stronger in the showing up….
I keep showing up,
carving out the space and time
to rest my eyes on the sky
while the sun shimmers low on the horizon,
suspended like a breath,
then exhales into the night,
keep being wowed by how quickly it happens,
how easy to slip right by
if I just did this one more thing quick first;
like a whisper in a crowded room
I could miss it in the scurry
because life is sweeping past
and if you don’t kneel down and put your hand into the river
you may not recognize.
And I have sometimes drawn back from the living
because I feel so much,
sometimes feel it all too much,
and the pain can make me flinch and close down and curl up tight inside
for just a little while
and as I watch all these ordinary little whiles fill up
with so much that I wouldn’t want to miss,
bits I’ve mostly missed my whole life long,
it shakes me awake to the choices I hold
and as each evening I walk back to my car
rubbing the sunspots from my eyes so I can drive home,
I feel stronger in the showing up,
as if all of this light is infusing my choosing
as these days, they quickly go by.
“You can change or stay the same.
There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before.
I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
-Eric Roth,
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay
Beautiful. And the little moments are ones I cherish – because they are often (so often) the most important in my day and world.
Gorgeous photos, gorgeous post. Thank you.
You are so right Jennifer. I often think that whatever I said, did or seen a few minutes ago, it’s already passed so I better make the best of each precious moment as it passes by. Like most, I take time for granted and get frustrated that things are not going my way. To just savour the last sun ray of the day is a big act of gratefulness. Precious to the last ray.
I received your beautiful art giveaway today.I was late picking up the mail this week. It’s so beautiful. Thanks.
Big hugs for a nice week.
JB
A;ways enjoy stopping by and partaking in the beauty you have managed to capture with your camera lens. Heave a great week.
I felt the impact of your words right in my gut, with an oomph that felt like a soft blow. So glad you’ve been “showing up” for the beauty of sunset and all sorts of other discoveries. Your photography, your words and your closing quotation make this a post I will revisit again and again. xo
I come alive with the sunrise and look in awe at the sunset…it is those who have the resilience to start over if necessary that make the most of it…it takes strength and courage but it is so worth it.
I come alive with the sunrise and look in awe at the sunset…it is those who have the resilience to start over if necessary that make the most of it…it takes strength and courage but it is so worth it.
Stronger for the showing up. Isn’t that just the case… you are right — those sunsets go so very, very quickly. I’m glad you are taking the time to celebrate them. I am doing much the same!
Beautiful. Yes, the burden of feeling too much until it turns into its own kind of beauty when we do show up. Thank you for your comment on my blog, Jennifer. I’m so touched. I’ll be back here, have no fear.
Such beauty in your photographs. I am so grateful to you Jennifer for this. I love how you have shared that you sometimes draw back from the living, because you feel so much, feeling too much and how you curl up inside. I can certainly relate to those words. You have helped me see just how fast a moment in time goes by, and how it’s all in the choices that we make to live life more fully. Blessings! xo
Such beautiful images and wisdom in your thoughts. The golden hour lasts only moments and then it slips away.
Showing up for our own life…how many sunsets have we missed I wonder? Love your words, deep thoughts beautifully expressed.
oh boy..i think this may be my favorite poem yet…parts of it really speak to be about slipping away, showing up, etc…just beautiful Jennifer!!! i think i re-read it 4 times!!
I could miss it in the scurry
Yes. Yes. Sometimes I get caught in the scurry. Not just work and home, but fun activities and events. All can be scurry. I need more time to sit and breathe and be.
so glad you keep showing up (and sharing the beauty with us.) that first photo is so gorgeous in its golden-ness…
thanks, my friend, for the reminder!!!
These pictures are some of my favorites, so filled with peaceful beauty. I, too, am learning the lesson of DON’T try to fit in that “one more quick thing”—it never really fits, does it? Thank you again for sharing yourself here.
Oh how I love that quote!!! it’s never too late to begin! No matter what area in our life we are talking about. So thankful for that and for Y♥U, Jennifer.
Here is to making the “best of it” today!
Courageously,
Lee Ann
Jennifer honey your words always bring me such wisdom and joy. I don’t know of anyone who can put together words like you can and wake up our senses to what is going on around us. Your pictures are gorgeous too.
Love
Maggie