Freedom and Hope

"Plastic"
©2013 A. Catherine Noon, All Rights Reserved

Joyous Lughnasad to you!  As we head from July into August, I know the theme of freedom was last month's but felt compelled to talk about it again, as well as its companion, hope.  I am in the midst of extricating myself from a toxic work situation and am struggling with the idea of freedom.  "Do I have to put up with this?" "Is this harassment?"  These questions make us doubt our sanity and wonder if we're being drama queens, or if the situation we're in is really that crazy.

What worked for me today was to take a long walk.  I brought my camera with me and took some shots of my walk, until my battery died and I just walked and existed with the trail.  There is a Latin phrase, "Solvitur ambulando," which means "It is solved by walking."  Many writers before me belonged to the peripatetic school, as Julia Cameron so poetically calls it.  Today, I put that to the test and, to my surprise, it worked.

Take a look (you can click on the picture to see it in a larger view):

This is deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna, which is a commonly-growing weed in the Chicagoland area. It can cause contact dermatitis and is poisonous. It is a relative of the tomato family.
©2013 A. Catherine Noon, All Rights Reserved

I love the appearance of nightshade, but I'm allergic to it.  I get contact dermatitis, which is a fancy way of saying my skin turns red and is itchy and burns.  Yuck.  But they're sure pretty, huh?  All sorts of colors that look yummy.  DON'T.  They aren't yummy at all.

Hmm.  Metaphor, anyone?

I don't know what this is, but I love that there are two kinds of fruits/berries.
©2013 A. Catherine Noon, All Rights Reserved

This one caught my eye and I have no idea what it is.  I love the textures and want to create them in yarn.

It didn't rain on me, either.  My walk today has a quality of magic to it, a soft and Zen kind of magic that is subtle yet profound.

In closing, I'll leave you with a Zen Koan (a teaching story):

Chou-Chu fell down in the snow and yelled, "Help me up!  Help me up!"  A Zen monk came and laid down beside him.  Chou-Chu got up and went away.

--
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
- E.E. Cummings

The Chicagoland Shifters series:
Book 1 BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.
Book 2 TIGER TIGER, available from Samhain Publishing. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

The Persis Cycle:Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Books.

Watch for "Seeking Hearts", coming soon from Torquere Books.

Check out "Taking a Chance", available from Torquere Books.

Check out COOK LIKE A WRITER , available from Barnes and Noble.

My links: Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pandora
Knoontime Knitting: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Ravelry
Noon and Wilder links: Blog | Website | Facebook
The Writer Zen Garden: The Writers Retreat Blog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter
Team Blogs: Nightlight | Nightlight FB Page | Beyond the Veil | BtV FB Page | LGBT Fantasy Fans and Writers | LGBTFFW FB Page
Publishers: Samhain Publishing | Torquere Press