Five Things
Today's Five Things are being brought to you by guest curator Elizabeth MacCrellish. Because she's had more coffee, and is functioning better than I am at the moment.
1. My Parents Were Awesome - the photo above is Swirly's favorite.
2. Brandi Carlile with the Indigo Girls singing Don't Think Twice – the song T sang to Elizabeth the night they met.
3. New Fairy Tales – Dedicated to publishing new fairy tales that are suitable for all ages.
4. The Labyrinth at Blue Heron House – Note to T: Elizabeth plans to build one of these in your front yard.
5. La Bastide de Marie - Elizabeth has promised Swirly take her there.
And because she is, quite frankly, a giver, we offer you Bonus #6:
6. Blue Poppy Clogs – Do I really need to explain this to you?
Our Choices Are Our Opportunities
[Taken in Bournemouth, UK :: February 2008]
Beliefs about the best way to walk through life are a funny thing. I find that no matter how grand or mundane mine are, they share a similar trajectory. They first find their way into my consciousness – maybe I see an example of how I want to live my life (or how I don't) or perhaps I read something that sings to me in a book. From there I make the choice to embrace the belief, and a mantra of sorts begins to guide me through any number of situations. Sometimes a belief clicks into place immediately, but most of the time it takes a while for it to become truly embedded in my day to day life. And it isn't terribly uncommon for me to slip into negative patterns, reactions and mindsets along the road of trying to turn a belief into something much more fundamental: Who I am, and how I live my life.
What I have learned is that if I truly want to embrace a certain way of living and being in this world, I must always be cognizant of the impact of my choices, for they are the stepping stones to the wide open space of light I want to be in as much as possible. And by light I mean a clear conscious that is free of all the strangely alluring, ego-centered, emotional strings that are capable of yanking me into a downward spiral if I'm not vigilant. I have learned that when I make a commitment to be a certain way, shift a certain story or remove certain patterns and dynamics from my life, I am presented with countless opportunities to put those values into play. And every time these opportunities fall into my lap, I am free to make whatever choice I want to make. It isn't uncommon for my ego and emotions to try to pull me away from the light I seek – to keep telling the story of how I was hurt or wronged, to communicate from a place of fear – but when I stay focused on who I really want to be, the choices become very easy. Do I want to talk a big talk about who I want to be or do I want to simply be who I want to be?
With each new tenet that I decide to enfold into my life, it feels like I start with a lot of loose threads, and all the opportunities I get to put these beliefs and values into action provide me with the means to weave them together and tie them securely along the edges. What is so amazing and gratifying is to make the choice to step into the light – to take those opportunities to tie a little knot here and a little knot there – and then suddenly all that effort is rewarded with a profound sense of wholeness, clarity and light. The splinter that was stuck in my finger for months suddenly slides out; the stain that kept appearing on my shirt finally washes away. After telling myself 999 times "A + B = C", on that one thousandth repeat, that piece of knowledge finally rolls around in my brain one last time before it sinks right down into my gut, where it clicks firmly into place for good. This doesn't mean I am infallible, that I won't still drift or wander or react, but it means I'll be able to find my way back to the light much quicker.
I know I used a lot of metaphors in that last paragraph, but they all fit. They all represent a process that has served me incredibly well. But this process only works if I am willing to make the choices that will serve whatever ideals, standards and beliefs I aim to embody, knowing it might take a hundred tiny choices before I fully experience the effects of my efforts in the form of wholeness, clarity and light. And: Joy.
Our choices are our opportunities – to grow, to release, to evolve. They are seeds that create a garden, threads that make a quilt, bricks that form a foundation, stars that sparkle on our darkest nights, showing us the way home.
Every Step Counts
"Let the emphasis be on the now in everything. What you do now
is extremely important – the decisions you make in this instant, the
way you act, the way you think. As you do this, you find yourself
changing and expanding. You can become God-filled, God-minded,
God-guided as you take this breath now. This is the most wonderful and
uplifting thought possible. You literally feel yourself rising in the
sheer joy of it. This is where the complete change can come. You need
never be the same again. Old habits, old thought forms and ties can be
cut this instant and you can become a transformed person – a triumphant
being.
You want to be different? You can be, and you can be perfect
now. This is a breathtaking thought. You need never, never be the old
self again. You are now in the process of building the light-body,
raising the vibrations so that every cell in your body is changing.
You are becoming light."
~Eileen Caddy
Five Things
1. I love the Fairy Tale Fawn necklace over at ShanaLogic.
2. Design a T-shirt – You might be the One!
3. Check out the Get Inspired! Project.
4. Donate your old cell phones at The Wireless Foundation.
5. Head over to the Magic Beans Auction for Esme, the goal of which is to raise $10,000 for the Esme Kenney Memorial Scholarship Fund. The auction runs until November 15th. Learn more about Esme and make a direct donation at Run4Esme.
Blog Give Away Winner: For those of you who commented on the post by Guest Blogger Kelly Watson, Rachael is the big winner! Rachael, please email Kelly at kelly@womenwisemarketing.com! Congratulations!!
Wanting
Every once in a while I feel such a desperate longing to hold onto everything that is real and true in my life I have the urge to literally reach my arms out, wanting to somehow cling to all of it, hold it close, and prevent it from slipping away.
The thought of missing my husband, knowing I will see him the next day.
The sight of a beautifully patterned curtain against a turquoise blue wall.
The recognition of all the ways love has been nurtured and fought for within the circle of my family.
It is these experiences and so many others that I want to harness into a bottle that can be tightly corked.
These moments make me ache, not only with gratitude and joy but with the bittersweet knowledge that clinging is an impossibility, and these moments are fleeting. None of it can be captured; none of what I have experienced thus far in my life can be held in any permanent form. In these moments of wanting everything to remain as it is, I must accept that this is not the nature of life, and I must continue to enjoy all that is real and true in my life or else miss out on all those beautiful details by dreading the day they change form.
Movement
[Purple cacti in Anza Borrego last spring]
"Do not wait; the time will never be "just right'. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." ~Napolean Hill
For more on this, read my latest entry in The Wish Studio.
100 Books Project :: Squam Art Workshops
[Book #26 :: Squam Art Workshops, September 16, 2009]
Before everyone arrived at Squam Art Workshops, I took two books and left them in two cozy spots, but only after first handing over Book #26 to Book Fairy Liz Kalloch, who tucked it above one of the entrance to the playhouse, shown above.
[Book #27 :: Squam Art Workshops, September 16, 2009]
Book #27 was left near the registration cabin nestled by a rock.
[Book #28 :: Squam Art Workshops, September 16, 2009]
Book #28 was left on a bench near the water, the same bench I spent time on the year before on the first day of the very first Squam Art Workshops event. Another view:
Within 24 hours all three books had been found, and it was such a treat to hear the stories of discovery right away. Book #26 was discovered by Rebecca Self, who I had a few lovely chats with throughout the weekend, and Stefanie Renee found Book #27. This is Stefanie's story:
"Imagine a woman leaving for camp for the first time, leaving her husband and 2 kids and jetting off to the East Coast to be alone – a bit intimidated, scared but overall excited!
I meet up with my magical, so sweet and a bit sarcastic cab/van driver Leo in Boston and meet a woman named Emme for the first time. We both are coming from the west coast and leaving family behind to begin this adventure we deserve! A lovely drive up to Squam with some laughter, sharing, sight seeing and breakfast to be had.
Some tingles in the stomach once we get closer…about who I will be seeing, who I will be meeting and the overall experience.
We drive in and we get settled, all while still feeling a bit out of it and totally awed by the beauty of this magical place.
Once showered and feeling a bit normal Emme and I head over to Long house where we sit and watch others arrive. Needing to go outside and explore the area a bit, I venture out to the woods, to the dock, to really ground myself in what is about to happen here over the next few days.
I feel better, and begin to walk back up to my cabin – Ondawa – and what do I see perched next to a nearby rock but a brown bag with 'This is a gift for YOU'.
OOOOH I KNOW what this is!
I snatch it up and run back to my cabin, tear into it and flip through…savoring the images, the words, the perfect moment that this is. I admit that I already had this book but for some reason seeing this again in paperback it all seems so new, a new message is here for me I think.
I want to curl up and savor it but I need to run out, so I tuck it under my things and I think about it…off and on through out my next few days.
Once on the airplane I take it out and re-read the entire thing from cover to cover. I relish in my whole Squam experience, I relish this book and all that it stands for and I relish in my being brave.
Thank you Christine for giving me this gift when I needed it the most, it gave me the extra boost of bravery I needed to put myself out there at Squam."
Book #28 was found by the astounding Andrew Borloz, who pulled me aside in the cafeteria to show me the photo he took of his gift:
[Book #28 :: Photo by Andrew Borloz]
Andrew's story:
"After I brought the luggage and stuff into my room at the Long House, I walked to the wooden bench by the lake where I first met a small group of SAW instructors last year. I suddenly saw the bag standing up on the bench, and I thought to myself, 'Oh no, someone left a bag there. Let me get closer and see what was written on the bag.'
As soon as I saw the handwriting, I immediately recognized it – it was Christine's. It said, 'This is a gift for YOU.' As soon as I finished reading it, an internal dialogue ensued:
'I wondered who is YOU she was referring to. Perhaps she gave this gift to a very close friend, and that friend might left there by mistake. I don't really think I am one of her friends, so perhaps I should take it to Lost and Found'.
'But, if that is the case, someone would have already opened the bag. You can tell by looking at the tape. Also, it should be left alone so that if someone comes here, it will be found.'
'Maybe it was meant for me. Maybe she intended that anyone who finds it to pick it up and keep it. I think I should open up the bag to see if Christine wrote a special note to a specific person'.
'No, leave it alone!'
I picked up the bag anyway, opened it, and pull out a book. I opened it up and saw an explanatory note. It was also numbered: 28 of 100.
'Oh, that's cool. I think I'll keep the book.'
'No, you already have the book. Let someone get it.'
'Yeah, you're right. But it might still be there when the rain comes. I would hate to see it get wet.'
'You worry too much. Just leave the book alone.'
'Nah, I am going to take the book anyway and let Christ
ine know that I got it.'
Later that day, I told Christine that I had found the book. She was very happy, and I am glad to see that I did the right thing – I ignored the critic in me and followed my gut feelings."
Next up: Book Fairies are aflutter all over the globe. Over the new few months we'll hear stories from Australia, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, South Korea and Iceland!
100 Books Project :: Shambhala
[Book #24 :: Shambhala Center, Boulder, Colorado, September 25, 2009]
Justin Davanzo has been busy in Boulder, Colorado, placing Book #24 at the Boulder Shambhala Center and still pondering where to place Book #25. Stay tuned. In the meantime, here's one more shot of the book at Shambhala:
Another entry is coming later today about the 100 Books Project at Squam Art Workshops.
Five Things :: Part One
Today's Five Things will be in two parts, giving you the added bonus of TEN THINGS. Now that's value.
Part One :: It's all about me!
1. New tiny, affordable originals are up on Etsy.
2. …and my inspirational wall art pieces, created with Demdaco, are also finally back up right here.
3. Don't forget to mark your calendars for CORE.
4. I'll also be in the 4th Annual Peach Tree Gallery Holiday Show December 5th & 6th. Details on the way.
5. I'm also thrilled to introduce my new Ordinary Sparkling Inspiration Deck, pictured below. 42 cards to remind you of all that is good and true and wonderful about you.
6. This just in! Head over to the Wish Studio for an Ordinary Sparkling Moments Give Away!!
