While I’m not one to regularly watch the Olympics, I would not be averse to watching any of their Equestrian events. Any of the Hunter/Jumper type events are always successful in getting my heart rate beating faster! If you’ve never cleared a bale of hay, astride your favorite horse, you haven’t lived!
I was riding horses before I left diapers, beginning as only a chubby little passenger. By the time I was 18, I could barrel race, jump and vault off a horses back! My spine is the truthteller, of how hard I rode and played upon the back of those enormous creatures. Spinal surgery in my mid 20’s ended my days of wild adventures. I now placate myself with watching others do what I too, once did! It’s enough, for me, to keep the memories of those riding days fresh in my mind.
I’ve enjoyed watching some of the ice skating, and some of the other winter sporting events, but not enough to write home about!
As I find myself walking along this river nearly every day, I couldn’t ask for a better landscape to travel through! The sights, sounds, and smells of the forest are such a gift, and I realize that not too many folks have the opportunity to spend this much time enjoying it. Too easily, I can find myself taking a thing for granted! I am often a creature of habit, settling into a thing that brings joy, to the point of just assuming it’ll faithfully be there to service my needs. Often writing about a thing, affords me the opportunity to remember how much value a thing can hold, if that makes any sense.
For some, living a busy life can bring with it the challenge of finding the time to rest, relax and/or play. For those who live more of a solitary existence, whether it be from circumstance or by choice, they face the challenge of keeping themselves busy enough to stay motivated. It is very easy for me to fall into the temptation of complacency; getting too comfortable in my spot, as I call it! I am a creature of habit, burrowing into a safe and comfortable place of existence and losing sight of things outside my view. At times I find myself more concerned with the steady routine of walking, than with the environment that is bringing me such fulfillment. Being a good writer requires that we keep a balance, of sorts, in how much time we spend going deeply inward, to focus on a subject. If one doesn’t come up for air, once in a while, we risk drowning in our own words!
I’ve a renewed desire to pursue and appreciate the world around me, even if it’s only in my local park or along my favorite riverside path. I’d like to take more pictures and videos of the things that bring me so much peace and tranquility, sharing them with the people I love; that’s you, by the way!
I have to say that this last weekend was an incredibly fulfilling experience for me, as I’ve been trying to seek God’s will and purpose in my life. Attempting to edit my book with integrity has been daunting, to say the least! I discovered that I’d been seeking my comfort zone, or my spot, in how I’d been shaping my work. I was asking God to guide me, but would still continue in my own direction of how I thought it should play out. I found myself stuck in only the third chapter, for nearly a month now. It wasn’t until I was walking along the river on Sunday, that I heard God call me out on it! He is so loving when He does so, I must say, and I heard Him loud and clear! Since then, editing has taken off and the book is falling together nicely.
The biggest issue I’ve been having, while editing this story, has been my concern with how much information is too much! I’ve got so many things to put in there, but not all of it belongs. If you get me started, I can talk or write for days on a thing, but that doesn’t mean it will all make sense or hold the value I think it might. When God tells me that a thing doesn’t belong, I’m finally learning to listen and not give Him a childish sales pitch, about what I think is best! Can you believe that I’ve actually been trying to do that? God knows my story better than I do, but I was actually trying to write it the way I wanted, not how it needs to be written. My story is supposed to bring love, healing and encouragement to others, so God is the only one who understands how it needs to be shared. By the time I’m done with the edit, I’m confident that it will be as God directed. Otherwise, it can just sit on the shelf! It wouldn’t be any good to anyone if I simply do it my way, as I’ve no idea what exactly is in my story that God wants to use, nor do I know who it’s intended for… that wasn’t part of the bargain!
My goals are to work the edit, one day at a time, til it’s done! From there, it belongs to God, along with whomever it’s intended to reach. I’m considering just releasing it live, in the lobby, once it’s complete. At this point, only God knows!
As writing is what I do, there are many different directions that I can take, in an effort to bring you more encouragement and love. Having so many choices can often be more of a hinderance than a help, so I thought I’d ask you guys and gals.
I know I don’t do politics, drama, or doom and gloom, but outside of that, I’m open to suggestions from my community. What would you enjoy reading more often? I could take more pictures of my trail walks, tell more of the antics going on in the Barnyard, or maybe do another Live Novel. I write so much already, I sometimes wonder if you get worn out, while trying to keep up with it all.
You are my community, like it or not, so if I can improve anyone’s life by writing things down here, I wish to make the utmost effort! All that I offer here should be positive, loving, and edifying; bringing good to those who read the words on the screen in front of them.
To assist in your selection of what to choose, I’ve offered some ideas:
A.) Fun
B.) Biblical History
C.) Antics
D.) My Journey
I’ve left some cookies below, so don’t eat the ones on the ground above… they’ve been sitting there for too long!
My husband suggested I start calling myself Wiwohka The Woodsy Wordpecker… and I like it… a lot!
Since Wednesday is being used for wordy things, I felt it a perfect fit, so I’ll be using that label, starting next week. If nothing else, it’ll be funny!
Today, I shall be pecking at you with some woodsy words of wisdom:
Yes, when a tree falls in the forest, it does in fact make noise! If a bear is pooping in the woods and you can hear it, you are way too close to the bear… you’re welcome!
I’m not sure which one goes before the other, adapting or surviving? Can one even allow those two things to exist in the same plane of thought?
When I think on all that went life interruptus, from the moment of the shut down, there isn’t a whole lot of adapting that went on. We lost our livelihood, our nest egg and our home, along with everything we could not carry, as the Sherriff stood at our door with an eviction notice!
Currently, we still exist within a 32 foot RV that has no working toilet or hot water. Again, is it adapting or surviving?
It’s difficult to assess whether there is much adapting mixed in with all the fear, distrust and hiding that continues to occur these days. I suppose the answer depends on how a person experienced things. Some got sick, while some died, and from this arose such a level of ugliness among humans toward one another… fear, distrust and outright hatred. Somehow, surviving in the wilderness, seems a safer bet than trying to adapt to such an unhappy society. If you are someone who experienced loss of any kind, due to Covid, using the word adapting seems almost like adding insult to injury!
I think that the word adapting seems far from fitting! I can thing of a number of other words to describe how people have handled Covid, like overcoming or healing, or even recovering. Has the world adapted yet, or does survival still seem like a better word?
Spring is in the air, from the sunshine to the smell of fresh cut grass. If one doesn’t watch out, they end up with Spring Fever!
I’ve got it bad!
I’m trying so hard to focus on writing, long enough to justify some free play time outside. It’s unbelievably distracting to have the blinds open, as my eyes keep wandering to the window instead of the computer screen. I can’t help it! Of late, I’ve been thinking about finishing the last part of my Acorn Valley series. I’m assuming it has a lot to do with all the young fat squirrels scampering about the park.
Just the other day, as I was walking along the path in my nearby park, a bold young squirrel began following along, looking for a peanut. As I reached into my pocket for his treat, I inadvertently spilled several peanuts onto the ground in front of him. You should have seen this little guy trying to carry three peanuts at once! He was tripping, and dropping them repeatedly, but not about to return any of his bootie! I had to just stand there watching him carry them off to his hidey-hole, giggling to myself the whole time. In truth, he reminded me of that squirrel from the movie, “Over The Hedge.”
Anyway, it’s not just the squirrels that are pulling at my attentions. Beside my trail along the river, the water is still rather high on its banks, offering up the sounds of water tumbling over boulders, as its carries on downstream. It’s rather intoxicating! I find myself daydreaming about this, instead of working on projects that call.
Well, there’s only one thing to do for this fever, and that’s to get out there and breath the fresh air. If I’m to break this fever without any medication, I must engage in full on frolicking and picture taking. The photos are actually just a way to prove that I frolicked. I don’t want you to think I’m making this stuff up. Spring Fever is real folks!
If you are having any symptoms that are similar to the ones I described, you too may be suffering from this fever. Just follow my instructions and get your frolic on, as fast as you can. Trust in the process and it’ll bring you much pleasure and relief from any pesky symptoms.
Let’s face it! None of us jumps out of bed with bells and whistles on, at least no one that I’m familiar with! My first hour of the day is usually a whole lot of stumbling, mumbling, and groaning. I’m not normally able to bring my brain onboard til after my first cup of coffee.
There you have it folks, hot off the press! She drinks coffee for the first hour of her day! I do have one morning ritual that supersedes all other actions and/or behaviors. When I first rouse from sleep, I lay in the darkness praying for a few moments. While I’m drinking that cup of coffee for the first hour of my day, I am studying within the word of God. Without reading and praying first, the rest of my day seems worthless and dull.
I get to answer this way, because the prompt asked, so sharing about my time with God was not unsolicited.
While I tried to encourage my AI picture generator to give me a half eaten chocolate bunny, all that I received was pictures of either a plain uneaten bunny, or this actual bunny with some chewed on chocolates. So far, AI has not reflected a great amount of intelligence, as it cannot seem to understand 3rd grade English!
Anyways, I’d wanted to give some lighthearted post Easter silliness, but now I just want to find some chocolate to put in my coffee. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, as it was absolutely beautiful in my neck of the woods.
I took wonderful walks along the river, as well as, through my local park… both Saturday and Sunday. There were loads of people out and about, picnicking and searching for paper bunnies with their children. Some organization or other, had placed hidden bunnies all over the park, to be found and photographed… though I’m not sure what the outcome or reward was. It was rather adorable to watch the little ones squeal with delight each time a bunny was discovered.
In the past, I remember the many egg hunts and holiday celebrations spent with my small ones, but I’m well beyond those years now, so I take pleasure in watching the young families that are just starting their journeys of memory making.
This year I did something different than I’ve done before, spending my weekend in solitude, as far as other human beings are concerned. I simply chose to spend this Easter in prayer and study. It was fantastic! Instead of just reading a portion of the story within one of the gospels, I read all 4 gospels. Well, not the whole of all the books, rather, I read from the time of Judas betrayal through to the end of each book. This ended up being so fulfilling, I will say that I’ve not felt this much connection to Jesus love, in all my Easters past! If you’ve never tried doing this style of scripture reading, I would highly recommend it! Reading through all four perspectives of the same event, was very edifying.
I’m feeling so blessed and loved this morning, I found that I had no other messages worthy of blah blah blah ing about… Jesus is enough!
The weather is still gorgeous out, therefore, I shall leave you with a gentle smile, to once again head for the river. I can hear the gurgling and babbling of the river calling to me now, as it carries on its way toward the sea. Too bad they haven’t invented special hats that fold out Vitamin D collecting panels, allowing us to soak up as much goodness as we can while the sun’s out! Though I could probably walk naked, without anyone taking notice, I’m not willing to risk the fallout if I’m mistaken. Trust me, you don’t want that all over the evening news!
It’s Easter Sunday, so I’ll only be stopping by this daily prompt for a moment. In answer to the question, I believe that choices are what make humans unique! We’re all created by God’s design, to reflect His image, lovingly formed by His very own hands! From there, our choices are what shape us into the person we become.
This bible verse came to mind, when I was looking at the prompt question, so I decided to share! Have a blessed Easter Sunday!
However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” — but God has revealed it to us by His spirit.
The spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the spirit of God. We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 1 Corinthians 2: 9-13
Journey With Me! 