Looking Up…

There’s a chill in the air this morning. I don’t know if it will last, probably not since it is still August, but I turn on the fire pit and wait for the sun to rise in the sky and warm my sleeveless arms in the tee shirt I slept in. My dog sits on my lap keeping me warm as she watches and listens to each morning sound, the starlings in the bird house, the crows in the trees, the many other birds whose sounds I can’t identify. A friend has given me a book on birds so perhaps I’ll learn to identify these occupants living on this patch of earth we share.

The world outside this haven is fraught with the shattering news of attacks and deceptions. I move between what seems a fraught nexus in Washington DC and the calm of the Chesapeake. I am conscious of the dichotomy, though also conscious that if I lift my sights higher like the birds who have now started to take their morning flights, I might see a larger view and see the oneness and harmony. I sit by the fire pit looking up….

Photo credits: Joanne Leedom-Ackerman

24 Comments

  1. Mark Swinney on August 13, 2022 at 11:33 am

    “…if I lift my sights higher like the birds who have now started to take their morning flights, I might see a larger view and see the oneness and harmony.”

    So beautiful, Joanne. Thank you.

  2. Julia Malone on August 13, 2022 at 12:44 pm

    Thank you, Joanne, for your uplifting thoughts.

    • Joanne on August 13, 2022 at 1:45 pm

      Thank you for the books on birds!

  3. Joanne on August 13, 2022 at 1:42 pm

    Thank you, Mark!

  4. Katherine Stephen on August 13, 2022 at 1:51 pm

    Thank you, Joanne. You paint a vivid picture of a beautiful morning.

    • Sally Howell on August 13, 2022 at 2:04 pm

      Joanne,
      Thank you very much for sending an inspired, much needed thought view…higher, wider oneness.

      • Joanne on August 13, 2022 at 2:28 pm

        Thank you,, Sally. Here is to high and open horizons!

    • Joanne on August 13, 2022 at 2:27 pm

      Thank you, Kathy!

  5. Pat Nester on August 13, 2022 at 7:59 pm

    What a great dog!

    • Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on August 13, 2022 at 8:26 pm

      Yes. Her name is Amie—French for friend —or Amy in English. She’s very fast and very smart except for one word she chooses not to understand all the time—“Come!”🐶😊

  6. robert w forrest on August 13, 2022 at 9:42 pm

    Beautiful
    Hopeful today.

    • Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on August 13, 2022 at 10:14 pm

      Thank you. Bob!

  7. Pati on August 15, 2022 at 9:38 am

    What a good way to start my Monday, Joanne.
    What a good thought. Thank you.

  8. Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on August 15, 2022 at 10:02 am

    Thank you, Pâti! Looking up this morning and see clouds breaking but first giving cover and cooling us off!

  9. Jacqueline Adams on August 15, 2022 at 1:43 pm

    Thanks so much for the inspiration, Joanne.

    I took a walk along an East Hampton beach on Saturday. The waves left behind rows of tiny bubbles in the sand, bubbles that looked a bit like diamonds. Your essay made me realize that beauty and peace can be found when one looks down as well as when one looks up.

    I agree with others here that your dog is beautiful!

    All best,
    Jackie

    • Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on August 15, 2022 at 6:53 pm

      Thanks, Jackie. I like the image of the bubble diamonds and will also look down!

  10. Sheila Weidenfeld on August 15, 2022 at 6:44 pm

    Inspiring and beautifully written, Joanne. You never fail to pull me in

  11. Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on August 15, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    Thank you, Sheila. We’ll look up together soon I hope.

  12. Pam Buckles on August 16, 2022 at 12:10 pm

    Joanne,
    I echo the other comments and thank you for the beautiful photos and inspiring thoughts. What an adorable dog!

  13. Joanne on August 16, 2022 at 6:04 pm

    Thank you, Pam! The dog is so full of love and energy and excitement about all around her!

  14. Ginny Reid Babcock on August 19, 2022 at 4:11 pm

    Thank you Joanne! Looking up first thing in the morning, and absorbing the sights, sounds, smells of the Chesapeake. I was just there, so especially loved reading your inspiring message!

    • Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on August 21, 2022 at 9:14 am

      Thank you, Ginny. Good to hear from you!🦋

  15. Mariella Trager on August 22, 2022 at 6:06 am

    INSPIRATIONAL and BEAUTIFUL Photos!

    Thank you Joanne!
    I will have a better day today because of you.

    BIG HUGS, Mariella

  16. Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on August 22, 2022 at 9:56 am

    Thank you. Mariela!🦋

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