Positively ... Positive

 by Mauverneen

I wake to a morning that's cloudy and grey

but I guess I'll get dressed anyway.

The sun may shine and the birds might sing

so I need to be ready for anything!

And if it rains and if it pours

there's plenty for me to do indoors.

I'll draw or paint or bake a cake

sometimes our own sunshine we have to make.

As always, words and photos are my own, and require permission to reprint. However, feel free to share the blog in it's entirety. In fact, I encourage it! Interested in photo prints? Contact me! maureenblevins@yahoo.com See more photos at 

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mauverneen-blevins.html

Positively Metaphorically

 by Mauverneen

Every morning, like most people, the first thing I do is make a pot of coffee. I still prefer multiple cups rather than the one cup wonders. My coffee maker uses these little paper filters. One morning it struck me how much those filters reminded me of life.  

When they're new, they're all perfectly shaped, standing tall, stacked together for support. As one by one they're taken out, the rest begin to sag and spread. From tall and perky to saggy and wrinkled. And  as always, a new pack, a new generation, eventually will take its place. And it struck me how like life that is. 

When we're young, we're bright and shiny, we have all our friends and family for support. As we go through life that support we have relied on begins to disappear, one by one, leaving us to wilt like that stack of remaining coffee filters. 

The thing is, even the last one still has value, still has purpose, still does the job. A good thing to remember - no matter where in the stack we are.

Coffee filters - a metaphor for life. Who'd have thought?

As always, words and photos are my own, and require permission to reprint. However, feel free to share the blog in it's entirety. In fact, I encourage it! Interested in photo prints? Contact me! maureenblevins@yahoo.com See more photos at 

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mauverneen-blevins.html

 

Positively Learning

 by Mauverneen  

Learning to fly fish

I like learning new things, trying new experiences, new food... 

A baked brie - look how they've sliced the apple! So pretty.

Learning, in general, keeps our minds active, like reading, or working puzzles. It exercises that mass up inside our heads. 

I tried fly fishing a couple of weeks ago, on a visit to Utah to see my oldest daughter. I just wanted to try it. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope I can do it again some time. 

My daughter and myself in the Provo River

I'm also learning a new language. Czech. Why Czech? Well, next year I am going on a trip to Prague, so I thought I'd try to learn a little of the language. I know in the city most people will speak English, and I probably won't get out of the city to find out if I would really need to know the language, but it's something I want to do. Even knowing how to say 'please' and 'thank you' in the native language is usually welcomed. So, every day I go through my flash cards and review the words I've learned - I'm surprised how well this works! - and learn new ones. Some words stick in my head for whatever reason, and others, well, they just don't want to play nice and will elude me forever. 

I'm already planning on learning another language next year, after my trip. I'm going to learn Spanish. I've been wanting to for some time. I may never be fluent in any of these, but I'll know a few basics, and maybe a bit more than that. In any case, it'll keep my mind active. Now I have to find ways to keep my body active. I'd sure like these joints of mine to be as limber as my brain! That seems to be a lot harder.

As always, words and photos are my own, and require permission to reprint. However, feel free to share the blog in it's entirety. In fact, I encourage it! Interested in photo prints? Contact me! maureenblevins@yahoo.com See more photos at 

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mauverneen-blevins.html