Welcome to Mirth and Motivation!
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Photo Challenge: UNLIKELY
“I’m always excited by the unlikely, never by ordinary things.” David Hockney
Photo Challenge: UNLIKELY – WindTurbine by G. Fearey
Photo Challenge: UNLIKELY – art installation by G. Fearey
Nothing is black or white, nothing’s ‘us or them.’ But then there are magical, beautiful things in the world. There’s incredible acts of kindness and bravery, and in the most unlikely places, and it gives you hope. Dave Matthews
For this week’s photo challenge on the UNLIKELY, I’ve chosen to share what I captured in someone’s backyard on the Croton aqueduct. I take long walks regularly from my home and I love to look around at the changing face of nature around me. Once in a while I might glimpse a piece of sculpture in someone’s yard or a new planting of flowers blooming their hearts out. But rarely do I see such striking pieces within spitting distance on the aqueduct. Recently, on a windy day, this installation caught my eye. It was an unlikely place for such a huge installation but it was beautiful to see and especially because the wheels were spinning furiously in response to the winds. I was so taken aback by it all that I shot a video of the bicycle wheels spinning and singing their metal hearts out in the wind. Quite poetic. Watch the video below too. I’ve added my words to the bottom of the video as the wind made it hard to hear. What unlikely things have you come across lately?
“Courage is found in unlikely places.” J. R. R. Tolkien
Photo Challenge: UNLIKELY- art installation by G. Fearey
Photo Challenge: UNLIKELY – art installation by G. Fearey
Windmills/Turbines: These beautiful installations respond to the wind.
They spin their wheels in sequence.
Art meets nature and vise versa.
You’re unlikely to discover something new without a lot of practice on old stuff, but further, you should get a heck of a lot of fun out of working out funny relations and interesting things. Richard P. Feynman
What does this remind you of? It reminds me wind turbines or the creative windmills one saw in foreign cities at old farms.As I listened to the spinning wheels, I was reminded of the wind turbines I saw in Southern California on a drive I took from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. According to research reports, the 4000 separate windmills at the wind farm on the San Gorgonio Mountain Pass in the San Bernadino Mountains, provide enough electricity to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Who knew, right?
UPDATE! On Saturday evening, serendipity kicked in. I was chatting with a local friend at the yoga center, after class, and somehow the conversation came up about the beautiful installation I saw on the aqueduct. Lo and behold, as it turns out, her husband Gordon created the installations! They had moved from their other home to the beautiful home on the aqueduct where the installations held center court, and her hubby built the installations. It was amazing to find out that something L had admired for over a year belonged to someone I knew … what a small world. So, I have added his name to the photos and I will find out if they named the pieces and will update them here when L do. Art, creative expressions are everywhere and serendipity has a way of helping us find our way to them. It resides in all of us. Find your path and go to it.
Windmill In The Wind by Paula Swanson
As the windmill turns with the wind,
the storm brings much needed rain.
With each drop, renewal begins,
relieving the parched land its pain.
Sweet water of the Earth, life’s essence,
within the wind, the windmill drinks.
Storing the source within a pond,
bringing the desert from the brink.
Noses catching the scent of rain,
wild Burro’s enjoy their play.
Turns the windmill as the wind blows,
clouds block the sun, blessing shade.
The land breathes a sigh of relief.
Life is given back once again.
The clouds empty themselves of rain,
as the windmill turns with the wind. via poetry.com
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Motivation Mondays: CLOSED DOORS
“When your failures surround you, and all the open doors have closed, look up. There’s a door that never closes, a way, when all the other ways have failed you.” Yasmin Mogahed
Motivation Mondays: CLOSED DOORS
A door opens to me. I go in and am faced with a hundred closed doors. Antonio Porchia
Often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. Helen Keller
There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception. Aldous Huxley
What Does a Closed Door mean to You? Quite often, we look at a closed door as a negative symbol; it can represent a denial or rejection of expectations or opportunities but that is NOT entirely true. A closed door can be beneficial in that a denial or slammed door we experience can lead us in a new and better direction. A rejection can be a form of protection against possible adversities attached to what we might believe to be good but actually isn’t. Over the years, I have had my share of rejections and while some hurt and led nowhere, others opened new and far more beneficial doors for me. I remember one job I was so eager to have because I felt supremely qualified for it. I applied, did everything right and was in the running as one of the final 3 candidates.
When the choice was made and 2 of us were cut, I was very upset. As far as I was concerned, I was the most qualified for the position but that didn’t matter. They picked someone else and I had to move on. The door closed on that position and I found a far more rewarding opportunity that was growth driven and helped me learn new skills. Many months later, I heard the position had opened again. This time, I was not in a hurry because I also learned that it was not an ideal work environment to be in. The Closed Door had offered me protection and a new direction, not rejection. Think of your closed door experiences and the lessons learned.
READ: Inspiration: The Story Behind The Door
“Nothing in life has happened to you. It’s happened for you. Every disappointment. Every wrong. Even every closed door has helped make you into who you are.” Joel Osteen
Motivation Mondays: CLOSED DOORS
Another train will come. Why rush? Why worry? Why go crazy? Another train will come. And sure enough, another train going my way was pulling into the station. My bad mood evaporated. I entered the car smiling, certain that there would be more missed trains in my life, more closed doors in my face, but there would always be another train rumbling down the tracks in my direction. Esmeralda Santiago
We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors. Lyndon B. Johnson
Is it Wise To Walk Away? I know we have all heard sayings about breaking down doors, walking through closed doors to grab at our opportunities but, is this sage advice 100% of the time? I don’t think so. Sure, we want doors of opportunity to open for us and we also want to be prepared for the challenges and growth that come from our experiences. However, there are times when we can choose to not walk through certain doors or be grateful that some doors stay shut. If walking through a door would lead us into a chaotic or hostile situation, it would be best to leave the door closed. Why? Because it is a mark of honor to avoid an unnecessary fight; especially a fight with someone who has nothing to lose. So, just as we are encouraged to choose our battles, we must also meditate on the wisdom of choosing our doors. If we pay attention and reflect on our situations, we will soon understand more about our outcomes. They are not random. Think about your own experiences.
READ: Pink Flamingos: A Preposterous Story
The details for Motivation Mondays are below. Join in! The themes for MAR 2018/APR 2018 are:
03/04 – Women’s History Month, National Nutrition Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, American Red Cross Month, 08 International Women’s Day, World Kidney Day, 04 Academy Awards
03/11 – 11 Daylight Savings, 14 Pi Day, 15 World Consumer Rights Day, 17 St Patrick’s Day
03/18 – 19 St Joseph, 20 International Day of Happiness, 21 World poetry Day, 22 World Water day, 24 Earth Hour
03/25 – Palm Sunday, 29 Holy Thursday, 30 Good Friday, 31 Passover
04/01 – 01, April Fool’s Day, 02, Autism Awareness, 06, International Day Sport Development Peace, 07, World Health Day,
04/08 – 10, National Siblings Day, 10, Equal Pay Day, 12, Holocaust Remembrance Day
04/15 – 17 Tax Day, NationalVolunteerWeek
04/22 – 22, Earth Day, 23, World Book Day, 27, Arbor Day
01/29 – 29, International Jazz Day
Are You Looking for Ways to Stay Creative in 2018?
– Join the Daily Post Post-a-day or Post-a-week Challenge.
— Join the BlogHer Writing Lab
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Photo Challenge: More LINES
“Sometimes you have to, as I say, build bridges where you can – but draw lines where you must.” Fred Thompson
Photo Challenge: More LINES – BROOKLYN BRIDGE AT DUSK and More
For this week’s challenge on LINES, I’m sharing some construction shots including the ever popular Brooklyn Bridge at dusk. I’ve been thinking about the theme for this week and trying to find a philosophical arc I can hold unto to help me interpret the assignment. There are lines everywhere we look. From nature to man made structures, there are lines small and large … Lifeline comes to mind. The poem below fits the bill and I’ve tried to include photos that hold special memories for me. Let’s think about this one.
Dancing on the Lifeline by Cecil Miller
Dancing on the lifeline,
Flying through the dirt,
Mixing into puddles,
Resembling the sky…
Everything is nothing.
Nothing is everything.
The truth is but a lie
Not looked in the eye.
The spoiled goods we buy!
Dancing on the lifeline,
Spinning dervish, spin.
Aquire all the knowledge you seek,
Find it is within. More below
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