HYPER-REALITY: walk, don't run ...

Photographer | Writer | Engineer Calgary, AB, Canada I did not have to ask my heart what it wanted because of all the desires I have ever known, just one did I cling to for it was the essence of all desire: To know beauty. — St. John of the Cross

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🪶 Waiting for spring ... ______ "So, why do it then? Why choose to be good, every day, if there is no guaranteed reward we can count on, now or in the afterlife? I argue that we choose to be good because of our bonds with other people and our innate desire to treat them with dignity. Simply put, we are not in this alone.” — Chidi, The Good Place #beforethesnow #spring #springincalgary #capturecalgary #calgary #calgaryparks #feather #whitefeather #hopeisathingwithfeathers #parksofcalgary #yycparks #calgaryviews (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb5a3QkJQLQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🌿 #foundspring Summer is coming ... ______ “Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” ― Anne Frank #calgaryweather #shareyourweather #calgaryparks #yycparks #calgary #calgaryalberta #explorecalgary #springtimeincalgary #springincalgary #naturephotography #naturelovers #trees #explorealberta #outwalking #signsofspring #spring #calgarylife #yycliving (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cboc2CmLc5I/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🦋 Waiting for spring ... _______ "Maybe someday, we can all be judged on the quality of our contributions rather than how resilient we are in the face of appalling conduct." — Sheryl Lightfoot #calgaryparks #calgaryviews #calgaryalberta #explorecalgary #explorealberta #dailyhiveyyc #weekendvibes #waitingforspring #outwalking #calgary #calgaryphotographer #endofahardweek #weekendvibes #springincalgary (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbklbMRrBvS/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🤸🏽‍♀️ "Remember to play after every storm." — Mattie Stepanek #happyspring #firstdayofspring #capturecalgary #dailyhiveyyc #calgaryparks #yycparks #explorecalgary #summeriscoming #calgary #calgaryviews #calgaryalberta #springtimeincalgary #shareyourweather #playground (at Hawkstone Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbYFkI7vqT_/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🚶🏽‍♀️ #hellomarch #capturecalgary Soft. The world is hurting. Be kind. ________ "Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end." — Scott Adams #outwalking #winter2022 #shareyourweather #calgaryviews #elbowriver #yycparks #calgaryparks #calgary #calgaryviews #explorecalgary #sunset #calgaryweather #winter #comewalkwithme #snowwalk #winterwalks #lightseeker #explorealberta https://www.instagram.com/p/CaqfSfQpJNG/?utm_medium=tumblr

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❄️ #shareyourweather #capturecalgary #repnotrip Snow day ... Some thoughts on "FREEDOM" ... (⚠️ rant ahead) #exhausted I'm so tired of being held hostage by a gang of hooligans who likely haven't experienced a day of oppression in their entire lives. Personally, I wouldn't use the word "freedom" to describe this embarrassment currently making international headlines ... "Selfishness" perhaps? Meanwhile ... 🆘 ... nearly 4000 dead in Alberta 🆘 ... over 30,000 kids tested +ve since Dec '21 (that we know of) 🆘 ... ~1 in 10 adults and kids who are facing long term disability and unknown chronic effects from #longcovid 🆘 ... health care workers have had to endure endless days of terror and grief holding the world together ... exhausted ... unappreciated ... because of ... FREEDOM? Take your ... ... Nazi symbols ... MAGA hats ... upside down maple leafs ... confederate flags ... FauxNews bribes (in USD) And GO HOME ... It's embarassing ... 💉 Get vaccinated ... 😷 Wear a mask ... 🏥 Use common sense ... 🤷🏾‍♀️ This isn't hard ... If you find that oppressive ... you know where the unfollow button lives🚪 ... Please ... feel free ... And welcome to #zerotolerance2022 🐯. /fin ________ ”Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” — Voltaire #calgaryalberta #explorecalgary #calgarylife #snow #winterwalks #winter #snowday #abhealth #firetheucp #calgaryviews #covidisairborne #covid19ab (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CaGHRHTPjyK/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🌇 #sunset #yycsunset #calgarysunset Ended the week with sky fire. Relishing a slow paced weekend. Time to catch my breath regroup and get ready to jump in all over again on Monday. _____________ "when creating. be kind to your doubt. hear it out. thank it for its concern. and reassure it that you are an artist. and risk is essential.” — Nayyirah Waheed #explorecalgary #calgary #calgaryalberta #capturecalgary #breathingspace #bekind #sunsetsky #sunsets #sunsetlovers #sunsetphotography #weekendvibes #beautifulsky #calgaryphotographer #calgarylife #yycliving #prairiesky #calgaryviews (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ5HMx2Ph_F/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🌇 #yycsunset #calgarysunset "Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life. There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure." — Paulo Coelho #capturecalgary #calgary #explorecalgary #dailyhiveyyc #calgaryalberta #calgaryviews #sunsets_captures #sunset #sunsetsky #prairiesky #calgaryskies #wintersky #beautifulsky #sky #calgaryliving #calgaryweather #shareyourweather #sharebeauty (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZQlFyDLWHd/?utm_medium=tumblr

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❄️ #capturecalgary #hello2022 2022 so far ... a bitter cold ... Omicron .. Head above the waves ... Exhausted. Tiktok wannabe Instagram gives me a headache. Longing for stillness. Wishing things were simpler. Inbetween. Finding remnants, unexpected colour on my walks through winter through life. Fuels my spirit with hope that I need to keep going ... ________ "Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going." — Yasmin Mogahed #winter #sunset #yycsunset #calgarysunset #shareyourweather #sharebeauty #calgaryliving #calgary #calgaryalberta #dailyhiveyyc #explorecalgary #winter2022 #calgaryviews #beginings #beautifulsky #comewalkwithme #outwalking #winterwalk #snowwalk #snowwalker #winterwalks (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYy-EFBFQRb/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🎇 #HappyNewYear Funny how all of a sudden -17C feels warm 😟 ... ____ “We are whiplashed between an arrogant overestimation of ourselves and a servile underestimation of ourselves” — Parker Palmer #winter #hello2022 #calgary #calgarywinter #winter2022 #dailyhiveyyc #calgaryviews #snow #outwalking #snowwalk #snowwalker #winterwalk #explorecalgary #calgaryliving #calgarylife #newyear2022 #newyearsday (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYNisC_LbR6/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🥶 #goodbye2021 #hello2022 #newyearseve #2021memories Despairing. Depleted. Another year over. 2021 was a harder than expected. I am weary from all the challenges faced. The resurgence of COVID19/Omicron & the bitter cold of the last week. Both have worn me down. This year took a lot out of me. There is also a pervasive sense of loss as the year winds down. A certain naivety was lost. A kind of innocence & a belief that the world isn't as cruel as it actually is. My faith was consistently tested & I found myself humbled by the reality of it. I am left with a sense of grief that what I believed is no longer true. In it's place, a harsher & more unkind reality. The seismic shift is unsettling. The loneliness almost unbearable. What helped get me through this toughest of years were the small mercies that were scattered throughout. My feet wore deep grooves into my favourite neighborhood paths. I feel more connected. In all that was bad about this year, there were moments of tremendous good fortune. This fall was unseasonably warm & I made a late autumn trip into the mountains that felt like mid-summer. I took this photo during that trip & it has become an enduring symbol of the moments of grace & gratitude that got me through. But then, there were also days that were difficult. Days when it was hard to leave the house not knowing if it was safe to do so. But through it all, I sustained one fervent hope ... for better days ahead. And that is my wish for 2022. More joy! More adventure! More of the things that we love. Wishing you a kind 2022 & the courage to step outside of your comfort zone often. May we start 2022 with the determination to be our best selves & to care for one another a bit better. Here's to brand new beginnings ... #HappyNewYear 🎆 ___ ”The word change normally refers to new beginnings. But the mystery of transformation more often happens not when something new begins, but when something old falls apart. The pain of something old falling apart—chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level, and sometimes forces the soul to go to a new place. Most of us would never go to new places in any other way." — Richard Rohr (at Kananaskis Country) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYKTYmiP-oe/?utm_medium=tumblr

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☃️ #MerryChristmas ❄️ #Winter #WhiteChristmas 🎵 Snow had fallen Snow on snow on snow In the bleak midwinter _______ “This last long winter, I have experienced a truth more completely than ever before: that life’s bestowal of riches already surpasses any subsequent impoverishment. What, then, remains to be feared? Only that we might forget this! But around and within us, how much it helps to remember!” — Adam Gopnik _______ 🏠 I'll be home for #covidchristmas #stayhomestaysafe #covidcoping #covidlockdown #getvaccinated _______ #winter2021 #shareyourweather #capturecalgary #calgaryliving #explorecalgary #explorecalgaryparks #calgaryparks #calgaryviews #winter2021 #snow #winterwonderland #christmas2021 #christmas #christmasday #calgaryviews #dailyhiveyyc #calgary #calgaryalberta #yycparks (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CX60aA1vbcA/?utm_medium=tumblr

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📚 #christmaseve #bookoftheyear #christmaseve2021 Ever since I heard about the tradition of Icelandic tradition of #Jolabokaflod, I have loved the idea of spending Christmas eve cozied up with a book and chocolate. Particularly during #COVIDChristmww It has become something of a tradition for me to pick my #bookoftheyear around this time. This year, I am picking another audiobook and one that I profoundly loved. Nobel Heat is a nine hour audio workshop on ways to open your mind and stretch your heat by Buddhist teacher #PemaChödrön. When I listened to this, it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear and exactly the right time. I will forever associate this workshop with summer strolls along my favourite prairie paths and quiet afternoons by the Bow River. Thanks to COVID, this year has been difficult in ways that were previously unimaginable. This audiobook was precisely the catalyst my life needed to rise up to meet the strange realities that COVID has brought us. The teachings are wise and gentle -- as are the teacher -- and the impact profoundly heart opening and grounding. _________ “Whether we’re seeking inner peace or global peace or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of unconditional openness to all that arises. Peace isn’t an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it’s an experience that’s expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened.” — Pema Chödrön #audiobooks #iamreading #booklover #books #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #myyearinbooks #peacebychocolate #chocolate #chocolatelovers https://www.instagram.com/p/CX4Bf-LpPfZ/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🏞️ #summer2021 #SummerMemories2021 #2021memories This is a bit of an unconventional #wintersolstice post in what has been a rather unconventional year. Also, the fact this post is late also feels appropriate for the kind of year it has been 😟 ... These are photos I took in #Canmore this summer. A very unconventional summer... This year I am taking immense comfort in the seasonality of things. And that following the darkest night of the year we have already began the journey back to summer days of warm beauty and light ... ______ "This is the night when you can trust that any direction you go, you will be walking toward the dawn." — Jan Richardson #latergram #explorealberta #rockymountains #mountainlovers #travelalberta #alberta #canmorealberta #bowriver #mountains #naturelovers #naturephotography #ig_canada #imagesofcanada #signs #summer #summermemories #Canada #mountainphotography #canmorealberta #canmorelife #canmorekananaskis #covidcoping (at Canmore, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/toknowbeauty/p/CX2VqaBr9Xj/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🕯️ #RememberThe14 #14NotForgotten #16days #NationalDayOfRemembrance December 6 always hits differently. This year, the sadness is deep and lingering ... On this day in 1986, a man killed 14 women at École Polytechnique simply because they were women. This year more than any other, I find have no tolerance for those that make excuses. No tolerance for those that prescribe to the ideologies that seek to impinge on the rights and liberties of women. Especially those that espouse, perpetuate, and seek to entrench misogynistic world views such as those that were used as justification by the man who murdered 14 innocent #WomenInSTEM. It is irrefutable truth -- based on history and common sense -- that women die with impunity and violently -- when patriarchy exists. Talented. Intelligent. Women. Die. Every day. Gone. A cruel and bitter winter blows through the emptiness that remains. Listen. Women. Daughters. Have the right To live Without violence Without oppression. Enough. _________ "We can learn from history how past generations thought and acted, how they responded to the demands of their time and how they solved their problems. We can learn by analogy, not by example, for our circumstances will always be different than theirs were. The main thing history can teach us is that human actions have consequences and that certain choices, once made, cannot be undone. They foreclose the possibility of making other choices and thus they determine future events." — Gerda Lerner #hellowinter #winter #winter2021 #shareyourweather #capturecalgary #calgaryalberta #calgaryviews #yycparks #explorecalgary #calgaryparks #explorealberta #winter2021 #natureloves #naturelovers #naturephotography #winterphotography #montrealmassacre #metoo #endgenderbasedviolence #heforshe #Ilooklikeanengineer #calgaryalberta #rosehips #rosehipsinthesnow (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/toknowbeauty/p/CXIJBbILlXd/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🌇 #sunset #capturecalgary #shareyourweather The days are getting noticibly shorter and colder. Flocks of geese are steadily making there way south. Winter is coming. The path ahead is leading us home ... ___________ “Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that's all that's happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness--life's painful aspect--softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person. When you are feeling a lot of grief, you can look right into somebody's eyes because you feel you haven't got anything to lose--you're just there. The wretchedness humbles us and softens us, but if we were only wretched, we would all just go down the tubes. We'd be so depressed, discouraged, and hopeless that we wouldn't have enough energy to eat an apple. Gloriousness and wretchedness need each other. One inspires us, the other softens us. They go together.” ― Pema Chödrön #winter #yycsunset #calgarysunset #calgaryalberta #calgary #beautifulsky #calgaryliving #calgarylife #explorecalgary #calgaryparks #yycparks #dailyhiveyyc #prairiesky #calgaryphotographer #calgaryphotographer #calgaryviews #weekendvibes #weekend (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWiu-xCLTaS/?utm_medium=tumblr

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🌫️ #shareyourweather #hellowinter #capturecalgary A foggy day ... winter arrives. ________ "We are all a sun-lit moment come from a long darkness, what moves us always comes from what is hidden, what seems to be said so suddenly has lived in the body for a long, long time. Our life like a breath, then, a give and a take, a bridge, a central movement, between singing a separate self and learning to be selfless." — David Whyte #calgary #fog #foggyday #explorecalgary #calgaryparks #parkbench #yycparks #winter #calgaryliving #yyclife #outwalking #comewalkwithme #treephotography #calgaryalberta #calgaryweather #calgaryviews #explorecalgaryparks #winterishere (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWYbvupJN_4/?utm_medium=tumblr