Tag Archives: Love

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 3:00 pm on June 6, 2021
Tags: , , , , california, , , Love, , , , , , ,   

A Blogger’s Diary 5/6/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, and Traveling to Portland and Los Angeles

On the Week

This past week, I’ve been writing quite a bit, yet, as you may have noticed, my blogging schedule has changed. Yep, it was intentional. A few weeks ago, I mentioned slowing down. Little did I know at that time, the writing would keep pouring out of me, yet, I am pleased with developing a new schedule.

My goal is to post about 5 or 6 times a week, with a couple days off mixed in. We will see how it goes.

Oh, and it’s time to travel. Wait, what? Yep, it’s time. I leave for Los Angeles tomorrow morning. Wow. I am very excited to see my mom, sisters, and nieces and nephews, and, of course, to be in LA. More on that in a moment.

First, let’s take a look at some writing that occurred this week.

Writing and Reflecting

The poem Night’s End was first inspired from a WDYS prompt, from Keep it Alive, by Sadje, yet, as I reflected on the poem’s beginning, I had another insight for the prompt, which ended up being the poem My Years. It happens like that sometimes.

Anyway, the poem Nights End then, was a reflection on the trials that we all face, and the knowledge that these tests are a part of the experience of being a human being on this planet. I firmly believe that they are given to us to help us learn. Learn more about all of our shared human beingness. Beautiful.

The poem The Moment’s Prose was a reflection upon how fleeting each moment we have with each other truly is. However, when we are present to this fact, we cherish and relish each of these moments. This was not always the case for me, thus, in this poem, I was reflecting upon the entirety of the concept of love lossed. 

I was also very honored and humbled at being placed in the top 8 of Soni’s Writing Contest this past week. I am so grateful to Soni for facilitating such a lovely writing contest, and am so honored to be selected alongside all of the talented writers. Congratulations to all of the writers that joined Soni’s contest. You are all inspirational and amazing. 


If you’ve not visited Soni’s blog, please do. Soni’s site is inspirational, motivational, and hyper-creative.

Traveling to Portland and Los Angeles

Well, as you may recall, I visited Justin in Portland last weekend, and it was a lovely trip. We enjoyed a lovely hike, visited and talked about a book we are reading together, had some wonderful food, and generally just enjoyed each other’s company.

Here are a couple pics from the trip.

And, yep, next week, tomorrow, in fact, I’ll be boarding an airplane for Los Angeles, for the first time in over 15 months. I am both anxious and very excited. As you may recall, my father passed away about 6 months prior to the pandemic, so seeing my mom will be wonderful.

I’ve no definite plans, will need to work a little while I am there, yet will get to the beach, for sure, and do some shopping, places I cannot access here, and then? Visit and love my family.

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

Have a lovely, lovely week.

Image Credit

#poetry, #bloggers-diary, #blogging, #blogs, #california, #life, #los-angeles, #love, #oregon, #poem, #poems, #portland, #reflecting, #travel, #writing

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on June 6, 2021
Tags: , , Love, , ,   

Tender Loving Care

Wings take flight,
as I am reminded of my
first introduction to a kite.

The motion of the tether,
whipping this way and that,
it’s as if the kite had a mind of
its own, free from distraction,
and refraction.

The sun shining forth
in all its glory,
and the wind motioning
us forward towards
all that’s allegory.

As it rises in the deep
blue sky,
we wonder why our soul
lifts up so high, yet also sits
tight in the knowing, as there’s
no need to really try.

The kite,
now higher and higher,
lifted on the spirits
of human connection,
we reflect upon
the day’s excursion,
and the merriment
we feel
at the ease
and simplicity
of this day’s profusion.

Deep love
and satisfaction,
joy, and kindness,
all given forth
from a piece of twine
and threads woven
with tender loving care,
and devotion.

Image Credit

#poetry, #life, #love, #nature, #poem, #poems

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on June 4, 2021
Tags: , , , Love, , , ,   

The Moment’s Prose

Photo by Andreas Fickl on Unsplash

Have you ever lost a love
so close,
it’s left you spinning,
and in need
of a heart to slow?

It’s as if you tucked
this love away
in a blanket,
nestled it with care and kindness,
and, when you went back
to collect your oldness,
you found the blanket empty,
and all that remained was coldness.

You then
wrap yourself in the blanket
that once contained
the love of closeness,
and you feel the warmth
of every breath,
tear, and smile,
that played away
when you last called upon
that loves controldness.

And,
as a tear falls from the sky,
you realize,
that the love so close,
was only ever meant to be
yours for the moment’s prose.

#poetry, #beauty, #life, #love, #poem, #poems, #presence, #relationships

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on June 2, 2021
Tags: , , , , , Love, , my years, , , ,   

My Years

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Sitting,
I take in all of my
surroundings, intellectual
stimulating,
while the verse and song
pour forth
from every fiber of my being.

Anticipation
beckons me forward,
and I march to it’s tune,
displaying a solitary shield
and armor,

while the masses
jumbled up
with preoccupations,
tarry,
without ever giving
a single
glance, mention, or merry.

Nonetheless,
I realize,
it’s theirs to hold,
just as it is
mine
to behold,

the music
as it flows
from my heart
to their ears,
even when they
think they’ve missed
my years.

In response to the WDYS #84 prompt from Keep it Alive, by Sadje.

#poetry, #contemplation, #heart, #introspection, #life, #love, #music, #my-years, #poem, #poems, #wdys, #wisdom

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 3:00 pm on May 31, 2021
Tags: , , , , , Love, nightsend, , , , , , tests   

Nights End

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash

The view
from atop,
seems far to drop,
into thinking
and behaving
in new ways,
a fresh perspective,
is what they say,
can go a long way.

I concur
with these remenints
of the past,
and wonder, at times,
if they truly last.

Do we learn from
our past misdeeds?

And create anew
from a space that seeds
humanity,
with a newness
and a brilliance,
we can pass along
to all those who come
after we pass?

Questions to ponder,
and reflect upon,
as we meander
our way
through a kaleidoscope
of memory
and present temereties.

Knowing too
that these shall pass,
like all the rest. For, in
each moment
lives the gift of choice
we’ve been given, yes,
one of our true tests.

Study well, then,
my dear friends,
for the tests
continue to come
well into
our night’s end.

#poetry, #development, #future, #learning, #life, #love, #nightsend, #past, #poem, #poems, #present, #resilience, #tests

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 31, 2021
Tags: culture, diversity, , geography, , , , , Love, , salem, silverfalls, , ,   

Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings: Silver Falls State Park

Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Instead of a diary entry this week, I’ve chosen to write another entry in the Willamette Valley Wanderings and Wonderings Series. Ready? Good, here we go.

Wanderings

Last week, I hiked Silver Falls State Park, which is just outside of Salem, Oregon. The park is picturesque and beautiful. There are two main trails that take you from the South Falls to the North Falls and back again, for a total of 8.7 miles.

One trail takes you down into the gorge, and winds you in and out of different smaller trails. Along the way there are 10 different waterfalls you can experience. I managed to see 7 or 8; and, they were stunning.

I started at the South Falls, which is where the largest waterfall is located.

Gorgeous, yes? Yes.

From there it is about a 4 mile hike to the North Falls, and along the way there are some very pretty landscapes and riverscapes.

Here some of the other waterfalls along the way.

Once at the North Falls, I stopped to eat and drink a little. At this point, you can hike up to the Upper North Rim, which adds another .8 miles to the trip. I chose to forgo that portion of the hike, and head back along the rim trail.

About half-way back to the South Falls, I descended again into the gorge. It was such a fun trip. I began the hike at 7:30 am and finished at 11:15 am. When I started there were only a few cars in the parking lot, and when I finished there were only a few parking spaces left.

Wonderings

As I hiked I reflected upon my time growing up in Los Angeles, and the privilege I had as a child, youth, and young adult. Privilege in seeing and experiencing so much diversity. Diversity in landscapes, people, places, well, all of it was diverse. Lovely.

For the past 12 years, I’ve lived in much smaller areas, and I miss diverse people and places. Yet, as I hiked back to the South Falls last week, I was pleasantly surprised by the flood of diverse people coming into the park and on the trails. Yes, I did also get a little anxious. Mainly due to being away from people this past year during the pandemic.

Yet, most of what I felt was the deep connection I always get when I’m around people. As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), I have the ability to feel other people’s emotions deeply, and can get from people, without words, much. Yes, it can be overwhelming, and, yet, it is also deeply profound. A true gift.

Being around so many diverse people excites me even more for my trip to Los Angeles next week, and for the coming trips I’ll take in the next few years.

Beautiful experiences, beautiful people, beautiful planet.

Here are some more pics from the hike.

#culture, #diversity, #experiential, #geography, #highlysensitivepeople, #hiking, #life, #losangeles, #love, #oregon, #salem, #silverfalls, #travel, #waterfalls, #willamettevalleyhiking

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 30, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , , Love, , , , ,   

Dancing Trees

Photo by Studio Dekorasyon on Unsplash

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

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 27, 2021
Tags: , , , , , Love, , ,   

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

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on May 25, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , Love, , ,   

Confidence

Image credit; Mine

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

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on May 22, 2021
Tags: , , , , , Love, , , , ,   

Haiku #26

Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

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