Mornings

Morning is my favorite time.

The quiet. The solitude. Nothing but Dehlia’s steady, rhythmic breathing and the occasional rustle as I flip the pages of my book.

The smell of coffee, flavored lightly with vanilla and cinnamon, wafts up from my cup and tickles my nose.

Soft white light creeps in through the windows and stretches slowly across the living room floor, bathing the room in an ethereal glow.

The shadows recede, and the day presents itself.

Like clockwork. It’s a pattern. A cherished ritual.

7 AM.

_____________________

"Morning is when the wick is lit. A flame ignited, the day delighted with heat and light, we start the fight for something more than before."
-- Jeb Dickerson

Snowmageddon

_________________

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?"
-- J.B. Priestley

Snow Day

Our lush green backyard has turned a stark white. The winter sky, normally gray and saturated, is now bleached and flecked with shimmering bits of white fluff. Ice is spreading across the windows, blurring our vision and casting a silvery glow over the outside world.

Seattle has turned into a winter wonderland.

And I, for one, am completely thrilled about it. :)

___________________

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."
-- John Ruskin

Compl'i'mentary Colors

The sky from our porch last night.

Unedited.

Source at its finest.

________________

"I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright."
-- Henry David Thoreau

To-Be-Read Pile

What's on my nightstand...

1. The Forest of Hands and Teeth
2. Spontaneous Evolution: Our Positive Future and a Way to Get There From Here
3. The Hunger Games
4. Moonwalking with Einstein
5. Steve Jobs
6. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
7. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)
8. God is No Laughing Matter
9. Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later

______________

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi

Inspiration (in many forms...)

A friend of mine on facebook posted this today, and I felt compelled to share. It's a quote I've heard before, but today the words just really hit. Hard. Lately, it sums up my life beautifully.

And, speaking of inspiring things, check out this amazing video from Klara Harden. Beautifully filmed, this documentary reaffirms my desire to live a life that's free from monotony. And to always, always make time for adventure.

________________

"Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives."
-- Tony Robbins