finding the holiday spirit…

 this was a frustrating weekend of trying to get holiday gifts taken care of and mailed, long lines, impatient people,  and all the stresses that come with that. somewhere in all of that — i became a real grump (it wasn’t pretty). but i have to say thanks to a completely patient husband and a dear friend…kt – thanks for helping me finish a project and regain my sanity. for taking the time out and just “being there” and being a friend…you are a gem! here’s to finding the holiday spirit amidst all the chaos of the season and life!!

i’ve been tagged…

 so my friend kt got tagged by melynn and well…here i am- stuggling to come up with 7 facts about myself that reveal some but not all of my total dorkiness!

1. a competitive figure skater for 8 years — most of my childhood – one of my favorite scents still is the smell of an ice-rink at morning after the ice has been cleaned. to this day when i am nervous or anxious – i “skate” through my program in my head – every last detail of it.

2. one of the most magical moments in my life was in high school – senior year – school play…Steel Magnolias. from the try-outs to all the performances…it was pure magic. i played M’Lynn (Sally Field’s role from the movie) and my dear friend Bran played Ousier (Shirley McClaine’s role from the movie). our play was perfectly cast and the experience was one i will never forget. i truly was transformed…and Ouiser – “i still love you more than my luggage!”

3. on a high school video that i co-wrote and co-produced– i got to direct jim fowler (the guy from wild kingdom who was always wrestling the animals and stuff). he was the nicest guy and i was (and am) in such awe of his lifelong dedication to animals and wildlife.

4. love chocolate don’t like chocolate cake or ice-cream – this one always drove my mom nuts!

5. have seen lots of great concerts over the years — but tuck & patti have been top on the list. saw them when i was a teenager and once again 6 or 7 years ago.

6. i love (i mean LOVE) to sleep — simply because i dream.

7. one of my favorite movies…amelie

holding on & letting go ~ the paradox…

 the prompt this week was a paradox…i thought long and hard over this. i pondered the definition – it was a tough one. but then i started to look at what is going on in my world right now. i am working through that paradox of holding on and letting go right now. this painting i was working on wasn’t meant for IMT originally until i  had that “aha” moment and realized how it all was fitting together. the other day, i stopped by melynn’s blog and read a quote she had posted there… it seemed to really fit with the changes that are on my horizon and the temptation i feel to hold on when the best solution is to let go.

“It makes no sense to resist quietude, yet we create distractions all the time because we fear the consequences of guidance. Paradoxically, we pray for stillness and seek it because we yearn to quiet our distractions. – Caroline Myss, “Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and Your Soul”

more time…

  i wish there were more hours in the day. i see some of the artworks that women are creating and showing on their blogs and i just wish i had more time….i do try to make room for it all but in the process i just have to let go of some expectations along the way – some unrealistic expectations. it’s all part of the process…as so much of life is – the gentle balance of holding on and letting go all at once. my students were studying van gogh the other week and i came across this quote of his – it has really stayed with me.

“But when will I do the starry sky, then, that painting that’s always on my mind? Alas, alas, it’s just as our excellent pal Cyprien says, in En ménage by J. K. Huysmans, the most beautiful paintings are those one dreams of while smoking a pipe in one’s bed but which one doesn’t make. But it’s a matter of attacking them nevertheless, however incompetent one may feel vis-à-vis the ineffable perfections of nature’s glorious splendors.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh

art in the streets…

  today was completely gray and blustery. the winds whipped through the trees, rattling pine-cones and shutters on windows. amidst all that feels uncertain, i have found a bit of peace in a painting i am working on. (i will post a photo when it’s complete). i started to think back today on my life and the fact that whenever it has become uncertain, unstable, chaotic…i have always turned to my poetry and art to help even the ride. both have been my saving grace going way back to my “tween” years. when i passed this artwork in progress in the street…i wondered about the journey of that artist.

hello…so long…

  i feel there is much change on the horizon. within that — there is always that struggle for control. i am trying to release that and just ride through it all. and perhaps because of or in light of this potential shift — it has sparked an even greater need to create. next week i say “so long” to a dear friend…and although i know that distance doesn’t have to change things — it will be difficult not having her nearby to bounce off my ideas, thoughts, worries, questions and musings too. this friend was one of the very first i made upon my arrival — from the beginning we shared many similarities and she has inspired me in many aspects of my life and the roles I hold within my life. she is one of those people in your life who make you feel like a better person — who make you trust and believe that you can “top tall buildings in a single bound”, who always “has your back”.  i will miss having her nearby.

blessings…

  for family, friends, the beauty in the everyday, the possibility within each breath, the silence of nightfall, the wonder of life…i am grateful.

“move your feet”…

 as we walked through rome…kai was delighted in the fact that many of the shops played music. in fact, this was about the third one that we had to stop in front of while he did a dance in the entryway. this one drew a small crowd. i was laughing so hard, it was difficult to snap a pic. but all the while i had this song in my head and thought….THIS is our son!!

travel to an ancient city…

 not so many words today…truly what words can do these ancient, sacred places justice…just a couple photos to share the inspiration i felt while visiting.

 

gratitude…

   this week’s prompt – gratitude…there are the obvious things in my life that i am so very grateful for. and then if i really think about it — there are so many other,  more subtle things,  in life that i should really take the time to acknowledge and feel more gratitude towards (challenges - they make me grow; change – forces me to see and experience new things; conflict – allows me room to become more assertive; silence – affords me the opportunity to breath in the moments of my life; my breath – connects me to life itself) and lastly — my photograph — an archway that i have passed through countless times, however this day, it called me to take the photograph. when i look at the photo — it brings to mind what i truly believe…that art, in its many and diverse forms and mediums, allows us to see that there are many solutions to a challenge. sometimes it isn’t about discovering the “right” answer — but opening up to the journey along the way and all the potential answers within that.