Moments D621: Purple Slivers

I spent most of the day on my own today running an errand and otherwise reading the day away.  A pretty chill day.

I dropped off my broken phone at a repair place first thing this morning, (yes, I had to drive that Big ol' Truck again!), I spent some time in the bed of the truck soaking up the sun, I finished off my book and then drove back to the repair place to pick up my fixed phone.

And when I arrived home, the sun was just lost behind the mountains already and the sky was my favourite colour.  And there, in that pretty purple sky was a pretty sliver of moon.

I paused and soaked it in.  I couldn't help but share this one out.  What a beautiful way to end the day.

Moments seeing your favourite colour as the backdrop to your favourite natural icon.

Moments pausing to take it all in and then sharing it all out.

Moments D603: Shadow Dance

Today's moment surprised me, as many moments over the days passed have.  The full moon, the coming holiday season, current life shifts and questions, so many unanswered questions.  It's been a circling swirl of energy and none overly productive.  The path is forward, but it feels like two steps forward, one back.  It's not how I typically work.  That said, I too am learning, changing and evolving.  I have learned that not everything needs to be driven hard forward.  Taking time, investigating, mulling over.  These are qualities that only fortify the path followed.  But it's not easy for me as here are too many unanswered questions.  That makes me uneasy.  Too many possibilities floating around me and, at times, it makes me feel a touch lost on the direction.

But I digress.  Today's moment appeared during a particularly stressful conversation, I found myself watching the shadows cast by the full moon on the landscape and the cars all around us.  And then I saw it, a big, beautiful shadow of the truck we were driving along the freeway in.  It was picture perfect.

In that moment, I couldn't help but smile and think back to when I was a kid and playing with toy cars.  My brother and I used to make shadows with them.  You know, a Hot Wheels car (or truck!), a flashlight, and a background.  What fun we had!

And just as quickly as my moment arrived, the shadow and memory vanished.

Moments stolen away from a stressful situation.

Moments recalling fond childhood memories.

Moments D546: Fly me to the Moon

Today was a day of sitting on pins and needles, waiting. Sometimes waiting can be ever so torturous.  Believe me, today was one of those days!

Strangely, it was also highly productive day as I dove in deep trying to shed the excess energy swirling about me.  I was a machine burning off all that excess energy!  I'm the worst at waiting for these moments to arrive.  I tend to over-analyze and over-think a coming moment such as this.  A moment that I've prepared for, certainly for days, if not for weeks.  And the time was nearly upon me.  

Seriously.  Imagine all the pent up energy pent after all the twists and turns of the past month (or so).  The highs, the lows.  And now, I found the moment upon upon me.  It was time to share my news with "the powers that be".  It was time to start spreading the news and I was high on love and flying over the moon at the thought and anticipation of sharing my news.  

I was nervous.  Terribly nervous.  More nervous than I should have been, after all it was good news.  In fact, our final plan ended up becoming a win-win-win situation for all involved.  So why all the nerves?  

WELL......

Imagine the pent up energy from sitting on news this big for two weeks.

Imagine the emotional turmoil from shifting gears (back and forth and back again!) over those two weeks.

Add to that, the eerie silence and the inability to share with everyone. Add in the loss of a close friend and the inability to openly share and celebrate.  Frankly, there was, simply,  a lot of energy and words waiting to explode out into the universe from my heart & soul.  Even in today's moment, I had to contain their power.  I had to find a way to gently open the flood gates.  Baby steps.  

Believe me, baby steps are not easy, when you are holding back that much energy!

And yet.  I did it.

With shaky hands and a flutter in my heart I finally shared my recently solidified plan and news.  And, even though the plan has dramatically changed over the last week, it is a solid plan and it's extremely exciting.  Honestly, it was hard not to just have a silly grin on my face and babble about sparkles, unicorns and rainbows.

I'm rambling.  I know.  What can I say.  TOO. MUCH. ENERGY!

Okay focus.  

My moment today?  I managed to pull myself together.  I centred and grounded myself and I shared my news with, hopefully, few tell-tale signs of the nerves behind the words.    I hit the key points.  I was flexible and went with the flow of the conversation.  And, while there was excitement in the air, the business points were not lost.

But believe me, once the news and the proposal was out, I was internally doing the happy dance.  A mini-moment of celebration.  I barely contained myself from squealing over and over again.  (And I admit, I still let it slip at the end of my big conversation tonight.)

It's a good thing I was meeting Archie and Comic Guy for dinner and a show after work.  I needed to share out all that energy and love.

What an incredible day.  One, that I'm sure will be followed by many more as my love inches ever closer to me in our quest to continue to dig deep with one another.  We are officially on that path together.  And now, now the world knows.

Watch out world.  You have no idea what you are in for.

Moments waiting in anticipation.  

Moments pulling yourself together defeating the nerves within.

Moments D502: God's Thumbnail

Today was a hot hot day today and the air conditioning in the team room at the drop zone was dead.  The air within its walls were coated with the humid air.  Standing still wasn't still enough to avoid sweating buckets. It was a touch better when I sat outside in the dusty hot wind working on a design for an upcoming competition. (Which reminds me I wonder if my team for Tough Mudder wants to do t-shirts?  Hmmm.  Yes.  I think we must get some!)

As the afternoon came to a close, EQ and I decided to really escape the heat and head to a movie.  Planes was a fun movie and a perfect way to cool off.  Too early for dinner after the movie, we decided to ride into Temecula wine country to watch the sunset.

But the moment of the day that I really want to focus on was when we were riding home.   As we rode, the smells in the air shifted from sweet to earthy and the temperature cooled.   The sky shifted from hot red orange into the perfect purple-blue twilight colour (my favourite).  We rode into the velvety sky and the sliver of a moon and Saturn shone brightly against the twilight sky.  It filled my vision and senses for quite some time. As we continued on the road, I pointed out the beauty of the sky ahead of us.  EQ shared with me that this teeny sliver of a moon is known as "God's Thumbnail".  I hadn't heard it called that before and suddenly the moment was that much more beautiful for I had learned something new and could admire it from a new perspective.  We rode into the beauty for quite some time and I soaked in every moment of it.  The view was very similar to this, though the moon was higher in the sky for us.

Moments enjoying the smells and sights around you.

Moments seeing the beauty from a new perspective.

Moments D426: Super moon, Super Love

Today was an incredible afternoon and evening with my family.  Again I am reminded just how fortunate I am to have such a close, loving family.  That's not to say it's perfect, because it certainly isn't, but its imperfections is what makes it uniquely mine.

Today, a day, we celebrated my niece's 15th birthday with a family BBQ.  I had an opportunity to catch up with my favourite "non-neices", my actual nephews, a couple of my aunts and uncles and cousins, not to mention my own Mom & Dad.  So much laughter.  So much excitement for the kids and their new adventures (from braces coming off, to prom dresses and karate & ball hockey dates not to be missed.)  Every time I started a new conversation, I felt filled with love.  In short, an amazing day.

The best part was on the drive home though.  It was just before 10pm when I stopped for gas and finally laid my eyes on the "super moon" rising.  I lost my breathe for a moment.  It was so very beautiful.  After gassing up, I went to the back of a commercial parking lot (mother would not approve that I was on my own doing this!), got out of my car and walked into the field to snap a few pictures.  BEAUTIFUL.  I returned to my car and sat there for a few minutes just absorbing the view.

As I neared home, I couldn't help but pull off the road and park at the beach.  And I took a few more pictures.  Interesting was the diagonal ray of light.  I could have sat there on the beach all night watching the moon pass over, but I was eager to get home and share the experience.

A super moon, a super day with family, topped off by an evening of super catch up with Hawk and EQ.  This girl is super charged.  Life is bright and I am ready to share my light once again.

Moments filled with laughter and love.

Moments filled with quiet introspection by the light of the full moon.

Moments D424: Summer Solstice

Happy summer to each of you!  Today is the longest day of the year and it marks the beginning of summer.  It also, for me, marks the beginning of a new perspective on life.  Today's moment is two-fold for me.  The first a very deep and personal shift.  The second, spending the evening on the beach, playing volleyball on the longest day of the year while watching the sunset and the near-full moon rise.  Stunning.  Could it have been more perfect?

It's funny how quickly things can shift.  I find, it's even more significant when those shifts happen to occur on significant dates.  Today a shift on the solstice and near-full moon.  Damn.  Now that is intense!

Why the shift?  I'm not sure.  I've reflected upon this question without finding a true answer.  Part of the answer is that it really is time to celebrate me and my deepest needs.  Without a doubt, I've been avoiding this due to circumstance and simple fear.  When you hear of death (and there have been a few this past week, far from me, but close to my friends), it shakes you.  It's not in my personal circle, but it still shakes you to see how it affects your friends.  This had me stop to think about how short life is and how (again) every day much be celebrated.  WHY ON EARTH was I living in fear?  WHAT was holding me back?

The answer was simple.  *I* was holding me back.

It is time to let go of the fear, time to full be in the moment and plan my future.  Come what may, I want to find a reciprocated love.  I want to share my deepest self.  Today the season changed and this deep, life-altering change happened within me.  I am ready.  Throwing caution to the wind, I opened myself up a little more deeply to the signs around me.  I have opened myself to embarking on a new path.  A path I have previously run from for fear of the unknown.  One that now is in my sights and is fully illuminated (and believe me, the pun here (being the longest day of the year) is not lost on me!).  This a path that brings me much joy and hope.  A path brings a flutter to me that I haven't felt in a long time. Come what may, this summer is going to be the experience of a lifetime for me.  For me, it begins today.

Moments celebrating the summer solstice and the rising moon.
Moments allowing the flood of sunshine and moonlight to find me and give me the courage to celebrate my deepest inner-self.

Moments D368: Full Moon Peepers

Today was my bestie’s moving party in Haliburton. It was also significant to her in that it was an anniversary and today she was, in a way, reborn. Talk about fortunate timing given the cleansing energy of the full moon that was also present with us. It was easy to fall into that joy of rebirth and renewal. The end of a chapter for her (for many of us in my circles) and to celebrate the beginning of something new. And so the weekend began with this focus and energy surrounding us.

We spent most of the day slowly getting ready for the party. There was no real urgency. The three of us caught up and laughed and commiserated during the day. It was completely laid back. I think, it was all that good bright energy that the three of had absorbed from the full moon the day before, feeding it back and forth between us. I know I felt the renewed and recharged too. And I was very much looking forward to meeting my bestie’s local friends and co-workers.

Many were invited, but we weren’t sure how many would attend. There was that moment right before the start time of the party that my bestie worried about no one showing. HA. Not so. Not only did the invitees come, they brought friends with them. The more the merrier, right? I met many new people this evening. All such fun beautiful souls.

In the end, the party was a huge success with amazing food, an incredible bonfire, lots of drinks and laughter. But today’s moment isn’t about meeting new friends, it was sharing a very special moment watching the moon and listening to the spring peepers from the cottage dock. This was experiencing spring in all her glory. The chorus of frogs, the stars being washed out by the full moon, the fog drifting over the crackling icy lake. (The sound of the ice moving in the water was nearly as incredible as the frogs singing!)

I wish I would have laid on the dock for many hours to just soak it all in, but the cold and the many drinks before hand meant that I had to bail earlier than I had hoped to. It was, none-the-less, an amazing moment and one that I’m happy to have shared.

And - it was almost as amazing as having an ice cold dip in the lake.

Moments to enjoy your friends’ rebirth.

Moments realizing you are having your own rebirth.

Moments D366: Full moon , Partial Eclipse

Today was the full moon.   Not only was out a full moon,  it was partially eclipsed today. Its significance I shared via a link earlier today. 

I was happily surprised with the cleansing energies of this full moon.   It was exactly what I needed.   I took the time to be present when the moon became full.   I shared that moment with my best friends…also old souls.   Together and apart we soaked in those recharging energies.  This amazing,  centering energy will surely wash away the destructive forces that have been in my life.  This means I will be able to continue to shine… For others , with others and most importantly for myself.

This flashlight is recharged and ready to shine.

Moments with a beautiful moon.  

Moments with beautiful people and energy to share.

Moments D324: That perfect blue sky

For me, that perfect blue sky is that magical moment just before dusk falls into darkness. Where the stars begin to poke out of the velvety royal blue dipping into deep dark blue-purple. Where the moon has it’s best supporting colour.

Tonight, I left work late and went grocery shopping. As I came out from the store, I sat and watched the sky transform. The stars shimming in and out of the royal blue above and the crescent moon rising bright and bold against the purple-blue below.

It was a beautiful magical moment. It’s moments like this I wish I could paint, or capture the colour in a photograph. Instead, I try to burn the image deep within my mind.

Moments to stop and watch the sky.

Moments finding my favourite, perfect blue sky.

Moments 280: Singing Stewardess & Moon rise

Today was an incredible day. After a 2hr drive in torrential rains (yes in the middle of winter!) I was finally on vacation. As I drove through the spectacular rain storm, I really thought things experience would be my moment. After all it was beautiful and, at times, frightening.

But this wasn't the moment of the day.

On our flight from Buffalo to Baltimore, we made a new friend with the lady in the window seat. She was lovely, insightful and overall quite pleasant to chat with. I thought her stories might be the moment of the day. But I was wrong.

When we were preparing to leave Baltimore for Florida the unexpected happened. One of the stewardesses introduced a soon-to-be-married couple. After the introduction, she asked us to listen up as the soon-to-be-groom had something to share with us about his bride-to-be. Three next thing I knew. .. the stewardess began to sing From This Moment. What an incredible voice she had too! I was thoroughly impressed. It brought a tear to my eye and a warmth to my heart. First because this stewardess sang the whole sing and did so with such passion. Secondly, because of the groom's request to share his feelings with us. Beautiful.

Then shortly after we were in the air, we watched the moon rise. How incredibly spectacular. As we banked away from its grande finale, I paused and just made a note to myself about how fortunate I was to have been able to experience these two magical moments back-to-back.

Today was about unexpected moments. I loved them all, but these most of all.

Moments D194: Moon Rise

I love the moon. I have always felt a connection with the moon. Tonight I had a glorious moment with the moon.

I was on my way home from disappointing evening of volleyball. (It’s not that the girls I played with were disappointing - we split our games, but we were short bodies and that makes it challenging to play a good, fun game. It’s messy volleyball at best.) One could not miss the moon. It was, in my opinion, spectacular.

The moon was mid-rise and nestled amoungst the city skyline. It was waning and likely only 70-80% visible. (Quite similar to this photograph.) Even without being full, it was majestic in the night sky. A fireball of orange wisping in and out of the buildings as I drove home. It was fascinating to me and all woes of the week prior, for that moment, were forgotten.

I smiled and soaked it in for as long as I could keep the moon in my sights.

Moments without distraction.

Moments focused with nature.

Moments D90: Crescent Moon Lightening

This evening the skies filled with dark rain filled clouds. The sun broke through them for most of the evening allowing my volleyball team to play on the beach for 2 hours.

The clouds and sun fought for the entire time. Moments it was dark and foreboding. Moments the rays of sun were brilliant and breaking through the darkness. Moments the sun was highlighting some of the most beautiful clouds I’ve seen in some time.

This is what it looked like as I was leaving the beach this evening:



But today’s moment wasn’t this conglomeration of moments watching the clouds and sun battle it out for presence in the sky during my time on the beach.

The best moment was driving home after picking up dinner. It was just before 10pm. The sky was a gorgeous twilight blue. (This is my favourite colour of sky, that blue that is indigo, with a hint of purple and lit from within.) There was this perfect crescent moon in the Western sky. The sky to the West was perfectly clear. Not a cloud to be seen. Just to the South of the crescent moon was a big billowing white cloud. Within this pretty puffy cloud was a dance of lightening. It was frantic. It filled the cloud. It was the perfect combination of calm (the naked crescent moon) and chaos (the frantic lightening within the cloud) being displayed side-by-side.

It was a moment that made me pause.

It was a moment that made me consider those close to me that fear the storms I love so dearly to watch. I hope that one day, we can sit and enjoy a storm together. Without pain and fear filling the atmosphere. A day where only awe and joy exist for this fascinating dance of nature.

A small moment, but so much deeper beneath the surface. Ah yes, always digging deeper.

Moments - D34; Waxing Moons

Today was a busy, bustling day at work. It was productive and fulfilling. But today’s moment that stopped and made me smile, the moment that had my heart warmed was when I looked to the waxing moon….tonight 62.2% visible (yes, there IS an app for that!).

The moon has always held a special spot in my heart. It offers me comfort in knowing that loved ones can see what I see. I know, that even if we are apart, we are connected by this vision. This moment typically calms me and I take an extra long moment to reflect upon this knowledge.

A moment of connection - beyond space.

Moments - D10; Flexibility & Moon Rises

You know, I'm the type of person who likes to plan things.  I've always liked to plan ahead and ensure that I have time to do everything I need or want to do.

Recently, I have struggled to be this way.  It's been more about spontaneity and going with the flow.

Tonight was supposed to be a BBQ with a girlfriend of mine.  Instead we went shopping for a dress (or two).  From a laid back BBQ evening to one filled with giggles and crazy dresses and fun dresses.  It was great.  Not what I had anticipated, but quite fun none-the-less.  And ya....I was hoodwinked into buying a few baubles myself.  How could I not.  What fun.  A cute dress.  Sexy shoes.  Yes... a moment to appreciate the ability to go shopping and to buy pretty things.  I am thankful for this.

And then as we were leaving the store, my girlfriend and I paused to soak in the beauty of the moon rising.  It's nearly full tonight (99.7% according to my app!) and it was BEAUTIFUL nestled on the setting sun sky.  Wisps of  pink and orange clouds caressed the moon as it rose into the sky.  Beautiful.  Oooooh how I love the moon.  I love to watch it.  I love to dream with it.



Thankful.  Beautiful.

That sums up today's moment(s).

Moments to remember.