Light and Shadows

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

 ~ Maya Angelou in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The dance of light and shadow happens in ALL our lives. 

Light illuminates and shadows define.

Together they tell a great story.

I’ve learnt not to question the shadows of the past and not to apportion blame.  

Only idiots drive forward whilst looking in the rearview mirror.

We each  have our own story to tell. 

Mine’s in the present.

And I choose for it to be happy.

Friends and family add to that happiness.

They understand the peculiarities of the person I am and aren’t fazed by it.

Well.

Most of the time they’re not.

Some of the wackiest of individuals are in my corner, 

braving the wild waters with me.

They add their own brand of humour and craziness to the world we inhabit.

Their kaleidoscope swirling in unison with mine.

Both illuminating AND defining it.

This is a good thing.

They lift me up when I’m down.

Give me wings when I struggle to fly

and kick my backside when all else fails.

I find Christmas a difficult time of the year.

Chock full of light and shadows of Christmas past.

As I navigate the treacherous waters this month brings

there’s an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Gratitude for the steps taken.

Gratitude for the lessons learnt

and gratitude for the those glorious souls 

who illuminate and define my every day.

It’s a cheerful thought indeed!

“I prefer the company of happy people who are believers in magic

... and of magical people who are believers in happy.”

~ courtesy of the Wild Woman Sisterhood

A contrary life.

“Your every move ripples across humanity to places, 

people and souls you don’t consciously know of.” 

~ Mike Dooley

There are no guarantees in life.

No piece of paper stating that life will remain as you know it.

It’s complex.

Complicated.

Changeable.

.... understatement!

Contradictions abound.

It can be just as brutally bitter 

as it is breathtakingly beautiful.

Tranquil and calm or ferocious and turbulent.

Every new day is an opportunity to make sense of the contradictions.

As the warmth of the sun beats down on my skin

and the wind whispers sweet nothings in my ear,

I’m here.

Breathing in the magic.

All the contradictions and confusions of life are a heartbeat away.

This moment.

Right now.

Is the only place to be.

Time is unconditional.

It marches on and the moment passes.

The magic remains.

My morning rambles are full of these moments.

Alone time for the hound and I.

A one on one commune with nature.

An active surrender to life.

As we tramp along boardwalks and pathways,

navigate slopes and stairs,

waves and sand

a stillness descends.

The dawn chorus is still singing.

The waves are still rolling up the sand.

The hum of human activity continues unabated.

I don’t hear it though.

The pieces of the puzzle that is me are gently being restored to some order.

“Be everything you are.  It’s divine.”

~ Sarah L Harvey

Squat and squirt.

Close up of the clouds lit up by the rising sun

Marking my territory.

The oldest lemming has come up with a theory.  

He believes my taking of photographs can be compared to a hound marking it’s territory.   

I think it’s a DREADFUL analagy but he’s sticking to his guns.

He believes that my frequent but erratic stops to point the lens in any direction but my own,

are akin to a hound squatting or lifting it’s leg.  

How absurd.

Without my frequent but erratic pauses there’d be no sunrise moments like this one.

Pointing the lens has it’s merits.

He got me thinking though.

That’s NOT always a good thing.

It necessitates a use, or possible OVER-use of WORDS.

 I’d always assumed that the marking of territory was more a male dominated activity.

But it isn’t.  My research proved me wrong.  

In fact, reality proved me wrong too.

The hound is a past master at the squat and squirt phenomena.

She has it down pat.

Sniff, sniff, squat, squirt.

Repeat ... ad nauseum

When I’m in a hurry to get to the viewsite these frequent squats and squirts can be 

immensely frustrating.  

She isn’t impressed when I try and hurry her along.

The hounds of the male persuasion are very quick to lift and liberally 

dribble over all and ANY scent she might have left behind.

Yes ... I was telling them to give over on the barking!

I’ve always thought it was about domination but research has shown that it’s 

not ONLY about who’s top dog and who’s not. 

Don't know what his name was but he was GORGEOUS!

It’s more about information gathering.

WHO and WHAT has been WHERE.

Scent marking is the kind of signal that can be investigated from a distance without paw to paw confrontation.

Flossie, who won't come out of the water for anyone

Of course it doesn’t stop dominant hounds from acting like energiser bunnies in a dog park.

Naptime buddies

BUT ... do we as humans do it too?  Mark our territory I mean.

This evening's sunset from the yacht club

We don’t squat and squirt like the hound does but we do, 

both consciously and sub-consciously, mark what we perceive to be ours.

The houses we build, the walls we erect around them.  

The invisible walls we erect around ourselves.  

The eye contact we make, or don’t.  

The way we walk.  

The way we talk.  

The way we behave around those we have an attachment to.

Wether it be with awareness or not, we humans DEFINITELY mark our territory!

I still DISAGREE with the oldest lemming’s theory though.

“You have got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was” 

(An Old Irish Proverb)

This chap was so pleased with his catch ... dinner tonight!