How can a year as strange as 2020
appear to be whizzing by?
Already Thanksgiving!
And still grateful -
for the moon and stars and planets
(especially this one!) -
grateful for blue skies and rain
trees and flowers
wild waves and calm.
Grateful to be alive and well
and loving
and loved.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Girl picking flowers depicted on a tile found in the lost city of Pompei.
Out of nowhere
nature paints a rainbow
coming out of the horizon
and it's just sitting there!
I see a guy
coming along in the distance,
too far to shout out
but somehow I get his attention
and point to the rainbow
and he
excitedly
gives me a thumbs up!
He saw it too!
And
then the little rainbow
just
disappeared!
Vilano Beach, 11/20/2020
©2020 LaineQuinn
Just because light and color conspired to spread joy!
One day more...
Here I am surrounded by giant old oak trees,
dripping with spanish moss,
living with a joyful dog
and a handsome cat,
while it feels like the world is coming apart at the seams.
It is not.
The birds still sing.
The frogs still croak and slap themselves onto the windows at night.
The moon rises and shines.
The sun too.
All that is worrying us will change,
and soon.
One way or the other.
To quote Wendell Barry,
Be joyful even though you have considered all the facts.
Be joyful and see the world around you with fresh eyes and love.
"Love is why we have hope"
Love your world!
And hope for the very best for all of us.
Inspired by the book by Anne Lamott, Almost Everything, Notes on Hope.
The quote about love is from the back cover and the Wendell Barry quote is found on the inside front cover.
She is fearless and funny and inspiring!
Photo is a view outside of Lake Lure, NC. ©Laine Quinn 2015
An old Spring House in San Miguel, Mexico -
a reminder to be grounded -
in our friendship with ourselves,
with nature,
with each other.
Grounded in uncertainty, and upheaval,
and accepting the times we find ourselves in.
Grounded in whatever way you get grounded,
for your very own peace of mind.
©Laine Quinn
"...when we try to pick out anything by itself,
we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."
John Muir
Quote from Brain Pickings on Sunday, by Maria Popova.
Butterflies from St. Augustine, Key West and Baltimore. © Laine Quinn
It's a good idea to embrace
the other's otherness,
because
we are the other's other.
Just ask any whale!
We are all in this together!
Two Whales, ©2015, Laine Quinn, Cape cod
In his book, "Humankind, A Hopeful History",
Rutger Bregman writes about cynicism vs. realism.
And I quote:
Isn't it telling that in modern usage the realist has become synonymous
with the cynic - for someone with a pessimistic outlook?
In truth, it's the cynic who's out of touch.
In truth, we're living on Planet A,
where people are deeply inclined to be good to one another.
So, be realistic. Be courageous. Be true to your nature and offer your trust.
Do good in broad daylight,
and don't be ashamed of your generosity.
You may be dismissed as gullible and naive at first.
But remember, what's naive today may be common sense tomorrow.
It's time for a new realism.
It's time for a new view of humankind.
It's a good book, with lots of examples of goodness that outweighs the craziness.
Photo of Treaty Oak, in Jacksonville Florida, ©2020 Laine Quinn
They say that this Southern Live Oak tree is over 200 years old, but I would offer that it is way older than that!
Everyday - at least once a day -
Picture your perfect world.
At least once, for a few minutes or more!
Everyday.
Vilano Beach Reflection, © 2020 Laine Quinn
Collectively it is time that we imagine a better world.
No matter what happens in the next months or years,
it is time to put our minds on better things.
Call it the power of positive thinking,
of visualizing,
of collective prayer -
it all works and can change the world.
Psychopathic leaders of politics and industry - be warned -
it is time for the Human takeover of our world.
Time to imagine a world where we live harmoniously with the earth,
harmoniously with each other - near and far,
harmoniously with all creatures -great and small.
A world in partnership.
A world of compassion and love and generosity.
If it fits in your mind,
it fits in your world.
We are more than what we can imagine.
Collectively it's time to imagine
what comes after -
to dream big and have faith in the human heart,
in the human desire for connection.
Photos of our Beautiful Planet in the days ahead.
American Democracy has been considered
an experiment from its earliest days
and has been observed for over 200 years
to see if self-governance actually works.
America has faltered many many times yet she still stands.
The way that we participate in the experiment is up to us.
Voting is the most crucial and significant thing that we as Americans
can do to participate in this "grand" experiment.
Voting can be manipulated -
by gerrymandering Congressional districts,
by turning people away at the polls,
by intimidating people into not voting at all.
Ballots can be stolen, "misplaced" or rejected for some trumped up reason.
It is usually the minority party which is invested in suppressing the vote,
one way or the other.
Once they have power, they will do anything to keep it.
Whatever the tactics, it is imperative
that every eligible voter casts their vote
no matter how or who discourages us to do so.
VOTE.
The future is in the balance.
The future of our Earth, our food, our water,
healthcare, Social Security, racial justice.
It is all on the line.
Talk to your friends, your family - be sure that they plan to vote.
Our Future is in the balance.
VOTE!
Are you registered to vote?
Are you sure?
In some areas of the country,
if you have not participated in the last one or two election cycles,
you are purged from the voter rolls.
Period.
Do not wait for election day to discover that you are the victim of a voter purge.
Check ahead of time, like today.
In my county,
you must be registered to vote at least 30 days before an election
in order to participate in that election.
So, double check, even if you are sure that you are registered to vote.
Double check!
Call or visit online your Supervisor of Elections
and be sure that you can participate
in the most important presidential election
of your lifetime - so far!
Brought to by Laine, in the historic year of 2020.
Never met a stranger
When I heard that sentiment many years ago,
I spent several days, weeks, months scratching my head.
What on earth did it mean?
Then it hit me like a ton of bricks - of course -
none of us are strangers to one another.
As Joni Mitchell put it so many years ago,
"I see something of myself in everyone..."
All of our vulnerabilities and insecurities,
all of our hubris and self righteousness -
we all share these things.
Anxiety, arrogance, shame, hate, joy, love, ecstasy, balance -
Who hasn't experienced these emotions and lived to see another day?
Our humanity is what connects us.
Perfectly imperfect.
Some of us love dogs, others cats.
Some people love the ocean
and for others it's the mountains and valleys.
I like blue!
What's your favorite color?
(I won't hate you for it!)
Family at the beach ©2020 Laine Quinn
Let's be patient with one another.
We are all in this for the long haul
and depend on each other to remain safe and healthy.
Love and kindness are our best tools to see this through.
Love and kindness and patience.
Deep breath.
Sunrise, Saint Augustine Beach, Yesterday!
©2020 Laine Quinn
"Anchor the eternity of love in your own soul and embed this
planet with goodness. Lean toward the whispers of your own
heart, discover the universal truth, and follow its dictates.
Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge.
Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that
the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation
wisely, but when it is your time don't be afraid to stand up, speak up, and
speak out against injustice. And if you follow your truth down the road to
peace and the affirmation of love, if you shine like a beacon for all to see,
then the poetry of the great dreamers and philosophers is yours to
manifest in a nation, a world community, and a Beloved Community that is
finally at peace with itself."
John Lewis
From his book, Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change,
quoted in a Beautiful tribute to John Lewis in Brain Pickings.
Surely he walks with the angels!
©2020 Laine Quinn - Sunrise, St. Augustine Beach
Humans are hardwired for kindness and cooperation.
That's how we've gotten this far.
That's how we will go even farther.
As far as we can imagine!
Kindness.
Compassion.
Empathy.
Generosity.
We take good care of each other.
Let's be patient and trusting -
Like the good earth that we share.
Shadow and light on the beautiful leaves of the White Bird of Paradise.
©2020 Laine Quinn
A walk on the beach.
Blue sky
Ocean
Sand
Nature stands by.
Peaceful
Beautiful
Sometimes thundering
And what are the humans doing?
Try to be nice!
It is the best way.
©2020 Laine Quinn, St. Augustine Beach, June.
Full Twist
Alternate leg stretch
©2020, Laine Quinn Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, St. Augustine Beach
We Are all Humans -
wonderfully diverse -
who emerged from the same continent.
The differences,
Asian, Indian, Eskimo, Indigenous,
so called Whites, Blacks -
are just labels - tags - meaningless.
All Human life on the planet emerged from the continent
People dispersed to all parts of the globe
over thousands and thousands and thousands of years,
adjusting to the different environments in diverse ways.
All of the continents on earth are connected
deep in the earth.
All peoples on earth are connected
deep in their hearts.
In a sense,
we are all African!
But truly,
All part of one Human family.
Photo Credit: NASA 1,000,000 miles from earth, Africa and Europe.
Yes, we are unfortunately in a time
when we must assert
loud and clear -
that
Black Lives Do Matter.
Yet all true spiritual and religious traditions
and scientific facts
proclaim for all to hear
that
We are all one
and
one with all.
Sure, we are all different colors -
but we are the same race.
In fact there is only the one race -
the human race.
All other differentiations are fairy tales -
Black families have taken a beating for hundreds of years
and it is time for all of us
to stand with all oppressed people and say -
NO MORE!
©Laine Quinn 2020 Mexican art photographed without giving credit to the artist, sorry.
Change is in the air.
Compassion and righteous anger are walking the streets of America with Lady Justice.
There will be no turning back these pages of history ourstory -
no matter what the impeached president says or does.
Change is in the air.
This isn't 2 dozen people with automatic weapons
standing on the capitol steps
protesting the lock down because of covid-19.
This is thousands and thousands of peaceful Americans
supporting one another and walking together
to protest the racial inequality that permeates our society.
Protesting militant police who murder innocent people for sport.
Change is in the air
and it's not going away.
Police are on notice.
States Attorneys are on notice.
We are watching now.
And we are many.
Change is in the air.
Stay vigilant.
Stay safe.
Stay together.
In 1953, Rachel Carson penned this...
"It is one of the ironies of our time that,
while concentrating on the defense of our country against enemies from without,
we should be so heedless of those who would destroy it from within."
Amen.
©Laine Quinn 2020
My, oh my! What more
Can I say; seeing lilies
On the peaceful walk?
Surprise lilies in the neighborhood!
©2020Laine Quinn
It's Sunday,
take the day off!
With all of the bad news and incompetence of our government,
and missing being close to our loved ones -
our hearts get heavy.
But that's because of the love in our hearts.
Love and compassion and empathy and sorrow.
So, take a break.
Forget the bad news and focus on the love -
the love inside your Big Heart.
Love is everywhere evident -
even in this pandemic.
Look inside,
past the confusion and pain,
to the love.
That love - your love, my love,
will see us through to the other side of this.
Trust that love.
Feel it.
St. Augustine Beach, Sunrise
©2018 Laine Quinn
The Earth is breathing a sigh of relief today,
the 50th anniversary of Earth Day,
because her brainy humans have shut down
the engines of pollution.
No, it can't go on like this - or can it?
(There was a reason that manufacturing left the USA,
besides cheap labor -
lax environmental controls.
Maybe the countries who host these pollutors
will realize what they have sacrificed.)
Happy Earth Day!
© 2020Laine Quinn, Angel Wing in the sky.
It's been over a month since I've been to the beach.
Emotions seem to be wrapped up in worry and uncertainty,
and I don't miss it in the usual way.
But I do miss it!
©Laine Quinn 2019 St. Augustine Beach, sunrise.
"The shore means many things to many people. Of its varied moods
the one usually considered typical is not so at all.
The true spirit does not reside in the gentle surf that laps
a sun drenched bathing beach on a summer day.
Instead, it is on a lonely shore at dawn or twilight,
or in storm or midnight darkness that we sense a mysterious something
that we recognize as the the reality of the sea.
For the ocean has nothing to do with humanity.
It is supremely unaware of man..."
And the ocean was there at the beginnings of life on earth,
spawning all that we know and recognize as our world,
over many many millions of years.
"Everything in that scene caused me to feel apart,
remembering that the relation of birds to the sea
is rooted in millions of years,
that man came but yesterday."
Rachel Carson, quoted from the book LOST WOODS The Discovered Writing of Rachel Carson, edited by Linda Lear.
Photos Credit, © Laine Quinn White Crest, Wellfleet Mass.
and Dark Sky, Herring Cove, Provincetown Mass.
and Black Skimmers, Vilano Beach, St. Augustine Fl.
(Sea gull wondering if it is safe to join the others...)
*"If social distancing needs to be extended long term,
scientists recommend forming an inner circle of uninfected friends and family
that you can rely on
to maintain social bonds..."
Some others call this a pod -
forming a pod of trusted friends and family.
But when can we do that?
When is it safe -
when the very best thing we can do is to isolate?
Listen to your heart...
when it feels okay,
then wait another week!
If it still feels okay,
take small steps.
Go slowly.
Be sure.
Trust your feelings.
*Quoted from a CNN article by Ryan Prior.
© 2020 Laine Quinn St. Augustine inlet with the Schooner, Freedom and a gaggle of gulls. Or should I say a pod?
I've lost my head!
Me too!
I can't think...
I feel like an April Fool!
Sorry!!