The car shimmered in the sun
As it passed by.
It was that shade of red
That reminded me of a Hilltops sangiovese
I recently enjoyed.
And it got me to thinking of
The optimistic son
Moving to a new land,
Bringing a taste of his country,
His history, with him,
Trying to adapt centuries of
Familial wine-making tradition
To foreign soil

-

Adventure doesn't have to mean
Setting out on a multi day hike,
Or immersing yourself in the culture
Of a far flung land

Nor does it have to mean
Making a spiritual pilgrimage
To a revered holy site

Adventure can easily be
Getting out and exploring
Your own back yard for a day

-

Sometimes I feel as though
I am a rock in a river.
Regardless of how much I try
To change it's course,
The river flows around me
And goes where it wants.
Lao-tzu would suggest
That I let go.
Perhaps the best place I can be,
Is where the river will take me.

-

"Cut me out,"
I said to her,
Referring to the division
Of today's tips.
'I don't deserve it.'

(Full piece in caption)

-

The softest sound of fluttering urged me to look up and stare in bewildered awe as a swarm of moths fluttered by. My eyes tracked them as they flew by, up the hill through the car park, still littered with the wreckage of old cars, abandoned so long ago. Further up the hill they flew, and that’s when I saw her, Sophie of Stitches. She was a legend, a myth. No one thought she actually existed, long believed to have perished, but here she was, looking down upon me from the top of the carpark, through the wreckage of the past.

-

It would be all to easy, to just turn in when you walk in. 12:51am and you've just arrived home from work.

But there's all those little rituals that you do at the end of the day, still left to do. You think that skipping these will buy you a few more precious moments of sleep. But they'll still be waiting for you in the mornings sun.

It's for the love that you persist and honour your nightly rituals.

It's feeding the sourdough starter that you split off from your own and promised to a friend.

It's the nutritious meal you prep for lunch tomorrow, so you don't have to buy one.

It's getting your wins and troubles down on page so they can let your mind rest.

And how much easier, deeper and peacefully do you sleep when you follow your own rituals?

-

What a wondrous thing it is
To laugh so uncontrollably,
Joyfully hard
That time slows,
Or pauses altogether
Offering you escape
From everything
That weighs upon you

-

It's a time of change
I have greatness in my mind
It's almost time to step off
I just need to build my launch pad

-

I found myself low today
But for you, who has a way
To brighten my day
And light a fire within me
You're a source of warmth
And inspiration; a muse
Like a moth to the flame
I'll always be drawn to you

-

I wrote and rewrote
But I just couldn't get it right
Nor could I stand by its message
Concerned how I would come across
It resembled a journal entry
My mind chipping away at conflicting ideas
But there, within the stone
I found some wisdom to guide me

-