One year. Three hundred and sixty five days. I have no idea how many hours, I didn’t memorize everything I was taught in school. I suppose I could google it, but I’d rather do the math. I prefer a challenge, what can I say.

And over the last year, this blog has often been a good deal more of a challenge than I expected. The accountability I started it to gain has been the greatest challenge, meeting deadlines, preparing materials when I do not feel like it, finally doing the things I’ve planned without procrastination, building something from a spark. More a challenge than anything were the times when I had zero desire to shoot photographs, forcing photos that, let’s be honest, were awful because I had to for a post when all I wanted to do was ride, not shoot. But through that challenge I’m learning to find focus in those times without focus, these days often producing from a crop of my worst photographs one of my best, founded in pure gumption. Much pleased with that challenge and all it fostered, I am happy with what Dharma Anchor has become and the potential for growth that only seems to increase with each post. It has done exactly what it was intended to do and then some, now breathing life of its own, no longer shoving but rather guiding.

And fall is returning, as of a couple of weeks ago the shadows are long even at noon, the days are shorter and shorter, the air is crisp and the almanac says a cold winter is coming. I haven’t halved a persimmon yet, but that seems about right. The wind howls at the window, such a foreboding sound, winter is bringing many changes and so much is dying to make way for the new. But just like a year ago, in spite of  hardships there is an aura of possibility in the air, more growth having fallen into our laps, more possibilities, more opportunity. And again like last year, chapters are rapidly closing with each new opportunity, but this year the opportunity is more dramatic in its arrival and the doors are slamming closed without goodbyes behind us. Autumn is hard sometimes, no matter what the yoga pants girls with the pumpkin spice latte mocha chino drinks say. (Is that a real drink?)

And in keeping with my learning to focus theme this year, I did not get on the bike (yet) today in spite of the amazing cool weather. Instead, I’ve been focusing and preparing for all of winter’s change, taking advantage of the cool to organize my nightmare garage, tune up my truck, finish cutting back herbs for the final time this year and pulling the last summer plants from the garden, setting up an entirely new computer system to replace the one officially dead and the other outdated, all exciting and tedious at once. The bike is very tempting.

I considered a planned, involved post for the anniversary, but because this year, especially these last few months, have been about finding focus when there is none readily, about centering in the chaotic, about appreciating all the great growth in the last three hundred and sixty five days and then some, I’ve decided instead to repost some of my favorite photographs and posts from the last year. Here is to the next three hundred and sixty five days, to more aspirations accomplished, goals meet and beat, more dreams come true, and dharma anchored.

Click on any of the photographs in this post to see the original entry in which they were posted.

 

07 Sep This entry was published on September 7, 2014 at 15:05. It’s filed under Destinations, Homestead, Motorcycles, Oklahoma, Other, Roadside Photography, Route 66 and tagged America, anniversary, Art, artist, Biker, blog, Destinations, Dharma Anchor, first year, Motorcycle, Oklahoma, Photography, rider, Route 66. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.