Being Here Now

As January winds to a close and the weather forecast predicts frigid temperatures in the next few days, I am concentrating on

without judging or wanting things to be different.

I’ve said it before — I don’t like winter.

But here I am in the middle of a Minnesota winter. Most of the time I think it’s worth it to live here, because the rest of the year here is so beautiful. Heck, even winter is astonishingly beautiful. Still sometimes I struggle with wanting to escape winter or wishing for milder weather.

I think the message is that you don’t need to go to anywhere else to find what you are seeking.
― Ram Dass, Be Here Now

Part of being here now for me is accepting all parts of myself — the part of me that wants to escape, the part that hates winter weather, and the part that is afraid to drive on winter roads.

Ask yourself: Where am I?
Answer: Here.
Ask yourself: What time is it?
Answer: Now.
Say it until you can hear it.
― Ram Dass, Be Here Now

Today I spent some time looking at the photographs I made at Como Conservatory earlier this week and found a few more that I liked well enough to work on. And I went back to look at photos that I made during the winter of 2017 when I spent March – May in a cabin outside of Ely, MN. My skills and my tools have changed over the years and I found that I was able to create images I liked better than my original images in 2017.

And though it is cold outside, I love the bright sunshine we are getting. It’s often the case that bright sunny skies come along with cold frigid winter days.

I hope that you have a beautiful weekend and enjoy being here now.

May you walk in beauty.