She knew perfectly well that she wasn't dressed the way she was "supposed" to be for where she was, in the same way that she didn't believe the way she was "supposed" to believe nor live her life and pursue her interests and dreams the way she was "supposed" to do.
But because she knew her own mind, she didn't pay attention to the voices of conformity.
Getting where we want to go takes concentration and focus, because no path is as straight and easy as a bowling lane.
Concentration and focus require that we set aside the things that don't matter, siren calls of the tech, political and entertainment world that promise to take us places, but never actually do.
May the artwork take you to a tranquil place and a quiet time, so still that you can hear the trickle of water cascading down the rocks at the Emerald Pools.
Now in the days of seeing is most definitely not believing (nor hearing, nor being "informed") we look both inwards and outwards for truth, meaning, and the determination to do the good things that reside in our hearts.
It doesn't shout out its presence but rather, murmurs, or maybe even mutters, its existence. Now and then it goes completely silent, as you look around, befuddled, to see where it could have gone to. And it's over there. Sort of. Kind of.
Sunset -- when the shadows grow long, the air cool, the colors reflective and deep. It is a time given to us for contemplation and thought because it is the end of the day, not the beginning, and it is an invitation to seek rest, not endless activity.
There are castles made by humans, and those by nature. I prefer the latter because they're not reserved for a small population of humans who feel that their blood is better than that of others.
Some inanimate objects possess definite personalities, and the Watchman at Zion National Park in Utah, USA, is one of these. Strong, powerful, and benevolent, it sends the message that it is looking out for and protecting the landscape under its aegis. All is right when the Watchman is on guard.
When I am below in the valley, I look up, and I see the landscape around me in a certain way. But when I stand at the heights and look down, I see the same landscape in a different way. Perspective matters.
For more than a century until 1917, #Jews in the Russian empire were confined to the Pale of Settlement, mostly in what today is #Ukraine, #Belarus, #Moldova, & #Lithuania, & were terrorized by periodic #pogroms. Early in the 20th c, the czar’s #SecretPolice propagated (& are widely suspected of sponsoring) The Protocols of the Elders of #Zion, a vicious #antisemitic forgery that purported to expose a Jewish #conspiracy to take over the world & has inspired generations of #violent#antisemites.
As evening advances and twilight deepens, the last tourists leave the Emerald Pools of Zion. And yet the water and the trees and the cliffs remain, whether or not there is anyone to see them.
Dreams: you can't touch them, but you can hold them. Our deepest desires and goals reside in our hearts, where they grow gently but strongly into a force that we cannot ignore. Never discount your dreams and goals -- nourish them.
Sometimes, the paths we find to hike on -- whether we're on an afternoon endeavor or life's daily journey -- don't look like proper, groomed, official, conventional paths. Instead, they require us to stop, look, and think awhile.
I love Zion National Park in Utah, USA. Not the crowds, mind you, but if you're willing to explore the "back 40" of the park, the places not listed on brochures, you find all the majesty and splendor of the landscape, without the noise or crowds.
I have never hiked Angels Landing trail in Zion National Park, not because it isn't beautiful (I'm sure it is), but because it is crowded. The line of hikers working their way up looks like a looong line in the grocery store. Instead, I choose to hike trails that few people find because they're not promoted. But they're beautiful. And not crowded.
Leaving for a long overdue #vacation early tomorrow so any posting will likely be images over 9 days in southern #Utah.
We’ve been married for nearly 15 years but never took a honeymoon, so this is sorta it now that we’re empty nesters. The schedule is relatively fluid, taking it day by day, with St. George as our “base camp”. The entire trip is inspired by this amazing video as we enjoy hiking & haven’t been to Utah yet.
While the term Nakba is often used to refer specifically to the violence against Palestinians that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948,
the United Nations approved a plan in November 1947 to divide Palestine into a “Jewish state” and an “Arab state” against the wishes of the vast majority of the native Palestinian Arab population.4 It handed 56% of the land to the proposed Jewish state,