"Friendship isn't about whom you've known the longest, it's about who came and never left your side."
Okay I admit it, in a fit of weakness I've succumbed to something impossibly cute and put this together. Not something your typical guy would do maybe but hey...I'm not your typical guy. Or at least I don't think I am. I do have moments of crudeness and cockiness, and plan to have a night to forget at my brother's stag next Saturday, so all is not lost.
Anyway happy Sunday everyone. I've accomplished nothing around the house of much consequence so far on this rainy day, and I'm feeling really good about it. Hoping it'll continue.
Just a reminder, I'm taking submissions for random photo features on my blog. See here for more info. I hope you'll participate!
Today I'm featuring photos from two bloggers. Sophia from Blue Chair Diary has been an inspiration of strength for me over the past year, having overcome tremendous adversity in her life. She continues to fight with courage and a smile. Be sure to drop by and say hi, I know she'd love to hear from you. It was a pleasant surprise to find she shares my love of barns. In Sophia's words:
"I LOVE barns and always have since I was a little girl. I love the feeling of freedom that barns give me inside. These barns are particularly my favourite as they are a symbol of healing for me. I took these about a month or so after my major liver surgery. I survived! :) "
Thanks for your submissions Sophia! <3
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Next up is Dina from Dina's Days (Dina hails from Aqaba, Jordan). For those of you into fashion I recommend stopping by her blog, she's up to date on current trends and the photos are first-rate.
I love that my Middle East readers are able to contribute and show this part of the world to the rest of us. In her words...
"This photo was also taken in Jordan, but in Petra. Petra has been officially named one of the Wonders of the World. I met this young girl, who told me she was pulled out of the 1st grade by her father to sell rocks to the tourists in Petra. They live in tents, and make a living by selling anything they can to those who visit Petra including rocks and jewelry."
"Here's one of my favorite pictures from when I visited my hometown in Jordan. This was taken in Aqaba, Jordan which is the most southern part of the country. This city feels like 2 completely different worlds. One half is all tourists, lounging on a breathtaking beach. While on the other side, the locals struggle to make it by. Here, 2 locals sell vegetables out of their trucks on the side of the road. This photo and my trip will always be special to me!"
Hi everyone, TGIF! Welcome to the thirty-fifth installment of Secret Friday, a chance to share some secrets and/or fantasies you've been keeping to yourself. Some are uplifting, some are heartbreaking and some are just plain naughty.
All are valid.
Here's how this works:
1) This is open to anyone who wants to participate, from regular follower to casual visitor.
2) Post anonymously, no names please. It can be anything from mild to wild, anything goes. All I ask is that it's true. You can contribute as many as you're comfortable with.
3) I don't plan to censor content or language. However I do reserve the right to remove anything which appears to be posted with the sole intent of offending. I also reserve the right not to remove content that may be considered controversial. It's a fine line sometimes.
4) If you're someone who is easily offended by swearing or sexuality you may not want to read through the comments. I have no idea where this will go and won't be reviewing comments until after they are posted.
5) As always I'd like everyone to please refrain from commenting on what someone else has written; what may seem trivial to you can be very personal to someone else. Everyone has feelings and I want to see them respected, therefore inappropriate remarks will be removed. Fortunately this hasn't been an issue and I'd like to thank all of you for that.
6) If this is something you'd like to run on your blog please feel free. You may copy the rules if you wish.
A line in the chorus of this song really ties in with how I've been feeling lately. Blogging to me has always been so much more than talking about how my day's been. It's about connecting with people who, though they may be thousands of miles away, are every bit the friends that those around me are.
Lately I haven't had a lot of time to visit you guys. Most would say this is something we should do in our 'spare' time, something that shouldn't intrude too much in our 'real' lives. But when you make friends like this, to me the definition of 'real' becomes blurred. Why should an on-line friend be any less important in our lives than those tangibles we can see?
I know I'm off-track when some of my readers friends ask me if the reason I haven't visited them lately is because they've done something to upset me. It's become more frequent over the past week, and it bothers me that I've let it get to this. So for those of you who may be wondering I want to assure you that:
you haven't upset me
you haven't pissed me off
if you had, I'd man-up and write you so we could discuss it like adults
I haven't somehow grown tired of you
you're on my mind as much as you ever were
and most importantly,
I miss you. I do.
The line in this song that got me is, "If you're gonna be there, be there." It's so simple but to me very powerful. You don't make a friend and abandon them. You don't just walk into someone's life and walk out. You don't tell someone you'll be a shoulder then leave when things get too tough for them or you. I've had moments in my life that have been extremely hard to deal with, that I've wanted to walk away because it was too painful to stay. It's hard to see people go through certain things, sometimes they don't realize how it can affect you. But it's selfish to abandon that promise of love and support. Being a friend, a lover, a spouse is about giving of yourself regardless of how it affects you. If you're gonna be there, be there. It's a committment we make, spoken or not.
We all impact someone's life, some more than others. I know I don't connect with everyone, and that's okay because I don't expect to. But I've formed friendships with many of you, some of you I've grown very close to. I don't expect to change your life, I'm just me doing what I can. But if I can make some sort of a difference to your day here or there it's all I could ask for.
I promise I'm trying harder to get around to all of your blogs. I also realize I haven't been responding to comments as much as I should (virtual slap on the wrist). I want to change that. I still have some old e-mails to respond to. It never ends does it?
Just know if you haven't heard from me for a while I'm still thinking about you. I said I'm gonna be here, and I'm here.
Just a reminder, I'm taking submissions for random photo features on my blog. See here for more info. I hope you'll participate!
The first guest post is from Chania at Razmataz. Her site features an eclectic assortment of interior decoration and design. I think she's tremendously creative, be sure to drop by her site for a visit.
In Chania's words, "This is a photo I took of a little row boat in the harbor at Lion's Head, Ontario (Canada). Of all the boats in the marina, I was attracted to this little red boat because it is so simple. I shot this in the evening just as the sun was going down. the shadow on the water makes it look very inky. The photo looks a bit like an oil painting."
The heart is a ship.
Moored safely in port
It encounters neither danger nor adventure,
Biding time until sun awakens over clear waters.
With bearings plotted it embarks,
Certain of the course to be taken.
But storms lurk
On horizons yet uncharted,
Seas will swell
And toss this frail craft about.
Point your sails into a wind
That steers around the storm,
The brightest star
Calling from darkened skies
Will cast its light upon your bow
To show the way.
And when the winds have died
And your heart is left adrift
A friend will fill your sails
And guide the rest of the way
Until your safe return
To harbour.
A few Sundays ago Sandy and I were invited by a couple from our local market to visit them on their farm. It's generally open to the public, fortunately when we arrived we were the only ones there. Let's take a walk and see what happens when city slickers meet country folk (click on photos to enlarge)...
Our gracious hosts.
God I love old barns. Lemme at it!....
It was almost spiritual, the way the light poured in. I could have stayed here forever.
Turkeys
Ever held a duck?
Sandy picking strawberries.
Cucumbers
Green onions
Corn
Oh hell, I forget what this is...
...and this...
...more mystery vegetables.
cantaloupe?
Children Of The Corn
"That's it, work it baby! Own it..own it...Love the tractor...That's it, right there!"
goat
With a face like that I think this one was trying to seduce me.
lamb
Happy as a pig in...y'know.
We were pretty much surrounded by chickens. They acted dumb but they were actually biding their time, secretly preparing to break out. Two of them actually did escape the previous week. Police said fowl play was suspected.
All in all it was a good day and a nice break from our regular Sunday routine.
Some time ago I was given this award by Jules at "A Generation (What's) Next Perspective". I highly suggest dropping over to visit her, she's been a constant source of inspiration and one of those people who's good at keeping my attitude grounded. Thanks for this Jules, sorry it's taken me so long to get to it!
With this award comes several rules:
Thank the person who gave it to you
Share seven things about yourself
Nominate six other blogs
Notify the new winners
M'kay, here goes. Seven things about me:
1) Whenever I pass a long tractor trailer on the highway I have to count the wheels. It's something I did as a boy and I never outgrew it.
2) I was breastfed as a baby. Now that I'm old enough to appreciate it...I miss it.
3) One of my first stuffed toys was a koala bear that I got when I was about three. I still have him:
4) When I was about seven or eight I wanted to leave home and run away to Hawaii. I packed a few things then walked to the North end (duh!) of the park by our house. I couldn't figure out which train to hop on and I was getting hungry so I came home.
5) I keep pamphlets and other info on abuse, rape, depression etc. beside my computer because it often comes up in personal on-line conversation.
6) I aspire to become a counsellor or a therapist.
Over the past year an increasing number of you have shown an interest in photography. Last week, in a moment when I should have had my mind on work-related things (yeah I'm a slacker), I came up with the following idea for a post...
E-mail me your favourite photos to barrysquotations(at)gmail(dot)com. They have to be ones you've taken yourself. Please include a little something with each photo as to why it has meaning to you, what you like about it. I'll feature the submissions in an upcoming post, credit you for the picture(s) and link back to your blog. Could bring some new visitors to your site.
I've decided to increase the number of submissions I'll be using. If I get several from you I'll do a dedicated post showing your work. (I may have to select some if the number received is too great).
Your photos don't have to be of professional quality, I'll take anything as long as it has some significance to you. This isn't a contest, more of a gallery showing. There is no timeframe to submit, I'll take them any time between now and the day I'm too old to see my keyboard.
Anyone from regular readers to first-time visitors are welcome to participate. C'mon guys, flood my inbox. I hope to see your pictures soon!
