Honouring Moments of Pause

   Slowly, very slowly, I am emerging from a pause. I took time this year to deepen study in Chinese medicine, mind my private practice, read, watch, internalize and observe the changes. There are days that have felt like moments and others like eternities. While I have not written much for the blog, I did continue to take photographs and quell my curiosity of the natural world with my camera. 

   I am including a few collages with some of my favourite images that tell a story about this past year. There are so many images to share as I edit and reconfigure my writings. It occurred to me this past week that so much of my time during the past two years was invested in cultivating safety for myself and for my work. When we feel safe, we can then down regulate, be curious and find breath. There have been days where the breath has been short, shallow and brief. The work has been to find the depth of the breaths where the air can sometimes feel trapped or held. It is during these levels of activation, I have felt the importance and necessity of honouring moments of pause. Taking photographs, especially of my hummingbirds, asks for stillness and focus on slow exhales.  I never use a tripod so it is always an act of meditation to keep a still hand.

   There were moments with peeper frogs, a luna moth, mimosa flowers, and countless hours with a new generation of hummingbird visitors. As the world has turned in so many directions I am eternally grateful for the presence of the small details of shimmering beauty that reside in the woods, the air and the earth.

  

 It is my hope that some of these images will spark curiosity and deep refreshing breaths as we enter the new year. One of my favorite images was taken this autumn of a passion flower vine that grew with such vitality that it climbed up the side of my home and drooped over a doorway. It gave the garden the feeling of something very romantic and old. The vines were curled, woven, knotted, stuck and integrated with the shingles and rooftop. Each time that I walked out the door, I was reminded to stay the course, and to follow the inspirations that offer glimmers of beauty and passion. This vine has been growing for over a decade. Inside in the winter and outside in the summer. It continues to gently bloom, offering magical green and purple flowers despite the wobble of the world. 

    As I write this post, the owls are singing in the woods. I hear them morning and night, just when the light has a certain dusky tone. I am so deeply grateful for their presence. They remind me that the cycles of nature continue and that we too are part of a circular process of healing and rebirth. They also offer the reminder of a place that still holds a little bit of wildness and raw woodsy beauty. Wishing everyone a new year filed with creativity, curiosity, patience and kindness.