tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141604542024-03-06T21:46:05.419-06:00Texas 2 Tennessee"Reflection is the liturgy of this landscape."
Terry Tempest WilliamsFinding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.comBlogger644125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-6542936672092376972022-03-03T14:36:00.000-06:002022-03-03T14:36:23.485-06:00What's in a Phrase I'm no stranger to death and dying. During the height of the AIDS pandemic, I stopped counting the number of people I knew who had died of complications from AIDS at 800.What registered with me this morning was the phrases people tend to use when making a comment about a person's death. It seems to vary, depending upon the age of the deceased. For example:Birth to 40 years of age: "What a Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-40400783541546766552013-04-29T16:01:00.000-05:002013-04-30T09:31:39.564-05:00Hearse EtiquetteDo you have days when you crack yourself up? Can you take a good long look at yourself and find the humor? There's no shortage of laughter for me as I keep creating comedic fodder, if only for my own amusement.
As is usual on Monday mornings, I venture out to Penuel Ridge to work on site. This allows me to stay connected with the land and the mission while getting a good dose of Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-42781735600805312532013-04-23T08:42:00.000-05:002013-04-23T08:51:59.272-05:00Hide and SeekI've been playing hide and seek with the Muse for a little while now. Luckily, I've been in the company of a group of women writers who are divine in their own write/right and supportive of the new kid at the table.
As a poet, it's daunting to be given a writing prompt and 20 minutes on a clock to produce something worthy enough to speak out loud. I've surprised myself. I'm writing more prose Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-73269872382694271162012-08-29T11:51:00.000-05:002012-08-29T11:51:24.093-05:00Leveling the BubbleOK so if anyone is reading this you probably think either I:
1. died
2. am sitting in a dark room drooling on myself
or
3. have lost all dexterity in my fingers
Well...none of these things are true. What is true is that the doctors finally got the medications adjusted correctly and on the morning of Sunday, July 22nd, I woke up and my brain had turned back on. I gotta tell ya, it was pretty Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-62630621158796284512012-06-21T11:44:00.001-05:002012-06-21T11:44:32.178-05:00Taking it in the TeethDear Self,
It's me again, the neurological disease you pretend most times you don't have. I applaud your gift of denial, one you come by honestly from your mother, but I'm back and bigger and badder than I've ever been. You're going to feel like a bicycle tire pump has been inserted in your ear and a chimpanzee is jumping up and down on the handle to Calliope music. You're going to be dizzy, in Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-15493023277989459832012-06-14T14:49:00.000-05:002012-06-14T14:49:32.987-05:00Singing for our LivesLast Thursday night, Nashville in Harmony performed it's season finale concert, "Mosaic...Voices for Change." I was honored to be on the stage with 97 other performers whom I consider family. We were joined by 4 spoken word performance artists from Southern Word and Gregory Stallings, an inspiring young vibraphonist and son of one our members.
We left everything on the stage. In talking with Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-21108640903975050342012-06-13T19:41:00.001-05:002012-06-13T20:09:45.421-05:00Back in the Saddle AgainDespite lingering doubts I may not know how to do this amy more, I think I'll get reaquainted with writing this summer...starting today. I know it's not officially summer, but close enough.
Hmm...where to start.
It's good to unpack all my books and let them breathe. They've been in storage nearly 7 years. Isn't 7 years the same amount of time it takes for the body to generate a new set of Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-32582488099397039872011-11-07T18:00:00.003-06:002011-11-07T18:14:46.892-06:00On Rejoining the ChaosAfter 6 years of living in near-Nirvana, I have moved to the city and am experiencing all that a city has to offer.Last Saturday, it had to offer:1. Me running a red light2. Mocha getting so over-stimulated at Petsmart she peed a wide swath from the front door to the car3. Aggressive posturing in the Krogers parking lot...and that's when I thought it was best to retreat to the safety of four Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-45529543556342233602011-04-09T17:20:00.001-05:002011-04-09T17:25:09.325-05:00Shadowfor two, maybe three seasons of flight,his absence has left a shadow on the heartstill, the eye scans the shallowsfor a glimpse of the arched neck,the poppy-colored beakmade famous in another poemabout Swans,how their grace causes the breathto catch in the throatlike the memory of a lost lovewho too has left a shadow on the heartFinding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-12210737766958880222011-04-09T17:18:00.002-05:002011-04-09T17:20:03.938-05:00Front Porchplastic orange flagsflap frantically in the breezebetween newly-leafed treesand sweet spring grasswho know,in their state of natural beinghow to bend, to sway, to swoonat the touch of a breeze,their fickle dance partnerFinding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-78496313159043449872011-03-26T19:59:00.003-05:002011-03-26T20:14:36.660-05:00A ShiftHello! Is there anyone out there? I don't blame you for walking away from this rarely-updated, dull-as-dishwater blog. I have a bag of cookies and I'm going to drop crumbs all over the Interwebs and see if you can be lured back. Yes, they're chocolate chip.This blog has been a wonderful place to house my poetry and photos and occasional observations and rants for the past 6 years. Funny thing is,Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-66994022498511141102011-01-09T11:53:00.004-06:002011-01-09T11:57:54.966-06:00They Didn't Make the CutJust a random list of names of dwarfs who didn't make the cut for the iconic Snow White companions:SniffyDrippyFluffySquishyFeel free to expound.Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-16730498716380870412010-11-17T07:27:00.003-06:002010-11-17T07:44:42.043-06:00Unleashing the Poet WithinA few new poems by yours truly written at a retreat led by Nevin Comptom Trammell.The Irregular HeartThe irregular heartknows not the confinesof chamber walls or rhythmsof the lub-dub doctrineLook there, in the cornerwhere pigments swirlbirthing a fifth chamberan irregular heartmade newfor a new waya new daya new doctrine****************************************************************************Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-56697933570437111062010-11-15T19:04:00.006-06:002010-11-15T19:28:17.168-06:00Ma'am...Excuse me Ma'amI'm standing at the Kangaroo Mart in Ashland City pumping gas, minding my own business and this disembodied voice floats over my head from behind. I don't know, I must have been daydreaming because I realized he'd said it several times before I turned to see an aged black man handing me a business card. His pea green cap was emblazoned with "Koren War Veteran" along the crisp creased side.I look Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-49358578311480814112010-11-04T20:26:00.001-05:002010-11-07T07:52:11.020-06:00Beaufort Ghost TourOn our way to Beaufort, we couldn't resist stopping for this photo op at the Gay Fish Co. in Port Royal.Have mercy! This Southern Belle is draped over the porch railing of the oldest home in Beaufort, SC. This is just one of the ghostly residents portrayed on the annual Ghost Tour. We traveled by horse-drawn carriage beneath ancient live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. As daylight turned toFinding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-85422295863515611942010-10-27T19:09:00.005-05:002010-11-07T07:52:53.937-06:00Dataw Island TreasuresAn unimposing sign read "Dataw Island" with an arrow pointing right. Linda and I looked at each other and said, "I'm game!" so down the road we turned not knowing we'd stumble upon a treasure trove, one discovered by Spanish explorers in 1514.Here, you see one of the many winged inhabitants, a Great Egret. Sir Bird was wading casually through the marsh grass shopping for a snack. He turned his Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-57123578039154360132010-10-22T06:54:00.004-05:002010-10-22T08:08:07.939-05:00La La Knee and 167 Steps!The lighthouse on Hunting Island State Park stands 132 feet above ground. Originally built in 1859, the Confederate Army destroyed it to prevent the Union Army from navigating by its beacon in the night. Luckily, the lighthouse was rebuilt in 1879 and has witnessed a much greater enemy, erosion.A modified spiral staircase of 167 steps is the only means to get to the top and experience a 360 view Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-49108744335642754952010-10-21T06:49:00.008-05:002010-10-21T08:04:27.126-05:00In Need of the HorizonFor weeks, the muscles across my chest and shoulders have been tight and I've not been able to breathe deeply. I've come to understand that this tightness is not an illness (of the medical variety) but of the spirit. A physical prompt to let me know it's time to seek the landscape which feeds my soul, clears my mind, loosens muscles and lets me breathe deeply. That landscape is the horizon. To beFinding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-70161243333934520732010-09-23T08:55:00.002-05:002010-09-23T09:19:10.852-05:00Five to the OneIt's my birthday and I'll swing if I want toSwing if I want toSwing if I want toYou would swing toif'n you could too!Yes Blogosphere, today is my birthday. It's also the first day of Fall and the first day of the sun sign Libra. Quite an auspicious day to be born, don't you think?Here's my agenda for the day:1. Sleep until 8:302. Work for a few hours in the office3. Put on wandering clothes4. Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-75432116429530214082010-09-19T09:22:00.004-05:002010-09-19T09:57:02.910-05:00My Constant CompanionI can feel Miss Mocha sleeping soundly behind my big comfy chair. No, she's not snoring or moaning or chasing bunnies in her sleep, she's simply there. Her birthday is coming up in October and she'll be 12. She's always been a strong, healthy dog only going to the vet for annual vaccinations. As more whiskers start to turn white on her brown nose, she's slowing down a little, showing some aches Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-45808676515946321942010-09-18T11:15:00.002-05:002010-09-18T11:19:30.935-05:00Lead and FollowWhat I saw on my morning walk:a butterfly and a beedance on the faceof a flowerit bows its headin ecstasyand I pausewonderingif they arewilling partnersand who leadsand who follows?Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-43136890925819729762010-09-09T08:45:00.006-05:002010-09-09T23:01:16.833-05:00Bells Bend Bliss Red morning glory atop soon-to-be unfurled goldenrod dueling hummingbirds against a morning-glory-blue sky Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-13098896837993828342010-08-31T06:12:00.003-05:002010-08-31T06:28:30.944-05:00There's a pill for that right?I don't know why I was reminded of Erma Bombeck today, but as I was walking across the room I sneezed and peed on myself simultaneously. That's never happened before. I must be moving into the exert and squirt stage of life.Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-59588106352979178952010-08-17T09:46:00.003-05:002010-08-17T10:20:42.489-05:00Bright EyesWhat a surprise! During Mocha's morning constitution, we did not walk into a wall of heat and humidity. Dare I say there was a cool breeze, a hint of fall?!? It's much too early to wish for fall-like weather, but this brief respite from the oppressive heat (110 degrees with the heat index) is welcomed with open arms.I promptly went inside and opened the windows to breathe life into the stale, Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14160454.post-58896063100041046122010-07-23T18:17:00.004-05:002010-07-23T18:31:46.912-05:00When "it" was a pronounThere are days when it seems I have an ok handle on IT and Social Networking applications. And then there are days when trying to get: 1)this tag or 2)that button or 3)a blinking link on the Penuel Ridge website or email marketing campaign or Facebook page makes my head explode.When will the cranial plug-in be functional so that what I think will appear on the screen? Is there an app for that?Finding the Happyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12974564782664702279noreply@blogger.com1