That quiets the soul

Sitting, barefoot

armed only with camera 

and eyes that scan,

see

the beauty of things

that quiets the soul.

Let me out of the noise

my own head makes...

Wondrous thing

"The serenity of the lulling ocean is a wondrous thing to behold...

more precious than the gems coveted and covered in platinum or gold."

- Oksana Rus

Being the Beloved

"Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection.  Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection.  When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions.  The real trap, however, is self-rejection.  As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, "Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody."... My dark side says "I am no good...  I deserve to be pushed aside, forgotten, rejected and abandoned".  Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved."  Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence."

- Henri J.M. Nouwen

What one feels

"One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels."

- Gustave Flaubert

Don't miss them...

There's a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. 

 Don't miss so many of them.

Mindfulness

In pursuit of a mindful life, I am trying to let my thoughts go.  Wherever they want.  I want to know what consumes me.  It's interesting to see where they take me.  Where do your thoughts take you when you let them go?  

Mine are consumed by the beauty of Namibia... 

The photographs I still want to take... 

Where I still want to travel to...

What I want to do when I have the time...

How I miss my family back home...

My family here, their happiness...

So many things.

And so I drift on...

The sound of the Sea

"I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else."

-Nikos Kazantzakis

Zorba the Greek

Quiet

"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn?  Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends?  Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house?  Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully."

- Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth 

Clouds

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm,

but to add colour to my sunset sky."

 - Rabindranath Tagore

Stray Birds

The 1905 Jetty

This is the structure that in history brought life and commerce to Swakopmund.  Over the years, it has suffered many revamps and closures, but today, it's a proud structure looming over the town.  And she is a photogenic beauty!