Life IS Good

I was thrilled to receive this award from Faerwillow at Serendipity who has one of the most lovely, poetic blogs I regularly read. And then I was honored by Athena at Experiments in Authenticity with the same award! Athena has inspired me to return to an ayurvedic diet and lifestyle as my energy levels are all over the place these days. Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga and so much of what we do intuitively is outlined in this holistic system to health and well-being. Here is Athena's piece that got me back on the bandwagon!

(For the record: I am not concerned about weight right now, but hey! Sexy in 4 weeks? I'll give it a go! I have had the good fortune to work with an ayurvedic physician who travels here from India twice a year. Yeah, wild. So I have a good idea of what I need to be doing; I just need to do it. I am pretty balanced between Vata and Pitta which makes for an interesting combination. Vatas are all about ideas, wandering around exploring what catches their eye while Pittas are the task masters who focus upon getting the job done yesterday. My routine driven Pitta and my spontaneity loving Vata are often in a deadlock!)

So an interesting side story to this award (there! Can you see my Vata mind at work?!): Friday was an absolutely top ten kind of day. Cowgirl and I spent the day outside planting flowers and her corn, zinnia, and sunflower seedlings into larger terra cotta pots. There was time for art, time for frisbee and then dinner outside on the patio. As I sipped my gin and tonic, I remarked: "it is like the t-shirt says - Life is Good." Sunshine and smiles all around.

photo taken by Cowgirl in the minutes before The Event (I look pretty relaxed considering a 5 1/2 year old is holding $800 worth of camera gear in her sticky hands)

About ten minutes later the husband was rolling in the retractable awning (The Awning that had been repaired the summer before after it shot out from the house like a cannonball) when there was a loud "PING" sound and the awning once again broke loose from it's framework and hurled it self directly at me. I hopped out of the way and thankfully only received a nasty bruise on my upper arm and a bop on the top of my head. But images of the Witched Witch underneath Dorothy's Kansas farmhouse were not far from my mind.

okay, so i am now seeing how this butterfly? moth? landed on the exact spot where the awning hit me. Marked? or Blessed?

Yeah, Life is Good. I guess I am part cat and thus far have used up 3 of my nine lives.

For each award I've been given a list of 10 questions and since I am feeling very Vata, I am picking and choosing 5 from each list. From Athena:

1. What is my favorite book of all time?
Hands down, Charlotte's Web. I remember sitting on the porch of our beach house as a child and devouring it in one long afternoon. And then again lying in my bed. I still cry whenever I read it. (As an adult I regularly re-read Long,Quiet Highway by Natalie Goldberg.)

2. Where in the world do I most want to visit and why.
I have wanted to visit India ever since the 1970s when my cousin made 3 extended trips there, bringing me back some of my favorite pieces of art. As a yogini, I want to see where it all began and visit some of the sacred sites.

7. What job would I love to have for one day?
I would love to be the lady in the zoo nursery who gets to wear a fuzzy sling and care for the baby gorilla or orangutan. (Cowgirl was born in the year of the monkey, so I have some expertise in bottle feeding a simian.)

9. What person, living or dead would I most like to meet?
My answer here changes depending upon my mood. I'd say the Dalai Lama just to hear him laughing in person but honestly, after a long weekend parenting a wild Cowgirl I would do better to sit at the feet of Anne Lamott and listen to her stories about mothering, mishaps, faith and courage.

10. What was one of the best moments in my life?
Lying in my hotel bed in China with Cowgirl on my lap. It was probably day 3 or 4 into our adoption trip and she was gazing at my face with such love and wonderment, and then she reached up and carefully patted my cheek with The Smile to end all smiles. In that moment, I realized we both were falling in love. Just thinking about this moment makes me feel all squishy, warm, and soft inside.

From Faerwillow:

1. If I had one chance ... would I go back in time for the day or into the future?
Well, as a fan of the t.v. show Flash Forward I'm not so sure about seeing my future! Assuming I can go back and time and not effect my future (or is it present?) self I would go back in time. If I could know then what I know now, I would go back to our first day with Cowgirl so I could really savor all the details. It was an exciting but stressful day and I would love to relive it from a more relaxed and aware perspective.

I would also love to go back to a day the husband and I hiked around the Cinque Terre in Italy and this time I would bring a bathing suit!

2. What is a favorite childhood memory?
Traveling with my godmother and her family to their farm in New Brunswick, Canada for our Thanksgiving break. I have one brother so her family of 3 daughters plus 2 collies was a chaotic joyride for me. We went into the woods to cut down a holiday tree, baked pies, performed made up plays and had marathon session card games where the rules were always changing. Boisterous, silly, creative and loving - that was my godmother.

4. What is one of my favorite songs and why? "Here Comes the Sun." I loved the Beatles as a kid and I still do. I saw Yellow Submarine in the movie theater with my baby sitter, Martha Mack and I stole all the early Beatles albums from my older brother. This song always puts me in my happy space.

5. What did I want to be when I grew up and did that dream become my reality?
I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized I would have a hard time if/when an animal died. Deep down inside, I think I wanted to be an artist, but lacked the confidence to voice that dream. I am now redefining what I believe constitutes an artist and am excited to say "Yes" my reality right now encompasses the seed of that dream.

6. What is the most spontaneous thing I've ever done?
Cut short a trip in Greece with a girl friend to fly over to Italy for a boy (who turned out to be just a friend, but it was a fantastic trip nonetheless.) Flying standby from Athens to Rome was quite an adrenaline rush. (There had been a few bomb threats back then and the little boy on the seat next to me was reciting what must have been a Catholic prayer - he was speaking very rapido Italian and crossing himself through the flight.)

9. Do I miss anyone?
We just finished watching The Pacific on HBO and my father served in the Pacific theater at the end of the war. I wish I could have watched this series with him to hear his stories, his reactions. I wish my father could have seen me as a mother. I wish he could have known Cowgirl.

And now I get to pass this award on to some bloggers I would love to learn more about!

Julie - Julie Unplugged (a childhood friend and amazing poet who I found via blogging!)

Amanda - Persistent Green (one of the creative lovelies in Art Journal Love Letters with me)

Gina - Here and Now (a fellow wishcaster whose creative wings are unfolding before my eyes)

Kate - The Queen of Creativity (another wishcaster and her blog name suits her perfectly!)

Megula - Beyond Vision (wonderful photographs and inspiration!)
Beverley - Bunny's Girl (how many groups are we in together? a fellow Artistic Mother participant, wishcaster and explorer of many media!)

my recipients and their questions:

1. Do you have a special gift and what is it?

2. What would your perfect day consist of?

3. Who do you miss and what do you wish you could say to them?

4. Do you have a recurring dream and what is it about?

5. Who inspired you as a child? Do they inspire you today?

6. How do you hope you will be remembered?

7. Is there a moment or an event you wish you could do over and why?

8. What artwork would you like to own?

9. If you could have any talent, what would it be?

10. Describe the best meal you ever had (or perhaps your dream meal) and who was with you (or would be with you?)