N-N-1: A Picture That Represents Inner Peace to You

 Come one and come all to the latest N-N-1. This time I chose the theme "A Picture That Represents Inner Peace to You". I was legit blown away by the quality of entries that came forth.

It was an honor to host this N-N-1 and my sincere thanks to Anju and Norm for letting me do it! 

The first person to send me a post was Natalie who writes Wild Rivers Run South. Her post is a poem.

Sunshine and blue skies

 

The Sun came up this morning.

Again.

I was up to see it,

But didn’t have my camera.

So, I went back inside.

Ate breakfast.

Got my camera.

And went outside to see the blue sky.

 

There was a time,

When I thought there would be

No more blue skies.

I was wrong.

There is still a deep sadness,

But some of the ache is gone.

And I can see the blue in the sky.

 

The sun never stopped rising.

Clouds have just been hiding it.

And the blue skies.

But now there has been some clearing.

There will be more clouds,

But not every day.

Sunshine and blue skies are back.

Norm Houseman who writes Classical Gasbag had this to say:

I’ve been thinking about this ever since Ashesh first mentioned the theme to me. There are a lot of things that bring me inner peace. There is music, reading books, watching a good movie, visiting a graveyard, even eating a good meal. But I’ve taken pictures and written about those things before. Then I thought about artwork. We have paintings, posters, and prints hanging in almost every room of our house, and I find myself looking at them each time I enter a room.

Recently I started working on and adding to my stamp collection. I hadn’t touched it since the pandemic shut down most places. When you think about a collection of stamps you realize that it is like going through a miniature art gallery. You have etchings, landscapes, portraits, still lifes, pop art, and probably things that I’m forgetting. If your stamps are used there is a history attached to them, where they came from and where they were bound; the provenance so to speak.

These small pieces of art are accessible to everyone. I’m sure you can find pictures of recent and old stamps on the Internet. Take a look and soothe your inner being.

Barb sent me a charming post which is linked below. Her blog is The View from a Drawbridge.

This N-N-1 posed a great challenge to me. Inner peace has been elusive lately, due to the pandemic and the political and social turmoil. That, and how does one take an outer photograph of inner peace? Hmmm. I had to think about this for several days. And then I realized that the place that allowed me the time to ponder this project was the very place where I have been finding the most inner peace: the YMCA Community Swimming Pool.

I spent the first few months of this pandemic doing nothing. That had to stop. To keep from going insane and becoming too large to fit my clothes, I’m now doing a regular exercise routine for the first time in my life. I can’t control the rest of the world, but I can take charge of my health and wellbeing. At a time when I’m feeling otherwise helpless, this has been a precious gift that I’ve given myself. It’s also a wonderful way to spend quality time with my husband.

This photo is of my swimming exercise equipment. And the fact that it reminds me of the Cookie Monster never fails to make me smile.

Barb Abelhauser

The View from a Drawbridge

We now come to Cristopher LeCompte who is not a blogger, but happens to be married to a blogger (his words, not mine). His entry is given below.

My inner peace is found at home, hidden behind the trees at the end of this rainbow. The stormy spring weather means the daylight hours are growing longer and my dislike of long nights can be subdued for another six months. The large undeveloped park next door is home to coyotes, red-tailed hawks, a bald eagle and countless rabbits hiding in the brambles, hoping to avoid the predators for another day. This location is a personal treasure, my own pathway to inner peace and my escape from the rushing chaos of the surrounding city is literally a walk in the park.

 

Peace to you.

 

Cris

And lastly we come to Anju, who was the one who got me into this wonderful project way back when. This is what she has to say and her blog is This Labyrinth I Roam

Being stuck at home for a whole year now because of a global pandemic, I’ve had to come to terms with all the things that I have lost. It’s made me let go of the things I can’t control, and focus, instead, on the that I *can* control.

So, when Ashesh laid out the theme for this N-N-1, I was thrilled. Then, a bit overwhelmed. The date coincided with the busiest week of my life. But what it gave me was a real opportunity to figure out what truly gives me inner peace when things are a bit chaotic.  

For me, it’s the little things.

It is an open window when the sun shines. It is the crisp spring breeze that weaves itself into my consciousness when I’m neck deep in black mirrors and deadlines. It is blooming tulips after a long winter, and the smell of warm cinnamon and vanilla candles. It is the unexpected sound of birdsong in the late evening, and the cheeky smile of a stress relief toy puppy (introducing, Herbert Morning!)

This is my inner peace.

And with that, we come to the end of this edition of N-N-1. To those of you who participated, thanks a ton. To those of you willing to participate, get in touch with us ASAP! I personally found this experience very soothing and shall be glad to host another N-N-1 soon! 

Stay safe and vigilant.

Until next I come calling

The Bilge Master