994-Watching nature's fireworks

Aurora Borealis in Finnish Lapland 2011 from Flatlight Films on Vimeo.

Now this is a beautiful movie of Aurora Borealis.  If you have never had the opportunity to see this in person, I hope you get the chance a some point.  Yes, that usually means going to very remote, very cold locations (which is no longer high on my list), but still ... this is cool stuff.

And so on this New Year's Eve, it seems to be a very fitting fireworks display.  And for those of you in parts of the world that don't shoot off fireworks tonight, then you get the bonus of seeing this beauty, and avoiding the loud noises which scare our dog.

Happy New Year everyone!

995-Just Dance!

OK, here's my Xmas gift to you.  Just click on the video, expand it to full screen, and select the highest resolution.

Great music.  Fun dancing.  And always interesting expressions from those who get to be a part of the flash mob.

And so for this week, I say we must never stop dancing.  And for those of us who never really started, perhaps a few lessons are in order ;-)  But no matter what, I hope you dance.

Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance lyrics


I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder, where those years have gone?)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along)
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder, where those years have gone?)

996-Take Poetry, or "What would you do if you could do anything you like?"

Or said another way ... "Follow your bliss" -- Joseph Campbell

997-Holding hands

I was driving home from work the other night.  Actually stuck in some traffic.  And then a thought just appeared in my mind.  And it brought such a warm smile to my face.  And that thought was:  "I am such a lucky man".

Really.  I have the most wonderful wife in the world.  She's also my best friend.  And there is no one that I would rather walk through this life with while holding hands together.

Happy, happy, happy ... and so very thankful.

998-The garden

We cleaned out our little garden the other day in preparation for winter.  It's funny.  It's not an impressive garden -- so much smaller that what we have back home.

And yet, there's much to be said for a small garden.  It took us only a couple of hours to get everything done.  And we get lots of enjoyment from our small collection of plants, with our (also quite small) patio and dining table nearby.

It has made us realize that bigger isn't always better, and in fact, can often times be quite the opposite.  Too much work, too much time, too much money to take care of it.  This is true for the garden, the house, the yard, the autos, etc, etc.

Simpler pleasures.  More time to enjoy them.  We love our little garden, and I expect we will take home many lessons from our experiences in this smaller space.