rainforest

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6324The Wrinkle

Like a crease
on the soul
a surface
that seems smooth
until you look close
and really
pay attention.
My soul clenches,
tightening
in its vulnerability…
Back up.

Subdrop sucks. Just sayin’.  Thank you so much for being there with me and helping me through it.  I know I’m not easy to be around in close quarters when feeling raw and vulnerable.  I can pretend I’m fine for most… but when you get too close the view changes drastically.   You manage to always see me at my worst and love me despite the wrinkles in my soul in these moments.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_4681Hidden

I am the one
concealed in the green
peering out
to watch
from dappled shadows
and swaying fronds.
I am the one
that sees you.
That secret wild you
civilization
will not accept…
but I do.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_4675Encouraged

I see
a little bear face
nestled
among the moss
on a hike
among the trees
and draping ferns.
A painted bear face
that brightens
my heart
and suddenly
each step
is a bit lighter.

Painted rocks are all the rage around here these days.  You can find them in the city, in the park, on hikes… just about everywhere if you pay attention.  Usually, the hikes I go on are a little too strenuous for those that do the whole “painted rock thing”, not to mention who would want to haul rocks on a hike?   I found this one on one of the easier hikes, though, just waiting off the trail in some moss to peek out and encourage a smile.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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Ghost of Mt RainierObstruction

Two steps forward
one step back
each single step
worried about
legos
underfoot
I trudge on
weaving between
the obstacles
to get done
what needs done.

Sometimes days come where you just don’t feel like you’re making any progress, no matter how hard you try.  By the end of the day, everything you mean to have gotten done is left scattered on the floor unfinished, and you have to accept that the minimal amount you managed to actually do… is going to have to be good enough.

Today was one of those days for me.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_5394Fortunate

bright summer berries
plump and sweet
in an act of
generosity
during the
summer heat.
Sent home
with love
a gift’s been given
from work worn hands
and a caring
old heart.

My boss gave me a half-flat of local grown berries today.  It had some of the biggest blackberries I’d ever seen in it, as well as blueberries and strawberries.  Just a kind gift from a nice old man.  I’m honored and touched… and feeling very fortunate.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography

Gideon’s Challenge

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IMG_6178Tendril

Not always big.
Not always deep.
Sometimes
the drown comes
soft and sweet.
A tendril
that licks
against the skin,
brushing beneath
against the soul.

Photo © ZenStatePhotography