I don’t think my life can get any better. When so many of my relatives have died and most of my friends have serious health issues, I know that life is precarious, even tenuous. Seeing the morning light is a glorious experience. Feeling the freshness of a new day after a good night’s sleep fills me with excitement. Being able to capture it with my lens is pure joy.

I don’t need caffeine to start my day but I love the smell of freshly-hubby-brewed coffee and feeling the warmth of my favorite chipped mug in my hands. I have one of these mugs in Michigan and another in Florida and they are very dear to me. They began as favorite mugs and my husband chipped both of them – he felt so bad about it. The chips make them even more special because 1) he did it while cleaning up the kitchen and a chipped mug is a small price to pay for a clean kitchen, and 2) living with him is like, well… paradise. Those little chips are my reminder that I am able to share another day with a wonderful man who loves me with all his heart.

While I sip my coffee, I work the cross-word puzzle and Sudoku in the morning paper. The pain I experience in my muscles impacts my brain, producing a brain fog that makes remembering words difficult. I find joy in exercising my brain and believe doing these puzzles helps my thinking and my speeling spelling.

Every day should include exercise because I experience less pain when I engage in some moderate activity. If I don’t exercise, I have muscle pain. For the record, I believe that Paradise, the real Heaven, will not require exercise to stay healthy, lean, and pain-free. This morning I rode my bike to keep my replaced knees working good. Wait a minute – those knees are titanium and are the best working part of this aging body. The muscles around, above and below those knees need the bike ride.

I prefer walking because I can carry my camera with me. Funny, but when my camera is around my neck, my eyes see more. Yesterday I walked, and look what I saw when I peeked between the trees of our neighbors yard.

An elderly man walking his dog saw me taking this picture. After his dog loved on me and we shook hands (the dog and I), the gentleman told me that I really should see the rest of the garden. He said I should just knock on the door and the guys (Ken and Dennis) would be happy to show me around. My hubby stopped to talk to them a while ago so I think this will be on my agenda one of these days.

But back to walking. I don’t walk far in distance, about one half to one mile a day, but I’m gone a long time and return with lots of fun pics. Some of them I even keep and use.

I took many more photographs but some have stimulated ideas for future posts and I’ve already shown you the mockingbird that serenaded me on this walk. A day without new photos is an incomplete day.

Most days include a lot of time processing photos and blogging. Posting photos with a brief story is a fun quick post for me – and I get quick feedback on my photography. It is rewarding when other bloggers tell me how good an image is or tell me they are seeing improvement in my photography.

Occasionally I write about life – more accurately, I write about me. It would be presumptuous for me to write about other people’s life because all I can see is the superficial part – the outside, visible part. Writing about my inner experiences with chronic pain, aging body, and changing relationships requires that I draw from my knowledge of human development and to be transparent. Using my knowledge and experience to write is fun, sharing who I am in this moment is scary. I know it is an irrational fear, but it is there every time I click that publish tab.

A favorite evening activity is going to the beach to walk a ways, watch the sunset, and of course take some more photos. This is Easter evening on Naples beach.

And I did have peace at the end of this Easter day. It started with a spiritually renewing religious service, breakfast at our favorite restaurant, and ended holding hands on the beach. Peace in Paradise.