celebrating love

Today let us celebrate love.  Let's raise our glass and make a toast to the love that blooms around us and that which is infused in everything we do.

Love can be found in the passions we hold dear to our heart.  The colors we choose as we spread paint onto canvas.  The feeling of our feet hitting the pavement as we rack up the miles running.  The way we yell and scream cheering for our favorite team.

It can be seen and felt in our daily tasks.  The way we prepare a meal, make the bed, tend to the garden.  We hold love in our heart for our pets, our home, the moments we are deep in laughter.

Love is not just a feeling between two individuals.  It  is everywhere in life.  It lives within the greeting we receive when we arrive home.  The hug from our niece and the sound of her voice when she says your name.  The comforting feeling of curling up under the covers and drifting into a deep sleep.

Love is infused in the friendly wave to your neighbor or even a stranger.  The bread you bring to feed the ducks and the way you break it up into bite sized pieces, just for them.  The small flower you see emerging after the long dark days of winter.

Love can be felt through a simple touch.  A friend resting her hand on your arm as she tells you a story.  A deep embrace from your lover.   A high five given after crossing the finish line.

Love is everywhere.  Even when that "special someone" is not in your life, love is swirling around.  It is in everything we do an it ripples over to those we interact with and the way we show up in our work life.

Love is there, it is always there.  Spilling out into the world.  Bringing comfort and ease.  Spreading laughter and kindness.

Today on this day of love, let's celebrate the love we hold deep in our heart and the love we share with others.  Love is the glue that holds this world together.  Let's keep spreading it.

fears

I am not good at peeling hard boiled eggs
And am pretty bad at returning things to stores when I should
This is easy to admit

What is tough
Is hanging it all out there
Letting the world know what I am personally terrible at

I don't do great at showing up in public spaces
I have a fear of making a fool of myself
And rarely allow space to laugh at myself while unknown eyes are watching

I have a fear of the public
I shy away, back down, do not let myself have fun
It is as if they are going to choose my destiny for me

I am terrified of being embarrassed
Afraid of this unknown moment that may occur
I lock up

Even when I am out in the world alone
I think someone may be watching
I tend to dig deep into my introverted self

I want to let go more often
Play, laugh, have fun
Embrace the moment of goodness that I am in

So I am here
Stating my fears
Starting in this public space

My hope is that I will expand my wings
Take my fear to the streets
Let go and not worry about others

the writer

Being a writer can be a lonely adventure
Sitting solo on the bench
Entering through door to the coffee shop alone
Sitting with your thoughts by your side
Pen and paper your only company

The camaraderie of brainstorming with others
Creating together in a group
Laughing and giggling as it all unfolds
This rarely occurs for the writer
There work must be done alone

At times it can feel daunting
Sad and terrifying
Wondering if all this sweat and tears is for anything
Inner demons creeping in
And taking over

It can be a struggle to start
Words swirling in your head
But coming out all wrong on paper
The emotion is there
But the means to pull it out has disappeared

The writer must struggle through
Show up day after day after day
Fighting their way through
Sifting through the nonsense
Drilling down to the heart in the words

From on lookers it may seem torturous
They wonder why the writer continues to show up
Why do they not choose something where they do not have to be alone
They do not realize that within that solitude hearts heal
Minds expand and gold flows from their fingertips

There are brief moments when a writer is transported
Words flowing that she did not even know where there
For that moment the world around her disappears
She is deep in this other place, this different time, this lost world
And this makes it all worth it

beauty

Beauty
Filling the sky after the storm subsides

Beauty
Staying safely tucked into our heart as we get pulled in many directions

Beauty
Keeping us grounded, taking us back, moving us forward

Beauty surround us
Always there at the ready if we just seek it out
A reflection in a puddle
The giggle from a child
The sound of your favorite song

Beautiful moments pull us into another world of possibility
We must be open to letting them in

Seek out the beauty around you
Capture it in your heart
Hold close in your pocket for that rainy day

~~What beautiful things are in your world?

snow days

There was a moment in time when I lived here
That particular winter was filled with snow
Flake after flake falling from the sky

I had to cocoon into my home alone
The streets to treacherous to drive on
No where to go, just me alone

I equally loved those moments
And struggle through them
Feeling trapped and isolated

Here today I am in a new home
With someone to spend snow days with
I long for the white stuff to blanket the world around

I wish for the days where snow takes over
For a brief time
Bringing the world to a halt

It forces you to slow down
Breathe a little deeper
Savor the moment you are in

I love the smell of freshly fallen snow
The way it lights up the world
And has a certain calming sound to it

Winter is here
And my hope is that it brings a moment filled with snow
And a chance to relax deep into each other and

paint across the canvas

Paint covering each finger
Color strewn out on my desk
Music playing in the background
Letting go and having fun
I am not much of a painter
But I love to get my hands messy
Skipping the paint brush
And going right in with my fingers

There are pieces that I paint that I adore
And others that I think I may go back in and cover up
It is fun to dive into a blank canvas and see what emerges
There are layers, some messy and some beautiful
Each layer telling a different story
I love the that I can start over
Again and again and again
Adding more layers, more heart, more love

Painting stretches my mind differently than writing does
A different type of white space waiting for some color
With each stroke I let go a little more
Breaking down expectations
Allowing the colors space to bleed together
Adding in more, wiping away excess
Reveling what is below
Letting it all emerge

I am on a year long painting adventure
Open to what will emerge as I lay color to canvas
Mindy Lacefield is my guide
Giving me space and direction to let go
Her True Free Spirit Class is opening me up
Connecting me others who are the journey
Together we show up and let go
What do you do to stretch yourself, open up?

flight

Waiting here

Forced to slow down

Soak in the enviornment

People rush filled with excitment

Here with my thoughts

Reading, writing, kniting

Still in a world that is spinning around me

Amazed at the greatness of flight

From here to there in mere hours

People converging from all over the world

On to their next destination

I am in love with this place

With this moment

In love with the opporutnity flight brings

Lifting off

On to a new adventure

Interacting with strangers

Arriving home a bit more expanded

good choices

This week was full of good choices

Choosing to move my body
Pick up the dry cleaning
Keep the money in my pocket

Choosing mini golf over errands
Laughter and storytelling
Dreaming of vactions to take

Choosing the healthy option
Going to bed early
Purchasing much needed undergarments

The choice is always in our hands
To take care of our self and choose laughter
Or go down the road we really do not want to

What good choices have you made this week?

growing together in love

In relationships there is comprise
Having to make the bed when it does not really matter to you if stays unmade
Being ok with a dish in the sink, even when you are wanting to get it washed
Throwing your clothes into the hamper instead of on the floor right next to it

The little things you do to make the day to day living together smoother
Finding the balance between that extra step your willing to go
And the things you are willing to let go of yourself
Because life still runs smoothly even when they are out of place

Each of us are human
With our own quirks and way of doing things
To live harmoniously with another we must learn to dance together
An intricte dance of seeking what is important to the other

We need to respect each others light
Provide space to shine and breathe
Fuel each others fire, encourage the next big adventure
We must trust in flight

We know we cannot change the other, and we must never try
Embrace everything, even the unmade bed
For that is a gift in teaching us to let go sometimes
We must recoginze the beauty of the other

When you find this person
And learn their dance
True love blossoms
And each of you grow strong, radiant, freely

2013, all the cards on the table

A new year has arrived and I have my hands deep in lighting candles with intention, reflecting, and casting wishes for the year ahead.  I have not yet chosen a word for 2013 yet, but I have a clear focus.  I want to get my act together.  Pay my bills on time, budget my money, and do those things you have to do in life without putting it off and putting it off again, and then just not doing it.  You know the things I am talking about; getting the oil changed in the car, going to the doctor, making those phones calls to see if I can get a better rate on car insurance.  All the necessary things that I always without fail put off.

So I started the year off right and got the oil changed in my car on New Years Eve.  I calendared out all my bills, and signed up for a budgeting app that will hopefully help to keep me on track.  I am taking a look at my 401k and trying to really understand what it all means.  I am putting one foot in front of the other instead of just sitting down and not doing a thing.  I am showing up with all the cards on the table and taking a look at them instead of pretending they are not there.

Its a good start, and to get any where you have to start.  So I stand here welcoming 2013 with open arms and eyes wide open  How about you?  What are you welcoming into 2013?