I am not isolated

You can get snowed in physically but in spirit, only if you allow it. Spirit is not controlled by elements but our intentions. How we choose to view our experiences, circumstances, each day, each minute of our life. Spirit lives in the now through mindfulness.

A conscious awareness of our environment, our thoughts, the elements, everything in our existence, movement, silence, acceptance, just being. When we are tuned to all that is we realize the needs of others without judgment.

Giving is an active returning of the blessings we ourselves receive that it may continue to perpetuate. When we choose to see the possibilities instead of the limitations, we think are there, we are open to growth, to life, to spirit.

What can I do today to make a difference? What good can accomplish in the now? Not to exist in postponement, waiting for the what ifs to happen so that real living can begin, but to do all that I can here and now thus accepting as the gift it is, this day, the present.

The sun is out now in the light is reflecting through the icicles like prisms making many dimensional designs on the glass of the windows. I put out food for the birds and squirrels. The big birds with a black bed, polkadot chest, and striped back is back today.

The Northern Flicker which I've been told is impossible, visits up here this time of year as if they migrate lower. Impossible or not, it has become a frequent visitor but always solo. not like the quails who come as a group along with the bluebirds who take turns.

The squirrels that used to come so early don't arrive for breakfast until 9:30 AM when the sun has warmed the air a fraction two. More big grays are coming now that it's winter and snow covers the treetops as well as the ground.

The smaller brown squirrels I see less often than I used to. They dart out briefly and then run back to shelter. However they have managed to tear several holes in the seed bags on the front porch and I have startled them feasting there where they can keep their little paws dry safely away from the crowd.

Because of that I would not put it all into plastic bins, but instead frequently sweep up the piles of empty shells. The critters have enough feed for now

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