It’s a beautiful clear morning here today, and I was happy to see the sun rising over the mountains of Jost Van Dyke. It allowed me to confirm that the sun is headed back in the other direction now. It’s gone as far North as it will go …“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
~ Dale Carnegie
And just as the sky has cleared, so has much of that angst I’ve been experiencing. Life is truly a river. It ebbs and flows, often without much of our own “doing”.
Yesterday, as I was looking for that quote by Rilke, I opened my personal guidebook from 2009, which is when I first came across it. Opening this guidebook is always a very powerful exercise for me. It allows me to see where I’ve been, and how far I’ve come along the path. Inside my guidebook are one page business plans, budgets, to do lists, and my daily schedules. In the front section, however, are pieces of inspiration from that year: Photos, quotes, articles.
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms or books that are written in a very foreign language. Do not search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer ….”
~ Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
“Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.”
~ Alexis Carrel
Out marched Chantal, and in marches the Sahara dust that was part of her demise, and hopefully the next series of waves coming off of Africa. It is one hazy day! And I can tell already that it is going to be a hot one !!!
Over the past few days, I’ve been noticing a steady, low level angst within myself. I sat with it for some time yesterday afternoon. Tropical storm season often prompts this, but usually, through yoga, I can work that angst through my system. Gabby’s still not back to her normal self. She’s acting weird, trembling and weak. There is this intuition telling me that something is the matter. It has me troubled. But what else?
“To the wrongs that need resistance, To the right that needs assistance, To the future in the distance, Give yourselves.”
~ Carrie Chapman Catt
I began tracking tropical storms in 1995, the year of our devastating Hurricane Marilyn, which came on the footsteps of Hurricane Luis. 1995 saw 21 named storms, and this year 2013, has the same naming sequence (outside of those names that have been retired). ’95 had a Chantal as well, which formed on July 12.
My friend & weatherman Dave McDermott called this Chantal “defiant!!” “And a warning shot across our bow this season.” She didn’t leave even a drop of rain as of yet here on St. Thomas, but she has our defenses up early. Which is a good thing.
“It’s not a terrible thing that we feel fear when faced with the unknown. It is part of being alive, something we all share.”
~ Pema Chodron
Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning. Today, we are under a Tropical Storm watch; however, with all things considered, TS Chantel should pass 100+ miles to our south. “All things considered”. The fortunate part of this storm is that it is moving very quickly, so there is little chance for her to make what we call “a wobble”. And the rules of storm warfare that I was given say that if a storm crosses the Caribbean island chain south of Guadeloupe (the island that looks like a butterfly), we are “safe”. Which it will …
“Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries.”
~ Corita Kent
Interesting weather we have going on here! Yesterday’s beautiful sunrise gave way to thunderstorms. And now we have an early season tropical storm Chantal shooting up the pipeline. Could make for an interesting week (and photos)!
I was up early this morning, and had a quick look at Facebook before I sat. I never know exactly what I will write about each morning, or what meditation will bring. But a post by a friend regarding Boundaries, prompted quite a bit of contemplation.
“They say dreams are the windows of the soul–take a peek and you can see the inner workings, the nuts and bolts.”
~ Henry Bromel
It’s a drowzy morning here in the VI … I was happy the sunrise was pink to start, or I might have chosen to stay in bed. But I got up, and was glad I did, for the changing colors under that big black cloud were really pretty.
Villa guests were up late last night following a wedding, Spencer was up multiple times too, and thus, I did not enjoy a good night’s sleep.
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.
~ Abraham Lincoln
It’s a spectacular day here in the VI !! We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather conditions for this holiday weekend. Yesterday, I did photograph the sunrise. But I was too hung over to write after being over-served champagne, and under-exercising my ability to say no 😉
Blogger Liz Strauss is quoted as saying “The Internet has no eraser.” And I had some interesting blogging experiences and lessons over the past few days, some of which I’m tempted to erase. Rule number one, the internet should have a breathalyzer: Don’t get on, when you aren’t in your right mind LOL … But rule number two, is that there will likely be times when what I have to say, people aren’t going to like, and some may even take offense. I care deeply about my audience, but the day that I begin shifting my words and my message and my style of writing to please a particular (likely unknown) person, it’ll be time to put the keyboard away.