine opening the crown of my head, like the car’s sunroof, trusting that guidance will pour in. As I eventually open my eyes, what I see first is the expansiveness of a brilliant blue sky. A flock of snow geese pass noisily overhead, their bellies glistening from the low morning light. Ah yes.

Winter is when sky becomes the stage.

Arriving at the beach it’s the clouds leading the show. Small ones float midair as they pass quickly over the ocean. Enormous plumes stream one after another over the dune. Multicolored they soon fill the sky with beauty reminding me how small I really am.

Winter is sky season. Look up! With leafless trees and earth sitting quietly we are given the chance to witness the infinite world beyond. Is that a hawk I see soaring above?

Yes, there are wonders to behold if you shift your gaze skyward. But there are other gifts as well. The phrase ‘things are looking up’ didn’t arise from nowhere. When we make a habit of looking upward, our chest and heart follow and our mood shifts. Unlimited possibilities present themselves. Gifts, such as inspiration, pour down.

The new crescent moon hangs low in the sky as the sun begins her descent. Pinks, purples and orange paint the horizon. As she finally leaves us behind the sky darkens. Walking through the deep black of a winter night you can’t help but notice the stars. They seem to shine a bit brighter this time of year.

The big dipper frames the east sky as I look up.  

Thank you bench,
SARAH

....the windows

Yogis,
Our great room faces the back yard and is lined with windows.  I always think of these as both my artwork and movie screen.

I often walk to the windows and peek out to see what’s going on. Much of the year there is plenty going on. Birds arguing over who gets to nest in the house attached to the garage. Sparrows standing on the edge of the birdbath fluffing their wet feathers. Squirrels chasing each other in circles and deer biting the buds off my black eyed susans.

The woods so dense with leaves you would never know anyone lives beyond. The garden glows with color. Butterflies float and bees take their work seriously. A flurry of activity.

Winter though, is different.

This morning as I sat at the table something caught my eye out the window. I turned in time to see a flash of red as our resident woodpecker flew through the yard. Landing he prepared for pecking. How could I not notice with a background that now contains only gray?

My windows offer a different glimpse this season. Winter, related to the element of earth, carries the energies of quiet and stillness. On most of my visits to the window there is nothing to see. Everything lies at rest. A hush.

Yet, what better time to notice.

The other day I was thinking of the fox when I looked out to see one walking the ridge. I could see him clearly in the distance. No brush or leaves obstructing my view. My gaze followed as he ambled through yards and into the woods. Stopping to smell. The black of his lower legs resembling boots.

Like the woodpecker, in any other season I probably wouldn’t have noticed.

This too is our time to get quiet and still. A pause. The quieter we are, the more we will notice. In our own lives, in our relationships and in the world around us.

The other seasons are the symphony. Each instrument playing its part in unison to surround us with song. Winter though, is the spotlight shined on the soloist. How we can appreciate the trumpet more. How the violin brings us to tears.

Noticing,
SARAH

....a word

Yogis,
Here we stand again. Feet on the starting line of a brand-new year. Didn’t we just do this? Staring into blank space ahead and being asked what it is we want. What do you want this year to look like. To feel like. What you want to create and what you want to walk away from.

As images begin to form, I find it can be quite helpful to frame it in a word. A word that when you think it or speak it aloud holds the energy of what you want the year to become.

I have been doing this for a while now…..and always invite you to join me. Naming a word of the year holds much more power than making resolutions. It states your intention yet gives plenty of space for twists and turns. Put it out there and then be flexible to where it takes you.

Two years ago, I chose responsibility. Wanting to be clear that I am part of the problem. No finger pointing at ‘they’ and making conscious changes to be part of the solution. It led to things like composting and being a bit more open to hearing other points of view. Last year I chose beauty. Giving attention to the beauty that always sits close. The beauty of the vase of flowers on my table as much as the beauty of a rainy day.  

This year the word that came to me was ‘simple.’

Our world has become complicated. Life has become complicated. I hear myself bemoaning the fact too often these days. But has it really? Do the fox in my yard see life becoming more complicated? Does the sun notice? I realized the world hasn’t changed. It is only us. Adding layer upon layer to life, which itself is fairly simple.

I intend to see how I can be more simple. Live more simply. Even writing that feels like a big step.

Once you have a word it is good to look up definitions. Simple: Easily understood or done. Basic or uncomplicated in nature or design. Used to convey that something is straightforward. Post your word where you see it often or use it on a regular basis to make it part of daily life. If you get my notes via email you saw that my final picture almost always had a caption of ‘beauty is everywhere’ this year. Reminding myself.

What is your word of the year? Let it rise naturally as it will be your partner for 365 days.

Simply,
SARAH