Lightness

It’s hard after Thanksgiving to feel light. The bountiful food and drink. The rich desserts and snacks…leave us feeling quite heavy and full.

At the same time, there is a feeling of lightness that comes from being with those we love. Celebration and gratitude. A season of thankfulness and giving. We think more of those things in life that truly matter. Our troubles, our burdens and worries weigh a little less on our shoulders. It’s whats in our hearts that lift us up. All is well. Our spirits are replenished with the gifts of love and light.

I love the light. The light that is around us and the light that is within us. Light that is simple and complex at the same time.

Like a prism…reflecting color from a single beam of light…bending and spreading moving outward

Much like the lightness of our souls. Reaching out to those around us. Light that embraces and soothes…

Enriching our days and brightening our nights.

Its brilliance dazzling and multifaceted

The lightness of love, around us and within us…

Keeping it Simple

It really is as simple as this…

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The Smell of Snow

It’s coming. It’s only a matter of time now. There are hints of it everyday. There is something in the air that means only one thing.

After living in Vermont for almost 40 years…I know.

The first snow is coming…soon.

I can smell it.

It isn’t something I can describe. There is no aroma or fragrance or odor. Nothing so obvious.  But my nose detects it.

And my body and heart now need to embrace it. It’s winter. A snowy one predicted. I must prepare myself…emotionally and mentally for this shift.

So I spent some time reminiscing as I looked through my photos. Hoping to find that spark, that joy of photography in the depth of winter.

Perhaps these will help…

Or these…

Or this…

The first snow is coming. My camera is ready. And so am I.

Quarries Revisited

I have a thing for quarries.

The geology fascinates me

The glimpse into how quarrying is and was done is fascinating

The rocks and the water and how the land is shaped by quarries is fascinating

Discovering abandoned quarries…is not only fascinating but exciting. I feel like an archeologist. Digging into the past; learning, investigating, questioning, exploring and enjoying

Last Sunday was a cold and dreary day. But I so badly needed my quarry fix. When I pulled into the parking lot for the trails…there was a sign.

Closed for hunting season.

So I got back in the car and drove. Not knowing where to go. But knowing I needed to find some place to hike and explore…

And I saw another sign…this one made of granite

Wow

I had driven by here before but never saw this sign. I had stopped at this quarry before but never really explored.

And so I explored.

Old foot trails and snowmobile trails. Near the road and houses so no hunters.

And I discovered the past…

The scarred and fragmented rocks

The turquoise waters created by the minerals from the quarrying…

Tools from a distant time left to become part of the land…

Buildings, eerily quiet and in ruin, where workers once toiled…

Machinery, slowly rusting…it’s patina beautiful and a reminder of the creative and inventive spirit of man…

Quarries. This area once a thriving granite industry. Its illustrious past left exposed for us in the present…and in the future.

Stopping by Woods

“The woods are lovely dark and deep but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep…”

How I love Robert Frost!

This poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is one of my favorites. Many times I have found myself in snowy woods thinking of the words to this poem.

And many times there has been no snow, just woods.

The woods are tranquil and serene…so I do like to linger. But too often I need to hurry back, before dark, to take care of my promises.

There are times though…when lingering is allowed. When there is nothing pressing…no rush to get back…and I can be entranced by the woods. When I can explore and look more closely at the trees around me and be amazed…

Soon enough the woods will fill up with snow. And I will stop.

Defining Tracy

I am not special. I think that we all go through periods in our lives where we find ourselves re-defining who we are and what our purpose is.

This time of introspection comes from many sources. It may be a death or tragedy,  a divorce, a midlife crisis, an empty nest or other major change in our life. One that causes us to pause, think, readjust and grow.

It can be scary. As if the very ground once so firm has disappeared. You are free floating. And not sure where you will land.

Yet I have been down this well worn road many times. It is the road of life.

We use many words to describe who we are:

mother, teacher, friend, lover, sister, daughter, aunt…

Yet I am more than just those words.

I am me.

It is these times in life when we look a little deeper. I am me. But who am I really?

And our words to describe ourselves go deeper:

Giving, kind, compassionate, spiritual, thoughtful, tender, reflective, introvert, learner, dreamer, passionate, explorer, sweet, funny, smart, free spirit…

And there are also the words we use to describe what we don’t like…and what we want to change….

The not so nice words…

Stubborn, procrastinating, selfish, anxious, lazy, passive, jealous, fearful, superficial…

This process of redefining is about looking at the whole picture, not just the pretty parts. It is about changing. Changing and growing and being the best person we can be.

We need these times in our lives. To adjust our sails and go in the direction of inner peace, happiness and serenity. Each time we get a little closer…

Who am I? I am Tracy. A work in progress.

November Beauty

November is one of those months. The once colorful leaves now brown and crisp, the skies more gray than blue, brisk and foreboding northern winds, less sunlight…more darkness

A barren time of year.

Bleak.

A word that often describes the month of November.

Even poets write wistfully about November…

Yea, I have looked, and seen November there;
The changeless seal of change it seemed to be,
Fair death of things that, living once, were fair;
Bright sign of loneliness too great for me,
Strange image of the dread eternity,
In whose void patience how can these have part,
These outstretched feverish hands, this restless heart?

– William Morris

Here in Vermont, it is a month to endure. A month of preparation, battening down the hatches so to speak. The weather unpredictable, the cold and damp giving us a taste of things to come…

Yet…somehow our spirit perseveres. Perhaps it is the thought of upcoming celebrations. Or the excitement of knowing the first snow is coming. Or cherishing those gifts of infrequent sunny days, and remembering there is so much to be thankful for.

 We turn inward as the world outside hunkers down for winter. It is a time for reflection and hibernation…

I am determined to find and experience the un-bleakness of November…or to celebrate the beauty of bleakness. Because if you look hard enough…and close enough, it’s there.

Under my feet…

In the meadows…

On frosty mornings…

In the woods…

Above me…

That invincible summer that Albert Camus speaks of is within us all. Our human spirit that allows us, in the midst of bleakness, to find November beauty.

To The Sea

We are lucky to live where we do. In just a few short hours we can be at the ocean. I have needed to see the ocean. Badly. One more time before winter sets in…

I checked the weather. Maine was forecast to be sunny with temperatures in the 60’s for Saturday. Perfect!

These are those moments in life…where you just say “Let’s go”. And go we did. Leaving early in the morning. Grabbing gas and snacks for the road.

Even though I was so happy to be seeing my beloved ocean…I was excited about the journey there as well.  And we only knew our destination was the sea. No specific town…just the ocean.

No Interstate for us. The GPS gives its fastest routes. But I prefer the slower road. The one less traveled because I want to savor every moment.

Stopping along the way when some thing or some place catches my eye…

We get closer and closer. The windows are open…what a gorgeous day. The air is warm and the aroma of the sea finds its way in.

And then we are there. At one of my favorite beaches…

It’s been so long. Too long. Life busy with everyday responsibilities. But not today. I take off my flip flops so I can feel the sand between my toes.

My heart wide open and bursting with joy. My happy place. The place where I feel most serene and at peace…

The sun is so warm. The sound of the waves lulls and soothes my soul…I could stay here forever…listening, watching, feeling…

The journey continues though. I want to fill up with all that I can. Down the coast we go.

The sun begins to set…the colors are majestic. This place has worked its magic once again.

I’m not sure my love for the ocean can ever be sated completely. Maybe one day I’ll live by the coast…but for now it’s to the sea I go…every chance I get.