We're OFF!

Can you see me? Just there behind the wheel? Well, not YET, but by Friday that will be me! Tomorrow we'll be on our way to Tortoal, BVI for a week of sailing on a sailboat Just Like This! We'll be bareboating, which means we rent the boat but sail it ourselves.

This is one of our steps in our choice to spend an extended period of time living on boat (months, years?) I figured that if I am going to sell my house, leave behind my practice and live a nomad's life aboard a sailboat, I'd better see if I actually like spending my nights at sea (or at least at anchor in a sheltered cove of a Caribbean island).

I hope to take a lot of pictures, but won't be able to post until I return. I tried to obtain a waterproof, clear bag so I could take underwater photos. Unfortunately, the "large" waterproof bag I ordered which purported to be big enough to fit a 35mm camera - isn't. So, perhaps I'll pick up a disposable underwater camera while there.

Yet, there should be a lot of above water shots from our kayak or hiking jaunts. Wow - This is going to be so cool!

I hope everyone has a very good week.

Coyote

Photo by Greg Cope (Flickr)

On our walk the other morning, I came across a fellow like the one above, a coyote. He or she was just trotting along, perpendicular to our path. It did not notice the dogs, and the dogs did not notice it. Then it noticed us, started off for a few yards, and then sat down to watch, just like above.

It can be such a startling, yet moving experience to see wildlife like that. We who live here know that coyotes live around here - a lot of animals live around here, and walk through our yards at night. Yet they are rarely seen. Mysterious, magical. But, this time, I got to see one.

More Beauty

These are some of the wonders in my yard, That gave rise yesterday to my teary sense that the beauty that surrounds me is so strong that feel I could burst. Not that it's all about flowers - not at all. It's about the vibrancy of life, its fragility, its impermanence. But, this place....

There's so much Beauty

These days here are so beautiful, it is almost painful. Everything is so green and lush and full. Flowers are everywhere, light fills the day for so many hours, birds never stop signing. The blue of the sky is vibrant. Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds. The Canada Geese on the pond I see every day on the way to work trail their fluffy ducklings along behind as they waddle. Everyday I try to hold on so tight. It hurts.

Yet, I am reminded of the closing lines from the movie, American Beauty. "It's hard to stay mad, when there is so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I am seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that is about to burst." (I am not yet able to let it go and let it flow through me - next lines.) As I listen to this movie clip now, tears are in my eyes.

Though this photo was taken a month ago, this is another place that usually makes me feel that wash-over-your-body sense of the world being so beautiful. (Where are the flowers you say? They are in my yard!) This is a view from our town's public library looking out over althletic fields. The town purchased this farmland a dozen years ago or so, and built a beautiful, Adirondack style library looking over these fields, facing West to the sunset. I have spent many happy late afternoons watching my children play soccer and the setting sun.

You may be saying, well, in the world's scheme of beautiful places, this is far from outstanding. I know, and agree. It's just a place the somehow makes me swell with that feeling, even though it is not spectacular. Maybe because it is simpler than spectacular. Maybe because it is just a place in my town, just a place to pick up and drop off library books, swoosh down slides with my granddaughter, watch kids playing their games. Maybe it is the expanse of sky.

This screened porch of the library has rockers facing the same view. And this gorgeous barn is to the side. And on the other side of the barn, a playground which is now a favorite for my granddaughter when she comes to visit in the warmer months.

This life...our lives...our children...our grandchildren. It's so beautiful, it's too much.

Thoughts for Others

My assistant's husband had a major heart attack last night. She said that the doctors said that if he had waited a second longer to call 911, he would have died. And, as it is, he had immediate surgery and is not safe yet. He is 45. My thoughts and prayers are with them both.

Strength of Women

I’ve been considering what it means to have strength as a woman. Obviously, I believe that there is a particular strength that women have. Yet, the (now) old fashioned theme of feminism from the 60’s and 70’s has become a relic of an older generation (yes, mine). “I am woman, hear me roar” is just so… unnecessarily zealous, it defeats its purpose. When you possess real power or strength, you do not need to proclaim it so loudly. And if you do, the strident proclamation belies itself. Expression of strength lies in the strength itself. One should not talk about being capable: be capable. One should not talk about being independent: be independent. One should not talk about being a leader: lead. I recently saw an example of my idea of the expression of strength in women. Time Magazine recently named is 100 of the world’s most influential people. One of them was France’s Finance Minister, Christine Lagarde. Her write up is by the US Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner. He wrote: “As president of the New York Fed and as Treasury Secretary, I’ve met Largarde a number of times. In each encounter, her lightning-quick wit, genuine warmth and ability to bridge divides while remaining fiercely loyalty to French Interests have been a source of admiration.” I also saw Lagarde on The Daily Show during the weeks after President Obama’s inauguration when the world’s financial markets were near collapse. She graced the screen with such calm reassurance and intelligence, I thought then that she was the epitome of the strength of women. Watching her one could believe that the all those gigantic and risky financial decisions were being made by people who knew what they were doing and would carry the world through to safety. Watching her one could feel that women can have that greatness about them formerly only felt about men.