Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 30, 2021
Tags: .poetry ( 531 ), contemplation ( 155 ), dancing ( 4 ), existence ( 18 ), gifts ( 7 ), introspection ( 160 ), joy ( 34 ), Life ( 507 ), Love ( 509 ), nature ( 350 ), poem ( 568 ), Poems ( 279 ), trees ( 11 ), wind ( 9 )

Dancing Trees

Have you ever seen
a treen
dancing brilliantly,
just as the wind
whips up and flows
gently among
the branches and
the tender fibers of it’s being,
ever so elegantly?

Walking along the sidewalk,
cracks in its façade,
breaking,
yet whole and solidifying.

The wind behind you,
moving
you forward,
just as you are pulled
into another dimension
of being;

and,

you look up
to witness
Nature smiling,
while continually
providing you
clues

to our existence,
trees dancing
in the sunlight,
glinting and radiating
their essence
of everlasting delight.

You know from within,
they are
dancing for you,
and you pause,
to take in all of their splendor,
big smile on your face,
and you laugh and giggle
just like you did
when you were little.

Oh, the joy,
of nature’s gifts
bestowed upon
us all,
it’s enough to forestall,
while you continue
to watch
them dancing,
all.

#poetry, #contemplation, #dancing, #existence, #gifts, #introspection, #joy, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #poems, #trees, #wind

Jeff Flesch 3:00 pm on May 29, 2021
Tags: .poetry ( 531 ), connection ( 125 ), earth ( 19 ), Haiku ( 34 ), humanity ( 59 ), nature ( 350 ), poem ( 568 ), Poems ( 279 )

Haiku #27

luxurious earth
underfoot, remain centered
in the multitudes

#poetry, #connection, #earth, #haiku, #humanity, #nature, #poem, #poems

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 29, 2021
Tags: .poetry ( 531 ), contemplation ( 155 ), introspection ( 160 ), Mindfulness ( 19 ), poem ( 568 ), Poems ( 279 ), reflection ( 77 ), stillness ( 7 ), understanding ( 12 )

Understanding

Photo by Huper by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Inquiring within,
just makes you grin
while you continue
to ponder
and reflect upon
all of life’s wonders.

Connection so deep,
you hear the ocean
in every breath,
and feel the breeze of
it’s salty mist,
even after you’ve already
left.

Considerations run
along a thread
of time,
which is sublime,
and, at times,
difficult to find.

Contemplation
requires
a measure
of boldness,
to face
the pain
of another’s life
with stoicism.

Cradling love
in a basket,
weaved with tears
of both pain
and pleasure,
you realize
it’s in between the two,
where life’s requesting
a measure of your solitude.

Quiet now,
you listen and learn
about the riddle,
which perplexed
the mind
for a very long time.

Stillness requires
a sense of vulnerability
and resiliency,
to guide us to the table
of our
greater understanding.

#poetry, #contemplation, #introspection, #mindfulness, #poem, #poems, #reflection, #stillness, #understanding

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 27, 2021
Tags: .poetry ( 531 ), connection ( 125 ), grace ( 5 ), humanity ( 59 ), Life ( 507 ), Love ( 509 ), poem ( 568 ), Poems ( 279 ), wisdom ( 6 )

Tenderness

Photo by Persnickety Prints on Unsplash and Photo by Glen Hodson on Unsplash and Photo by Ursula Gamez on Unsplash

Eyes shine forth, as
they beckon
and seize the caldron
of all that’s come
before.

Knowing
all they’ve seen,
relieved, and
shaped after a parcel
of the pear tree.

Instrumental in providing
a comfortable tether,
as reality becomes
show stopping
and compartmental.

Living
a life of their own
believing in all
that their shown,
and holding onto
the wealth of a

reality grown

from seeds
planted long ago,
cradled, tended, and
watered with love and a
tenderness all their own.

#poetry, #connection, #grace, #humanity, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #wisdom

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 25, 2021
Tags: .poetry ( 531 ), confidence ( 3 ), connection ( 125 ), consciousness ( 22 ), contemplation ( 155 ), introspection ( 160 ), Life ( 507 ), Love ( 509 ), poem ( 568 ), Poems ( 279 ), wdys ( 16 )

Confidence

Mountains in the distance,
at times,
it’s how it feels when
we are apart,
not living in this instance.

I look out over the rippling
blue water
waving at me,
shimmering in the partial sun
on a day
that is mostly gone.

And, I feel quiet inside,
as I consider
the measure of our commonness,
and smile in the knowing,
that we
will harness more

time, as needed,

as we prepare
for the next confidence
of our
collective consciousness.

In response to the WDYS #83 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

#poetry, #confidence, #connection, #consciousness, #contemplation, #introspection, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #wdys

Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on May 23, 2021
Tags: .poetry ( 531 ), beauty ( 39 ), contemplation ( 155 ), introspection ( 160 ), knowing ( 9 ), nature ( 350 ), poem ( 568 ), Poems ( 279 ), reflection ( 77 ), rooted, unknown ( 19 )

Rooted

I hike the trail,
while also knowing
the trail hikes me, which
though it may seem like a paradox,
is just another example of the oneness of
this world’s orthodox.

As we move on the trail,
there are wonders
to behold
as a whole myriad of greenness
comes to life
before our very eyes,
and, we begin to see why

it is that this world,
is so full of pain
and pleasure both,

though

there is another way
forward,
if you are so bold.

Remembering
that all of nature
is a reflection
of all that we see
beneath
the layers
of memories and ideas
we’ve held onto
out of necessity
and, in part, grandiosity.

Notions
of what’s come before,
become magical connections,
just like the trees roots,
as they make their necessary
preparations.

Rooted
in the unknowing,
we become like the tree,
both flexible,
and deeply anchored,
in the One with the knowing.

In response to Writing Contest by Soni, from Soni’s thoughts.

#poetry, #beauty, #contemplation, #introspection, #knowing, #nature, #poem, #poems, #reflection, #rooted, #unknown

Jeff Flesch 12:06 pm on May 23, 2021
Tags: beauty ( 39 ), blog ( 17 ), blogger ( 29 ), blogger's diary ( 35 ), blogging ( 56 ), contemplation ( 155 ), hiking ( 10 ), introspection ( 160 ), presence ( 39 ), silver falls state park, willamettevalleyhiking ( 3 ), writingandreflecting ( 3 )

A Blogger’s Diary 5/23/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, Hiking, and Beauty

This Week

This week was full of preparation for the next fiscal year; and, continuing to reflect upon all of the beauty that surrounds us – really, both are equally true of this past week.

Before I write more about the latter, let’s take a look at the writing that occurred this week.

Writing and Reflecting

The poem Beyond Time was a reflection on the internal work I’ve been engaged in these past four years. Continuing to be present to my emotions as they arise, and then following those back to the experiential seed.

The poem is also a reflection upon stillness of mind, which can and does occur, and the fact that, in those moments there is no time; it simply does not exist. Beautiful.

Writing the poem Atop, which was inspired by the WDYS #82 prompt, from Keep it Alive, by Sadje, was an interesting process. Initially, I had one idea, even wrote two stanzas, and then as I contemplated the two stanzas, another insight occurred, which is the poem in its present state.

Simply, the world exists in its present condition, when we view it as such. New experiences occur, and the world comes into view. As I’ve written about previously, the view we experience is based upon the concepts we hold about the world; and, this is only one way to view the world.

As I’ve found out about, and experienced, there are many other ways to view the world, which is, well, quite freeing.

Hiking

As you all know, I have a new series, Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings, which now has two installments. This week, I hiked Silver Falls State Park, which was absolutely amazing.

I will save the details of the hike for the next installment of the Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings series, however, I just had to include a few more pics in this diary entry.

Beauty

Photo by Matthias Oberholzer on Unsplash

As I walked around campus this week, and contemplated the hike I was going to take on Saturday, I was present to all of the beauty that surrounds us. A flower blooming, a bird calling, a leaf dancing in the wind, a stranger helping another, there are so many things right in front of us, when we pay attention.

Part of my internal work, as you know, also includes my meditation practice, which has been transformational in my life. Being fully present is a gift, and we all have this gift within us.

When we let go of the concepts that typically drive our reactions, pause, reflect and contemplate our life, we learn stillness; and, it is in this stillness where presence to all that is within us, and without us lives. Beautiful.

As you walk through your week, notice the flowers, the trees, the people, and how that makes you feel. It is a tremendous experience.

Alright, that’s all for this week, my friends.

Be well, and have a lovely week.

#beauty, #blog, #blogger, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #contemplation, #hiking, #introspection, #presence, #silver-falls-state-park, #willamettevalleyhiking, #writingandreflecting

Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on May 22, 2021
Tags: .poetry ( 531 ), beauty ( 39 ), Haiku ( 34 ), hiking ( 10 ), Life ( 507 ), Love ( 509 ), nature ( 350 ), poem ( 568 ), Poems ( 279 ), water ( 6 ), waterfalls ( 3 )

Haiku #26

the sounds of water
cascade through me, quiet and
quite beyond compare

I made it out to Silver Falls State Park today. What an amazing morning. Beautiful. I will share more about the hike in the next installment of Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings, yet just had to share this pic, and the accompanying haiku, which occured to me as I took in all of the beauty today.

#poetry, #beauty, #haiku, #hiking, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #poems, #water, #waterfalls

Jeff Flesch 12:00 pm on May 22, 2021
Tags: corvallis ( 3 ), corvallishiking, corvallistrails, hiking ( 10 ), nature ( 350 ), oregon ( 8 ), trailsinoregon, willamettevalley ( 3 ), willamettevalleyhiking ( 3 )

Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings: Chip Ross Park

There are so many places to hike in the Willamette Valley. It is a beautiful place, full of rivers, creeks, hills, lakes, and, yep, lots and lots of trails.

This past week, I stayed local again, and completed a short hike out at Chip Ross Park. Chip Ross Park is located in North Corvallis, and is, in part, connected to the McDonal Research Forest, which I wrote about in my last entry.

The hike I completed at Chip Ross Park this past week, is a moderate trail, fairly level, sans the trails beginning, which is somewhat steep. The hike winds you back through the dense forest, where you can catch glimpses of wildlife, flowers, and many, many varieties of plants.

Here are some pics from the hike.

Beautiful, yes? Yep, I think so too.

As I wandered through the forest last week, I was wondering about joining a gym again. I’ve been noticing that my body is tight, especially in my shoulders, arms, and back. Much of this is due to the extensive amount of computer facetime that is required, and has been for almost 15 months, in a remote work world.

When you spend 12 hours a day on a computer, working and then, yep, blogging, and are focused, you sit, well, a lot. Thus, more movement is needed. Yet, I am unsure if I’m ready to go to the gym regularly.

Pre Pandemic, I was at the gym every day. Really. I rarely missed. Yet, today? I’m not sure if that is necessary or needed. Hm. More reflection needed.

What have you done to stay mobile during the pandemic?

Alright, that’s all for this installment. Next time, I’ll have some waterfalls to show you, as I will be traveling up to Salem to hike Silver State Falls next week. Fun.

Here are a few more pics from the hike, just for fun.