Friday 23 November 2012

Making Every Minute Count







I was taking photos a few weeks ago, to capture
the last flowers before the winter
when a butterfly
decided to enjoy them too!!





It made me think about 'savouring the moment.'

I don't know about you but I so enjoy the beauty around me and the simplest  flower
growing stuck in a corner
of a pile of rubble





can touch something deep inside me that demands
a response.....and a pause
in what I'm doing!

I am touched by its beauty and I take a photo
or two.......
I pause to enjoy the moment
and wonder what quirk of fate cause it to seed and grow in such an unwelcome place




Here's another that has just turned up
out of the blue !
I don't even know what it is!
(the yellow one above)





Others are ones that I have planted and I do
pause, frequently, to enjoy...
their colours and shapes




                    I'm not trying to be corny.....
                          but I am thinking
                 of all that is happening in my life     
                            and I wonder
if I am making the best of where I am at this moment

                      rather than worrying
    about what I have lost and what the future holds?!
                           .....and...yes... 
       I know it says something similar in the Bible!!





I so appreciate the loving and thoughtful
words that you have spent time
writing to me...




after my last post
and I hope to reply personally
to each one of you my dear friends!

It has made me think a lot and I realise that I need
to spend time just enjoying where I am
and what I have.





I don't mean that I/we shouldn't dream...
(I still need to learn how as.........
I seem to have forgotten!)





I remember well
watching my children...and, also now, grandchildren
hunkering down on their haunches
totally concentrating on watching an ant or....
some other bug




totally absorbed....
their whole world focussed on watching
whatever was happening
before them





I don't know about you..... but,
probably due to many responsibilities and 'things'
that are a source of worry and concern,
I feel that I have lost this ability!





William Henry Davies wrote

"What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows...."




I well remember.......
several years ago,
going for a walk with a friend.

We stopped,leaning on a gate, to enjoy the view.

There were cattle contentedly grazing
and a stream flowing slowly by....... while a tree
trailed its branches in the water
making little sparkles as the sun struck sparks
of light on the ripples
in the water.

Suddenly I realised that I was trying
to count the cattle!!

What a relief when I realised that.......
they were not my responsibility..
......they belonged to somebody else!!

I was free to relax and enjoy the scenery!

What am I trying to say?
Seeing the butterfly sipping the nectar from
 the flower...

Can I realise
what are my responsibilities
and what can I let go
so that I can
pause and take in the glory of the moment
and enjoy where I am

IN THIS PRESENT MOMENT!!





27 comments:

  1. Good morning from Canada it is 9.29 A.M as I write in your blog.

    I agree with you fully what you wrote. Making every minute count.

    Love your flowers. Beautiful, beautiful.

    How are you coming along ?

    You are in my thoughts often.

    God Bless!

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  2. What a beautiful post... both the photography and the words... hugs, Jill x

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  3. I somehow missed your last post Joan. It's a cliche' but life really is what happens to us while we're waiting for something else. That said everyone should have a dream, but sometimes small dreams suffice, and sometimes a dream is all it needs to be.

    If you hadn't quoted W.H. Davies poem I'd have quoted it to you ... and you have stopped and stared and isn't the world wonderful!

    Be well my friend x

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  4. Oh dear Joann, counting cows... the things we do. I hope with all my heart, you dream again. Sometimes, I feel with time flying, that I have little time left in life, so why bother to plan too far ahead....but that is not right, we should enjoy everyday to the fullest. When I was twenty, life was such a struggle, how did I ever live to this age? My life did seem to go fast. More so, since retiring. Spend time with friends and family. xoxo, Susie

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  5. Great post. I've been so worried about "what will happen and what has happened" that I forget to enjoy "what is happening." Wishing you a beautiful day!

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  6. Good Morning Pembrokeshire Lass . . .
    I love your "In the Moment" reflection . . . I needed it!
    (I think the yellow flower might be a Holly Hock.)
    Sending you hugs and love,
    Lynne

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  7. Lovely photos they are all so pretty.

    Wet and dreary here, hope it is nicer for you.

    Have a good weekend

    Fiona

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  8. Oh Joan I think you got t:)
    Life is the NOW not all about before or after we must enjoy the NOW.
    I love your photos and the random beauty popping up for your eyes to enjoy. That is what makes things so special in our world, we have to notice all those little things and rejoice in the beauty and forget if even for a little while the things we cannot and will not be able to change.
    I love this post Joan you are awesome. I love counting cows and I do hope someday they will be someone else's someday too but for now I will keep counting and enjoying the peace that comes with that final number. HUGS B

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  9. Lucky you seeing a butterfly. And good for you taking the time to stop and enjoy the moment. A good reminder for all of us to slow down and appreciate the simple things in life.

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  10. Thank you for the lovely pictures and your meaningful thoughts! I could recognize myself in your words - I often try to capture the moments, the sights, the scents, the sun rays on my skin ... To enjoy the moments to the full. It is so true that we live in this moments - off course we can delight us in memories and expectations on things to come, but if we're appreciating the present moment, we're "present" in our loves & the lives of our fellow beings!
    P.s. I hope you can get to visit your mom soon!

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  11. Such a beautiful post. I am trying to be more in the moment, but I fail miserably most days. I thanks you for the gentle reminder.
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

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  12. What a wonderful post. I will say that I do think it is hard to live in the present all the time. I am often drawn to the past-the good and the bad of it....or I find myself flash-forwarding into the future thinking that -oh this or that will happen by then. Life is such an amazing journey that I know I should savor each and every moment of it- xo Diana

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  13. Beautiful photos. I loved this post - we must all just try to live in the present, and set those worries aside. I'm a great worrier, and it's not good!

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  14. Beautiful post Joan! I feel the same way! The photos are lovely!

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  15. We are always learning, aren't we? You sure have a lot of pretty flowers left! I will live in the moment and put my worries away. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  16. What an absolutely lovely post - photos, text, quote, and all.

    So glad you have found some time to enjoy the moment and soak up the beauty around you. And it's so wonderful to see your flowers - where I live all the flowers are long gone! :)

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  17. Good attitude and terrific images! I've never managed to shoot a butterfly. Someday I will get the opportunity, I hope.

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  18. Thanks for sharing all the lovely photos, and thoughts, Joan. You encouraged me to be more appreciative...now:) xx from Gracie

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  19. What a beautiful, wise, and thought provoking post, Joan! It reminds me of a saying, 'Enjoy the little things in life- for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things'. You have reminded me once again that this is true! xx

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  20. Joan, I'm so glad you are able to sift through your thoughts like this and write them down -- so many of us experience changes that are difficult. Finding good in every day is so important. Your images and words are wonderful. xo

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  21. Came over from Deidra's this morning. Just exactly what I needed, including every single flower photo.

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  22. Joan, your post is one with which I fully agree. We should all try to live on the moment and enjoy everything around us. That is easier said than done, unfortunately. I too have had several concerns on my mind in recent weeks, all concerning family. Sometimes, it seems these concerns take away from my own joy of life, which is NOT a good thing. But I do understand how hard it can be to let to of the things we cannot do anything about. I am glad you are feeling better and will send a separate email soon. We were able to see the grandkids for the Thanksgiving holiday and it was a wonderful time. Children have a way of making things brighter.

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  23. Beautiful post and so true. The age I am at now I try to absorb and appreciate everything in everyday. Knowing my days are more limited than I ever thought in my youth. I'm grateful every morning when I wake!

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  24. Your flowers touched my heart... some of our very favorites. Thank you for sharing so "loverly"...

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  25. Love your flowers. Thanks for sharing.

    I see you have not dropped by my post for awhile.

    Please do. Take time.

    That is what friends are for.

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  26. Bless you! This was a beautiful post. I too am trying to savor every moment of my life right now, and hope I have not forgotten how, or that I will be too busy to do so. God has given us so many wonderful gifts, and they are for savoring and sharing and being grateful for! I loved your wonderful photos of the flowers also. Beautiful!

    I was delighted that you responded to my post comment of a while back! I saw that you added yourself as a follower of my blog, and I am honored! I am doing the same! Love your blog, and am so glad we have made a connection!

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