Take time to Stop and Smell the Tigger (Tiger) Lillies

Today while riding bikes on the Greenway, I saw a few Tiger Lilies either ready to bloom or full-blown bloomed.  The orange and pink ones were at full bloom.  The yellow ones were just budding.

Growing up, my Dad always called Tiger Lillies, “Tigger” lilies.  He like to say things in unusual ways or change words around.  Of course, we both read Winnie the Pooh.

He was an avid reader, like me.  We often shared books.  I have another blog devoted to the books he left me.  I hope to get to them all one day.

It’s hard when you’ve lost a parent and all you have left of them are memories and things.  This time of year is especially hard for me.  You just don’t forget the birthday day of someone who was special to you.

Seeing the Tiger Lilies bouncing along the trail as I rode by erased my melancholy feelings and filled me with joy.  Then later after the bike ride, I discussed a poetry class I’m teaching tomorrow and participated in a poetry radio show that’s online.  Anything to do with poetry, usually fills me with joy as well.

Be sure to spend time doing things that fill you with joy.  And be sure that joy fills your time.

The Blank Journal

I received a blank journal in the mail.  I love to write long hand still preferring to write out my poems and then edit weeks or months or years later when I type them.  I don’t write stories out, I do type those. Still, I was pleasantly surprised to receive this blank journal from a publication I get in the mail.  It’s as if they are encouraging you to write your own story.

I try to relate what I write in my stories to real life.  Many things I put in them are events or people I have observed.  But you have to know what will work in your story or won’t.  You have to know what pieces to keep, what pieces to discard.

Just like with a blank journal:  What will you put on the pages?, What will you keep?  What will you leave blank?

The possibilities are endless.  Part of the fun in the love of writing, is starting with that blank piece of paper and seeing where it ends up!

What will you put in your journal?

Bicycle Poem

How fast the bike zooms downhill at speed around curves be sure to dodge the cars, the kids, the dogs, the skateboards and oh yes the mailboxes, be sure to lean in or lean forward to catch the wind the sun glinting down on your helmet your hands loose or tight on the brakes the gears cluck and click when you turn them up or down on the hills you can coast on the flat parts ride slow or fast and then uphill zig and zag and try to maintain your energy your speed how fast the bike zooms past the creeks the walkers on the same pathway and over small wooden bridges the water gurgles along the path and in the hot blazing sun each patch of shade becomes an oasis the green tall grass and weeds wave and salute as the feet and the gears churn up and down then circling around and finally back up the long steep hill so much fun to zoom down but much slower going back and walking up the ride complete.