Lets play ball in the park

a boy walked down a busy city street

staying very close to his mother

clutching the ball tightly

on their way to play in the park

cars buses and trucks noisily sped by 

the boy was oblivious to the traffic

his mind was fixed on playing ball in the park

his mother took a call on her cell phone

the ball slipped from the boys hands

he stopped walking as the ball went down

it struck his foot and bounced up in an ark

the ball was heading for the road

everything went into slow motion

the boy reached out towards the ball

he was stepping towards the road

his eyes focused solely on the ball

his mother was talking on the phone

but for some reason her instincts kicked in 

she spun round and saw the ball in the air

and her son following it towards the road

she lurched towards the boy

grabbing the hood of his coat

pulling him back away from the road

they both spun round and fell in a heap

as they sat on the sidewalk 

they both watched the ball in slow motion

it bounced once in the road

then landed under the wheel of a passing truck

a loud bang signaled its total destruction

the shredded remains smashed into the road

the boy looked deep into his mothers eyes

they went shopping for a new ball

cosmic dust

Billions of years ago a huge cloud of cosmic dust wandered around The universe

These dust particles joined together and became so big they collapsed into a star we call the sun

Dust clouds swirled around the sun and eventually condensed into planets including the one we call earth

Chemicals in the atmosphere combined when lightening struck forming the building blocks for living organisms

Through evolution, many life forms thrived and a species we call humans emerged

Today we occupy almost every part of earth consuming its resources to generate energy for warmth and growing food to nourish us

Eight Billion people now live on this planet, many in poor conditions without access to clean water or a sustained food supply

Every day 100,000 new babies are born and 50,000 people pass away

Future generations will face big challenges as the world population grows

Wherever you are today take a few moments to marvel at the miracle of your journey from cosmic dust to a living being

Take a few deep breaths, be humble, smile then hug somebody

 

Step out of your comfort zone with an “F” every day

Are you in a rut or maybe just a creature of habit

Try something new every day

Pick one or more things from the 3 F’s :

Food, Fun, Friends/Family

1-Food

Change your breakfast to something more healthy

Go to a different grocery store for food shopping

Start intermittent fasting

Eat an apple every day

Bake a fancy cake

Try a new recipe for dinner

Eat a picnic lunch outside

Throw a dinner party with a theme

Take a class on French cooking

Explore a newly opened restaurant

Ramp up your grilling skills

Learn how to smoke meat and fish

Take up fishing and cook your catch

2-Fun

Take up walking early mornings

If you already walk daily then try a different route

Dust off that bike and start pedaling

Go check out your local library

Take in a movie at the theatre

Enroll for an art class

Plan next year’s vacation

Take up yoga

Play a game instead of watching TV

Seek out local venues with live music

Plant a tree or some flowers

Watch sunrise and sunset on the same day

Start learning a new language

Digitize all your old family photographs

Donate unused clothing and buy something trendy for your wardrobe

Paint your front door bright red

3-Family/Friends

Turn off the TV and have a conversation at the dinner table

Call up that distant cousin for a surprise chat

Plan some family visits outside the holiday times

Have a weekly date night with your spouse

Listen to your friend’s troubles

If you have kids be sure to talk to them often

Listen to your kid’s troubles

Offer guidance and choices rather than directives

Give strong hugs and firm handshakes

Hold hands with your spouse whenever you are side by side

Be super tolerant of your crazy in-laws

Treasure your long term friendships

Cultivate new friendships and work on growing them

Check in on an elderly neighbor

Make some time for yourself to reflect daily

……………………………………………………………………..

There are no limits to these lists

Add to them as you wish

Live an “F” ing good life

Spread lots of “F” ing love along the way

nosnow n nomow

Every week these little green men fly down from Mars. They ride around outside our new home on scooters eating up all the grass. Some of them use noisy sticks to chomp up the bits of grass the scooter Martians cannot reach.  Not sure what its all about but it saves me from mowing the lawn.

I hate snow, I hate shoveling snow, I hate it so much that we winter in Florida every year to avoid the mid-Atlantic winter.

nosnow n nomow!

Many states in my life

Photo by Archie Binamira on Pexels.com

There are many states in my life

Here are some of my favorites

Waking up

The good morning kiss

Sipping that first cup of tea in the morning 

Writing poetry

Riding my bike

Planning the day

Pausing for a cup of tea

The mid morning kiss

Getting tasks done

Pausing for a cup of tea

A pleasant lunch with company

The midday kiss

Checking in on friends and family

Pausing for a cup of tea

Taking a walk

The afternoon kiss

Watching Liverpool FC play

Liverpool win celebration kiss

Pausing for a cup of tea

Cooking dinner

Opening a nice bottle of wine

The evening kiss

Lively dinner conversations

Pausing for a cup of tea

Watching a good Netflix series

Final cup of tea before bed

The goodnight kiss

Sleeping 

Dreaming 

Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

The fundamentals of life, fish, water and bicycles

They say water is made from hydrogen and oxygen

But those are both gases while water is a liquid

Well most of the time between freezing and boiling

Its not easy to extract the oxygen out of water

So how is it that fish can breathe water but we drown in it

Does that make fish smarter than humans

Maybe not because you never see a fish riding a bicycle

Well hardly ever apart from the fish in the Guinness museum in Dublin

I find it hard to understand how life could have evolved before mankind

Because back then science had not been invented

So who was writing all the primeval soup chemical equations

Before there was chalk or blackboards and science teachers

How could all the right chemicals have been mixed without test tubes and glass jars

To create the exact conditions for living organisms to thrive

There must have been somebody making all the rules back then

Deciding who could breathe oxygen from air but not water

And who can live under water but not ride a bicycle

Creator life stories

life can be hard for humans

finding food water and shelter

is a daily struggle for many

while others lead a privileged life

some make a real difference 

bringing joy hope and wonder

leaving a legacy to be remembered

other lives are soon forgotten 

creating life is a difficult task

reproduction needs ideal conditions

the chemistry must be just right

to perform the biological miracle

scientists say early life started

in a primeval soup of raw chemicals

sparked by lightening

to create the first living entity

many believe in divine intervention

a higher power directing

the creation of mankind

by a god to be worshipped 

animal species evolved over time

adapting to changing conditions

ensuring that life continues

for generations to come

unless driven to extinction 

humans will evolve further

perhaps merging with technology

living brains in jars wired to computers

death comes easily

you just have to wait for it

or do something reckless

to bring it on sooner

remember your ticket

If you want to enter heaven

hand it to St Peter

ADMIT ONE

climb the mountain and watch the eagles soar

Nobody really knows what tomorrow will bring

Today is all that matters

We all have have a mountain to climb

Take deliberate steps knowing that you are steadily progressing

Pass by those who perpetually stand still or ask you to look backwards

Be grateful for those who guide and support you

Give hope to those who choose to follow you

Feel the love of those who commit to being forever by your side

Pause to watch the eagles soar along the way

Be in awe of the sunset

Count the stars that dance around the moon

opportunity knocks

Opportunities are all around you

They may be knocking on your door right now

If you do not hear them knocking

Build yourself a door

When you hear that knock

Open the door wide

Welcome that opportunity into your life

Then build another door

If there is no knock at a door

Knock on it yourself

Walk right through and explore

Discover hidden opportunities

Keep listening for that knock

Never stop exploring

Be bold and adventurous

Knock knock