Author Archives: beth

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About beth

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

accidents.

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along the way on my weekday drive

there is often a traffic mishap or accident

and if I begin to worry about being late

or get annoyed by the hold up

  i think about how the person/people involved must feel

how their life instantly changed in that moment

they were just having an ordinary day

and then

this happened

maybe they were

headed to work

to visit someone

leaving for a vacation

going to a celebration

helping someone

so many possibilities

 i’ve got no room to complain 

 nothing to worry about

puts it all right back into perspective

so i listen to my music and sit with my gratitude.

 

“since human wisdom cannot secure us from accidents,

it is the greatest effort of reason to bear them well. “

-john paul jones

 

 

 

 

 

 

image credit: wellandgood.com

the future.

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yes, yes you are.

and for that, we are lucky.

 

“children are one third of our population and all of our future.” 

— Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

playing chicken.

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as merely an observer of the event

I’d have to guess

that she when she arrived at the store

 perhaps with the intention

of buying a tea towel

she did not plan to leave

with a giant metal chicken

and may have even worried

that if she did not buy it today

someone else might come along

and find

they too could not live without it

one day longer.

life is funny that way.

 

‘buying involves decision-making.

it’s a performance activity, like sports or acting.’

-mark goulston

a summing up.

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my favorite season begins.

 

“for the fall of the year is more than 3 months

bounded by and equinox and a solstice.

it is a summing up without the finality of the year’s end.”

-hal borland 

 

 

 

 

image credit: Yuma Hidaka – photographizemag

stand by your words.

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standing by what could be the longest word in the universe. 

 

‘this universe can very well be expressed in words and syllables

which are not those of one’s mother tongue.’

-tahar ben jelloun

many more.

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one great climb and just the beginning

 

 

“after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

-nelson mandela

under pressure.

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while working hard to gather rocks for the garden

 we look up to see the buzzards patiently waiting

the pressure is on

as we pick up the pace

and wonder 

just who/what are they waiting for?

“winning comes down to who can execute under pressure.”

-billie jean king

common ground.

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feeding the worms and roll-poly’s

everyone’s got to eat 

all meals are free and served with love

“food is our common ground.”

-james beard

lift.

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this may take a while….


juice.

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after a breakfast with the grandies

sandwiches, coleslaw, hash browns, pancakes, and juice

talk turned to our worst juices

tomato.

lemon.

‘mine is hot dog juice, i tried it.’

yes, you win. 

 

“what is all this juice and all this joy?”

-gerard manley hopkins