hangin' 'round

Don't let appearances fool you.  Things may continue as they always have, they may look like they did yesterday, but under the surface small changes are taking place.  That one gear starts acting up, and all the rest of your inner machinery begins moving in sync with this new development, and then things start to tilt.  But even then, your brain may not have understood the implications of that one loose bit of machinery.  Rarely do we understand what a small shift can make in our direction over the long run.

Or perhaps you aren't the kind to take things at face value.  You actually know that I'm swinging on the weather vane and holding on for dear life even though you just saw me yesterday and my feet were treading the streets of this city as merrily as ever.  They were actually dancing, and they were climbing.  Now I'm swingin' and waiting for the wind. If it doesn't pick up, I may need the fire brigade to come rescue me.  Or a hot air balloon.

notes about an evening bike ride

the warm wind welcomes me.  the sound of my worn bike tires on gravel. a few birds flirt and twitter by the roadside.  brilliant green sprouts glow in carefully ploughed rows in evening sunlight. stop. listen. just the wind as first i see it in the treetops and then hear the leaves whisper in a joyous cacophony of summer rustles.  then i feel it. tender. refreshing. it leaves no little arm hair undisturbed and brushes my face in greeting as it continues down the field. i drink in the blue sky and then melt into the river in the playful company of moths and other skittish insects.  murky waters. the smell of fish accompanied by peace. the water is oblivious to the flow of humans, to agendas and schedules, workday to-dos.  sweet-scented lilacs cluster at the final bend before the pot-holed driveway to my current abode. bike stowed against the sauna wall and a final look at the landscape.  the sun kisses the red terrace flowers goodnight in passionate color.

english camp: a moment

This lovely evening finds me in southwestern Finland on the small and charming campus of a folk high school staring out of the office window at children playing catch while my hair dries from my evening's sauna and swim.  I am here for two weeks teaching English to Russian kids.  My class comprises 12 beginners from the age of 9 to 11.  I find the change from teaching adults to teaching children quite a drastic one as I must work in the confines of an attention span of 15 minutes! 

I teach five hours a day, after which my day is free.   I realized today as I walked through balmy breezes, under blossoming apple trees and verdant grass, and sat on a wooden swing reading sonnets in a British accent, that I am living the dream I longed for sometime in March when the landscape was overrun by snowbanks and gray skies.  There is also the comforting sense of satisfaction after a full day of life lived.

embracing you

A hug delights and warms and charms,
that must be why God gave us arms.
~unknown~

Consider yourself hugged. 

Yep, I'm talkin' to you!

abierto

open:
porch doors
windows
buds
skies
jackets
thoughts
future
heart
eyes
hands

spring's cool breezes and teasing warmth do so much to draw me out of the cocoon of winter hibernation.  a good airing out is always beneficial.  my shoulders have saved space for more freckles and my toes yearn for tickling grass underfoot.  like the earth waiting to soak in sun and rain, i am

open.

plaik on palm sunday

It is after seven in Plaik, Austria.  The sun shines over the frosty field, melting the frost glimmering on the grass.  On my way back to the pension for breakfast after an early morning walk I stop to greet the goats and sheep that were getting sheared yesterday.  The old farmer that is checking on his flocks, with washed out blue eyes, stooped shoulders and a thick Tirolean accent, comments that walking is good for the figure.  As I stand to watch the lambs flicking their tails merrily as they feed, the white-haired farmer once again speaks to me.  He says something unintelligible and pats my cheek in a grandfatherly way.  We part ways, as I already anticipate a good strong cup of coffee.

Noon finds me up at Wettersteinhuette, only just opened this weekend to the public.  Ron and I enjoy soup out on the terrace as we gaze at the most beautiful panorama of snow-covered mountain ranges under blue skies.  Bella, our faithful four-legged companion, waits eagerly under the table for any possible scraps we decide to share with her.  She is a friendly mutt that belongs to the pension we are staying at, and her undiscriminatory taste in anything edible is attested to by the fact that she has rounded out since I last saw her.

The afternoon finds achey legs directed back down the mountain we have just climbed.  I trekked through the snow to Napoleon's monument near the rock rim of the Gehrenspitze to enjoy the breathtaking view of the valley while Ron and Bella napped.  The arrival back into little Plaik brings a new acquaintance.  A lanky old farmer is tying new fence posts and stops us  to inquire where we are from and how long we are here.  His dream is to take a vacation to the sea in three years--the coast of Alaska, Oregon, perhaps even South America and Australia.  He used to be a triathlete, you see, and swimming is a favorite hobby of his.  The sea calls him like the mountains call us.

Now the evening finds me here, thinking back on these fleeting days of being with loved ones in beloved mountains.  Hours on a mountainside have provided incredible vistas, refreshment for the soul and mind, and good conversations about life and faith and well, everything in between. 

Signing out with a thankful heart and a sunburned face!
Yours truly

toward open palms

A new week unfolds its fingers one by one, slowly revealing yet another piece of life replete with colorful twists and turns.  This week promises to be as busy as the last one, but with a change of location, as I will get to travel!  Yes, the Alps and dear friends are calling my name, and I have gladly answered their kindly invitation to spend a few days in their invigorating company.  It has been a few years since I have enjoyed the breathtaking views of Tirol.

Teaching is going well.  I find that I am happy to have the challenge of designing classes and trying to figure out how my students will be able to learn something.  I'm still tired after a teaching day, but as the months have sped by, I have come to realize that I leave my last class of the day with a smile on my face.  I didn't know I would like teaching so much.  Mind you, it's on-site training!  And when my students share about different topics, I gain a lot new information as well.  I know more about Alpine skiing, Pelé, egg painting, simplifying the complex, Gran Canaria and dog breeds than I did a few months ago!

But, now my lesson planning awaits.

This is the day the Lord has made, let's rejoice and be glad in it!

skipping

painfully shy
casts a glance for passers-by
peeking to see if the
coast is clear

no one in sight
bursts into dance in spring light
gives a shout and a yell
end of fear

still much unknown
waits breathless for hope-seeds sown
hums with the wind's ballads
in her ear

March's dialogue

"We need to talk," she said, exasperated that he wouldn't ever sit still long enough to listen to her.

"I'm not ready," he stated, and whirled away.

"You can't escape for much longer," she called after him.

"I'll live it up to the last possible moment!" he retorted and dumped more snow.

She shook her head and sat back to wait.  Her turn would come, and he would leave, like he did every year. She looked forward to the moment when he would pack up his bags, and she could move in without restrictions.  She would cover even the most hardened earth with her warm breath, sing the madrigal with the birds and wake up the sleeping blooms with her welcoming tune. 

She would be patient, even if his reluctance to leave caused him to act out.  Sometimes Winter could be so childish, but she had the good sense to know that in the end he'd melt, play with the puddles for a while, and finally disappear.

overheard

On sports and our friendly relations with our western neighbor, spoken by a young couple sitting behind me on the bus:

Man: Of course when I don't watch, Finland wins a medal!
Woman: It's ok, you'll probably see the highlights on the news later tonight.
Man: True, but I missed it! (Finland got a medal in the FIS World Ski Championships)
Woman: Yes, but everything is still ok:  at least Sweden didn't get any medals.

On aiming high, sitting in the metro an old bearded man speaks with a little girl who sits with her dad:

Girl (loudly): They told me in school that I am going to be a director when I grow up.
Old man: That's wonderful.  You could be the director of this country. You should aim high. Yep, you could be the leader of anything
(Girl goes silently shy, and soon she and her father leave.)
Old man (to me): My four-year-old nephew asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Just like that.  I told him, an engine driver. I then asked him what he wanted to be, and he said, a nurse.
(As we parted, he asked me what I wanted to be: Wise.)

And randomly, as a customer exited the store today:

Young lady (to her friend): My hands smell just like my grandmother!