January 1, 2018

Pictures and Quotes: 2018 Begins

Right now I feel annoyed at Blogger because an accidental keystroke deleted a long post and I can no longer retrieve it the way we used to be able to! So I have to start over, and the good news is, this is going to be shorter. The bad news is it won't be as gentle or detailed because I am feeling stressed over the loss of almost an hour's work. Onward...

I'm linking to Random-osity, City Daily Photo, and Monday Murals.

The Good: The January Theme for City Daily Photo is Photo of the Year 2017. I selected this one from almost a year ago because it stands out in my mind as representing the year 2017. A woman at a peaceful demonstration in front of the historic Shenandoah County Courthouse holds a sign saying "Hate does not make America great."

I'm grateful that we have the freedom to express ourselves.
The Random: I read today's Daily Word in search of inspiration for the new year. The topic was "New Beginning." The essay moved into a meditative exercise: "I move my attention gently and purposefully into my heart space. I become fully present in this moment, taking a deep, conscious breath. I ask myself, What is mine to begin?"

I made an illustration of the idea using a photo of Front Royal at night.


The Fun: Back in Woodstock, the town has encouraged artists to decorate utility boxes. This one has a famous quote from J. R. R. Tolkien: "Not all those who wander are lost."

For the New Year: I wish you freedom of expression, a vision of your life's path, and the ability to wander as you desire.

14 comments:

  1. Nice set of words - and when things seem crazy, I like the next bit of the JRRT words 'deep roots are not reached by the frost'

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  2. Hello, the utility box painting is awesome. We do need the freedom of expression. Great post! I wish you and yours all the best in 2018, happy New Year! Have a great day and new week!

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  3. Happy New Year! Sorry to hear about the loss of work. I know how frustrating that can be. These are all great choices and are very creative.

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  4. Happy New Year, Linda. I love that first image with the sign. It looks great processed like that. I hear you on the frustrations losing a long written piece. I hate that and usually have to step away and try again another time because I'm angry and that's not good.
    Wishing you the best!

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  5. Happy new year for you all.
    I prevent losing posts, by keeping a Word doc where I write my texts and when posting I just copy and paste it to the blog. This way if one day my blog vanish into the space I have all texts (and also photos) archived.

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  6. Sorry you lost your first post, but I enjoyed your recreated one! Love your first photo, and totally agree with the lady's sign. Thanks for a bit of inspiration to start the new year.

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  7. Nice sentiments and beautiful art on the utility box. Happy New Year and thanks for visiting Rosyfinch Ramblings!

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  8. I love that Tolkien quote!

    I've had that happen with a keystroke. I remember once losing an entire post in my writing blog that way.

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  9. Fantastic mural. So realistic. Happy New Year. Thanks for contributing to this week's Monday Mural.

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  10. oh no, i am sorry about losing your post, how frustrating...i want to re-do my blog but am afraid i'll really mess it up! the artwork on that utility box is amazing! happy new year linda!

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  11. May your new year be far less frustrating than loosing all of your hard work on this post! A happy, healthy, and prosperous 2018 to you!

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  12. Happy New Year Wishes

    All the best Jan

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