The Crow Dance

It was a cloudy, chilly fall day, one perfect for a drive through the fall colored mountain forest in the area. Being in a melancholy, well, a downright depressed and weepy mood, a drive to see the wonderful trees as they prepared for their wintering seemed like a good idea, except for something nagging at my heart. Being so downhearted, I ignored this gloominess, or tried to anyway, thinking it must be from the deep sadness in me. My husband was busy working to clear the garden for a coming killing frost before we would go for the ride while the dog and I worked on the porch overlooking the mountain. Of course, the dog listened to my sniffling back tears in silence as we worked. She was a wise dog and very sympathetic.

After the garden was as ready as possible for the frost, my husband went inside to shower before the ride. The dog and I continued to work when I began to notice a crow, a forest friend of mine who often came right up to me demanding his share of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, acting a bit peculiar. I watched him as he seemed to be trying to talk to me through some crow version of the Vulcan mind meld. He made me smile. But somehow this time he also alarmed my heart. I had no idea why because everything seemed as it always had been, and my crow friend seemed very healthy.

Then he let out an eery but loud "caw!"

Hundreds of crows began cawing and swooping down onto the field beside the house and just above the garden. Hundreds. Never had I seen so many crow in one place before. Never thought there could be that many in our part of the forest either. But there they were. Cawing. Laughing in a crow way. But it was a serious kind of laughter it seemed. Very orderly too. What was going on?

Then the crow began what I can only describe as some kind of circle dance or maybe a stomp. All those crows dancing and cawing fairly quietly and in order could not be real, could it? It must be some dream time something or other. And as I watched, my crow friend came back to the porch banister beside me. The dog, the crow, and this woman just watched. And, tears began to flow down my cheeks. I felt as if my heart would break asunder forever. And, we three watched.

Then it was over. The many crows began a shuffling hop and jump then flying off in all directions, and it was again just the three of us - crow, dog, and woman. My crow friend watched me intently for many minutes in silence. Then he flew away too.

I gathered up what I had been working on and returned inside the house, washed up, and went to bed. My husband came to find me a few hours later to tell me I had a phone call.

What I heard was a woman that I had befriended when I first came to the area and who worked at my son's school had been killed in a car accident at the time and place we would have been also had we taken that ride instead of my watching the crows dance. My skin felt like goose flesh. I knew deep inside that the crows had somehow saved my life.

I wondered for years if that woman had died in my place. I would cry over this thought off and on until another friend years later suggested that it was not so much that the woman had died instead of me but that she had died instead of us both meeting our deaths at that time. With that, my heart finally was peaceful. This I now felt was the truth, if truth in such things can be had.

The crows still watch and guard our mountain. The dog member of our family has since passed away. And, my hair is a lot whiter and my heart more grateful and tender.

© 2012, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw. All rights reserved.

Tree?

Tree, do you ever wonder things like why continuing living since you must live only here for 100s of years despite all done to you or around you? What have you seen, heard, thought in your tree life here? Can you teach me please, Tree? I need your wisdom. Tree? Thank you for continuing to live here & letting me live near you. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Burning, I dance by Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

"I died, but somehow this shell of me trudged on for years, decades. Something fiercely defied my death, would burn my inward parts, never resting, singing sometimes raucously as I, shattering, was trampled, tamped down. Taunting me to dance ever more on puppet strings, the eyes, the mocking mirth of minions of my demise, defying them all. I did dance, a macabre dance of joy, of love, of kindness, of hope in darkest dark of no light but the longing knowing of the fierceness of my heart. My dance. My way. Even climbing the puppet strings to braid them to me. I dance. I dance. Burning, I dance."
~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

Thirsting to Fly

Jeanette Winter's observation of lovers as quoted from her work The Passion is a sensual display of observation by a third party who happens to be a poetic prose type writer-thinker. She paints a vivid word picture of the nervous stage fright of a type of new lovers just meeting passion/lust. She does accurately report how many express the delighted terror of the new encounter with sexual opportunity just met - the "3 F phenomenon" of fight, flight or f*ck. Alas, too many never advance from this stage into an ever growing mature love & passion but rather become addicted or stuck in believing that this is all there is. Then when this fleeting, untamed, somewhat unpredictable spark is over, they go on to look for the next spark without even trying to build a long-lasting bonfire.

For me, the initial meeting with someone expressing sexual interest in me has felt like an attack. The delighted terror has had heavy emphasis on the terror part and little of the delight. I had been terrorized daily from the beginning of my life well into adulthood while also being "taught" to be a "good girl" at all costs or meet my destruction... as if I was not facing my destruction daily...  and so I married, have a son, faithfully dead ever since... except the inner me kept growing....

Something untamed, wild, almost fae within me thirsted to fly, knew there was more & that I was more than all I was going through. My search for my own wholeness, my own wisdom, my own "me" has been a costly way with a long way still to go. But, fly I most certainly do. Imagination is a powerful path. Dreams can be made realer flitter by impish flitter, hard work by hard work, one step at a time. Unimaginable pain can be endured if the inward vision sees the dream possible. Impossible things happen every day. Fly with me please.

“Lovers are not at their best when it matters. Mouths dry up, palms sweat, conversation flags and all the time the heart is threatening to fly from the body once and for all. Lovers have been known to have heart attacks. Lovers drink too much from nervousness and cannot perform. They eat too little and faint during their fervently wished consummation. They do not stroke the favoured cat and their face-paint comes loose. This is not all. Whatever you have set store by, your dress, your dinner, your poetry, will go wrong.

How is it that one day life is orderly and you are content, a little cynical perhaps, but on the whole just so, and then without warning you find the solid floor is a trapdoor and you are now in another place whose geography is uncertain and whose customs are strange?

Travellers at least have a choice. Those who set sail know that things will not be the same as at home. Explorers are prepared. But for us, who travel along the blood vessels, who come to the cities of the interior by chance, there is no preparation. We who were fluent find life is a foreign language. Somewhere between the swamp and the mountains. Somewhere between fear and sex. Somewhere between God and the Devil passion is and the way there is sudden and the way back is worse.”
― Jeanette Winterson, The Passion

Fat Sex: The Naked Truth by Rebecca Jane Weinstein

Fat Sex: The Naked Truth by Rebecca Jane Weinstein with forward by Margaret Cho

This book is written in a style reminiscent of the serious but casual discussions around the fire in the student center. It also reminds me of serious informative discussions with many a wiser person. However, this topic and the related issues surrounding being a fat person, especially a fat woman, and the facts of life about love and/or sexual relationships were never discussed in a helpful, encouraging, factual, or healthy way. This book shows by example as well as with an interweaving of a variety facts that all of what I (and we in this world) have been told and believe to be true about fat people and love relationships has not been the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The love life of fat people can be quite wonderful in fact.

I would most definitely recommend this book. I wish I had had it when I was about age 9 onwards to help me understand more and get hurt less in a world determined to crush me.

26 July 2012
Update from the author:

Rebecca Jane Weinstein:

Hello friends involved with body acceptance issue! Please share this with anyone and everyone. Although the book is getting a lot a press, don't be mislead, it is a hard sell! People see it as radical, even though it is just an honest portrayal for countless people. There may be some fear in taking the leap to buy and read. Support the goals of spreading the honest struggles and triumphs of pervasive body issues. Thanks!
http://www.FatSexTheNakedTruth.com/

Synesthete? That's Merely the Beginning of the Full Spectrum of Me

We eat light, drink it in through our skins. With a little more exposure to light, you feel part of things physically. I like feeling the power of light and space physically because then you can order it materially. Seeing is a very sensuous act--there's a sweet deliciousness to feeling yourself see something. ~ James Turrell

*I'm A Synesthete

This has nothing to do with synthesizers or athleticism.

Somer Sherwood Jul 3, 2012 at 9:00am
http://www.xojane.com/healthy/im-synesthete
*
There are many differences in my neurological make-up than the vast majority of the human population, and I am only really just beginning to understand the smallest bits now... at age 53 and ticking. It's better late than never on the understanding part? I just am who I am. I never could be someone else & never saw the point in trying. So, I am weird... eccentric if you prefer, but definitely someone different in the wiring department than most. It makes life both fuller and also more challenging... and very sensual in every sense of the word.Psychology Today has a sensuality test:
*Sensuality Test 
The lead paragraph states: "Sensuality is, in essence, how in tune you are with your senses. Do you notice smells, textures, sounds? How sensual you are plays a key role not only in your sex life but in your overall ability to derive pleasure from life as a whole."
*
Out of 100 possible score, mine is 92: "According to your score, you have a strong passion and attraction to the aesthetic qualities of life; you greatly appreciate the beauty around you, whether in the form of nature's masterpieces or man-made designs. We often forget that beauty can be found beyond what we see on the runway at a fashion show or on TV. By taking the time to explore the beauty in the world around you, you will develop a greater appreciation for the simple splendors in nature or the different facets of human creativity that we often take for granted!"

Absolutely no surprise to me. lol

*More than 5 Senses in Humans
*

Depending on which definitions of senses are used, we humans have more than 5 senses, maybe 20 or more potentially. Aristotle gets credited with the limiting us to just 5 as far as schoolwork goes - sight, smell, touch, hearing, & taste. I have always known there was more to this tale even if I did not always have words to explain it. Some of these include time, pain perception, temperature perception, spatial perception, & bodily function/position perception. Then there are the more intuitive perceptions as well. All are needed to live fully, safely, healthily, & happily. The absence of a sense is a diseased or dysfunction state and dangerous to the living being him/herself and also to those sharing the living space. The absence of pain perception, for example, often leads to loss of body parts.

Also -

Aesthetic and moral education are also closely connected with the training of the senses. By multiplying sense experiences and developing the ability to evaluate the smallest differences in various stimuli, ones sensibilities are refined and ones pleasures increased. Beauty is found in harmony, not in discord; and harmony implies affinities, but these require a refinement of the sense if they are to be perceived. The beautiful harmonies of nature and of art escape those whose senses are dull.~ Maria Montessori, Discovery of the Child

Summer Solstice Blessings

Summer Solstice Blessings

The rays of sun, the light of power,
Nature’s fecund and fruitful hour,
Longest day, shortest night…
Come, let’s celebrate the light.

Expectant harvests yet to come,
Let us taste the fruits of some
Of earth’s bountiful and lustful play
Of planted seeds come to stay…

At the summit of sun’s strength
Begins the lessening of sun’s length…
As days grow shorter, nights grow long;
Together we sing the solstice song…

Shine on, our sun, shine strong and true,
Let us totally delight in you,
And let us humbly accept your beams
As now you turn to darker dreams.

Let love and life, day and night,
Find the joyous union right
As the balanced circle turns…
And as our star, our sun still burns.
(C) Copyright, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw, 21 June 1999. All rights reserved.

Sometimes Standing Up for Oneself Therapy Talk Is Not Healing Talk

Sometimes Standing Up for Oneself Therapy Talk Is Not Healing Talk

I woke this morning with a duh revelation. I finally could put into words something that had deeply offended, bothered, etc. me in therapy & therapy talk. It is the idea that standing up for ourselves is good even when it takes a sledge hammer to the other person because we think the other person is a boundary violator, bully, abuser or ____ (fill in the blank.) It is so hard for abuse victims to see the abusive behavior & to recognize the one doing it, that drastic measures are said to be called for to bring awareness. Maybe. But, because our culture is not trained to care about anyone or anything but instead  promotes hyper-selfishness, even healing modes are still steeped in selfishness. I never heard it said in therapy talk to stand up for oneself but have compassion for the person in front of you as you would like them to have or have had for you.  To say we have some things we want to say to the other person usually means we are about to sledge hammer that person in the name of standing up for ourselves. This is therapy talk keeping the system the same or making it worse. It is not really ultimately healing.
~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw, 19 April 2012

My Late November Wind

My Late November Wind

I heard you rushing through the dried leaves on the tallest trees on the ridge

Long before I felt you caress my face and run your icy tapered fingers through my hair.

Then away you went to rattle the limbs on the maple

And the gutters on the house

Before you continued your prancing through the woods.

Your song is of irregular beat and volume

   As you dance into the night,

Painting a picture of frost and chills,

   Of darkening days and snow-filled nights.

Of a time when life stands still.

You tell of cozy fires and

   Of stories shared by loved ones,

Drawing us near for warmth.

But your breath tingles my skin and excites my blood.

I want to waltz with you through the swaying trees on the ridge,

To frolic and romp,

To paint everything lacy white,

To smile with delight at you,

My late November wind.

ã22 November 1993,  Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw. All rights reserved.

Pancho Gordo and The Snoring Desert

Pancho Gordo and The Snoring Desert

Once upon a time in the Snoring Desert wandered Pancho Gordo, his lovely wife Doña Juana Choka, and their daughter Maria Juana Choka. They were on a misadventure in search of the city of the Golden Cure in the land of Azmatica. Their adventures are the stuff of fevered brains.

Well, Pancho Gordo was no ordinary misadventurer. No. He had a broken burro named La Mitad de Dulce and a careless servant named Rancho (de la pequeña).. or just Rancho for short. How they began their adventures is unknown, but they were first heard of in the Canyon de Chile somewhere in the vast barrenness of sandstones once home of the Azmasuki peoples but now mostly inhabited by Dinner Indians and strange alien peoples collectively known as Tourists. No one is quite sure where Tourists originally came from, but they all seemed to have strange magical devices they called mobility scooters and camera phones. Rancho once commented to one of the strangest of the Tourists (who called himself Reporter) that he thought there had been a magical cave called Vortex opened by the ancient Amasuki medicine people in Sadonut on the far side of the vast barrenness that caused a lot of grief to the natives.

Anyway, Pancho Gordo and his small band wandered the Snoring Desert far and wide, having many adventures. But, their first adventure was in the Canyon de Chile, specifically in a gorge affectionately known to the locals as Cañón de la Muerte Negro. There was a legend that an unpredictable spirit known as La Mujer Araña lived on the ridge of the canyon. No one knew for certain what the legends meant except there were a lot of sticky netting and dried bones in strange places. Not many who went to investigate ever returned, and few wanted to further investigate. After all, investigations could always be done mañana. All Pancho Gordo would say when his small band was found at the entrance to the canyon was "los huesos, los huesos ellos, los huesos secos," which roughly translated to "them bones, them bones, them dry bones."

And so Pancho Gordo and his small family group continued on many adventures, which will fill many a winter night. Until next episode, we'll leave you with the wise proverb handed down from Doña Juana Choka: no entrar en ese cañón.

© Copyright 2011, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw. All rights reserved.

Notes to help understand:

This silly story and others in this series were first told by me to some friends when I was very ill with fever and a severe asthma attack. What can I say except I do have a wacky sense of humor that never ceases to find amusement.

Pancho Gordo: means Fat Pancho and is the name of the hero of the story, a spoof of sorts on Pancho Villa

Snoring Desert: wordplay on Sonoran Desert

La Mitad de Dulce: Half-Sweet, a play on/ reference - Don Quixote de la Mancha

Rancho (de la pequeña): Ranch, small

Canyon de Chile: play on Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Azmasuki: play on Anasazi people, ancient people, Dineh (Navajo) for “enemy people”

Dinner Indians: play on Dineh (Navajo)

Sadonut: play on Sedona, Arizona

Cañón de la Muerte Negro: means Black Canyon of the Dead, also a spoof on Spiders Rocks which according to legend, the Spider Woman lives on top and keeps the bones of her victims there

La Mujer Araña: Spider Woman

Mañana: tomorrow

No entrar en ese cañón: Do not enter this canyon.

The Crusades Cycle

The Crusades Cycle

Incendiary planes captive missiles
Revengeful hate's bloody epistles,
Received betrayals, exploitative lies,
Perceived redemption in bitter guise...

The innocent get to pay;
The innocent get to cry;
The innocent, who had no say,
Are the first to get to die.

Holy lands, holy wars,
Fundamentalist ignores
All is sacred--all not part,
A living being--each beating heart.

The innocent get to pay;
The innocent get to cry;
The innocent, who had no say,
Are the first to get to die.

How many Crusades to get on top?
The murderer's game will not stop
Until the world is fully dead--
Then the silence rules instead...

The innocent get to pay;
The innocent get to cry;
The innocent, who had no say,
Are the first to get to die.

The blood cries out
From the grounds where spent...
Now silent shout
To loved ones sent....

The innocent made to pay;
The innocent made to cry;
The innocent, who had no say,
Were the first who got to die.

Copyright 2001, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw. All rights reserved.

My Playful, Impish Quotes

My Playful  Impish Quotes

01/10/10
Warning: you have all been officially taken as prisoners in my heart, and I threw away the keys. So, there will be no escape or jailbreaks! lol *hug* ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

12/09/10

When the imp was asked if there was anything she really like to have, she replied, "Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight..." Ah, that imp! hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

10/10/10
The imp has decided not to remove any more house spiders but rather to give them all full-time jobs to make the house ready for Halloween. She also likes the Lily Munster look. Of course, the imp should be fired as a housekeeper. hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

11/10/10
The imp says the chemical formula for holy water is H2OMG ... and is "improved" with good cognac (or raki if Turkish, beer if German, saki if Japanese, ...) by certain "holy" types. hehehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

12/10/10
The imp has a new favorite word in this world & declares this month to celebrate it-- Uuuuuffffff! Month is now in progress. hehehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

30/11/10
While playing Wordscraper with some friends, the one who wins the previous game starts the new one. The winner is Finnish, so one of our mates said let's speak dirty in Finnish to encourage the winner. I wrote "likainen" (dirty). I like to be compliant where I can be, you see. hehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

13/12/10
I don't mind visions of sugar plums dancing in my head as long as the Sugar Plum Fairy also brings baklava with her when she visits. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

14/12/10
When asked by a friend who would I like my celebrity lover for the day to be, I asked why a celebrity & does this person have to be currently living? I guess that was a wrong answer. So, I boldly continued to say, well, for today I think I would choose Enoch because he lasted longest & really knew how to take off into the heavens. I somehow think this was also not the right answer. LOL ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

08/01/11
I could not stop for death & still won't! The imp wants mischief, the dragon feeding, the nymph a laurel tree to tend, a broom needing off the pink potion, a magic carpet to clean, breathing still to do, friends to love, & a beloved to thrill well past ecstasy. Schedules! Mustn't interfere with mine! lol ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

19/01/11This is a test of the Emergency Imp System. The imp in voluntary cooperation with other fun lovers has developed this system to keep you informed in the event of a lack of impishness. If this had been an actual emergency, you would have been instructed to apply immediate fun & chocolate. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

27/01/11
Reminding you all that you have been taken prisoner in my heart & that I threw away the key. So, there will be no escaping or jailbreaks. Nope. You'll just have to get used to being loved by me forever. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

27/01/11
Imp's chain status naughtiness: I might not be your 51st, 72nd, or even 103rd choice, but I am here & still breathing. I don't pretend to be an angel, because I am great at being an imp. I might do somethings mischievously, but, I am an imp. So, what did you expect? nenner nenner :P ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

03/02/11
The imp's silly advice for the day: Don't count your cows until the eggs come home because you can't make them drink water. hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

04/02/11
I was asked how many languages do I speak or at least read well. Hmm. I know I speak fluent female. Does that count? hehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

13/02/11
Do I like Valentine's Day? Sure. Any day that reminds me of chocolate can't be all bad, right? LOL ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

13/02/11

Valentine's Eve is not too early to begin celebrating chocolate! I think we need the spirit of chocolate in our hearts all year round! For we need a little chocolate right this very minute; chocolate in the hallways, chocolate on the stairways. We need a little chocolate now. hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

22/02/11
While having a discussion on modesty, ladylike behavior, & the art of being a good woman, I was exactly how old I was. I was then told I should have been born a few centuries ago. *sighs* Well... All I can say is ... I look VERY good for a several 100s year old woman! ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

01/03/11
I'm your friend, so I want to learn the song in your heart & sing it back to you when you forget the words. I'll just sing "la la la" on those parts. You don't mind I sing a bit off key, maybe a bit flat, even maybe in a minor key sometimes, perhaps syncopate the beat, or jazz it up a bit? Just trying to be helpful, you see. ~ The Imp a.k.a. Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

08/03/11
If I put purple, green, & golden yellow feathers in my hair, draped myself in tons of beads, painted a Cajun queen mask over my eyes, & danced to soca, calypso, samba, etc., would you notice that my shoes did not match? ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

09/03/11
Since many of you have expressed interest in knowing more about me and since I tend to think I talk too much already, here is your chance to "friend interview" me. Ask me what you will... even very silly questions. I will see how or if I can answer. No one can be too sure what an imp will say or do... or not say or do, of course. Shall we have some fun then? Ask away. LOL ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

07/03/11
Spam Re-post: *ALERT TO ALL FRIENDS* check your profile wall for a video of 2 naked guys. hackers have hacked into friends account's & are posting it on everyone's profile wall of all their friends: check your profile wall for hacker's post & remove them and report as spam-- I am protesting because I am being discriminated against-- no naked guys yet on my wall, & I have been watching for them, too. :P ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

06/03/11
My beautiful NameTwin Daphne Silvermyst Wilson says "Uh oh... the little devil from my left shoulder & the little angel on my right shoulder are arguing again...this can't be good ...um... fight! fight! fight!" I say "whichever one offers the most fun should win! fight fight fight!!" lol ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

12/03/11
The last time I was in intensive care, I pretended to pole dance with the IV pole & other impiness. All, even the doctors despite themselves, just kept bursting out laughing at my antics. One kept saying he would never believe I was the most dangerously ill patient on the floor if he did not see my charts with his own eyes because I was just too lively & naughty. Hey, it works so far. hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

16/03/11
A friend just reminded me that I'd better wear green tomorrow or I'll be pinched instead of poked. (Barbara Farmer Dickson) Hmm. I do need a good poking. Not as much as I need that pot of gold & the leprechaun... hmm. Green, eh? lol ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

22/03/11
We all need silliness in big daily doses just to stay healthy & sane. So, I say dance in the rain. Jump in those mud puddles. Swim in the creek, naked if you prefer. Chase the rainbow. Let the wonders of life & our world fill up your senses. Have fun. Laugh loudly. Smile often. Enjoy life. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

26/03/11
If you could ask me to write on a specific topic for a blog post, what would you ask? If you could ask me any question, what would you ask? The imp is entertaining questions now. Watch out. I sense mischief afoot. hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

26/03/11
If it is true that well-behaved women rarely make history, I am wondering what more I have to do to have a shot at making history. Hmm hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

26/03/11
I have found that the key to having a long relationship is never ever under any circumstance kill the other person. The relationship seems to work better and last longer when the other person is still breathing. Trust me on this. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

26/03/11
For those who understand this (for those who don't - hint: YouTube) -- I am thinking that showing off my map of Tasmania (if only I could find it) might be an interesting exercise ... just sayin' hehehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

29/03/11
The Glitch Gremlins are out in full force right now, so I will go find work and amusement elsewhere. Your walls are now safe from the imp for an unspecified time. lol ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

31/03/11
Wow. Someone asked me if I am always this naughty? I said no... tonight is a very slow night. Well? I was just trying to be helpful. ;) ~ the imp a.k.a. Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

03/04/11
My poor adik, Johana Johari is suffering from conjunctivitis, & I was wondering if that made her a sight for sore eyes. Sorry about that. I'm just a pupil here, but iris wondering if vitreous humor shows a lack of vision or if I just lack focus? Go on, tell me the truth. Socket to me. ~ the imp a.k.a. Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

22/04/11
My SIL Gypsy Bradshaw told me that good girls are made of sugar & spice & everything nice & that bad girls are made of Jack Daniels & coke & pieces of ice. I think imps are made of twigs & weeds & myriad seeds... plus a wee bit of playfulness, mischief, & laughter. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

01/05/11
Do you know what I love so much about mud? It's real. It squishes. It makes a wonderful mess. It can be shaped. It moves. It is fertile. It smells. It feels so good in your hands and between your toes. AND, because mothers everywhere do not like naughty children playing in it & getting filthy. I say, let's get filthy together, ok? hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

09/05/11
Mae West said for us women to cultivate our curves even though they might be dangerous, they won't be avoided. We don't want them avoided, do we, ladies? We want them cultivated! That's why most of us keep looking for a good plow, right? ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

11/05/11
When asked if I am as sexy & exciting as I appear to be, I said sure! I am alive, breathing, & female. What more could anyone ask for? I somehow think this was not the answer that was expected. hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

11/05/11
Once in high school when asked to go on a date to the worst bar in town, I asked the guy if there were enough lights for us to read & do homework by there. Uhm, he disappeared, & I never was asked again. Wonder why? hehehe ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

13/05/11
Lee Staley asked, "how many FB friends believe in the Friday the 13th superstition??" I said, "Oh absolutely! I avoid all men wearing hockey masks carrying bloody chainsaws or bloody axes... or bloody anything, for that matter... all day long. Yep yep yep. Never can be too safe on such a day, you know. ;) " ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

15/05/11
Since the 60s, I wanted to dress in a "Daphne version" of Janis Joplin & Jimi Hendrix. It took me a few decades to do it... a tamer version, alas. Maybe one day I'll do the fuller version. After all when I am old I shall wear purple... why not my hippie-"gypsy" look? lol We'll see. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

15/05/11
Another fashion fantasy dress type of mine, also since the 60s, is to wear various Asian & central Asian/eastern European styles... again, my version. This one I was able to do more of in the 80s, but I want to do so again. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

24/05/11
I was told, "You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster." All I can say is-- I want that rocking chair! Man! ~ the imp a.k.a. Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

09/06/11
Epicurious once told me that the problem with quotes on the internet is you can never tell if they're real. ~ Abraham Lincoln quoting from a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

© 2010, 2011, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.

Kindness Quotes

Kindness Quotes

28/09/10
Be gentle with another's heart. It is a fragile and valuable treasure. A beating heart is precious no matter who owns it, no matter what type of character of the owner, no matter if human or non-human... all have feelings. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

12/09/10
You never know who is watching or listening. Sometimes, it is said, we entertain angels unaware. So, in as far as I am able, I want to be as kind & gentle as I can be... not because I am a weak doormat but because I care deeply & want to show a small measure of the grace I have received in life. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

09/09/10
No matter how you say it, shalom, salaam, barış, paix, pax, paz, peace... we ALL need real peace now. We are all human & on this beautiful planet we call home together. Let us please learn to respect, accept, & even maybe build bridges of love & peace heart to heart, hand in hand... La Shana Tova. Eid Mubarak. Blessings & love... goodwill to all of goodwill. Real peace now. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

06/09/10
Let's not return to some olden time that is more myth than reality. Let's move forward to a time of respect & acceptance of ALL as worthy of dignity & right treatment. An equality of worth, value, & appreciation, not dependent on outward visible signs of color, size, age, gender, etc. but on inner things like heart, mind, soul, spirit. I am a dreamer. Dream with me please. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

15/10/10
Anger flares hot, something's not right, but your love means more to me, so I keep that in sight lest I burn you and me and brings us to naught. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

22/10/10
You really are worth loving... just as you are, where you are, the way you are, the shape you're in ... worth every bit of love possible. Why? No why. Just because. You are loved. Period. No reasons. Just because. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

27/10/10
If you want to learn a culture, a language, a people, or anything for that matter, the best way is as a lover, in my humble opinion. Love what or whom you are exploring-- treasure, cherish, accept, & have fun. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

08/11/10
Love & Life are both magical. It takes a lot of practice, diligent effort, a sense of timing & wonder, an artistic touch, & as much imagination as possible. Having you in my life to love makes it worth it. With you I know my heart can fly. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

12/11/10
Hearts are so impractical. They feel whatever they want to, when they want to. They pay no heed to convenience or propriety. And, they are prone to breaking repeatedly. That's what makes them so glorious. They are real and never boring. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

13/11/10
If you ever try to burn the bridge between us, you should know I have both a good fire squad and also an excellent bridge re-building skill sets. lol ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

18/11/10

May I always see you with the eyes of love so that I see the best of you because love is patient, kind, generous, forgiving, grateful, rejoicing, fun, healing, enduring, and believing always in the best. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

18/11/10
A real test of your strength & character is the amount of control you have when you are angry or afraid. Can you refrain from lashing out, panicking, or saying/doing things you will regret? Can you still be patient & kind at that time? I don't know about you, but I am still working on this one. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

26/11/10
May love, life, joy, kindness, & peace be my jewelry and my beauty routine because nothing is more beautiful in my eyes than Life glowing from within. May I help you shine too, my beautiful, beloved friends & family. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

09/12/10
If we teach our young that it is horrible to be ___ (fill in the blank-- girl, woman, any part of the female body, any pejorative term for sex, gay, etc.,) what are we teaching ourselves?! This is hatred and the basis for violence. Wise up. Learn kindness. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

13/12/10
May I always have the courage to choose love & kindness when faced with a choice between following the rules and being kind/loving. May I have the courage to choose & to accept the consequences of that choice with graciousness. And, where I lack wisdom or knowledge, may I seek those but still choose love/kindness. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

19/12/10
Sometimes it seems there is as much sorrow as joy during this time of year. There are loved ones gone until that forever reunion later. So many tears. Some even from remembered joys of long ago. Let's comfort in the joys, the pleasantness, the hopes, the dreams... lest we drown in the tears, esp. those tears that never quite make it to our faces. Please know you are loved. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

21/12/10
A full moon shining then eclipsed while meteor showers & snow fall, a blood moon to light the beginning of winter while silence fills the mountain in a hush of awe makes my heart rejoice as I think of loved ones near, far, still here, long gone - all deeply loved, all being sent as much love as I can possibly send with words of peace, love, goodwill, & blessings forever. Come, glad winter. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

24/12/10
Beautiful music to celebrate a beautiful season is for all of us to enjoy. For those who celebrate, may you & yours have a safe, warm, joyous, loving, & peaceful time together. For those who do not celebrate this particular feast, join in with those who do if you can. Regardless, please enjoy the love you have all around you. Enjoy the music & the love. I bid you peace & goodwill. ♥ ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

24/01/11
Whisper my name, reach out with your heart, know I will answer you & come flying to you on the wind with the wings of my heart. You mean that much to me. That is what love is. That is what friends are. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

25/01/11
Moment by moment I am training myself to respect all of me as a whole & worthwhile person. I am learning to turn scared into sacred. I am learning that I really am who I am, & who I am is exactly who I was meant to be. I am learning this is the same for all my relations in creation. AND, it is a joy. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

26/01/11
I hated my body until I realized it was how I heard, saw, tasted, felt, smelt, & experienced life. Without my humble body functioning despite all it goes thru, I would not be here. I could not love, laugh, think, or enjoy all I have so far. So, I am learning to love & bless my body. It's about time. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

03/02/11
Showing love, compassion, kindness, peace, tolerance for differences, goodness, cheerfulness, etc. all are peace work. Sharing joy is too. Listening, really listening with heart & soul begins the journey. Dancing to Life & singing to Love. Please join in. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

15/02/11
One of the highest honors I have ever received is to hear "you are one of us." I have been incredibly blessed to find loving friendship, acceptance, & belonging in many, many hearts. I treasure each and every one. Thank you. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

03/04/11
To Life! To Love! The greatest gift of all!! Thank you-- each & every one of you who read this-- for being alive AND for being a part of my heart now. Bless you & yours with Life & Love always. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

12/04/11
Empathy & imagination are powerfully revolutionary, of course. Change comes from hearts & minds won by hearing then feeling the stories of others. So, I want to tell stories in every way available to me. Stories to stir spirits. Stories to bring laughter, tears, & that silent witness of knowing that here is another, not an other. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

24/05/11
Magic carpets, daring adventures, grand sights, thrilling people of all types, new experiences... but none compare to knowing & loving you. Life & love, breath & friendship, soul satisfaction deep within, spread to all... embraced within my heart. ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

24/05/11
To get to know someone takes a lot of time, observation, & deep listening to all the communications - verbal, nonverbal, silences, presences, absences, more. Even then no one ever can be truly, fully known by another human. We barely know ourselves. But what richness & treasures the journey of knowing! ~ Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw

© 2010, 2011, Daphne Yvonne Bradshaw.