Category: staying humble

Self-transcendence

Posted in anxiety, favourite quotes, nature, on writing, reading, Running, solace, staying humble, staying true, UncategorizedTagged , , 2 Comments

If you are ever in need of an answer or feel a little lost in this great big world, go out there and hit the trails. Leave the Garmin at home and just get out there and be. Connect with nature. Listen to the whispers of breeze in the trees or the ramblings of the nearby stream. Eventually, you will find what you are looking for and perhaps, in time, you will find yourself as well.

 

The words I’ve quoted above come from the blog So what? I run.
(Read the whole post here.)
For me, they apply whether I’m walking or running.

Through the gate …

Because of my knee injury, it’s all about walking for me right now.
And I’m okay with that.

Past the vineyards …

It’s all about the connection with the world around me:
it’s vital.
It’s healing.

Past the reeds swaying in the wind …

And in the spirit of the quote above,
I’m posting today some photos from one of my favourite walks.

Past the hanging tyre …

You don’t need phones or apps or pedometers or fitbits.
You just need time to look,
to listen,
to breathe.

The quality of blue (2)

Posted in a thought, solace, South Australia, staying humble, staying true, summer, the beach, the sea, the sky, What I love about ...Tagged , , 1 Comment

As I mentioned in my previous post,
there is something about the colour of the sea in summer.
DSCN2536
The quality of blue is different from other times of the year.
DSCN2538
It’s silky blue.
Pearly blue.
The truest kind of blue.
DSCN2542
Blue sky.
Blue sea.
Bluer than blue.
DSCN2544
A celebration of blue.

My hourglass

Posted in a thought, anxiety, books, favourite quotes, health, on writing, reading, solace, staying humble, staying trueTagged , Leave a comment

Slowly, it started to feel as if I had clawed my way back to something resembling a life. It was such a relief to know that I hadn’t finished changing — I wasn’t an hourglass that had timed out, all the grains fallen through. I wasn’t stuck, too soon the best I could ever be.

from ‘Inbetween Days’
by Vikki Wakefield*

Have you ever wondered if you’ve already achieved the best you can?
Have you ever thought that it’s all downhill from here?
If so, perhaps — like me — you will find these words comforting.
I like to think of the grains in my hourglass still trickling through slowly …
… not quite timing out.

*Note:
Vikki is a good friend of mine and fellow writer. Check out her website for more information.

Tangled

Posted in Australian bush, birds, native coastal vegetation, native flowers, solace, staying humble, staying true, summer, What I love about ...Tagged , , 1 Comment

The bush is in the throes of mid-summer right now.
It’s dry and brown.
It’s a tangle of trunks and branches —

and grasses —

and twigs and leaves.

But the mistletoe in the trees …

… is in flower:

And one or two bushes are heavy with creamy blossom.

Insects tick.
Shrike thrushes sing.
Whistlers call.
Black cockatoos swoop and shriek.
Kookaburras laugh.
Summer slumbers on.

Happy/sad

Posted in a thought, anxiety, books, favourite quotes, life, reading, solace, staying humble, staying trueTagged 4 Comments

So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.

From ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower‘
By Stephen Chbosky

Have you read The Perks of Being a Wallflower?
I came to it a few years ago — later than most people, long after the film was released. I think I thought (cynically) that it was a kind of super-cool rewrite of The Catcher in the Rye. And I don’t like super-cool books.
But it isn’t.
I like Charlie’s voice. The narrative is simple and poignant, and gets at the heart of the loneliness of being an adolescent.
Happy/sad.
That’s not just adolescence, though, is it?

PS Happy birthday to my mother for today! ❤

Long days, hot nights, mirror seas

Posted in gratitude, moments of beauty, solace, staying humble, staying true, summer, the beach, the sea, the sky, What I love about ...Tagged , 1 Comment

The longest day of the year has just passed.

DSCN2416

One night this week, before the sun set, I wandered down to the beach.
It was the end of the fifth day in a row over 40 degrees Celsius.
It was a still, sultry evening,
the skies stormy,
but the sea shining like a mirror.

DSCN2419

It’s a beautiful world.
Merry Christmas, everybody.

Rebecca xo

Coming up roses

Posted in anxiety, gratitude, moments of beauty, solace, spring, staying humble, staying true, What I love about ...Tagged , , 1 Comment

Since my last post on roses,
I’ve started glimpsing them wherever I go.

Outside the entrance to my office, there’s a bed of low-lying roses.
They catch my eye as I walk through the automatic glass doors on my way in to work.
So I sneak down to soak up their beauty again in my morning tea-break.

After rain, the petals and leaves hang heavy, glistening.
And it feels to me like a moment of stolen beauty.

Coming alive for the first time to the beauty of something
that has always been around you
is one of life’s greatest joys.