The sandhill crane - how magnificent! And the "wisdom to choose not to" choices I encounter every day resonates with me. Oof. Loved all of this. I love the sentences format - so much like tiny poems wrapped like delicious sandwiches in waxed paper.
“Comfortably dry and sipping coffee under the roof of my porch on a chilly morning while rain falls steadily around me, drops glistening from every slant surface of beam and branch, the world green and fresh as it was the moment the first person emerged into it from the sweet exhalation of the Great Mystery’s holy breath, I fall deeply in love with it all, all over again, and still.”
Paradise! Most perfect start to a day that I’ve ever read.
Reading this post I wonder why I find it necessary to pencil page-after-page at the end of any given day, when it's obvious that a well-composed one line sentence can sum it all up rather nicely. Thanks, Chris, for always giving me a different perspective.
I was just now feeling like my chore schedule was running me rather than the other way around & these sorted me out -- thanks. I love that you don’t have pristine days or sublime days or bad days or good days they’re just days and you’re observing them.
tears in my eyes while i fall in love again with your writing and laughter out loud as i imagine a leather puffa and warmth in my heart at all the richness in between. thankyou
What a month you had, Chris! I'm glad you took a chance on that "surprisingly wonderful undertaking" :-) I hope your knuckles are only sore from punching a bag; that could be misconstrued! Such gorgeous settings to open and close the summer solstice. "I fall deeply in love with it all, all over again, and still." Every morning, when we pay attention.
Always love the one sentence post! I am drawn to this one today for some reason, "When there is a can of bear spray next to the fire extinguisher next to the back door, I know I am in the right place."
I have been thinking a lot about objects and how they contain their own archive of stories and if we just listen hard enough they will whisper them to us. Sometimes they shout too.
I love these, the cycles within them and the cycle they make in my Substack feed! I also appreciate your generosity with links and recommendations. I just read Ted Kooser’s Winter Walks and thought of your practice here and wondered if this is where I got the idea to pick up that book.
I was totally confused about the crime scene and wanted to ask questions, but then I read 6/17 and 6/19 and they were such beautiful images I just let those linger in my head replacing the questions.
I haven't written specifically about the incidents around the crime scene and I haven't decided if I will or not. I'm glad you found something later a little better to think about....
Chris, after enjoyably reading along about your June days, I was hit with another reality on your 0609, 0610, reminding me of my 0427 when evil found the first of three people, two who would die, in my old hometown where years had gone by without a murder.
David, one of those randomly taken, wrong-place-wrong-time, and known as the compassion guy, would be known to me too. That was jolt enough to put aside any poem writing about hummingbirds and write instead a commentary about David, sending it off to town newspaper editor, who published it no questions asked on Mother’s Day.
I’m fortunate to be retired and move easily about in beautiful NW MT…easy to get too comfortable, maybe. Not sure what to do about that, except be more mindful of joyful moments each day.
“Great Mystery, grant me the confidence to rock a puffy coat made out of leather and the wisdom to choose not to.” ‘Nuff said! This is aspirational living.
The sandhill crane - how magnificent! And the "wisdom to choose not to" choices I encounter every day resonates with me. Oof. Loved all of this. I love the sentences format - so much like tiny poems wrapped like delicious sandwiches in waxed paper.
Given I'm essentially an oversized hobbit when it comes to food, the "sandwiches in waxed paper" all but made me dewy-eyed.
“Comfortably dry and sipping coffee under the roof of my porch on a chilly morning while rain falls steadily around me, drops glistening from every slant surface of beam and branch, the world green and fresh as it was the moment the first person emerged into it from the sweet exhalation of the Great Mystery’s holy breath, I fall deeply in love with it all, all over again, and still.”
Paradise! Most perfect start to a day that I’ve ever read.
Reading this post I wonder why I find it necessary to pencil page-after-page at the end of any given day, when it's obvious that a well-composed one line sentence can sum it all up rather nicely. Thanks, Chris, for always giving me a different perspective.
There's something to be said for page-after-page writing too! Whatever works for you is perfect.
Congrats on Three Seasons of Winter. I love that front and back cover.
I love it too.
Thank you so much for these. The practice and its rhythms brings much-needed grace into my life today.
Thank you....
I was just now feeling like my chore schedule was running me rather than the other way around & these sorted me out -- thanks. I love that you don’t have pristine days or sublime days or bad days or good days they’re just days and you’re observing them.
I love this perspective. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing your sentences. I look forward to them every month.
Thank you!
tears in my eyes while i fall in love again with your writing and laughter out loud as i imagine a leather puffa and warmth in my heart at all the richness in between. thankyou
🙏🏽
June 20 is my life. 🙈
😂
What a month you had, Chris! I'm glad you took a chance on that "surprisingly wonderful undertaking" :-) I hope your knuckles are only sore from punching a bag; that could be misconstrued! Such gorgeous settings to open and close the summer solstice. "I fall deeply in love with it all, all over again, and still." Every morning, when we pay attention.
I'm glad I took a chance too!
Always love the one sentence post! I am drawn to this one today for some reason, "When there is a can of bear spray next to the fire extinguisher next to the back door, I know I am in the right place."
I have been thinking a lot about objects and how they contain their own archive of stories and if we just listen hard enough they will whisper them to us. Sometimes they shout too.
Thank you as always for your words Chris!
Thank you, Tammy! I'm glad you like that one. I particularly like it too.
I love these, the cycles within them and the cycle they make in my Substack feed! I also appreciate your generosity with links and recommendations. I just read Ted Kooser’s Winter Walks and thought of your practice here and wondered if this is where I got the idea to pick up that book.
Thank you, Dana. I love that Kooser book.
I was totally confused about the crime scene and wanted to ask questions, but then I read 6/17 and 6/19 and they were such beautiful images I just let those linger in my head replacing the questions.
I haven't written specifically about the incidents around the crime scene and I haven't decided if I will or not. I'm glad you found something later a little better to think about....
Chris, after enjoyably reading along about your June days, I was hit with another reality on your 0609, 0610, reminding me of my 0427 when evil found the first of three people, two who would die, in my old hometown where years had gone by without a murder.
David, one of those randomly taken, wrong-place-wrong-time, and known as the compassion guy, would be known to me too. That was jolt enough to put aside any poem writing about hummingbirds and write instead a commentary about David, sending it off to town newspaper editor, who published it no questions asked on Mother’s Day.
I’m fortunate to be retired and move easily about in beautiful NW MT…easy to get too comfortable, maybe. Not sure what to do about that, except be more mindful of joyful moments each day.
That's about all any of us can do, Melissa.
“Great Mystery, grant me the confidence to rock a puffy coat made out of leather and the wisdom to choose not to.” ‘Nuff said! This is aspirational living.
Thanks for sending me down the porch rabbit hole - boatloads of wonderful stuff about that special peaceful place. Here's a couple for ya.
https://www.npr.org/2006/07/28/5589974/sitting-on-the-porch-not-a-place-but-a-state-of-mind
https://orionmagazine.org/article/a-case-for-the-porch/
Perfect, thank you.