About

Welcome!

I’ve started this blog to access my creativity and put my thoughts, via words and images, out into the world. The whole process of blogging is a little intimidating for me, but I see it as a journey, and I love to travel! I don’t get to do it very often, but when I do, I am supremely happy. Even though it’s sometimes unnerving being in a different culture or an unfamiliar place, it’s a chance to grow and explore. A chance to see new sights, meet people, and  experience other lifestyles. I find joy in both the differences and similarities between us all; in our diversity and our common humanity.

I also find joy in taking photographs! I may not be the most skilled photographer with the most advanced camera, but I love discovering a shot, framing it, and editing it just a bit with the free open source software, GIMP.  Photography is a way for me to process my environment and express my personal view, to frame it from my perspective.

My shadow
My shadow reflecting me in Portugal.

My creativity leaks out through other outlets besides photography. I am hopelessly creatively compelled and inclined, sometimes making  jewelry, or intricately folding origami. I love pieces and parts and bits of things, arranging them into visually pleasing arrays; stones balanced one on top of the other on top of another and so on, pebbles arranged into a sunburst or spiral…, yarn crocheted into a patterned blanket, pine cones in the winter and leaves in the fall, candles dotting the mantle, a collection of blue glass displayed and glinting on the windowsill… I haven’t worked with clay in a while, but I hear it calling me. Soon…

collecting pebbles
My husband took this photo. He caught me collecting pebbles which I love to do. Sun, sand, sea, and surf! Awesome day!

I’m a little offbeat, 🙂 and although I can sometimes be very chatty, I am an introverted thinker and observer at heart. I need quiet time, maybe more than most, to go within and get grounded to recharge my batteries. Lots of socializing, while fun, is, for me, draining. Which brings me to yoga…

I discovered yoga around the year 2000 at about the age of 40. I was a late yoga-bloomer!  Being a person who can be fairly stressed  juggling too many balls, feeling obligated to too many people, and becoming spread too thin, I found doing yoga to be like an idyllic vacation in a secluded paradise. Once I began attending yoga classes regularly, being on my mat became an effective trigger for relaxation. The practice of yoga encourages me to turn my focus inward and be the witness rather than the reactionary. This is the perfect way for me as an introvert to get grounded and recharge my batteries.

I loved yoga almost immediately, and by the end of 2004 I was enrolled to begin a yoga teacher training program. Due to an accident and other life and health issues, it was not until 2012 that I received my 200 hour Hatha Yoga teaching certification. I am very grateful to all of my teachers throughout the years, and to my wonderful students who enable me to share this gift of yoga a few times a week.

I am also a natural/alternative health enthusiast. I have somewhat worn out the ears of my husband and grown-up kids with this topic, so I’m sure it will somehow find its way here along with a few healthful recipes.

This blog will be fairly broad, a way for me to exercise my voice, communicate thoughts and ideas, via my words and photos. It is an experiment and an exploration. A way to not only create, but more importantly, to express and perhaps connect with others who have put themselves out into the blogosphere..

Please feel free to offer comments or feedback!

Blessings,
Terry

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99 thoughts on “About”

  1. Hello Terry, I really like your about page. You touch so many topics that interest me, too, and I am also an introvert who looks at this whole blogging and telling things to the world thing with a doubtful eye. Thanks for visiting my blog and following me, which brought me to discover your blod, which I’ll be following now, too.

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        1. Oh! Thank you, I would be honored to “grab it” and pass it on! I just got online to work on my late posting of the Be Inspired by the Community assignment and noticed your comment 🙂 Expect a pingback when I’ve finished the assignment. You and tantoverde were my inspiration with your posts about fall.

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          1. Terry, that’s what I understood, but we can’t look through all the posts and see if they did get the award. I just gave it to peope who follow me (didn’t want to impose on those who don’t) and whose content rings a bell with me.
            And yes, it took me a month until the time was just right.

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          2. Thanks for the advice. I’ll think about some selections after I catch up with the blogging101 assignments… I think I need to catch up on about 3! :-p

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    1. Oh, goodness, thank you! You are the second person to nominate me 🙂 I’ve been visiting one blog after another the past couple of days because I only had about 6 or 7 to recommend. Most of them have now already been nominated and the new ones I’ve found seem to frequently be nominated as well… yours being one of them! Now I have two people that I can thank right away, but may have to nominate my 15 blogs in a couple of installments. Unorthodox, but perhaps necessary… although I guess I could just go ahead and nominate who I want even if they have been nominated and accepted already… what to do, what to do… ? 🙂

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      1. Hey Terry – I am nominating your for the versatile blogger award (go here to get the badge) and there are different ways to participate, and the way i was told is that you can nominate 3 more bloggers (if they accept awards) over the next year. peace and have a nice day!

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        1. Thank you! There are a few awards bestowed upon my blog that I’ve yet to accept. It’s been surprising and a little overwhelming, this attention to and recognition of my little patch of cyberspace. The holidays and life slowed me down, but I will eventually get to accepting awards and would be honored to add yours to my list! You’ll get a pingback when I do get around to formally accepting! Thank you again!

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          1. well no ping back is necessary, and I do not pass on a lot of awards, but I know that sometimes new bloggers love them (I know I sure did) and so I was not sure if you had that one yet – and especially because you really have versatile work!! 🙂 peace

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  5. Thanks for stopping by and following my blog, and its funny I see that you are into yoga, I was just thinking i need to find a yoga dvd so that I can get back up and going after being down for over 3 months due to surgery. I like the look of your blog and your photos are stunning I will have to take more time to really look over everything but I like what I see so far.

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    1. You’re welcome! You’ll figure it all out as you go along 🙂

      … Re: Replys… Perhaps you need to adjust your discussion settings to allow the comment thread to be longer?

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  9. Pingback: A Lovely Blog Award | Yellow El Camino

    1. Thank you! Yes, we outgoing introverts could have some fun socializing and then recharge in our respective solitudes with no need to explain the absolute need for quiet contemplative time 🙂

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  11. Terry – I loved looking at your beautiful photographs … especially the balanced stones! Not only do I love the clarity of this photograph, but the stones themselves.
    Looking forward to reading more 🙂

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    1. Thank you, I do love rocks, LOL! 🙂 The sun was shining bright that day creating nice contrast within the texture of the stone. I hope to post some more balanced stone photos soon. I stacked a few more today when I should have been doing more outdoor fall chores!

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    1. Thank you! You are the second person to give me this award since mid November. As soon as I catch a breather with work and the holidays, I’ll put the time in to accept the award from both you and my other nominator. Once again, thank you very much! It’s kind of surprising to me to be nominated, but it’s an honor to be recognized 🙂

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        1. Merry Christmas to you, too! I’ll leave a comment on your Leibster Award post when I officially accept… Most likely in January, so perhaps I should wish you a happy New Year as well! Thank you again!

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    1. Oh, goodness, thank you so much! I’ll get to accepting when my life slows down a bit in January. I’ll let you know when I do. There are two Liebster’s waiting for me to accept as well! I still can’t quite believe that people are viewing and enjoying my blog! Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy the holidays 🙂

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    1. Thank you for the nomination! I am very honored! It might take me a little while to get around to formally accepting. The holidays and my son’s upcoming wedding have me kind of occupied!
      Happy new Year!

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  15. Sure! No hurries. This is my token of appreciation. You will have something to look forward in 2015 once you are back. 🙂 Till then enjoy your time with you family and Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

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    1. That’s for sure! I’m going to offer a chair yoga class this year in addition to my gentle Hatha classes to see if I can entice some more people who might never try yoga to give it a try!
      Happy New Year!

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  17. Hi Terry. I love your candid about page. While reading it I thought of how much your story resonates with my own. Instead of yoga, tai chi and chi kung are my practice. I think if we met in a caf we’d have lots of stories to share!

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  18. Terry, thanks for following my blog, especially since yours so well done. The photography speaks so well to your posts, especially Writing 201. I’m looking forward to your comments since I know they’ll be a great resource toward making my blog worthy of your support. The header picture reminds me of the beach at Hatteras.

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    1. You’re welcome, and thank you! I enjoyed reading your poetry and look forward to more! I’m participating in the Writing 201 workshop to improve my skills and to get more comfortable writing. It’s a big effort to write whereas the photos come naturally.
      I took the header photo in Nazare, Portugal last year when I had the good fortune to visit with a friend and her family.

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      1. Terry, thanks. The camera eludes me although two of my sons have that ability to compose and shoot the picture they want. Have not been to Portugal, my submarine years were in and out of the Holy Loch in Scotland. Judy, my wife, and I did get stationed in Greece for a couple of years though. Being in another country as something other than the usual tourist is a rare opportunity.

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    1. Since I was fantasizing about writing poetry to go along with my photos, I accept! I did however cheat already… I edited what I posted a couple of hours before I read your nomination to be day one since I had written a haiku to go along with my photo. The hard part is going to be passing this along. I already nominated a bunch of people for the Love in Ten challenge and don’t want to overdo the challenge thing. Most of the people that I follow who write and take photos are already participating, or they take photos and write very lengthy articles that get featured on freshly pressed, and then there are others who take photos and don’t write at all. Hmmm…
      My posts will probably be short since writing anything lengthly scares the daylights out of me and would be excessively laborious!
      Anyway, thank you for thinking of me! I’m in and I’ll do my best to pass it on 🙂
      Here’s my day one… https://throughthelensofmylife.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/winter-stream/

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      1. I don’t often play by the rules with these things, for many reasons. Believe me. I get why you’re reluctant to nominate people. Just have fun with it. Make up your own rules as you go. That’s what I do. It’s meant to be fun. 🙂

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        1. I tell people the same thing… “Have fun, don’t stress! Bend the rules!” and , like you, I also tell them that it’s totally OK to not participate!
          Well, we’ll see what I come up with for the next four posts!

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    1. Thank you so much! I feel honored and grateful to know people enjoy my blog! It might take me a little while, but I will get around to formally accepting and passing it on… There are a few awards in the que 🙂 For some reason, I find accepting them a little intimidating.
      Once again, many thanks!! 🙂

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    1. Thank you very much! I’m so happy you read my blog and enjoy it enough to pass on this award! I’m getting ready to accept and pass on a couple of awards that I’ve been given and will certainly include this one! Once again, thank you so much! 🙂

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  27. Pingback: Love In 10 Sentences | 876LoveR

  28. Thanks so much for following my blog. I just viewed the photos posted on the side of your main page, and they are all so clear, colorful, and excellent! I will definitely take time to look back in your archives and also look forward to future photos!

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    1. You’re welcome and thank you! Your comment has reminded me that I need to update those photos in my sidebar. Most of them were posted within the first few months of starting this blog in September of last year.
      I hope you return for a look and a read, and I hope you’ll find more to enjoy 🙂

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  29. Hi Terry! Lovely to see such a happy smiley face 🙂 Thank you very much for the follow. I haven’t followed you back, not because I’m not interested but purely on time constraints. I only occasionally make it to my Reader but I will always return a visit or comment.
    I use t’ai chi as my de-stress, being a bit on the hyper side myself. Hope to see you around, and very best wishes to you. 🙂

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