Author Archives: beth

About beth

Ann Arbor-ite writes about enjoying life with all of its ironies and surprises.

i’ve got the music in me…

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(not me, and i don’t have a dog, but how i imagine many passengers react (inside) to my car singing)

 

during my weekday commutes

i spend my time

listening to books, radio, podcasts

and

singing along to a wide range of music

with mixed reviews.

“music doesn’t get in. music is already in. music simply uncovers what is there, makes you feel emotions that you didn’t necessarily know you had inside you, and runs around waking them all up. a rebirth of sorts.”

-matt haig, how to stop time

 

 

 

 

photo credit: google images

 

odoriagaru.

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the kinder were literally jumping for joy

when watching the wind spin the pinwheels on the grass!

jumping for joy – leaping-for-joy (japanese)

 躍り上がる (odoriagaru: to spring up, leap to one’s feet) to leap + up.

 

in early june.

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after 3 years

my little stick

left untouched

given time and space

has grown into

a baby peony tree

 well worth the wait

for its very first bloom.

 

“in early june, the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.”

-john steinbeck

meraki.

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painted rocks left on a tree stump in our courtyard

our science teacher

retiring after many years

has lovingly hand painted

180-ish unique and detailed rocks

one for each of the children in our early childhood  program

all having to do with science, nature, kindness, joy

our children were absolutely thrilled

with this lovely legacy.

meraki is doing something with total love, and pure soul.

it is leaving a little piece of yourself in your creative work.

(greek origin)

 

 

push the button.

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i had one job.

push the button

so the blog will post

just noticed now

13-14 hours later

so here it is

i pushed the button.

 

 

“you push the button, we’ll do the rest.”

-*george eastman

*George Eastman was an American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company

and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream.

noble art.

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agenda for the last sunday of may:

leave things undone

 

“besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.

the wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”

-lin yutang

 

 

 

 

 

may, 2023, barton nature area, ann arbor, michigan, usa

getting ahead.

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when approaching a yellow light

i generally slow down and stop

but during those situations when it’s unsafe to stop

it’s safer to speed up and drive through

i recently noticed

that when accelerating under the light

i lean into it, with my head forward

i’m not exactly sure how or why i started doing this

it’s as if i was crossing a finish line in an very important race

and i just needed that extra few inches.

is it just me?

am i drafting the wind?

is it making my car accelerate faster?

 is it my defense when i get pulled over?

“officer, my head was over the line when the light changed, you can check your dashcam to confirm.”

“people love to see you get ahead –
so long as you don’t get further ahead than they are.”
-carol plum-ucci

 

 

image credits: department of motor vehicles, sports illustrated – tokyo olympics

appetite.

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we are learning and doing so many new things:

how to weave

how to be very gentle with a rescue mini pony

how to make veggie sushi

how to catch frogs

how to create the life cycle of a butterfly

and tomorrow, anything is possible…

 

“curiosity for children is but an appetite for knowledge.”

-john locke