laughter

Fire-Breathing Dragons – Day 1016

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Kind of looks like a Teenage Ninja Turtle – Photo: L. Weikel

Fire-Breathing Dragons

There was a lot of cloud action going on today during my walk, from portals to Beings to fire-breathing dragons. When I first started out, I saw a distinctively rectangular shaped ‘hole’ in a massive cloud bank immediately in front of me. I stopped to photograph it because it sort of defied the look of most cloud portals (doorways into other realms). While portals are definitely not limited to simply round holes in the sky, it could be argued that classic portals are often either round holes or rectangles that resemble doorways.

Thus, the sideways rectangle that initially caught my attention felt odd. It was, one could argue, a doorway on its side. But it looked and felt different. Unique. Perhaps it was the clearly defined right angles that, for whatever reason, felt distinctive and a bit out of place.

So I decided to take a photograph of this oblong hole in the clouds. Once I did, though, I couldn’t unsee the huge face of a Cloud Being that revealed itself to me. How could I have missed the mirth-filled face smiling down upon me?

Dragon Rising! – Photo: L. Weikel

An Hour Later

Nearly an hour later, I encountered more clouds that refused to be ignored.

Hardest to ignore was a dragon with upward extended bat-like wings that caught my eye. It was clear this dragon was scorching the air with its fiery breath as it rose to gain a better vantage point over the countryside.

But when I zoomed in to take a closer photo of the head of this fire-breathing dragon, I noticed that it, too (like the giant cloud being, above), appeared to be…happy.

Laughter and smiles from the two most prominent cloud beings appearing in the sky today. With all the ominous and threatening, billowing and dangerous storm clouds and thunderheads that have been frequenting us lately, I have to admit these harbingers of happiness were an unexpected and most welcome surprise, especially given my cranky attitude at the outset of my journey.

Their smiles were contagious, both then and now. I’m grateful for the laughter I see in both.

Close-up of (laughing) fire-breathing dragon – Photo: L.Weikel

(T-95)

Snarfing Down a Carrot – Day 984

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Snarfing Down a Carrot – Photo: L. Weikel

Snarfing Down a Carrot

As I’ve said a vast number of times before, it’s the little things in life that make it all worthwhile. Yeah, I’ve written about a lot of the ‘little things’ in my life over the past 983 days, even accidentally titling three separate posts (here, here, and here) ‘Little Things.’ But I’ve never titled a post ‘Snarfing Down a Carrot’ before tonight and yet the snarfing was most definitely another example of a tiny moment that made my day.

In point of fact, and upon reflection, almost every post has been about something most people would view as utterly inconsequential.

Alas, perhaps that’s one of the lessons I’ve learned through this exercise I dubbed my ‘1111 Devotion.’ My life is a tapestry of inconsequential moments; opportunities to assign personal meaning to the shape of a cloud or to realize joy in the midnight song of a catbird.

Or to experience delight when pigs, responding to my calls, run from their pen to greet me with smiles and appreciative grunts. It got even better (in my book) when the swine that snagged the biggest carrot used decidedly covert and deliberate tactics to hide her coup from the other two. Not only did she know she’d scored, she was determined to hide it from the other two.

She knew what she was doing! – Photo: L. Weikel

Laughter and Joy

I’m grateful for the laughter and joy my ‘three little pigs’ brought me this evening. It was quite a juggling act, taking their photos while feeding them carrots, singing their praises, and making sure Spartacus stuck by my side.

But I hope you’ll agree, these photos capture at least a little of their ‘cheek,’ and surely elicit a chuckle.

I was going to pick a card for us to contemplate on tomorrow’s full moon in Aquarius. Instead, I became distracted by my lovely and loving little porkers.

Maybe I’ll pick a card tomorrow.

Or maybe not.

Shhhh! It’s our secret – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-127)

A Donkey On the Edge – Day 846

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Photo: L. Weikel

A Donkey On the Edge

One phrase from the movie Shrek, uttered by the inimitable Eddie Murphy as Donkey himself, resonated so profoundly with me when I heard it that it became a permanent part of my personal lexicon of go-to phrases. Yes. It’s true. Referring to myself as a ‘donkey on the edge’ whenever I’m stressed out to the max could not be a more spot-on description.

I have to say, I think the animated movies that came out when my youngest sons were little were the very best of the best. We’re talking through the middle and late 90’s: Toy Story, The Lion King, Shrek, just to name a few. Another one that belongs in that lineup, albeit a completely different cup of tea than the first three mentioned, would be The Snowman.

It’s possible that these favorites hold their special place in my heart precisely because we enjoyed watching them together. Nevertheless, they’re also classics in themselves, conveying themes that resonate with our shared humanity and the values we want our kids and each other to hold.

Laughter – the Ultimate Tension Breaker

That said, and as much as I am inevitably reduced to tears watching Toy Story and The Lion King (or just hearing the musical theme of The Snowman), when I watch Shrek, I laugh. And the character that makes me laugh the most is, of course, Donkey.

Donkeys (in real life) and I go way back. Probably the most notorious instances of my relationship with donkeys harkens back to some shamanic training I did in Ireland 12 or 13 years ago. The estate where we gathered for the weeklong sacred work had some resident donkeys among a cadre of other wild and not-so-wild life, including two dogs that were as big as ponies.

But the donkeys captivated me. (There’s more to the story but not for tonight.)

As I sit here this evening thinking about these movies, I’m basically talking myself into watching at least Shrek tomorrow. I need a laugh.

I’ve been a ‘donkey on the edge’ lately, as have some other people in my psychic space.

Laughter is definitely what we all could use – in abundance.

(T-265)

Odd Penchant – Day 674

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Photo: L. Weikel

Odd Penchant

I’m starting to wonder if somehow my youth was stunted or in some other way deprived. I say that because, clearly, I have an odd penchant for anthropomorphizing my vegetables.

I don’t know what to say. When I was a little kid, I was not one to play with dolls – at least, not the stereotypical or traditional ‘baby dolls.’ But man…I do remember Liddle Kiddles, though.

Wow, in the process of seeing if I could find a link to an image of Liddle Kiddles, I became completely distracted by and lost in memories from when I was 7 or 8 years old. Since my siblings were all significantly older than I was, and we lived ‘out in the country,’ I spent a lot of time playing by myself. Believe me, I grew up a long time before there was anything remotely called a play date.

When I found this link to Liddle Kiddles and see their little faces and accessories, I can suddenly still smell the bendy plastic they were made of and remember their outfits as if it were yesterday – or another life.  Of the ‘original ten’ Kiddles created in 1966, I definitely remember having Bunson Burnie, Calamity Jiddle, Howard “Biff” Boodle, Lola Liddle, and Liddle Diddle. Remembering this right now is just so peculiar!

I also played with Trolls. I loved their hair and their naked, androgynous little bodies. I’m pretty sure they, too, had that same rubbery-plastic smell that all dolls of that ilk had back in the ‘60s.

Today It’s Vegetables

What can I say?

I picked up our family’s vegetables from the CSA today and noticed we received a bounty of adorably provocative carrots. Ah yes, I’ve grown up and now instead of Calamity Jiddle and Biff Boodle, I see soft porn in my veggies.

Hardly even soft! But tell me these carrots don’t look just a tad bit risqué?

I don’t know about the middle one. It seems to be a little kid throwing a fishing line into a creek. The one on the left is just kickin’ back, chillin’ out. I could almost imagine it smoking a cigarette and reaching for a beer. And the one on the right? Hmm. It’s probably best if I leave that to your own imaginations.

I’m sure at least some of you know this tendency to anthropomorphize is a distinct part of my personality. You may remember this post. Or this one. Of course, this odd predilection of mine undoubtedly enhances my ability to read the clouds the way I do.

Provocative Carrots – Photo: L. Weikel

Makes Me Laugh

All I know is, my humor may occasionally be juvenile and my imagination may be abundantly fertile, but I’m often able to use those attributes to find something to make me smile in this chaotic, often depressing world.

If it’s anthropomorphizing carrots, so be it. Whimsy, fantasy, imagination, laughter…these are the things in my life that I want to cultivate.

Small seeds. I’m planting small seeds.

(T-437)

Taking a Breather – Day 103

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Taking a Breather                 

You’ll be glad to know I’m offering you a reprieve from another installment of The Harrowing Tales of Lisa’s Possessions. (There’s actually a joke in there, but I’m going to leave it be.)

It’s Friday (or probably Saturday by the time you’re reading this), and we all need to take a breather. It feels like it’s been a week of extremes, and I’m tuckered out.

We had a snow and ice storm in our area on Wednesday, as you know. Yesterday, however, we enjoyed a balmy turn that took the temperature outside up to nearly 60 degrees. It was a long, sweet swig of spring, and it left me thirsty for more.

Taking a walk yesterday was a simple delight in another way, too. I let go, for a time, my worries over my car, my printers, and even my espresso machine, which also, yesterday (I could not make this up), decided to start spraying water all over the counter instead of yielding me the nectar I so earnestly craved. To be honest? I almost screamed when it had the audacity to do it again this morning.

Surrender and Promise

But my walk yesterday! The difference between Wednesday and Thursday was dramatic. While Wednesday was wild and wintery and called us all to cocoon, on Thursday, everything seemed to sparkle. I found myself smiling and feeling content and peaceful – with maybe even a hint of promise. I could almost sense the seeds deep in the earth germinating, sending tentacles of exploration up toward the surface to see just when it would be warm enough to sprout.

I took a photo of a small tributary that runs down the hill from where I was walking past High Rocks State Park. This tiny little stream, only active after significant rain or snowfall, flows over rocks and around the roots of trees to make its way into the Tohickon Creek. Its beauty stopped me in my tracks.

I’m flowing through our challenges, too. And trying to maintain a sense of humor throughout. Because you know what? It’s all just stuff.

Stuff and expectations. Learning to surrender both can be astonishingly liberating.

(T-1008)