Beads on a String
"We are responsible for what we are.
And whatever we wish ourselves to be,
we have the power to make ourselves.
If what we are now
has been the result of our own past actions,
it certainly follows
that whatever we wish to be in the future
can be produced by our present actions."
~ Swami Vivekaananda
The Hardest Lesson
"As you make a habit of not taking anything personally, you won't need to place your trust in what others do or say. You will only need to trust yourself to make responsible choices. You are never responsible for the actions of others; you are only responsible for you. When you truly understand this, and refuse to take things personally, you can hardly be hurt by the careless comments or actions of others."
~Don Miguel Ruiz
Final Piece from Amanda Bontecou on Vimeo.
1. Wrap Up Africa's website has a new look! I just ordered some of their new placemats – beautiful!!
2. Nature Inspired is here!
3. Follow Ubuntu Journeys – a 6 week odyssey through Africa that this amazing photographer just began yesterday.
4. These creations by Aurora Lopez Mejia are out of my price range, but I still love them!
5. Loyal Loot Collective is supa-fly.
100 Books Project :: Door County, Wisconsin
[Book #21 :: Left in Door County, Wisconsin, August 5, 2009]
One of the latest reports from the 100 Books Project: This lovely Book Fairy left Book #21 outside the church street market building in Door County, Wisconsin and then made a spur of the moment decision to give Book #22 to a friend. This is her story:
"I promised Swirly I'd drop off two books while vacationing in Door County, Wisc, where I was visiting some dear sweet and wonderful friends. Natalie is one of the most inspired artists I think I've ever met. When I pulled up to the converted farm house/studio/dream house (surrounded by bean fields and cows!) she shares with her husband, I knew I had to leave one of the books with her. We've been traveling on the same creative path for quite some time – having met when we had neighboring booths at a Downtown Los Angeles art walk – and she is always one of the first people I call when I'm artistically blocked or lost or frightened ('Can we really DO this? Should we stay in the city? Move to the country? Do we give it all up and get 'real' jobs?'). After earning her masters in textile design at RISD, she and her husband decided to take the plunge and choose bean fields over buildings.
As they begin to build their new life there – helping to run a friends new restaurant, pickling treats for the winter, baking, painting, collecting and creating – I can tell that Natalie is working hard to settle into a more balanced rhythm…and there I was this amazing book tucked under my arm. In an instant I knew I wanted her to read about Christine's own unique artistic path – wanted her to take a break from the business of all they are working so hard to create and sit with her inspired and delightful musings. Needless to say it wasn't as cosmically cool as leaving it somewhere random and hoping to hear from the person who finds it, but it felt right and I knew if there was anyone who would understand the urge I had to give it away it would be my wonderful friend Christine!"
Next up: The 100 Books Project goes to the U.K. and Ireland!
What Are Your Prayers Today?
[Kyoto, Japan :: September 2007]
[Kyoto, Japan :: September 2007]
[Tokyo, Japan :: July 2005]
On the grounds of temples in Japan, there are structures that hold
small panels of balsa wood, paper, or colorful items like above.
Visitors can pay a small fee to write a personal prayer on one of these
items and leave it at the temple. I was fascinated by these
collections of wishes, dreams, fears and hopes. What stories do they
hold? How many of these prayers were answered?
"Courage is fear that has said its prayers." ~Dorothy Bernard
