You remember Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Foxy Loxy, Turkey Lurkey, and Goosey Loosey. Well…
Monday afternoon I shared with Terrill Welch over at Creative Potager:
“Acorns are falling—thump, thump, thump—and the chipmunks are packing their cheeks as fast as they can and “squirreling” them away. Their faces are so fat it looks like we’ve got a mumps epidemic on our hands!”
I thought it would be fun to try to capture a photograph of an acorn-laden chipmunk face so I laid down under the oak tree in our front yard—camera at the ready.
Just as I got the feeling that I was being watched, a load of acorns rained down on me. Looking up into the tree, here’s what I saw looking back (click on the photo and it will enlarge):
Look in the dead-center, and slightly to the right
Shortly after that, I received an email notifying me that my friend Jeff Stroud of The Reluctant Blogger, had tagged me in a comment on Facebook. So I toggled over there to view a wonderful 8-minute video clip of Zen Master John Daido Loori, author of Zen Photography. Not quite halfway into the clip he said:
“The moment is where our life takes place. We miss the moment—we miss life.”
Hearing that made me doubly glad that I’d taken the time—the moments—to try to see the world from a chipmunk’s point of view, and was instead rewarded with a raccoon smile.
What was the last moment you truly savored?
“Whatever you are not changing, you are choosing.”
— Laurie Buchanan
www.HolEssence.com and our Facebook page
© 2011 Laurie Buchanan – All Rights Reserved
Tuesdays with Laurie 
Laurie,
This moment now! That I find my name and blog mentioned !!
Cute blog!
Jeff – I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. And I really enjoyed the 8-minute clip you shared on Facebook the other day.
Laurie,
there is always something falling from the sky!
I enjoyed the clip so much I desired to share it.
Jeff – It was a great clip! I’m glad you shared it.
The last moment I truly savoured was snuggling up spoon-deep beside my sweetie last night. As a cool breeze came through the window and the down quilt drifted and settled over our strong but aging bodies, he quietly said a love-soaked “goodnight darlin’.”
Terrill – I love your descriptors: “spoon-deep” and “love-soaked” — you always paint the nicest word pictures!
P.S. Thank you Laurie for mentioning Creative Potager and that is a great wonderful moment you shared with us of the raccoon. Best of today to you!
Terrill – You are oh-so-welcome!
Right now
Reading this in the middle of a lab audit….
Blessings to you…
Kim – That doesn’t sound like a heckofa lot of fun. But I know you’re really good at what you do.
How fun to see that raccoon! The Universe was playing a little joke on you–showing you that the unexpected exists beyond every chipmunk assumption. The last minute I truly savored? I would like to say “all of them” but that’s not true. Sometimes I’m not fully 100% savoring, unfortunately. I keep remembering the moment trying on the leopard dress from Target last Thursday. Afterward, I was happy for days and felt like everything was being savored because so much joy bubbled beneath everything that happened.
Kathy – I loved reading about The Leopard Dress Incident — it made me laugh out loud!
Great picture…I had a whole day yesterday of pain freedom…everything made me feel just normal – legs and hips extremely stiff, but I was able to get out of bed and run errands and get to my acupuncture appointment…it was a pressure free day…my head, ears, and eye were clear…
Today not so great…fatigue again…and stiffness and some heel pain…but I was able to drive and get another pressing errand done….another chance tomorrow…it is 4 hours of stretching again…and I must get on the phone and officially cancel the Newsletter program i can not figure out….before I must pay again.
Yes some days are moment by moment…but then again…they can be such good moments.
I wrote about ZIPs help on PW today…he keeps me laughing…he loves barking at the squirrels and today we are down to 66’F ( rather than the 90s) and the squirrels are working over time. They are knocking down lots of apples that are not ready yet…aargh.
Patricia – “…but then again, they can be such good moments.” Ah, yes, they sure can! This morning I read about your “Zip.” Adorable!
Thanks for sharing that moment.
Most recently for me? Hugging my daughter. Hardly original, but there you are.
Paul – A hug from one’s child is a major moment to savor — regardless of the age of the child (ours is 28 and I relish his hugs)…
Like everyone else — this moment right now! I am so grateful to be blessed with being me in this life, having wonderful friends, great experiences that allow me to grow and become. Thank you, Laurie, for this fun and gentle reminder to savor each of our moments.
Barbara K. – “…great experiences that allow me to grow and become.” Amen, siSTAR!
A delightful pictorial rendering of the Chicken Little story is the Caldecott honor book “The Stinky Cheese Man” by Lane and Szieska, which I use with my elementary kids. It’s tongue and cheeck, but retains the essentials.
Great little ditty there with you and Terrill, and yes, the autumn is moving in with fervor. It actually dipped into the 40’s last night. I savored the realization that three excellent students from last year would be in another class I’ll be regularly visiting this semester.
Sam – A teacher looking forward to three excellent students from last year is a BIG deal! Having been a student who adored certain teachers, and now a sometimes-teacher who tries her darndest to make an impression that’s positive, uplifting, constructive, and healing — I realize this type of bond is oh-so-important and will have lasting ramifications that we can’t even begin to imagine.
A day late, but still sharing…
Wednesday night I savoured casting off the stitches to one baby sweater and choosing the colours and casting on the stitches of another.
Wow, over 50k since Feb 2010–that’s amazing! Congratulations!
Leanne – An art project completed and another one started — that’s big doin’s! Thank you for the well wishes 🙂
Oh what a happy accident to capture the attention of a raccoon and get a great picture of him to boot! 🙂
I savored a lovely long moment this morning when my daughter called unexpectedly and I dropped everything to curl up with the phone and chit chat with her for a good hour. I couldn’t help thinking that this must be how good my mom felt when I used to call her and chatter about this and that.
Barbara – When you shared, “…I dropped everything to curl up with the phone and chit chat with her for a good hour.” That means that you gave her your UNdivided attention — a rare gift these days, and oh-so-appreciated by our children, regardless of their age.
Great pix Laurie. . .and happy 50,000th:)
Alison – Thank you for all of your “clicks” that went toward the 50,000 views 🙂
Pingback: Drive, The Debt, Contagion, Higher Ground, Our Idiot Brother, Straw Dogs and The Lion King in 3D on Monday Morning Diary (September 19) « Wonders in the Dark
Readers – See what Sam Juliano has to say about the movie, “Drive” over on his Monday Morning Diary (September 19) at Wonders in the Dark. Needless to say, Len and I will be seeing it this week.