Wanderlust: A History of Walking

Wanderlust:  A History of Walking, by Rebecca Solnit, is an incredible book on so many levels.  I can’t begin to describe all of them.

This book is not only about putting one foot in front of the other, and walking, whether on a neighborhood sidewalk, a forest path, a beach, or even walking in a political, or charitable march, but it is a book about the beginnings of walking.  She takes us to our early ancestors, who fell from trees, and stood upright, to any place our minds can imagine walking, with historical information within the pages.

Some of her illuminations might feel tiresome, or long and drawn out, to some of you, but the content is masterful in every aspect.

Not only does Solnit take us to paths traversed, but she also depicts, vividly, the various ways of walking, and why we walk.  Walking is just as much of a mental feat, or exercise, in her perspective, as it is a mode for a healthy lifestyle, a way to be in the moment, and also a way for emotional comfort during stressful times.

I highly recommend Wanderlust:  A History of Walking, by Rebecca Solnit.

Some of my own travels over the years, have taken me to pathways I never would have dreamed I would see.

Walking, for me, is not only part of my lifestyle, but a factor of meditation, and being in the moment, of whatever path I am walking on.  I find beauty everywhere, and spiritual affirmation, within the moments.

Life’s curves lead me to new beginnings, new situations to adjust to, and the positivity resulting from those curves.

 

Thank you for visiting.  Have a wonderful day.

All photographs, other than the ones attributed to others, are Copyright Lorri M., along with my prose.

Doors, Preceding, Following

Without doors, I wouldn’t exist, and my aura would not be a brightness illuminating in time’s continuum.

Without doors my children, my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren would not exist, their very essence inhibited, diminished, in the folds of life’s tapestries.

Each new door, that I traveled through opened new gateways of my existence.
Every entrance had an exit, leading to new horizons, change, realms of vividness, reproduced in technicolor kaleidoscopes.

Future generations of my lineage will not wither, because of doors, passages,entrances and exits, I have wandered through, on my life’s journey.
Their breaths will continue to carry my ancestors, carrying me, with each inhale and exhale.

Ancestral doors preceded me, and doors will follow me, sequencing new generations, into beginning life forces.

Copyright Lorri M.

Negative Space

Fill your life with positivity, and not negativity.  Illuminate any negative space within your mind, your heart, your soul, with color, and peaceful thoughts.  Be mindful of nature’s beauty, and inhale the scents.  Listen to the sounds, and view the scene with a new perspective.  Touch a flower petal, and be in awe of nature’s presence.  Let your negative space overflow with positive delights.

 

Copyright Lorri M.

Life Paths

The above photo depicts what is a pathway, in a canyon area.  Rains have washed most of it out, making it unusable.

Speaking of pathways, life’s journey isn’t filled with smoothness, easy paths to follow, and often difficult terrains to trek through, on our way towards finding ourselves, and finding a sense of calm.  -Lorri M.

The rocks, in the path above, are a part of the remains of rains that carried them, while flooding the path.

Our lives are filled with rocky pathways that we must learn to step beyond, and overcome, in order to move forward.  -Lorri M.

All photographs and prose are Copyright of Lorri M.

Historically Speaking

I recently finished Serenade for Nadia:  A Novel, by Zulfu Livaneli.  It was a heart wrenching, historical novel, regarding the sinking of an actual Jewish refugee ship, the Struma, off of the coast of Istanbul. The refugees were from Romania, fleeing the Holocaust, and were on their way to Palestine when the horror occurred.

The story line revolved basically around two individuals, a woman named Maya Duran, and an elderly professor named Maximilian Wagner. Maya is his guide, during his stay in Istanbul. Max is there, after 59-years, to pay his last respects to his wife, Nadia, who was one of the passengers who died aboard the torpedoed ship.

The book rotates between WWII/Holocaust, and the present. The author was masterful in his depictions of the horrors of war, and the time period. I highly recommend it.

I also finished reading The Convert, by Stefan Hertmans. The book was based on an actual French manuscript dating back to the 11th Century. The document conveys a story of a woman who married a Jewish man, and converted to Judaism. The story line is intense, with visual word imagery that is often horrific, depicting the brutality of the Middle Ages.

I am drawn to historical fiction, that represents factual data, and not white-washed content. Both of these books were true to that concept, historically speaking.

Off Center

Life is often a bit off center, like my photos, answers not always obvious, there if we seek them. -Lorri M.