Peace and Wild Things

My friend Sandy Grobelny is an extraordinary nature photographer. She has such sensitivity for her environment and I think it's her ability to be deeply present that enables her to capture such striking images.

I enjoy her photos on Facebook, where she shares the beautiful images that emerge as she simply lives her life.

Today, as I was relaxing after a day that was hijacked by an anesthesia hangover from a dental procedure this morning, I found my inner critic busy at work. Giving me a hard time for not being able to manage my day well after the unexpected reaction to the anesthesia. I picked up my phone to escape the relentless battering of my mind and saw this image with these words...

Oh what a peaceful lunch we had at the lake. This fella stayed with us, teaching us to just float around and relax. What a gift!








These were exactly the healing words and image I needed in the moment. The time-out from my own unhelpful thoughts that pulled me back from the edge of unpleasantness. We never know when what we say or what we do, what we put out into the world, will become a moment of healing for someone else. The path forward is to live authentically as ourselves. That authenticity includes both moments of struggle and vulnerability and moments of peace and clarity. Moments of struggle and vulnerability can lead to insights and awareness that, when shared, help others in similar circumstances. Perhaps to feel seen, heard, and not judged, perhaps something else that is needful. Moments of peace and clarity, when shared, can become lifelines in others' times of struggle.

It takes just a moment to transform something. To spark a new reaction, a new relationship, a new thought, a new emotion, a new way of being. 






The Great Summer Writing Retreat of 2019 begins. One hundred days of writing unedited ideas and following a prompt to its sometimes illogical conclusion.