Michele Lee Sefton's Blog, page 20

A delicate denouement

A long walk through thickets, embellished with drops of fall’s first red, alongside a river flowing, led me to a soft pink, drinking the last drop of golden.

Photo of pink rose taken during Sunday’s sunset submitted for Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD) photo challenge. Thank you for stopping by. Kind regards. [image error] Michele

© 2024 myinspiredlife

Heavenly haze

Like a mischievous friend appearing with adventurous intentions, inviting me to join in – waiting and peering, impatient it grows. The whisper of one timid particle, suspended, becomes a gathering blended into one form. Without boundaries, through the window it flows, blanketing fantastical dreams with a hazy heavenly glow. Lifting my eyelids with an intense yearning. Muted shadows dance across the room. The song and sensation, unrecognizable. Threaded with secrets never told, I am wrapped into their fold.   

Yesterday’s rain wove itself into a misty blanket of fog this morning, much to this traveler’s delight. I ventured out into the mystery and melancholy of the morning and captured several images; a few are featured here. Thanks so much for visiting!

I’d like to extend a hearty thank you to Pooja, author and blogger at LIFESFINEWINE~The Life & Ramblings Of A Zillennial for reviewing my poetry chapbook, Being a Woman – Overcoming, my first publication created with my daughter during the pandemic. What an absolute surprise it was to come across Pooja’s post and recognize the cover, illustrated by my daughter. We are grateful for Pooja’s time and generosity and to her readers who took the time to share support.

Creative Call follow-up: a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I will be hosting once-a-month zoom calls for our creative community, beginning in October, with the focus of facilitating a discussion centered around the creative process and taking care of the creative brain. The first call will take place on Tuesday, October 29th with a tentative time set for 10-11 AM Pacific Standard Time. Please send me a note through my contact page, if you’d like to learn more. All are welcome, though the participant size will be kept to a minimum. Thank you very much to those who’ve expressed interest. I am looking forward to an engaging discussion! Take care, Michele

© 2024 myinspiredlife

A chill that warms

A morning that offers indisputable evidence when autumn’s chill is disturbed by warm breath.

“You are alive,” it says.

At first annoyed, then delighted when Audible’s AI voice feature had issues reading my poetry collections. I will revisit and add what is authentically me. There are no substitutions for the voice and spirit of a poet and some things are best accomplished by the breathing. Thanks for stopping by. Warm regards. Michele

my morning cell phone photos from the Pacific Northwest (sunrise through the trees)

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

Special Delivery 🌷 (w/audio poem)

The Seedling
by Paul Laurence Dunbar

As a quiet little seedling
            Lay within its darksome bed,
To itself it fell a-talking,
            And this is what it said:

“I am not so very robust,
            But I’ll do the best I can;”
And the seedling from that moment
            Its work of life began.

So it pushed a little leaflet
            Up into the light of day,
To examine the surroundings
            And show the rest the way.

The leaflet liked the prospect,
            So it called its brother, Stem;
Then two other leaflets heard it,
            And quickly followed them.

To be sure, the haste and hurry
            Made the seedling sweat and pant;
But almost before it knew it
            It found itself a plant.

The sunshine poured upon it,
            And the clouds they gave a shower;
And the little plant kept growing
            Till it found itself a flower.

Little folks, be like the seedling,
            Always do the best you can;
Every child must share life’s labor
            Just as well as every man.

And the sun and showers will help you
            Through the lonesome, struggling hours,
Till you raise to light and beauty
            Virtue’s fair, unfading flowers.

A brief back story for those who may be new to my blog (welcome) and for anyone not able to listen to the audio. After visiting the gorgeous Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, Netherlands in the spring, I ordered tulip bulbs to be delivered to my daughter’s new place in Oregon, a suitable climate for tulips. I was provided with a purchase confirmation and a fall delivery time frame but not a tracking number so the delivery date uncertainty left me hoping and wishing I would be visiting during their arrival. It happened! Yay! A variety of tulip bulbs for us to plant and for me to appreciate and admire during future visits.

The following photos are from my Royal Flora Holland photo collection. A grand place the length of 200 football fields (775,000 square meters) that felt like Willy Wonka’s magical Factory, for flowers. They employ over 2,600 individuals who help process an astounding 43 million flowers and 5 million plants, on a typical weekday. Sixty percent of the worldwide trade in flowers and plants flows through the Dutch auctions, with Royal Flora Holland accounting for 54% of all flowers and plants sold in the Netherlands. Source

Thank you for visiting and for reading my story about a most heartwarming housewarming gift. Kind regards. [image error] Michele

Poem source: Poetry Foundation To learn more about the American poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906), visit his bio page. (for those unable to listen to the audio – I received this poem last week and thought it would be a lovely companion to a hopeful flower delivery)

my photos: box of bulbs on doorstep, tulips from Keukenhof, and Royal Flora Holland

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

First day of fall break

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
― Albert Einstein

“A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.”
― Leo Tolstoy

A few moments from the first day of my fall break – learning the lay of the land in my daughter’s new neighborhood.

I am stepping away for a few days. Catch up with y’all next week. Thanks for stopping by and kind regards. Michele

my photos taken today in Oregon (sunflowers, roses, trees, river, bridge, park, mailbox, sunset thru the trees, & Caly the cat)

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

Changing views

With her one bag placed by the door, somewhere after midnight the seasons had shifted while he held Jackie in his arms. An early frost crept in while she was sleeping. With red-streaked eyes afraid to blink, he observed the last of the torn burnt-orange as it tumbled past the frame of the window. Out of his view, on the worm-rich earth covered by an icy breath, it landed.

from Honeysuckle Heat, chapter seven

I am excited to participate in this week’s Monday Window prompt, something I have wanted to do for several months, because, like many, I love the symbolism of windows, and I appreciate architecture and different design styles. With many window photos from five European countries and a growing collection from the American SW and NW, I hope to participate in this weekly photo challenge whenever I can. This first window share was taken in the Muckross House in Killarney, Ireland in July of 2023. An enchanting location both inside and out, with gorgeous gardens surrounding the property and a lake nearby.

The featured quote is from my recently published novella, Honeysuckle Heat, set in the American South with the final chapter ending in New York City. Now available in paperback, eBook, and audio, the story weaves intense passion between a man and a woman, the mystery and beauty of nature, and the seemingly simplistic choices of daily living toward a surprising and sobering conclusion. Clicking the cover or title will take you to reviews and a story preview. Thank you for visiting my first Monday Window share and book highlight. Warm regards. Michele

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

Unfinished business

That rope seemed to stretch to the heavens except that attempting to climb it and touch the ceiling, like some of my classmates in the school gymnasium, felt like a trip to hell. I tried to engage the strength I used as a slalom water skier zipping around Arizona lakes (thank you parents). I tried. I failed. Rope climbing was part of an eighties healthy initiative promoted by Arnold Schwarzenegger that also included counting sit-ups. I could count to the moon and back doing those but the climbing, the pulling myself up, I never did master. Until last year that is.

In March of 2023, I took my love of dance in a different direction. A decision that has changed my body and my life. I signed up for a pole dancing class. I instantly fell in step with the dance component, sometimes slow and sensual other times fierce and fiery, but those shiny steel poles that stretch from the floor to the ceiling, took me back to that elementary school challenge and gave me the thought: I will never be able to climb that. I was wrong. I kept going to class, learning, growing, and strengthening, not only my body but my courage.

Eighteen months in, I can say I’ve touched the ceiling countless times. Along with the climbing, I learned how to flip upside down. First with a step back on one foot and a thrust up, then from a standing position. I am now working on flipping myself upside down while midway on the pole. A bit of core strength is required without the ground to push away from. I’ve also learned dozens of spins and moves, challenging myself recently by attempting to do the same on my left side. My body protests at the awkwardness of leading with my left, and mostly it’s a failure, but I know that with practice and a belief in myself I will get there. Of course, my progress is not mine alone – I have several patient and talented teachers to thank, and I do at the end of each class.

I’ve had mixed feelings about sharing any details of my current dance life because what I see as beautiful feminine strength is not shared by everyone, generally speaking. There are those, including some women, who twist anything related to the incredible female form, in both body and boundless spirit, into something solely sexual or deviant. I am not on a personal crusade to change that mindset. I am living my truth and hopefully inspiring other women along the way. My decision this morning to share more about my dance life is in alignment with a consistent theme of woman empowerment in my writing (poems & novellas) and in my evolving life. To hide this truth or only hint about it, as I’ve done, feels inconsistent with a path of personal courage and growth, and ownership of and respect for my body.

It is quite something to be experiencing a crown turning silver while my body is getter stronger, and my spirit bolder. [image error] At this time, I don’t know if I will ever share a photo or video of myself spinning, flipping, or climbing. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. If I ever do, it will be done in a way that demonstrates grace and strength – what a woman in her fifties who once suffered a serious back and pelvic injury, is capable of. To highlight my physical and personal accomplishments would be my intention, but I am aware of the bigger societal picture, and as I heard more than once as a child, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

This evening will be my third time as a featured dancer in a community event that promotes both the studio and the goddess spirit that lives in every woman. This time I will be dancing with another woman, versus dancing solo. She and I have spent time over the last week choregraphing and rehearsing our routine. Dancing with another is more work but there is a point in our dance where we face and lift toward each other, while standing on the floor. The result is lovely, mirrored synchronicity and a laugh every time. That moment of connection makes the extra effort worthwhile.

Thank you for stopping by and reading a bit more about this dancing poet. Warm wishes on this last weekend of summer. Michele

featured photo by Evgeny Savchenko / my Friday cell phone silver selfie

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

Harvest Supermoon

I had just arrived at a field, to get a clear view of the rising Harvest Supermoon and was beginning to change the settings on my camera when I noticed a plane flying across the moon. It was a quick click and a prayer that it would be more than a blur. What followed was an enchanting evening under a golden moon with a warm September breeze stirring the trees. Thanks for stopping by. Good night from the Sonoran Desert. Michele

Tonight’s Moon Playlist: Full Moon by The Black Ghosts / Almost to the Moon by Daisy Gray / Holiday on the Moon by Love and Rockets

my photos taken September 17th

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

Impressions & Weekend Sky #131

Highlighted by sunrise shadows, footprints become temporary lines of poetry written in the summer sand.

The first photo of the Collie caught my attention while I was going through older photo folders. I took these photos in June of 2021 in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Beautiful sunrise and beach.

Changing sky scenes taken September 15th – last Sunday of summer 2024:

6:48 pm

6:40 pm

1:30 pm

The Sonoran Desert has its share of dramatic skies – they can be mellow, too, like this afternoon’s calming sky-blue sky with puffs of white and treetops in the foreground. Sunday Sky photos submitted for Weekend Sky (#131), Blog of Hammad Rais

Thank you for visiting! Warm regards. Michele

© 2024 MyInspiredLife

Impressions & Weekend Sky #131 (updated)

Highlighted by sunrise shadows, footprints become temporary lines of poetry written in the summer sand.

The first photo of the Collie caught my attention while I was going through older photo folders. I took these photos in June of 2021 in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Beautiful sunrise and beach.

Changing sky scenes taken September 15th – last Sunday of summer 2024:

6:48 pm

6:40 pm

1:30 pm

The Sonoran Desert has its share of dramatic skies – they can be mellow, too, like this afternoon’s calming sky-blue sky with puffs of white and treetops in the foreground. Sunday Sky photos submitted for Weekend Sky (#131), Blog of Hammad Rais

Thank you for visiting! Warm regards. Michele

© 2024 MyInspiredLife