Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog

All Posts by ‘Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog’

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The distance between what you want and what you are, psychologically, is (additionally) what you are.

July 30, 2014

The distance between what you want and what you are, psychologically, is (additionally) what you are.

[Dogbane Leaf Beetles have a deep sheen of iridescence that changes as we move in relation to the insect (or by the way it moves relative to us). Dogbane Leaf Beetles feed on prairie plants, such as the Milkweed plant. Dogbane Leaf Beetles can avoid predators by giving off a foul-smelling secretion when they are touched. An insect with a very splendid sheen of metallic-like iridescence!]

A Dogbane Leaf Beetle with an iridescent sheen that not even Harley Davidson motorcycle gas-tanks are capable of! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Be careful about coming to conclusions about people and things; it may be a coming to a stagnant end psychologically!

July 29, 2014

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Be careful about coming to conclusions about people and things; it may be a coming to a stagnant end psychologically!

[Jagged Ambush Bug in a wild Yellow Daisy: They perch by day in flowers and mostly are “sit-and-wait” predators, attacking all kinds of insects, often insects that are much larger than themselves. They often even attack bees. They have powerful vice-like, mantis-like, front legs that are great for grasping.]

Patience is a virtue for a Jagged Assassin Bug in a wild Yellow Daisy Flower. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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(Multi-photo)**** with a poem by E.E. Cummings

July 27, 2014

2 comments

Spring emerged from the primitive, frozen cocoon and transformed into the majestic, yellow and fluttering summer!

from E.E. Cummings:

*********Metamorphosis*********

We’ve plodded through a weird and weary time,
Called Winter by the calendar alone;
We have beheld an earth pool-deep in slime,
Image a heaven of stone.

We’ve found life hid between the folds of mire,
Sensed life in every place, heard life in tune.
The earth-shell cracks with underneath desire;
Spring crawls from the cocoon.

Her puny wings vibrant with will to grow,
She clings, expanding like an opening eye;
More large, more able, more developed, lo,
The perfect butterfly.

Yellow Swallowtail (photo 1) (The day I took these shots, I had a feeling that I should go to Perry Farm’s prairie, because I would find spectacular Yellow Swallowtail there; as soon as I arrived, there she was!) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

Yellow Swallowtail (photo 2) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Most people — even the somewhat callous, indifferent ones — struggle and suffer so much in life that they should be admired greatly, with deep respect.

July 24, 2014

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Most people — even the somewhat callous, indifferent ones — struggle and suffer so much in life that they should be admired greatly, with deep respect.

[As are many frogs, Leopard Frogs are declining in numbers due to a combination of ecological factors: pollution, deforestation, and water acidity. These were often the formaldehyde-soaked specimens that were used for high school labs. These frogs will eat most any living thing that will fit into their mouths, including beetles, ants, flies, worms, other frogs, and even birds and garter snakes.]

Leopard Frog… in a froggish kind of place! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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John Lennon was right: “Living is easy with eyes closed… misunderstanding all you see.”

July 23, 2014

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. John Lennon was right: “Living is easy with eyes closed… misunderstanding all you see.”

. [Strawberry Fields Forever. (Mushrooms in our lawn… and one of the reasons why one often dislikes to cut the grass!) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014]

Strawberry Fields Forever. (Mushrooms in our lawn… and one of the reasons why one often dislikes to cut the grass!) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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In the rollercoaster of life, don’t let the low points ever truly get you down!

July 22, 2014

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In the rollercoaster of life, don’t let the low points ever truly get you down!

At the height of his young career (and with evidence of his lunch endeavor in the background… and with his broadband antenna in the foreground). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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(Multi-Photo)*** Do not despise it for being little — and seeming small — for its smallness contains a largeness.

July 20, 2014

1 comment

Do not despise it for being little — and seeming small — for its smallness contains a largeness.

. (For RSS feeds to my new posts, please access them at tom8pie.wordpress.com)

Ant feeding on Milkweed plant leaf. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

Ants busy communicating while on Milkweed leaf. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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We must all walk the razor’s edge path in life! It’s very difficult for all of us. Stay balanced and aware!

July 17, 2014

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We must all walk the razor’s edge path in life! It’s very difficult for all of us. Stay balanced and aware!

May Beetle trying to keep some balance in the struggle of life! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Not: The less you care, the happier you will be. But: The more you care, the happier life and the world will be!

July 16, 2014

2 comments

Not: The less you care, the happier you will be. But: The more you care, the happier life and the world will be! (Anyway, you are not something truly separate from the world.)

. [Though larvae of the Colona Moth – Haploa Colona – may, among other types of plants, feed on apple and peach trees (and I especially like peaches)… I like the moth a lot! They seem to be appearing more in northern areas (possibly due to global warming trends). The one in the photo was far from peach trees… in a natural prairie.]

(For RSS feeds to my new posts, please access them at tom8pie.wordpress.com )

The Original Stealth Bomber! (Tiger Moth, Colona Moth) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Don’t just run from suffering and chase after pleasure like a pre-programmed robot; roll up those sleeves and truly help others.

July 15, 2014

2 comments

Don’t just run from suffering and chase after pleasure like a pre-programmed robot; roll up those sleeves and truly help others.

. (For RSS feeds to my new posts, please access them at tom8pie.wordpress.com)

Leafhopper Nymph (only around 3/16 of an inch long) with fluffy bum (which is an excess of sugar), while acting elusive on a Thistle Plant stem. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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(Multi-photo Post)*** Go beyond the superficiality of seeing yourself as separate from the whole of life!

July 12, 2014

2 comments

. Go beyond the superficiality of seeing yourself as separate from the whole of life! .

.(Milkweed Beetle and Fruit-fly on a Milkweed plant. Note how the Fruit-fly gradually moves in and feasts right adjacent to the precarious jaws (i.e., large, dangerous mandibles) of the Milkweed Beetle. The Fruit-fly’s jaws are too diminutive to successfully rasp at the Milkweed flower buds… so the Fruit-fly moves in and joins the “powerful” Milkweed Beetle… right adjacent to its “massive” jaws! Milkweed Beetles are quite “aware” for insects; in our area they sometimes roughly bang against my head – with their whole, flying bodies – to “warn” me to stay away from their precious Milkweed plants!)

Fruit-fly observing the Milkweed Beetle beginning to eat! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

Fruit-fly trying to eat the Milkweed Beetle’s scraps from a distance! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

Fruit-fly eating right next to the jaws of a Milkweed Beetle! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee…

July 11, 2014

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To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,

One clover, and a bee.

And revery.

The revery alone will do,

If bees are few.

— Emily Dickinson

A clover and one bee (and revery). Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Life is not for scheming and conspiring; it’s for caring and giving!

July 8, 2014

4 comments

. Life is not for scheming and conspiring; it’s for caring and giving!

It’s good to be rather blue… (if you have six legs)! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Each flutter of the butterfly’s wings is a true tribute to caterpillarism! Metamorphize too!

July 5, 2014

7 comments

. Each flutter of the butterfly’s wings is a true tribute to caterpillarism! Metamorphize too!

Beyond mediocre! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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To go beyond opinions and prejudices is to perceive without contamination.

July 3, 2014

2 comments

. To go beyond opinions and prejudices is to perceive without contamination.

Mid-afternoon siesta! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Waver from blind acceptance… and you may actually discover the truth!

July 1, 2014

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. Waver from blind acceptance… and you may actually discover the truth!

It’s not polite to eat with your mouth open! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Incongruity sees the differences… and hates and fights. Harmony sees the beautiful oneness… and loves and heals.

June 29, 2014

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. Incongruity sees the differences… and hates and fights. Harmony sees the beautiful oneness… and loves and heals.

Friends or foes? Horned Treehopper and Ant. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Don’t be indifferent and shirk away from the responsibility of helping others. The pain of compassionate work is beauty!

June 27, 2014

7 comments

. Don’t be indifferent and shirk away from the responsibility of helping others. The pain of compassionate work is beauty!

Mr. Conehead out for a stroll! (Coneheaded katydid, Eastern Sword-bearer Katydid) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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The map is not the territory… and merely remaining in (and “as”) symbolic words is not truly living. Live!

June 25, 2014

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. The map is not the territory… and merely remaining in (and “as”) symbolic words is not truly living. Live!

Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Wow! Scientist’s have succeeded in creating a macro-photo of the system and intricate network of neurons composing the human brain (and the images that individual neurons contain)!

June 22, 2014

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. Wow! Scientist’s have succeeded in creating a macro-photo of the system and intricate network of neurons composing the human brain (and the images that individual neurons contain)!

Macro-photo of the Human Neural Network. And, as Elmer Fudd says:
“Finawee, here’s scientific pruuf dat humans are wey smarter den doze krazy wabbits and all doze udder animals!” Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Unfurling elephant, abstract seahorse, or expanding image that is not truly separate from what the present observer’s fern-like consciousness greenly consists of?

June 21, 2014

2 comments

. Unfurling elephant, abstract seahorse, or expanding image that is not truly separate from what the present observer’s fern-like consciousness greenly consists of?

What U C is What U R! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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It’s easy to imitate others and to copy… and be so-called “normal”! However, to really question things and to truly think is not easy nor…

June 18, 2014

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. It’s easy to imitate others and to copy… and be so-called “normal”! However, to really question things and to truly think is not easy nor often admired, but it’s the only way to “be”! . .

. (That everlasting “long and winding road” is time.)

. “The Long And Winding Road” — The Beatles

. The long and winding road that leads to your door

. Will never disappear

. I’ve seen that road before; it always leads me here

. Leads me to your door

For a diminutive insect, it’s: The Long and Winding Road… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Instead of the usual crass revolution of violent disruption, war, and disharmony, why can’t there be a magical revolution of affection/love?

June 15, 2014

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. Instead of the usual crass revolution of violent disruption, war, and disharmony, why can’t there be a magical revolution of affection/love?

We were around before the time of the dinosaurs! Blue Dasher Dragonfly … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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They are not just your thoughts and feelings; they are of all humanity and life!

June 13, 2014

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. They are not just your thoughts and feelings; they are of all humanity and life!

Exploration beyond what’s below! (Ant exploring flower) Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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So many have (and “are”) ideas/concepts of God or no Gods. Go beyond mere concepts and intelligently inquire (for yourself)!

June 11, 2014

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. So many have (and “are”) ideas/concepts of God or no Gods. Go beyond mere concepts and intelligently inquire (for yourself)!

Beyond words…Lyretail Anthias … Pseudanthias squamipinnis (females are golden yellow without the elongated first dorsal ray) … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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There are no real boundaries anywhere in the cosmos, except those invented and perceived by thought!

June 8, 2014

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. There are no real boundaries anywhere in the cosmos, except those invented and perceived by thought!

All r 1…Sempervivums sedums… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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The teacher is the teaching; the criminal is the crime; the nurse is the healing; the woodpecker is the wood pecking; the arthropod is the…

June 5, 2014

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. The teacher is the teaching; the criminal is the crime; the nurse is the healing; the woodpecker is the wood pecking; the arthropod is the blossoming.

Be open minded… not just closed! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Multi-Photo: The placid lake reflected his motionless mind… and the two, together, were one and the same.

June 3, 2014

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. The placid lake reflected his motionless mind… and the two, together, were one and the same.

The stillness can sometimes reflect the whole! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

Water Striders … insects that walk and “skate” on water! … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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One instant of bigheartedness is brighter than a million instances of disingenuous indifference.

June 1, 2014

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. One instant of bigheartedness is brighter than a million instances of disingenuous indifference.

Bountiful love… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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A man without a warm, caring heart is like a musician without thumbs!

May 27, 2014

2 comments

. A man without a warm, caring heart is like a musician without thumbs!

Warmth deep beyond the center! Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Goo goo g’joob; i am the eggman; they are the eggmen…

May 25, 2014

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. i am he

. as you are he

. as you are me

. and we are all together

. — John Lennon lyrics

. (Sometimes, great words of wisdom can occur in a seemingly jumbled mess. Most of us were miseducated to think that we are separate from each other. Not enough of us look with real unity, compassion, and wisdom in our hearts… but, rather, see through thick walls of separation.)

Swimming, Smiling, Egghead … (Puffer Fish) … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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(Multi-photo): True poetic insight is graceful because its sensitivity crosses boundaries and perceives all as one.

May 23, 2014

3 comments

. True poetic insight is graceful because its sensitivity crosses boundaries and perceives all as one.

Don’t count your chickens… — photo by Thomas Peace 2014

… before they hatch! —– (Robin Fledglings) … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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The pointing finger isn’t the moon, and symbolic thoughts aren’t the realities. Go beyond the pointer!

May 20, 2014

1 comment

. The pointing finger isn’t the moon, and symbolic thoughts aren’t the realities. Go beyond the pointer!

Don’t get lost in the details! …. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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An ordinary mind will see things as being stale and humdrum; a profound mind will perceive things as being majestic and wonderful!

May 18, 2014

2 comments

. An ordinary mind will see things as being stale and humdrum; a profound mind will perceive things as being majestic and wonderful!

There’s fungus among us! … cup fungi … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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To observe directly without deluding oneself with false images and beliefs is rare in this world… and is wisdom in action.

May 16, 2014

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. To observe directly without deluding oneself with false images and beliefs is rare in this world… and is wisdom in action.

Open wide, far beyond common, limited awareness! … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Awareness and compassion are priceless gifts for a consciousness to be, and with them comes great responsibility!

May 13, 2014

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. Awareness and compassion are priceless gifts for a consciousness to be, and with them comes great responsibility!

Hungry fledglings and a late bloomer… photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Happy Mother’s Day! Mother Earth is beautiful indeed!…

May 10, 2014

6 comments

. Happy Mother’s Day! And let’s all especially wish a happy Mother’s Day to Mother Earth too. She is all we have, and we all need to take better care of her (by recycling, using green energy, and planting more trees and such), not neglecting her. We can’t (as many foolish scientists suggest) leave home to go to another planet when things get bad here; some scientists are suggesting the wrong things; we have to wake up and treat her much better! Mother Earth is not at all separate from all true, good mothers!

. Excerpt of a Navajo Native American Song (which, as a song of wisdom, occurs within my book):

Song of the Earth

All is beautiful,
All is beautiful…All is beautiful, indeed.

Now the Mother Earth, and the Father Sky… Meeting, joining one another,
Helpmates ever, they.

All is beautiful… All is beautiful… All is beautiful, indeed.

Sisnajinni, Tsodsichl,
Meeting, joining one another,

Helpmates ever, they.
All is beautiful… All is beautiful… All is beautiful, indeed.

Now Doko-oslid and Depenitsa… Meeting, joining one another,
Helpmates ever, they.
All is beautiful… All is beautiful… All is beautiful, indeed.

And the night of darkness… And the dawn of light… Meeting, joining one another… Helpmates ever, they.
All is beautiful…All is beautiful… All is beautiful, indeed.

Now Hastyeyalli and Hastyehogan… Meeting, joining one another,
Helpmates ever, they.
All is beautiful… All is beautiful… All is beautiful, indeed.

And the white corn and the yellow corn… Meeting, joining one another,
Helpmates ever, they.
All is beautiful… All is beautiful… All is beautiful, indeed.

And the corn-pollen and the Ripener… Meeting, joining one another,
Helpmates ever, they.
All is beautiful… All is beautiful… All is beautiful, indeed.

Life-that-never-passeth,
Happiness-of-all-things… Meeting, joining one another,
Helpmates ever, they.
All is beautiful… All is beautiful… All is beautiful, indeed.

Now all is beautiful,
All is beautiful,
All is beautiful, indeed.

Happy Mother’s Day to all good mothers and to our good Mother Earth! … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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I don’t hug trees, but I do hug grandmothers, grandfathers, children, and the multiply handicapped!

May 8, 2014

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. . . . . . I don’t hug trees, but I do hug grandmothers, grandfathers, children, and the multiply handicapped! . .

“We don’t want hugs; we want sun, water, and nutrients!” … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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First thing in the morning, many birds sprightly sing to the joy of the new day, returning sun, and the exhilaration of being and sharing! :)

May 6, 2014

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. First thing in the morning, many birds sprightly sing to the joy of the new day, returning sun, and the exhilaration of being and sharing! 🙂 Namaste!

“You two don’t ever sing to the sun in the morning. Are you atheists?” … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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You might think she’s ugly, but…

May 4, 2014

2 comments

. You might think she’s ugly… but she has tied a little webbing — on her rear leg to the cement — to remind herself not to leave any time soon… and (though rather emaciated and hungry) she is not moving; so she is a very caring and good mother. That, my friends, is beautiful!

. (Fishing Spiders get quite large. Some, legs included, can be over 3 inches long. Some can dive underwater to catch prey, or they catch prey near the surface of the water, even minnows. It is unusual for spiders to eat vertebrates, but these do! Females guard their eggs sacs for quite a long time… often over a month, not eating while doing so. The one below was on cement on the bank of a river. It was rather strange about how i came upon it. While at home, i had a premonition that if i went to the river bank… i’d see an unusually nice, large spider there. I grabbed a camera and walked to the river bank; as i approached the bank, the spider could be seen from quite a distance and one realized immediately that that was what the intimation was about. It didn’t budge while i took shots; then i politely left it with its highly precious orb.)

Dolomedes tenebrosus (Fishing Spider) with her egg sac … photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Carry too many thoughts about “how things are” with you… and you won’t ever actually see where you are going!

May 1, 2014

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. Carry too many thoughts about “how things are” with you… and you won’t ever actually see where you are going!

The center of attention… photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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(Multi-photo)… In compassion, there is no separate “you” and “I”!

April 29, 2014

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. In compassion, there is no separate “you” and “I”!

Who’s zoomin’ who? … (Saltwater Tang Fish, Blue Tang) photo by Thomas Peace 2014

Close-up photo of Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Nemo…

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Dorothy: How do you talk if you don’t have a brain? Scarecrow: Well, some people without brains…

April 27, 2014

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. Dorothy: How do you talk if you don’t have a brain?

. Scarecrow: Well, some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?!

Scarecrow: Boo! Scat! Boo! You see, I can’t even scare a crow. (Photo by Thomas Peace 2014)

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Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. — Oscar Wilde

April 24, 2014

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. Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.

. — Oscar Wilde

Explosion of compassion!… photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Marvel at life and nature! If things get you down, take a walk in the woods and drop the hurts behind (like dead weights)!

April 22, 2014

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. Marvel at life and nature! If things get you down, take a walk in the woods and drop the hurts behind (like dead weights)!

Hidden in the micro-forest… photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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The giver is the gift. The seer is the seen. The helping is the love.

April 17, 2014

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. The giver is the gift. The seer is the seen. The helping is the love.

Morning Glory by the woods… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

April 15, 2014

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. Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.

. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Being in the unseen… Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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They say that location is everything! Location! Location! Location! ;)

April 13, 2014

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. They say that location is everything! Location! Location! Location!

. 😉

They say that location is everything! …. Photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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The door to success in the entertainment world. Real success is in finding truth, helping others, and ending suffering… not in showing off like some kind of monkey, getting all the apish stares!

April 11, 2014

4 comments

. The door to success in the entertainment world… may be illusory.

. Real success is in finding truth, helping others, and ending suffering… not in showing off like some kind of monkey, getting all the apish stares!

The door to success in the entertainment world… may be illusory. Mantled Howler Monkey at the zoo, briefly resting after antics with his group… photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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Never ever grow up! Never ever let them contaminate your youth and inner joy with their old words and systems!

April 8, 2014

2 comments

. Never ever grow up! Never ever let them contaminate your youth and inner joy with their old words and systems!

Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly (male)… photo by Thomas Peace 2014

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