P a r h e l i o n

A  L  O  H  A,   F  R  I  E  N  D!

" Never

 lose an opportunity

 of seeing anything 

beautiful, 

for beauty 

is God's 

handwriting. "

 Ralph Waldo Emerson

" We should read 

to give our souls a

chance to luxuriate. "

 Henry Miller

" Tremendous beauty

 can be found in 

the tiniest of things... 

for who has 

ever thought 

to rival that 

of a butterfly's wing? "

 K. D'Angelo

" Literature and butterflies

 are the two sweetest

 passions

 known to man. "

Vladimir Nabokov 

=^..^=

' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '

Thanks so much for looking in!

                           Warmly, cloudia

Autumn Song with Palms

A   L   O   H   A !

I have qualms

about showing 

YOU

palms.

The First Days of 

Magic October

demand royal

Reds, Ombres,

 Rusts!

Though Your heart

Be a rover,

Encompassing

the world over

"Lovely Evening at Firefly Pond"

One's own backyard

is the place to be,

your own hometown

sparkles

in all her glory!

Thanks for visiting

                             fondly, cloudia

Discovering Your Mission

A  L  O  H  A !

"What is my gift? 

My talent?

What career 

should I pursue?"

We've all heard it;

We've all SAID it!

The person who becomes

a STAR says: 

"This is what I was made for.

I'm no good for anything else."

" I like to write, 

so I should go

to journalism school.

Get paid for doing 

what you love,

and you'll never work

 a day in your life."

Right?

Maybe. 

But if you never make a living

doing some unique 
"Dream"

it sets you up for regret.

"I'm only a mail carrier."

I'll never rule the world.

This has become

clear to me so

I've re-framed 

my own mission.

Now I don't think of

 my "Mission"

rather I see it 

in terms of 

LENS-

What is MY lens,

through which

I  view

 the world,

myself,

  others? 

What is my 

Focus?

What is my intention

 for self and other?

How do I focus my lens

on others,

on myself, 

on the world?

My mission is no longer world domination.

I now understand that my Lens,

 my Focus

is on Kindness, Authenticity, 

Non-interference,

Tolerance for Ambiguity

 and for Difference.

The best part is,

 that I didn't need to wait

for someone to HIRE me

 to behave

through that lens, 

AS that lens.

I could start right away!

And so I have.

And so can 

Y O U

What is your insight? 

Your gift to the world,

your impact?

Is it the invention of 

another mobile phone,

the massing and 

giving away of a fortune?

Good luck with that. 

Seriously. GO YOU!

But as for me, 
I invite you to 
join me, be

a lense of what you care about.

Then focus your lens outward

and inward too.

Learn what the mystery of YOU 

is trying to teach You. 

You are also a unique gift 

to this world. 

I promise you 

that your impact

- every day, everywhere you go -

will add up to quite a 

Significance,

though it be a significance

that we will only comprehend

fully

By and by. . . . . . . 

=^..^=

Thank YOU

for sharing here.

Join us in Comments

                                         Fondly, cloudia

Sun Fold Un-Set

A  L  O  H  A !

September Sunset, Waikiki

"It is only possible

 to live

 happily ever after 

on a day-to-day basis."

       

 Margaret Bonnano

Lenticular Cloud "UFO"

"In the middle of difficulty

 lies opportunity."

Albert Einstein

Monstera Leaves, One Unfurling

" Arguing

 with a fool

 proves 

there are two. "

Doris M. Smith


> <  }  }  ( ° >

Thank You for visiting!
                                                 cloudia

Urge for Autumn

 Always loved this perfect Autumn Song!

" My sorrow, 

when she's here with me, 

thinks these dark days of autumn 

rain are beautiful as days can be; 

she loves the bare, the withered tree; 

she walks the sodden pasture lane. "

Robert Frost 

Autumn

is a splendor.

Just wanted to say

HOW MUCH

I am enjoying

Y O Ur

Autumn Posts,

those of You

in the North.

I feel the chill,

I taste the golden thrill

of pumpkin & spice.

This is what friends

+ blogs

can do.

Isn't it GREAT!

                          Fondly, cloudia

Tortured Body - Soaring Humanity

The Sessions is a remarkable film,
 deeply in touch with the mess
 and splendor 
of wearing these 
meat suits 
that we go around in.

Can a paralyzed man 

be a better "catch'

than a so called

"Able  Bodied" lout?

The worst restrictions

on our Spirit,

Body,

on Life Itself

are always 

permeable

to this remarkable

Human Spirit. 

Warmly, cloudia

Mr. Otis Doesn't Regret

A  L  O  H  A !

This is Otis.
He lives with his human companion at Waimanalo, Oahu
Photo courtesy of Jeff Gunther

" Better to be without logic

than without feeling."

Charlotte Bronte

" There are no foreign lands.

It is the traveler only

who is foreign. "

Robert Louis Stevenson

 “Many of us 

crucify ourselves 

between two thieves 

- regret for the past 

and fear of the future.”

Fulton Oursler

  >< } } (° >

Let's all resolve

to be More

like Otis!

Be good to yourself

Here & Now;

Pass it on -

                     Warmly, cloudia

Joy Scatter

A  L  O  H  A !

 "I am a Marxist-

-of the Groucho tendency."

        Anonymous

"The best way 

to get approval 

is not to need it."

Hugh Macleod

 "Sleep 

is when your soul 

recharges your body."

 Deepak Chopra

 "I'm not a vegetarian 

because I love animals.

 I'm a vegetarian 

because I hate plants."

        A. Whitney Brown

=^..^=

' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '

Thanks for visiting!

                                 Warmly, cloudia

Met an Old Man Walking

A  L  O  H  A !

I met an old man walking

here in Waikiki

he had just played several

games of tennis;

He told me that

he was over

 90 years.

He told me

that most of his friends

succumbed to beliefs,

conventional ones

about aging.

"One's 70's are the key.

Most people really freak out;

They believe all that stuff

and they follow the plan

down hill.

But if you keep moving

and get past those age 70+ 

bugaboos

it gets better and better."

Thanks, I said.

"Just keep moving - that's all,"

Says he.

And so I do.

How about

Y O U ?

=^..^=

' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '

Thanks for visiting!

                           Warmly, cloudia

Cabinet of Curious Minor Wonders

A  L  O  H  A !

Three Sisters in a Field of Butterflies


" I have never been 
especially impressed
 by the heroics of people
 who are convinced they are 
about to change the world. 
I am more awed by those 
who struggle to make
 one small difference 
after another. "

Ellen Goodman

Leaf Curls

" Small change, small wonders -
 these are the currency 
of my endurance 
and ultimately of my life. "


Barbara Kingsolver 

 T O M B 

" Take away love 
and our earth
 is a tomb. "


Robert Browning

" Remember 
the quiet wonders. 
The world has 
more need of them 
than it has 
for warriors. "


Charles de Lint



> < } } (°>


We are the warriors
of wonder,
You & Me!
=^..^=

' Take Peace & Smiles - Leave Your Comment '

Thanks for visiting!

                    Warmly, cloudia