359...

I've been told by my friends that if they happen to see me blastin' by on the bike I usually have a grin on my face. Most of the time I'm smiling just to keep people guessing, but a day off from work and incredible weather like today makes me a happy biker. I took a blast up north today and did some searching, a little for the soul and a little for the sites. Being on the bike today forced me to get out of my own head which is why I believe motorcycling to be such a great meditative tool. It's tough to stay inside the grey matter between your ears when you are surrounded by so many sites outside of yourself. New England has a lot to offer as far as sites go and this time of year just enhances the landscapes. I was taking some photos today and around every turn I saw something else that I wanted to capture in a picture. I realized there was just too much to photograph, so I just rode and enjoyed each point of interest as I passed them by.
As an artist it's difficult to see things in any other way but creatively. I look at the way light hits the trees and how the slightest change in that light creates a new image. The shapes of building and the shadows they cast, a broken down car, a hawk against a pure blue sky...it's endless and there is art in life in everything I see. It comes in many different forms and often it manifests in painful or difficult situations in life. The art is always there for me to step back and observe, but unlike a painting that may appear static, "art" in life is constantly changing. There is not one moment where it isn't, not even when I feel like my routine has nothing new to offer. I just need to be reminded that around every bend in the road there is something to look at very deeply, something to rest my attention on and learn to appreciate it before it's gone or before I am.

Here's a couple of snapshot from today's trek up North.

"That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. It is the ordinary state of affairs. Everything is in process. Everything—every tree, every blade of grass, all the animals, insects, human beings, buildings, the animate and the inanimate—is always changing, moment to moment." ~Pema Chodron

There's still some sunlight left and gas in the tank, hmmmmm........
See ya!
Jim