(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Up early but not
Awakened naturally ~
Hours later still
Blurry-eyed and flat tailed
As opposed to
Bright-eyed and bushy tailed ~
Time for a rare second cup of coffee.
Elixir of Life
Coffee day (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I Googled “elixir of life” this morning and these are the two quotes that showed themselves:
“Coffee makes us severe, and grave and philosophical.” ~ Jonathan Swift
This explains why I have only one cup of coffee in the morning (and generally only drink the top half). A modicum of severity (harshness) and gravity (serious solemnity) goes a long way. I could use a jolt in the philosophical nature of things though, so I hope my half cup provides me with a little theoretical logic to deeply think myself through the day. I do not want to get lost in thought though, then I would not make my bed (oh, that’s right I don’t make my bed, as I do not find it deeply logical to make up a bed I am only going to tear apart in a few hours—this high mindedness is sometimes called laziness.)
The second is taken almost entirely out of context, but on its own is powerful and exactly how I operate:
“Obey me and I will be your servant; free me and I will be your friend. Enslave me and I am a dangerous enemy; command me and I will make you mad….” ~ Patrick Harpur
Do you have a favourite quote that speaks to you?
Related articles
- Coffee, The Elixir of The Gods (Or Did I Just Make That Up?) (gailrae.wordpress.com)
- A Magical Elixir, Coffee Confers A Plethora Of Health Benefits (medicaldaily.com)
- David Hasselhoff’s awesome ode to iced coffee (holykaw.alltop.com)
Sweeten Reality
Sugar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Does the idea of something sometimes surpass the experience? For instance, the smell of freshly brewed coffee is playing with my senses right now. I love the essence of coffee, the beautiful silky appearance of the black liquid. The lovely way it softly splashes into my cup. But the taste–the bitterness without the sugar is not welcome on my palate.
Life is like that sometimes. The hopes and possibilities seem limitless. But sometimes we cannot break down the barriers that are barring us from living out the possibilities, from reaching our dreams, from realizing our hopes.
As I do with coffee, by adding a bit of sugar, to life I say bring it on—I will just have to find a way to sweeten the sorrows; deal with the burdens; grieve the losses—all the while hanging on to the expectation that “this too will pass” and the knowledge that potential will be realized turning possibility into reality.
If you think this sounds like a pep talk to myself—it is. And if it happens to help you out too, then the room I take up on this place we call earth is not wasted.
Bliss is making reality like coffee more palatable by sweetening the pot. What do you think?
Up a Creek Without a Paddle
English: “The Red Canoe,” watercolor, by the American artist Winslow Homer. Courtesy of the Peabody Collection. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Casting off in a canoe without paddles
Unearthing a smooth slender but substantial twig
that reached to the
shallow bottom
She carefully steered the boat out into the pond.
The water was calm
The journey short ~
Success.
Bliss often comes from “making
do”. Have you ever found bliss by “making do”?
Challenge Met Again
Day 14 of Write a Poem a Day Month:
Newspaper (Photo credit: NS Newsflash)
Day Breaks
A quiet Sunday morning
Punctuated with crisped sausages
And pancakes drowned in syrup.
A second cup of coffee
Poured to enjoy with yesterday’s paper
That we were “too busy” to read.
A lovely start to a day that promises not stay quiet~
But the tranquility has not been broken
yet……………….
Do you find your bliss as the day breaks?
Enough?
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Anxiety takes over
Will it be there?
Will there be enough
To sooth the soul?
Or will it be lacking
Missing, as it were, in action?
Will I come up empty
Will there be sorrow?
I open the door
Reach in
Feel its heft
And know……………
There is enough milk for my coffee.
Sometimes bliss is as simple as having enough milk for your coffee. What simple thing gives you bliss?
~ Bliss in Hiding ~
Trio of Butter (Photo credit: ulterior epicure)
It was a simple dribble of butter. But it was the straw. The straw that broke the camel’s back.
The day did not start off too famously. A number of unpleasant matters needed to be dealt with in a delicate manner. So my mood was none too frothy.
Took a break at around 10 a.m. to have some breakfast, as business had taken over the breakfast hour and things needed to be attended to.
Lacking any better option I made a piece of toast and poured myself a glass of orange juice. I carried them into the living room for a moment of relaxation. I settled into my chair and took my first bite of toast. That is when the eye of the perfect storm shattered. Butter dripped on to my favourite red turtleneck.
I put the plate down. I had had enough and it was only midmorning. Because I have the luxury(?) of conducting business from home, I made my way to my bedroom, a place of refuge. I pulled the covers back, climbed in, and stayed there. For a while. Then I donned a clean turtleneck (I have collection), and came downstairs to re-face the day.
It really has not gotten any better. But who said life was either easy or fair? Bliss seems to be eluding me, hiding away in some illusive corner, hopefully soon to be discovered.
Maybe another cup of coffee will help.
Have you ever had a day when bliss will not come out of hiding?
Day 3 ~ What Bliss Is Not
The beauty we see, is the magic we feel Photo credit: || UggBoy♥UggGirl ||
“You don’t know what you’re going to get into when you follow your bliss.” ~ James Hillman
James Hillman was a psychologist, born 12 April 1926. He died 27 October 2011. Between those two sentences was a life. I am not going to give you a rundown of this brilliant man’s life–but his simple remark that “You don’t know what you’re getting into when you follow your bliss” is not contextualized here, but if you Google him, you will find a man who found his bliss. Seriously, if you have not heard of him, he is worthy of your time. I just did a cursory search, found his obituary, and was impressed with how this man used his life.
In finding my bliss, I want to use my life. I think that the thing that keeps me, and most people going, is to use the gifts we have been given and not squander them. I have been guilty of wasting time and energy on things that I know now were not part of the reason I was put on earth. But I think in doing those things, I discovered, by process of elimination what I was not meant to do. All those things that we do contextualize our lives and give it meaning.
Bliss is not a dead end. It is not just getting by. It is noticing all those things that make us vibrant human beings. It is that first cup of coffee in the morning (excuse me while I go get mine); reading the paper and discussing it with your spouse; delighting in the good news of others; watching a favourite program (my latest obsession, Downton Abbey comes to mind); eating a particularly good meal; expecting company. It takes so many forms, small and big. Don’t get me wrong, I am trying to find the big bliss things too, but I recognize when magic happens–and when I win that big lottery, or publish my first book I will be ready.
I think Hillman had a good point: you have to be ready for bliss, you have to recognize it~or it will elude you. Though his statement sounds like a warning, I would like to take it as his way of saying bliss is a delight we need to embrace. I think he is daring us to find our bliss.
Are you afraid to find your bliss?
Christmas Dreams Meet Reality ~ A Collision Course?
Cover of The Best Christmas Ever
As I sit down with my first coffee of the day (stirred not shaken) I am contemplating all that needs to be done before the big day.
I always have such grandiose plans in my head—everything will be wrapped to perfection preferably in the most environmentally pleasing way possible; the house will be clean and neat as a pin (really, how neat is a pin?); and I will pull out all the culinary stops and serve food of such delight I will be written up in Gourmet magazine (which I think may be defunct).
It is not too late to face the reality of the situation, but since I am somewhat pragmatic and know my limitations, here is what is probably going to happen:
1. The presents will get wrapped, but mostly bagged as that is easier and I will probably be doing it on Christmas Eve. No need to rush. I did buy an extra package of scotch tape just in case though. I am thinking I should bona fide wrap at least one gift for each recipient and bag the rest.
3. Did you notice I skipped number 2? I think it was the one where I polish the silverware for the Christmas table. Yes, I have real silverware. I inherited it. No, I will not be polishing it until I can afford a butler to do such things.
4. I will be neatening up the house and spraying some furniture polish around to give it that clean smell. I will get the vacuum out—and possibly use it. It is a beast though and after a while I just get tired of using it and close the doors to the rooms that I do not get to (usually the bedrooms upstairs).
5. I am on a quest. It is going to be quite an adventure. I need to locate the top of my dining room table which is now covered with all manner of things—some last minute Christmas shopping which has not been delivered to my bedroom which is covered in bags where I have hidden the presents in plain sight; book work, a purse, a calculator, mail, books, newspapers, Christmas cards, receipts—okay, you get my drift…
6. Food. Okay we are having ham on Christmas Eve and prime rib (because it is on sale) for Christmas Day. There is still much shopping to be done in this category—I always overbuy food for Christmas, but is there really such a thing? My mother always had lots of food in her house, and I try to maintain that tradition. She though actually cooked and prepared the food—I have to realize my limitations: I think like a gourmet, but cook so the masses will not starve.
7. I have all the stuff to make cookies and fudge—so Saturday is reserved for a baking spree. I do it for my family—I derive little pleasure from the making of it, but much from the eating of it—so I keep that firmly in mind.
I do love Christmas, and as the devil is in the details, I have to take care of my devilish duties in order to get to the good parts. Should I reach my financial potential, I dream of coming up with the ideal Christmas and dispensing my elves to do my bidding. Until then, I will do my best, and then enjoy—for is that not what this season is all about?
So what Christmas dreams do you have—and which ones will you realize?
On the Homefront 