Drizzly Thursday

One big pumpkin

I went back and forth trying to decide whether or not to join the Senior Trailblazers today, since they decided at the last minute to head back into the High Country and try to wrest one more trip before staying down at sea level for the duration. It was when I realized that the weather had deteriorated and that it would be rainy, or at least not wonderful up there, and with a car shuttle in the plans, I decided to stay home. On the way into the Food Coop this morning for a breakfast sandwich, I saw this huge pumpkin (they do this almost every year) and are offering a gift certificate to whomever gets closest to guessing its actual weight. (I'm thinking maybe 650 pounds? Or more. Or less.)

Instead of joining my friends on the hike, I went over to the Senior Center to attend the Zumba Gold class. As usual, I could only make the first forty minutes of the hour-long class before I left, out of breath and tired. Then I walked home the long way, giving myself all the steps needed to close my fitness rings. The day was living up to the forecast, with a light drizzle accompanying me all morning. I had neglected to wear a raincoat, because I was hoping that the light rain would finally relent. Nope.

Gold and rainbows

We have recently had the kind of weather that causes such gorgeous scenes as this one, which was captured by one of my favorite artists. She posts frequently in the Seeing Bellingham Facebook group, Emily Polis Gibson. She also has a website, linked here, with wonderful scenes and stories that she shares. I wanted to find something that shows the incredible beauty of our region, and this picture did just that. Yesterday between rain showers, I saw a scene similar to this one, but before I could capture it, the light had changed and it was gone. So, thank you Emily, for this golden gem.

I also had a wonderful acupuncture treatment yesterday, which always helps to bring me back into a place of equanimity. That, and limiting the amount of news I allow into my day, has helped me cope with the awfulness going on in the Middle East. Most of the time, good news is overlooked because it doesn't cause visceral reactions, but rest assured, every moment of every day there is peace, joy, and happiness lurking within the crevices of our world. And here is a little bit of wisdom from someone who has given the world an enormous amount of all those things:

We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams. —Jimmy Carter

:-)