Never Quit on a Bad Day

Today, the photography landscape was rich with opportunities.  It just goes to show that the Universe is always preparing the next great thing for your life.  It’s a reminder to me to be just a little patient and give the Universe room to work her magic.

When transiting cities, I always have my eye out for interesting art, and today was no exception.  On our way through South Buffalo, I happened to glance to the right, and this beauty of a mural caught my eye.  I asked Dad if he minded a quick one block detour, and that little side trip ended up being the highlight of the day!

As I was working out the details on how best to capture the sweep and colors of this mural on the side of the Irish Cultural Center in the heart of the South Buffalo Irish Cultural District, Dad popped into the Tara Gift Shoppe across the street in search of some postcards to mail.

While he didn’t find any postcards, he met some new people, made some new friends, and was able to share his pride in his grandson’s accomplishments in competition Irish Dancing.  Outside guarding the packs, I stumbled upon this Claddagh Mailbox that seemed to capture the character of the neighborhood….steeped in history, beautiful, vibrant, and welcoming.

Just  little farther down the path, we came across acres and acres of fields exploding with dandelions.  I know I’ve thought of these beauties as weeds in the past, but the sheer scope of the yellow blankets of blossoms challenges that characterization.

I’m reminded by a friend that dandelion greens are edible, and they’re actually being sold at Whole Foods.  She suggested those facts were a good reason to forage in your yard, and I wholeheartedly agree. Foraging in the yard will be far more economical than foraging at Whole Foods.

After the rains and wind in the face all day yesterday, today’s experiences proved the wisdom of never quitting a quest on a “bad” day.  A good day is right around the corner, and you don’t want to miss the opportunity. Keep grinding.

Irish Dancing....Can I do That?

We spent our second rest day in a row here in Syracuse watching my nephew compete in the Central New York Feis, an Irish Dancing Competition.  He crushed it placing in four of the six events that he chose to compete.

Killing it on the dancefloor.

I had never even considered the possibility of taking up Irish Dancing until today, but I caught myself thinking from time to time throughout the competition, “Can I do that?”  

It looked challenging and graceful and fun.  

“You’re way to old for Irish Dancing.”

“That’s what you told yourself about yoga, but once you started you wished you hadn’t waited for so long.”

“You’d just embarrass yourself.”

“Probably, but you said the same thing about walking and yoga until you started to practice.  Were there some embarrassing bits? Sure, but seriously, no one is even really paying attention to you at all.”

The debate went on throughout the day, but in the end, I decided I didn’t have a reason not to give it a try once the walk is complete.

Irish Dancing here I come….at least for a lesson or two.  That’s one of the things I’m loving about the pilgrimage. I’m getting to see, experience, and contemplate things that I never even considered.  My life is becoming richer for it day after day. Thanks for the the inspiration, E! I had a great day!