Naturally Quiet

November 9, 2012August 28, 2018 / Ally Bean / 22 Comments

For me, quiet is the essence. It is the place from which I make all my best decisions.

It is the reason that I like to sit with a mug of coffee in the morning– or a glass of wine before dinner. Quietly. Reflecting on what is to come– or what has happened.

I need quiet to know who I am.

I grew up an only child in a home with older, bookish parents. We had a TV but it was only on for news & specific shows. We had a radio for more news & music. We had a record player, but it was only on for the length of the record.

And then there was silence. Quiet. The place to go and think and grow and create.

I’ve come to realize that most people I know like noise & distractions & movement. Endless movement. I am the odd one.

But for me the ability to move, to know what to do next, to continue on– come from the quiet moments that give me the confidence to keep going.

{ This is a writing exercise hosted by Lisa-Jo Baker, aka Gypsy Mama. To read more about it, click on the button below. Perhaps you’d like to join in, too. }

Beguiled By Color & Clarity

November 2, 2012February 12, 2016 / Ally Bean / 20 Comments

Last night as I was preparing dinner I glanced across the kitchen and saw this prism of light on the cabinet drawer handle. Isn’t it pretty? I was mesmerized by it, so I took a photo of it.

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Then a few minutes later I looked outside and saw the clear autumn sky. So naturally I stopped what I was doing again to take a photo of it. I always adore photos of the sky taken through trees.

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Looking at these photos all I can think is that life is in the details. Simple moments remembered. Beautiful colors created by the play of light in the early evening that charmed me into taking photos… just because.

Hello NaBloPoMo: A Considered Approach To Participation In Said

November 1, 2012August 28, 2018 / Ally Bean / 18 Comments

“Good news of long-awaited event will soon arrive.”

~ first Chinese fortune cookie that I opened at lunch

“Relax and enjoy yourself.”

~ second Chinese fortune cookie that I opened at lunch

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It’s that time of year again. The time of year when bloggers everywhere around the world decided whether or not to participate in NaBloPoMo.

This year, thanks to a change in my November travel plans, I’ll be doing NaBloPoMo again. But this year, unlike last year, I’m going to participate in a lighter way. A more “just throw something out there” sort of way.

Because while I enjoyed the amazing sense of accomplishment that came from posting every fricking day for one month, I did not enjoy the stress of focusing on the details of my life every fricking day for one month.

So, I’m going to use some quotes + photos + flapdoodle as filler. Kind of like those shiny glass gems that you put in the bottom of a hurricane lamp so that the candle inside it will stay in place & continue to burn, while not falling over & catching the house on fire.

That’s how I’m going to do NaBloPoMo this year. And you?

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The Moon Is Always Up There, You Know?

September 13, 2012September 13, 2012 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

I took these photos mid-morning Sunday when most of the sky was so blue that the moon was visible. We rarely have super clear days like that around here.

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Occasionally some wispy clouds floated through the sky across the moon reminding me that this photo-op was going to be a short one.

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I couldn’t help but think about Neil Armstrong as I snapped these photos. Imagine walking on something so far away from & different from the Earth? He never considered himself to be a hero. He thought he was just part of a team that made amazing things happen.

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