Have Fun Sweet Boy! (and TGIF)

We leave for vacation in a few hours and while I pray for long, lazy, unaccounted chunks of time in which to unwind, right now I am a mess. But I am remembering to breathe, to acknowledge these feelings and know they will soon drift by like big, fluffy clouds.

Today I am Trusting: the wonderful people who will be caring for Moose at doggy camp (that's what I'm telling Cowgirl; it is a small, family run dog day care/kennel on a nearby farm). I went to drop Moose off and the owners reassured me he will have a wonderful time and they were insistent I take off and have fun. They obviously are familiar with helicopter dog owners! And yes, I did leave him with an old t-shirt I had been wearing for 2 weeks ... hopefully, he will smell me and understand I will be back.

I am Grateful for my life that allows us the money and the time to travel. This will be Cowgirl's 3rd beach holiday. I maintain 1 week a year at the seaside is a right of every child. The husband doesn't agree, he says it's a privilege. Well, I am grateful we are so privileged and I will teach Cowgirl never to take these things for granted.

I am Inspired by ... wow ... SO MUCH. I am loving the SARK writing workshop and have been madly making my tags for 52Q project. I have a bunch of blank ones packed away along with paints, markers, glue stick and colored pencils. I hope to use all that free time for small projects. Yeah, I know ... hopefully I will be dozing on the beach, just dreaming of all this creativity.

Happy days ...

I miss you already sweet Moosie boy ... sniff sniff ... maybe I'll write you an ode on the plane ride out ...

Day 2 of SARK - Another Poem?!

Possibility

Possibility dances into my life.

She has wild, flowing hair

Sparkling with jeweled barrettes

and strands of gray that hint of many adventures lived.

Her clothes are soft, unfitted, allowing for fluid movement.

She wears the colors of the earth and sky

so as to blend in with the World she is so comfortably a part of.

Her skin is freckled with the many angel kisses

she so willingly receives.

Her smile is sunlight upon my skin.

Her dark eyes penetrate deep within me,

Seeing all that I am

and the All that I might become.

She lives in Flow and her actions

Sparkle with the effervescence

that is life bubbling up

unencumbered, unplanned, unprodded,

accepted, trusted,

And cherished.

As she twirls by me,

She leans in

and sings into my ear.

I can barely catch the words,

and the tune, while unknown

Rings familiar to my soul.

“Dance

and be the dance.

Sing

and be the song.

Grow

and just be

You.

Dream

and welcome

All your heart’s dreams.”

I think I've fallen down the Rabbit Hole

So, here's the truth: I think I have a little problem and it is morphing into something pretty gia-normous. You see, it all started with an art camp ecourse with McCabe which enabled my - ahem - addiction for all things arty like paints, papers, brayers, stamps, brushes and inks. (Oh, there's more I'm not telling you!) A seemingly innocent class designed to empower Cowgirl through art has shifted into a fascination on my part with art journals and for lack of a more politically correct term, scrap booking. Oh yeah baby, I took a little 10 day e-class on creative scrapbooking which opened up another can of worms.

This would be enough, but no, I was not satisfied. My cravings intensified and I needed more! Much like Victor Hugo on a caffeine binge chewing coffee grounds (bet you didn't know that was where caffeine addiction can lead you!), I had to sign up for more classes, filling up my notepad with more projects. Well, I've written about the Unravelling course which jump started my love of journaling and photography (translate: more how-to books, new camera, new found love of Moleskine journals) and now I've hitched my wagon to 365 days of photographing myself along with 29 equally crazed and inspired women who are suggesting other subjects to photograph!

In a sleep deprived state, I found out about this humble little challenge called 52Q which has you make a tag/card collage/journal response to a question a week. Participants can post pictures of their work in a Flickr photo pool. It is pretty inspiring stuff and of course Emily's Blog has tossed me into a whirlpool of scrap booking ideas/projects. I haven't officially signed up (joined the Flickr group) but I did run out and purchase large shipping tags to use for my responses.

So, are you slumped back in your seat, exhausted from all this mania? But wait - there's more! I'm not sure how this happened - can I say I was on a Modgepodge fume induced bender? - but I just signed up for Juicy Journaling with SARK a 30 day course. Oh yeah, sure they all say you can go at your own pace, but if I don't stay on top of things, I will be buried alive under all these enriching activities.

Okay, so besides Paypal loving me (I just check my limits to make sure I hadn't busted anything) I have to say, I am having a blast! Yeah, I do have that giddy, sitting on the edge of my seat I am so excited but nervously overwhelmed feeling like the roller coaster is just pulling out from the station and the metal bar slapped down upon my lap and how did I get here? Or maybe it is just I've been creatively cramped for so long, getting out and stretching feels a little uncomfortable and scary, but how can I not experience this ride for myself?

But here is what I wrote today, in response to the first writing exercise. I love poetry, but I do not write it. So forgive any errors in form ... but I am pleased with my little poem. Be gentle, she is a newborn.

Gorgeous Moments

Dried salt air upon my skin

A warm summer day and I am sticky and drowsy with sun and play.

Cooled by creek water over hot toes,

Spicy smell of pine in the air reviving me,

Like that first sip of hot coffee in the early morning.

My soul is soothed like the sun dipping down into the ocean at sunset.

Above me, a flock of geese flap by, their wings fanning my senses.

I am reminded it is time to turn homeward.

Dinner needs to be cooked, creating new smells

Signaling nourishment and pleasure and satisfaction.

The evening’s close will find my head upon the pillow,

Scents of perfume from previous nights lingering

Calling me into a dream world of jasmine, rose, and spice.

I pause on my way up, peeking in to see

My wild child, still at last upon her bed,

Arms flung out, as if finally releasing her day to the world.

You know you want to LIMBO!

Summertime = birthday parties. We had 3 in one week plus our zoo trip. Phew! It is like training for a marathon. This was by far the most colorful and fun party of the bunch. Come on ... I know you are just itchin' to limbo with us!

Here's my best shot for Monday.

Practice and Mothering ... Reminders

From Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali:

Practice and parenting should be as one and we need not compartmentalize one from the other. If your child cries when you are half way through your meditation, your concentration needs to flow smoothly and without resistance and mental comment to what is required of you in that moment: comforting your baby. The carry over of the practice is more important that the practice itself.

Okay, step one: start practicing ... again!

Step two: taking 2 daily tasks and making them into times for mindfulness practice. Can drinking wine be one choice? Okay, walking the dog and washing the dishes.

Want to join me? What will you choose as your mindfulness practice? Let me know how it goes. I would love some company along this path.

Summer Sun and TGIF

I had many profoundly wise and inspired things bubbling around in my brain that I wanted to write about, but a morning spent at the zoo on the hottest day of the month has leeched any coherent thoughts out of me. I've been thinking a lot about creativity: the need in all of us to find and express our unique voices as an act necessary to our well-being, much like breathing and eating. I am hoping to figure out a way to combine my studies and teaching of yoga with my newly rediscovered joy in making art - or more accurately stated, art play. But I will have let these ideas ferment a little longer before sharing them here.

Meanwhile, Cowgirl and I spent a busy morning at the zoo with a friend from her school and his sister. Three and a half hours, one train ride, merry go-round ride (today the animal of choice was a Big Rooster, replacing a rabbit and an ostrich as favored steeds), the bears, big cats, gorillas and lunch by the duck pond later, and we are spent. I don't need to go to a gym; I have my own 41 inch tall personal trainer and she is unrelenting!

My mother flew in yesterday and we are enjoying a long overdue visit. It has been a year since we've seen each other and it is fun to hear her describe the changes she sees in Cowgirl. We've been excited for this visit and Cowgirl thoughtfully "decorated" Amma's room with some of her animals and toys. She wrapped up a present, selected a few painted rocks and arranged all the throw pillows face down, so Amma would have a surprise when she turned them over. Children can be so me oriented, so I am doubly blown away when she does express such care and consideration.

Amidst all the activity, I am remembering to take time for the things that ground me. I may not be able to find the time to retreat to my yoga room, but I am committing to staying present to these precious moments. It's Friday, and that means TGIF!



Today I am trusting all the practice I have done in the past will sustain me in these next 2 weeks which will be crazy busy with my mom and then our trip back East. I've been craving the practices I used to have time for before Cowgirl, but I am trying to see this as a time to be more creative in what are opportunities for growth and understanding. I am listening to the book Buddhism for Mothers and so far it is just what I needed to hear. Am also eagerly awaiting Momma Zen and a book about art journaling from Amazon. Yum Yum, Books!

I am grateful for having my mother here at last and for all of us to be in good health and able to fully enjoy this time together.

I am inspired by the wildly creative, supportive, generous and playful women who are a part of the Unravelling 365 group recently formed after the ecourse. We are committing to a year of self portraits, some doing one a day, others one a week. Each time I dip into the photo pool, I am blown away by the bravery, honesty and beauty of these talented women. I am so grateful for their words of encouragement and for the genuine care and acceptance they express in their comments. A grueling task, photographing yourself on a regular basis and I am glad to know I will have this pack of wild women with me for the journey.

Now, go decorate your space with some favorite things!

Best Shot Monday - "Photo memento"

The theme for today's entry is an image that conjures up a meaningful memory or has a special story behind it. A challenge since my memory is not what it used to be! Mommy mind? Or hormones? Okay, another topic.

Meaningful for me these days is time spent in the company of good friends, free from to-do lists, activities and events that seem to be cluttering up our calendar. So no big story here ... but a great memory of a recent afternoon spent at the bookstore with a good friend and her daughter. The girls ran around giggling and being silly; hot chocolate and baked goodies were consumed; and the moms had some precious minutes to sit and talk. All the fixings of a good time. (The image I should have shot is of two adults huddled around a child sized table, deep in conversation and trying to ignore the wreckage building up around them. Two pairs of small hands and energetic legs can gather up quite a loot of books and toys in short order!)

And I am a sucker for little girl's rain boots. Aren't their knees just yummy? Don't you wish you could get away with such wild outfits? Stripes, hearts, polka dots ... everything one could love.