Blue spirits
Posted: December 9, 2012 Filed under: 365 Meditation Challenge, Abstracts, Adventures in art, Air, Autumn, Daily Walk, Digital Art, Earth, home, life, Mindfulness, music, nature, Photography, pond, Quotes, Spirit, Today's Joys, Walking, wandering, water, weather | Tags: autumn, Béla Fleck, Cleveland Orchestra, MaidinSun Photography, nature, Osip Mandelstam, Outdoors, Photography, pond, quotes, reflections, trees, water, weather 22 Comments
Contemplation in blue
Perhaps the whisper was born before lips,
And the leaves in treelessness circled and flew,
And those, to whom we impart our experience as bliss,
Acquire their forms before we do.~ Osip Mandelstam
Lost in thought
I started the day feeling a bit low. Nothing serious, mind you. Just a touch of the blues. It’s silly, really. A temporary situation, and one that could bring good opportunities and big change. At dawn this morning I asked myself, “Why are you feeling blue?” Then I went out for a walk.
Centermost portal
The walk was not about talking myself out of the blues. It was about exploring the blues with a loving curiosity. What is this feeling? What’s it all about? And does it matter if it has a name or even if it has a reason?
Dissolving
Somewhere along the way, the blues dissolved into joy, a delight in walking, seeing, sensing, being.
Plain and simple.
You can’t ask for much more than that from a walk, can you? Well, I suppose you can, but would you?
Early morning imitating moonlight
In other, fun, news…
M and I went up to Severance Hall in Cleveland last night to listen to Béla Fleck perform his Banjo Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra. What’s that? Banjo and the Cleveland Orchestra? Why, yes. And it was pretty amazing.
Strung
This is not what he performed, but it will give you an idea of the beauty of the banjo in the hands of Béla Fleck. Go ahead. Have a listen. I’ll wait. Beautiful, isn’t it?
Why does the willow weep?
That’s it from the Bogs on this gray Sunday. It doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing the sun again until Wednesday, but there is a chance of snow on Tuesday. I could be wrong, but it looks like we might have another balmy winter. Phooey. Maybe January will be more winter-like.
Blues in the woods
Thank you for visiting. I hope you’ve been having a fab weekend.
Manufacturing winter
What I’m listening to today:
Life in the Bogs 
Gorgeous set. It’s grey here today – I wish I could see some blue:)
Thanks, Lorrie. It’s grey and rainy here. I shot everything with the white balance set to tungsten to make it blue. 😀
Smart cookie 🙂 I have not thought of doing that.
You know, I was just telling Kathy over at LSS that I oddly found myself wishing for a little snow. It is rainy here and predicted to be so for at least the next 24 hours. I’m hoping for a bit more “normal” winter this year too – nothing over the top snow-wise, mind you! Maybe we can think of it this way: it isn’t “officially” winter yet, and won’t be for 12 more days.
True, Karma, but all this grayness is bringing on a good case of the doldrums. I’m with you: Let it snow! 😀
hope you’re feeling better now
these are stunning photog’s, love the blue hues
Thank you, Chloe. 🙂
[…] I did recently tell both Robin and Kathy that I honestly wouldn’t mind just a bit of snow. WHAT?!? Yup, it’s […]
Thank you for the pingback/link, Karma. 🙂
Glad your spirits lifted, I got all of the christmas boxes out of the attic yesterday and have been decorating the house. I’m wandering around at the moment with a santa hat on, it’s hard to feel blue when you’re wearing a silly santa hat. 😀
That’s a great idea, Sallyann! I think I have some reindeer antlers somewhere around here. That ought to make me smile. 🙂
Not real antlers, by the way. It’s one of those headband things you wear on your head. Naturally. 😀
Not feeling blue today, but love the pics … and Bela’s music!
Thank you, Frank. 🙂
Robin, that’s a great way to deal with the “blues” – so beautifully! Hard not to feel blue with all the rain and dark gray skies and just as gray and brown on the ground – you surely found a creative solution. I LOVE Bela Fleck; I’ve seen him in concert with the Flektones several times and we know his bass player, Victor, through mutual friends. I’ll have to find out more about his banjo concerto!
Thank you, Lynn. 🙂 I really enjoyed his banjo concerto. I think you will, too.
I love the music, Robin. Sorry you were feeling blue, but at least your walk took you into a blissful place! A walk, where you really notice things, will do that for sure. Happy holidays!
Thank you, Cathy. 🙂
Wonderful “blues”…. at least when “blues” are colors, rather than moods. Ahhh Robin, if only we could filter blues in and out of our lives the way the camera can! Wake up in a low mood?…whoops, tungsten filter on by mistake, turn it off!
And the music is wonderful. Any idea what that unusual instrument is? I’ve never seen anything like that! Great sound, too!
Thank you, Kathy. I like the idea of being able to filter the blues. Just switch the white balance to open shade or something warm and voila! No more blues. 😀
Nothing lifts a blue spirit quite as well as the outdoors do, right? I love the photographs that accompany this post– such a positive spin on the ‘blues’. 🙂
Agreed! Thank you, Dana. 🙂