Shrouded Shore: The Many Musings of Thom Singleton

  Good Friends Good in many ways… Supportive in good times and bad Help without hesitation Know how to make you laugh Want the best for you Are honest Remind you of your responsibilities Are people for whom you’d do most anything Are people who would do most anything for you Good friends show you how to be one 

  Real Change or Just Pocket Change      You can’t change the people around you.      But you can change the people around you.                                                      Anonymous You can’t change peoples’ behaviors, but you can surround yourself with different people. How? Look to yourself. The people around you are there for a reason. And the reason is you. They are around you to be a mirror for you, a reflection of your own behavior. They are there to teach you something. If you don’t like what’s in the mirror - the behavior that they are presenting - then you need to change yourself.  There’s no changing others, only yourself. If you want to hang with a group more authentic, be authentic yourself. That’s real change, not just pocket change.

  Memories of Nepal At the monkey temple, one tried to steal a lady’s purse, but she battled back. On the bus safari, a mother rhino and her big baby approached us within a few feet, but ignored us and continued grazing. We saw other rhinos in the lowland valley of southern Nepal. On our dugout canoe trip, we passed a number of crocodiles along the riverbank. The guide assured us - somewhat - that they had already eaten. Peacocks and monkeys were seen along the shore. At the Chitwan National Park elephant rearing station, we saw mother elephants and their offspring. The bulls roam the wilds of the Park. and are brought in annually to mate. One baby elephant approached us at the fence. We gave the baby a drink of water. We passed a large cargo hauler - an elephant - on the narrow dirt road. Besides elephants, another beast of burden is the water buffalo. We saw a number of them submerged up to their horned heads in a farm pond, staring at us as we stared at them, We were bussed to a nat

  Season’s Dreams Dreaming of spring… The tree outside covered by white blossoms Everywhere else, shades of green Winged migrants at the feeder Sun’s arc ever higher in the sky But those aren’t blossoms now It’s snow covering every branch and twig What is green always are the evergreens The only feathery regulars now, cardinals, jays, chickadees And that winter sun trying his best to warm the frozen landscape from his low arc Last night’s blizzard painted his own wintry masterpiece A frosted study in white to remind us of the changing beauty of the seasons

  Snow’s Hues Snow, some days, glows bluish white in the predawn light. It is then a hopeful sight, for it seems to reflect blue sky light. Today the meadow’s just gray like an overcast day. Dark clouds allow little sun ray, for today a blizzard’s on the way. But now some rays find their way through the blustery fray. Blue glow returns as new snow affirms the forecasted wintry blasts. Snow all day is what they say, bright white snowfall to last and last.

  Falls Rocks tumbled Avalanches rumbled I stumbled Waterfalls cascaded Rapids ran unabated I plunged Rain poured Wind roared I sprawled Axed tree dropped From the forester’s chops I did a header The skier did plummet Down from the summit I toppled A bird did alight Down from the heights I crash landed A fall leaf wafted Gently it dropped I flopped The Earth came up quickly Collided with my body I broke My hip got replaced Soon I’ll be back in the race I’m repairable

  A Journey to Gratitude The tower crumbled. Well, a small one - me. Let me explain.  I wanted some exercise, so I decided to take my four-mile walk from home, crossing the Fox River twice, outbound and inbound, and returning home. It was my favorite walk, but this time it was a learning experience as well. After all, when a tower crumbles, it has impact. I had no idea what I would encounter on this sunny day. The walk, initially, was uneventful.  Despite the nice December weather, I encountered few fellow walkers. One I remember was a  woman walking her dog. She and I crossed paths twice. The second time evoked a joke, something like “we meet again.” I cracked a smile, and down the road, I went. At about three miles in, I began to notice fatigue that I hadn’t before on this walk. The top half of me wanted to press on, but the legs were starting to balk. At last I turned down our street, and got within sight of our home, when my right leg buckled.  I fell into the ditch, my legs tangle

  White Shade The shady sides of tree limbs are white today. The shade is white, a shadow of bright. An inch of sticky snow flew in from the North And brought forth bright shadows, not dark. On the side, where the winter sun. low in the South, couldn’t reach