Some random shots from our latest outdoor adventures and a song that fits the mood. “ On Our Way” by The Perennials. Gorgeous tune. Happy Monday. 💕
Tag: photography
If I Could
If I could, I would shield you from your own sorrows. From phones that don’t ring, the 7 AM alarm clock, missing the train, fair-weather friends, the frayed ends of the welcome mat.
I would protect you from backaches and headaches, and unnecessary tirades, the losing team. Mostly, I would shelter you from false hope, people with an agenda to harm, and those wildflowers meant only to disarm.
I would encourage you to take ferries and planes, and leave the ink revised map at home, to become a mid spring season, dandelions covered, savor the sunshine, take risk. Breathe.
Remember the music of your soul. Listen to your heart’s sway. I would implore you to make love, make art, and to praise the song and rhythm your body prays.
-Tosha Michelle
Let It Be.
Happy Monday, y’all. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. On Saturday we attended a wedding of a friend. It was a beautiful ceremony.
Sunday we went hiking.
Today, I’m in a musical mood. When am I not, right? Here’s one of my all time favorite songs. Listening to it always makes me feel peaceful and brings tears to my eyes. It speaks to my soul every time.
“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be”
Key, Pearl. Wisdom
We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are.
Max DePree
Sonny Corleone?
Hello wonderful ones. Happy Tuesday. Last week we took one of our mini vacation to the mountains of Helen GA and had the best time. Photos below. Wonderful little town. I imagine it’s particularly lovely in the fall. Perhaps, another trip is in order at a cooler date. 😜
As an aside the Mister, (who’s much more hip and knowledgeable when it comes to films than yours unruly) got me hooked on CNN’s “The Movies”. Note, he’ll never convince me that “The Godfather” isn’t overhyped, but I digress. Each episode of the documentary covers a different decade of films (with people like Tom Hanks, Robert Redford, Steven Spielberg, and various other esteem actors, directors, and filmmakers) sharing anecdotes and their insights into movies that defined each decade. It’s well worth a look.
The Wingspan of History
Years later if you do find yourself
giving into nostalgia’s fancy, flight
and all. Do not lament the departed
back or the wingspan of history,
the lost of what was.
Remember my dear, the albatross
left its shell long ago,
only the scent of sea water lingers.
If you must soar back into the past,
take solace in those bygones
summers, magnetic in their reticent sweetness of air. Recall the pleasure
of moonlight and innocence. Be
grateful for every hour spent, lessons
learned by the skin of heart.
Do not think of how the storm came,
or the way the Earth bent and folded,
instead give yourself to sentimentality
of summer’s rain soaked showers.
Once you’re throughly drenched,
feel your feet slowly touch the
earth again.Watch as the past drifts
and wafts away.
My how it shimmers in the distance,
riding on the whims of the sky.
The warm updraft feels nice for a
moment but not as lovely as the pull of the ground and the beauty of now.
-Tosha Michelle
The Power of Femininity and Tay.
I wonder if anyone but me realizes what goes on in that head back of your deceptively sweet face.
-Margaret Mitchell
Taylor Swift time. Loving her latest song
“I’ve been the archer, I’ve been the prey
Who could ever leave me, darling
But who could stay?”
Let’s talk about adversity. Getting personal. (long)
Let me tell you about trials and tribulations. This girl has been through some things. I’ve developed a few annoying habits because of said things, but talking about myself in the third person shouldn’t become one of them. 😜 Here’s a bit of my adversity story. We all have them.
Just like everyone, I’ve had my fair share of adversity. I was born premature and due to complications this caused irreparable damage to my optic nerve. Translation, my eyesight is beyond screwed. I’m legally blind and as a child, I struggled with epilepsy and a condition called Chorea. On top of that, I was a shy kid who was overly emotional and cried a lot. It made me a great target for bullying. Thankfully, I came into my own during my university years. As an adult, I’ve battled depression and anxiety. The latter has been debilitating on occasion, but these days, I’m more equipped to survive. My emotional fortitude has grown stronger with each trial. I’m blessed with a wonderful support system. More on them later, but these people make all the difference.
Adversity has been a wonderful teacher. It has taught me to believe in myself, to fear change less, and to step out of my comfort zone. I never want to become stagnant, constantly stuck in a quagmire of my own making. I always want to have something new to share, to never stop evolving as a person. There’s been times when I wanted to let my disabilities, or past hurts hold me back, but I’ve always persevered. Partly, because I’ve realized that coping means looking beyond my own worries, and concentrating on helping people with problems much greater than my own. The world is so much bigger than our own issues. Focusing on helping others is a great way to get out of our heads and be productive. It also makes one less of a selfish, self obsessed Mofo. Ha! Trisha Paytas, I’m looking at you.
Despite limitations and setbacks, I’ve written two books (with another on the way). I’ve got a Masters degree in Criminology, and research work that keeps me busy. I have a partner who loves me, and after a few uncertain years, a relationship that is thriving and stronger than ever. I am so grateful for his strength and spirit. He hit midlife crisis mode for a minute and we grew apart. It was a strange time for both of us, and could have ended in a few different ways. We honestly were on separate paths for awhile, but somehow managed to find our way back to the one we knew by heart. We married so young, just a couple of college kids, but thankfully, those two former kids are closer than ever now. He’s the responsible, go getting, charming, witty, loving man I met all those years ago, He makes me laugh, looks out for me, and puts up with all my quirks. We’re lucky to have each other. It’s wonderful to have someone to walk through life with, who will hold my hand during hard times.
We also have two amazing girls, (more young women now) not to mention, the best and brightest feline kind has to offer. Tucker says, “hi”. (Little Georgie could use your prayers, but that’s a story for another time). Just send out positive vibes into the universe for him, please) Very soon we will either be building or buying our fourth house together. Life truly is beautiful (even during trying times).
I’m grateful for the people who have come and gone, and the people who persist and remain. Each experience has taught me so much. I’m thankful for every moment, and each memory that has become a part of who I am, and who I will be. Sometimes unanswered prayers become our saving grace. If only we could see that in the moment, imagine how much suffering we could avoid. I really believe everything happens for a reason, (even the things that almost break you) that every journey takes us where we’re suppose to be. I’m thankful that every hurt (eventually) has brought about a renewal of spirit and desire to never repeat past mistakes. I’ll always miss and remember fondly those temporal people who helped me grow and shared their lives with me for a season. They were just what I needed for that moment and time. Lessons they taught me won’t be forgotten.
However, it’s the ones who are still here that get my unwavering affection and undying loyalty. I am a ride or die person, and I give my all to the people I love. My goal is to make their lives better and show up everyday. I try to put out sweetness and light, but some days it’s more snark and sassiness. marked by my homespun quirky awkwardness. I’m down with anyone who appreciate nerdy things, history, art, nature, music, antiques, traveling, Netflix, reading endlessly, the joys of being utterly silly, the comfort of yummy food, and talking about the most random things.
Having said all that, we’ve come to the purpose of this post. I know. I’m such a chatterbox on occasion. No! Really! 😜 I’d like to share some of my favorite quotes on adversity. I hope that if you’re struggling that these will lift you up. Sending lots of love to everyone. Thank you for reading. ❤️
“You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.”
“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”
“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
Move Along
Alive or Just Living?
Hey y’all. How’s it going, you beautiful creative people? These days things are always in motion here. It’s a wonderful change from the past few years where things were a bit stagnant. I wasn’t going forward and it was frustrating. Now it’s full steam ahead. Don’t you think we need to constantly be evolving and growing to find a measure of contentment in life? I think so and I’ve found my sweet spot. I’m not the same person I was a year ago, or even 6 months ago, I’m constantly learning and discovering new things about myself and the world at large. It’s nice to actually have things to talk about these days and not just sitting on the sidelines.
It’s been a time of reconnecting, reconciliation, and rebirth in my daily life, and disconnecting and unplugging from the virtual world. Let’s face it, no one is going to look back on their time on Earth and wished they’d tweeted more, or posted one more shot to Instagram. Life is beautiful, and is meant to be lived. One can’t do that if they’re forever standing still or always consumed with their next social media post.
I’m happy even on my anxiety filled, trying days. I’m a neurotic soul to be sure. Anxiety is a old foe of mine but resolve is a dear friend too, so it all works out eventually. It’s amazing how just changing your attitude and eliminating the negative thoughts can bring so much peace. These days there’s always a new adventure around the bend and the coolest people to share them with. It’s lovely to love and be loved. It doesn’t hurt that a certain someone likes to cook on the weekend now and even indulges my HGTV fetish. I never saw that coming in the 27 years I have known him. Ha! We’ve really stepped up our walking and traveling game, and are eating healthier too.
Anyway, speaking of adventures, we’ve set up an appointment with a builder to decide if we want to build our next home or go with a resale. Really excited to see how it all works out. I’ll keep you all in the loop. Also, we thoroughly enjoyed the film”Yesterday” I mentioned it in a post on the 4th. It’s a great date movie. I definitely recommend it.
The premise centers around Jack, a struggling musician who finds fame allusive, despite the encouragement and help of his childhood friend, Ellie. During a freak accident during a global blackout, he wakes up to a world where the Beatles never existed. It’s a mostly lighthearted film, but there is one particular scene that I found quite moving. I think people will either be really touched by it or really offended. I was in the first camp. Also, Spiderman Far From Home is a must see too. I think I’ve reached my movie quota for the year. Ha! More a Netflix girl. Stranger Things 3 anyone? As for books, still on a biography kick.
And now I give you Tucker, and some random photos from this week. Plus a song, always a song. 💕
Love. Love. Love
The love blog, soon we’ll be making another post. The love blog promises something for everyone or (whatever floats your “Love Boat”). Pretty sure only people of a certain age will get that dorky reference. Anyway, greetings y’all. How about some quotes on love to brighten our day? Happy 4th of July. We’re off to see the movie “Yesterday”. The reviews are fairly good so we’ll see. 💕 Here’s the trailer and then it about love.
“True love stories never have endings.”
-Richard Bach
“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.”
–Audrey Hepburn
If you keep giving up on people so quickly, you’re gonna miss out on something great.”
-Robin, from How I Met Your Mother
“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.”
–Maya Angelou
“Souls tend to go back to who feels like home.”
-N. R. Heart
“Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.”
–Anais Nin
“Happily ever after is not a fairytale, it’s a choice”
-Fawn Weaver
It was the time when they loved each other best, without hurry or excess, when both were most conscious of and grateful for their incredible victories over adversity. Life would still present them with other mortal trails, of course, but that no longer mattered: they were on the other shore.
