Seek joy...

 

I read this a long time ago:

"Life will bring you pain all by itself.
Your responsibility is to create joy."

It was the beginning of my quest to find the joy in life, to create my own joy.  I ditched the word "happy", because happy is fleeting; You can be a joyful person all the time though.  I AM JOYFUL.  There is power in knowing that.  I *am* a joyful person though...I'm almost positive most people who know me would agree with this statement. 

Joy is something that is there even with suffering...when you are at the hospital grieving for a loved one, there could be a good cup of coffee that just sits well with you...the kind of hot steaming coffee that is a brief respite from what is happening.  These moments are *everywhere*....open up...look around...pay attention. 

I try to live like this daily.  This has been said before, but I really can pop out of bed on a groggy day just for something simple like knowing I have a good tomato to make a sandwich out of for lunch.  A new strand of beads  that I haven't used yet can send me into a whirlwind of activity and excitement.  I like the here and now.  I like what I can see, touch, smell, hear, taste.  I love things that excite my senses...I seek these moments out..and if they aren't there, I will create them.  

When life seems too big...too monumental....too daunting....I look to my senses to ground me.  They KNOW joy....they know joy because they have known suffering, so just like me, they pay attention when the joy comes screeching in...or breezing in as if it was always there.  Work at it....joy doesn't come easy;  but the more you practice seeking it, the more it shows up in your life.

random thoughts...

Random thoughts...

I woke up this morning saying "sun salutation!"....it made me giggle.  I don't remember the dream I was having, so it makes it all the more funny that i woke up saying it. 

My grocery lists are now made on my iphone instead of scraps of paper.  There is no satisfaction though scratching an item off when I add it to the grocery cart.  On the plus side, I am usually fussing at myself because I bring the list but forget to bring a pen,  so this moment is non-existent now....but then so are the satisfying thrills of crossing something off my list. 

I plan things but then usually dread them.  I don't dread the actual *things* or events...but I dread the preparation of them.  I truly believe getting rid of more possessions will eliminate this dread immensely. 

When it's sunny outside, I could sit and stare out at it forever...I become dazed and hypnotized by nature.
I am at peace and content in those moments.  It all seems to make sense.

a truth ~  i am writing this list instead of heading to the post office.

what matters....

What do I seek? 
What does anyone seek?

We are individuals that make up a collective whole....so in general, we must strive for the same things.  Peace of mind?  Stress free lives?  Love. I don't need a question mark for that one...that one I know.  More laughter? Creative freedom? *What* do we strive for every day?  Do we lose sight of it from time to time?  Do we get lost in the whirlwind of a day to day job?...of making breakfast, getting kids to school, helping with homework, fixing the car, calling the plumber, mending buttons that are loose, brushing our teeth, changing the sheets, and doing the laundry.  You see, it's easy to get lost in all that mix;  BUT isn't life IN THAT MIX....isn't that where we find those moments? Isn't it about nurturing ourselves and those we love? 

Take for example someone who doesn't have anyone...or someone who has lost a spouse, a child, a best friend, a mom or dad....wouldn't they give anything just to have those moments where making breakfast, brushing teeth, and changing the laundry were something of a nuisance instead of those moments that made life painful....those seemingly meaningless tasks that just magnify their heartache, grief, or loneliness.  We all know what that is like...we all know.   Not one of us has escaped heartache. 

My heart is heavy these days...it isn't debilitating..even though sometimes we think it should be.  Life goes on.  We lose ones we love.  Those we love hurt us by hurting themselves.  Dear friends are in depths of pain that I can't imagine, and don't want to.  We see family or friends who are stuck. stagnant. stifled by their own shadows.   ...and then we see our own selves....whatever our issues may be.  So, what do we do?  Most of us carry on...keep doing what we have to do.  In the best case scenario, we can still find joy in those little moments...getting the kids to school (having your child turn around and smile), helping with homework (being reminded your kids still need you), changing the sheets (the whiff of that fresh clean laundry scent).  IT ALL MATTERS.  What we do *every* *single* *day* matters.  WE MATTER...and isn't that *IT* right there? We all want to MATTER...and we do. We want our lives to matter...and they do...no matter if we are in the pits of despair, or in the throws of joy and love. 

the road less traveled....

....I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~robert frost

mother of all releasings ceremony...

Mother of All Releasings Ceremony: Winter Solstice, 2012 from Pixie Campbell on Vimeo.

LET GO LET GO LET GO....

Stop collaborate and listen

Take time to stop and smell the roses...

What I understand now...

When you realize ...and I mean REALLY realize you have just one time to live THIS life...learning to let go becomes easier...the journey to understanding this isn't as easy to come by though. Once you know though, there is no turning back....

The road...

The end is nothing; the road is all. ~Willa Cather

There you have it...

Create your own sunshine. Make sure to look up. Breathe in fresh air as much as possible.

bursting forth....

i told myself i wouldn't post again in this blog until i had something to say; that i wouldn't post just to post, but i wanted the words to rise up in me like they have been known to do from time to time. words do that you know.

sitting here, peering out the windows at the gloomy cold day outside....the lake water is rippling, no breeze that i can see, and everything is covered with moisture....a bit how i feel these days. waiting on spring...yes, already. waiting on a warm breeze to fill me up...make me whole again. i never feel whole in the cold months. i feel myself shrinking ...i'm not fully myself until daffodils, tulips, narcissus break the ground and give way to warmer days...lighter days....days filled with hope of things to come.

...and so i have learned, only this year, to use these cold months to prepare....to till the ground so to speak...to do the work, so in warmth i can run free, wild, unencumbered to a degree....

on so many levels the work has already started....i actually feel like spring, or the feeling of spring, will burst forth in 2012 early...i know i will.

Everyday life

being mindful....

So,  here we are ALREADY in November.  Leaves are changing colors, mornings are a lot cooler,  and my stomach is beginning to rumble at the thought of all the holiday food!!  mmmmmm.    Food is the only reason I can tolerate and accept winter time.  

Since I came back from the Outer Banks trip, I have been more mindful and conscious of how I spend my days.  Instead of stressing or working non stop, I have taken more walks, played backgammon, started reading more books, sat outside just for the pure pleasure of basking in the sun, talked on the phone to dear friends more,  took random trips to Athens for the pleasure of an old friend's company.   I tried to find that kind of balance before, but it seemed impossible to do before this trip.  Now I see how necessary it is.  Life is more than work and money and "getting everything done"........it's also dance parties, playing in the sand, gabbing with friends on a bed, taking leisurely walks because the day is nice, it's impromptu fire building on a cool, crisp night,  it's so so so much more.   I did these things before, but not without guilt...that nagging feeling of "i should be doing this or that instead"......booohisssss on that nagging A-hole feeling!

So, yet again, I am faced with the hard task of repricing my crafty work.......part of this balance also comes a knowing that I have to look hard at the facts.......I don't price or value my time or work enough to even find balance.  How can I have dance parties, play in the sand, hang out with friends, take trips to the Outer Banks when I have to work all the time because I am underselling myself? 
Since I can't seem to figure it out on my own, or stick to an idea that works, I have been reading articles online that make sense to me.....this stuck out in my head BIGTIME -


Making money should be beautiful. Making money should be liberating, fortifying, and joyous. Making money isn’t what defines you but it shouldn’t be bewildering either.

I recommend reading some of Tara Gentile's articles...or go buy her book (you can set your own price to buy it).  I have already learned a lot.....and I will continue reading until the daggum concept settles into my bones.....because I really really do love making things....I love creating.  All this time I thought I just wasn't doing or making the right things.....now I know I just didn't have the right relationship with Money and MAKING IT. 

(so, enough of the business/money talk.....I just had to get that out there, because it has been on my mind since I got home from my trips, plus I wanted to give a shout out to who I have been reading lately)

The day is starting and I need another cup of coffee..........hope everyone is enjoying this Fall weather!

moving mountains...

still processing this past week at Serendipity Retreat.   i am moved, shifted, lifted up, released, cracked open a bit, expanded, closer to my truth...............the words are endless.  

i jokingly said to a few of the women "who was i before this week?.....did i even exist?"............but there is a lot of truth to that.   how have i survived without that kind of connection....that energy.....that space to just be all that i am...and a space that sets you up to discover more.   those sorts of moments move mountains.   i am forever changed by these women.

5 things i can't resist...

Sunset through..., originally uploaded by Steffe.

there are some things that my body just can't seem to resist if you ask me if i want to partake in something.....

1. water - i can't get enough...i will always be happy to drink more

2. bbq chips - i mean seriously?...c'mon now.

3. tomatoes....or anything with tomato as the focal point....sandwich, bruschetta

4. BACON....who doesn't know that about me yet? i will snatch the last piece of bacon off of any plate.

5. if you have hidden valley ranch dressing and something to dip in it...i'm good. i will stay until it's gone.

so there is my info for the day. i've been busy working working working. how do i acquire SOOOOO many beads??? oh yeah, cause i can't seem to resist them either. obviously.

i'm headed to the dreaded post office, and to to the grocery store to get, yes you guessed it, bbq chips, bacon, tomatoes, and who cares about all the rest of the groceries. i even dreamed about buying bacon last night. what was i thinking not eating meat!?

Eating

Eating donut, originally uploaded by Vivian An.

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

tomato sandwich

tomato sandwich, originally uploaded by inklore.

i mean seriously...does it get any better than a fresh tomato sandwich? i think not. add some bbq chips and sweet tea in a mason jar and you have my version of bliss.

listing listing listing....that is what i have been doing on etsy today. i have more long bohemian necklaces in the shop. i have had way more fun making these than the gazillion earrings i've made. i think if i do stay on the path of jewelry for a bit longer that i will focus more on these necklaces. i have had so much fun layering and picking and choosing which ones to wear on a daily basis....which colors, which length, which shape....plus, i'm the simple kind of girl that likes just throwing it over my head on the way out the door...or vice versa.......i hate messing with clasps and closures. ....and i REALLY hate when they fall to the front of your neck and is made visible. ugh. it's always been a big pet peeve of mine.

so, onto to other things. have you heard about Serendipity Retreat yet? if you haven't go check it out. if all goes as planned then i will be headed there in less than two weeks time.

as for other news, i don't recommend drinking the balsamic vinegar/tomato/etc juice leftover from making bruschetta. trust me on this, don't do it. it may seem like a good idea at the time, but it's not.

gratitude list....

Blackberries, originally uploaded by Marshed.

gratitude list today: hot coffee, sunshine, world's biggest summit, working from home, homemade blackberry jam

what is your gratitude list?

breaking open...

open the window, originally uploaded by fragglerawker_03.

“I tell you this
to break your heart,
by which I mean only
that it break open and never close again
to the rest of the world.”

~mary oliver

things on my mind....

habits....

Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken., originally uploaded by Madame~El.

i am starting a 21 day plan....schedule...habits....whatever you want to call it.

it consists of basic things, things i intend on doing everyday but i forget. so i have a schedule for myself. things as simple as start your day of with a big glass of water instead of coffee or wash your face are on it. also, don't start your computer or get online for an hour after you wake up are on it.

all it takes are simple changes. i am inspired these days to make small changes....although my no-meat challenge isn't that small. last night i almost broke down....all i kept saying was "i'm so going somewhere and getting a big ole' juicy steak". today i woke up and felt stronger....i will continue on with it as long as my body feels able to.

i'm still feeling pulled, more and more as each day passes, towards more simplicity. less making things, and more earthy, grounded, back to the basics kind of pursuits. i like simplicity and i'm finally okay with accepting that.

p.s.  go look at this ridiculously yummy recipe - Black Bean Patties with Avocado and Tomato Salsa

and we'll be swinging....

Tire Swing, originally uploaded by AlysonUnAverage.

random thoughts....

~still not eating meat. this is proving harder than i thought....ESPECIALLY when i dream about freezers full of meat every night.

~not buying any more jewelry supplies has proved to be very freeing and making me feel at peace.......also clearing out the Etsy shop is also proving to be freeing and making me feel that much more headed in the right direction. time for change.

~open windows and doors keeps me from feeling boxed in while i'm indoors. i'm just not an indoor kind of girl.

~it turns out 3 pillows are just right....what was i thinking with using 5??? oh silly me.

~how does one get over their bacon cravings? you tell me this and i will think you are genius.

here ya go stomach...i'm all yours....

Vegetables, originally uploaded by kamomebird (very busy).

FACT: i spend most of my time thinking about my stomach. growing up and even into recent years i have worried about what i eat and how it will affect my stomach / body. actually i take that back....when i was younger i didn't worry about it.....so in turn i always had stomach aches.....ALWAYS. eventually i learned i had to pay attention to what i was consuming.....i learned what not to eat when....i could drink milk but not first thing in the morning or on an empty stomach...and only one glass, any more would surely send my stomach into knots and twists and make me feel ill. sweet tea was a no-no unless i was eating a meal...then no more after the meal was done. it's pretty ridiculous. no spicy foods at all.....my tummy can not take the heat. one bite is all it takes. ...and so the story goes ....

for no apparent reason my stomach still turns at various things....but i'm learning the more earthy and natural, the better. stick with vegetables, fruits, and simplicity and i'm good. so begins my food journey into vegan and vegetarian recipes. my goal is vegan, but realistically vegetarian is where i can find common ground with the part of me that craves bacon almost constantly.....errrr constantly.

i am of the southern variety, so flavoring with bacon is a staple.....so this will be hard habit to change. i start a lot of meals off with sizzling some turkey bacon and garlic and then the rest of the meal begins.... not *always*, but a lot of the time bacon is a staple ingredient in my meals. (and don't even get me started with cheese)

i'm headed to the farmers market today to grab up some goodies and we'll start this journey. i feel like i need a life coach whispering sweet nothings into my ear "your stomach will thank you, your stomach will thank you, your stomach will thank you
.......in reality, my organs/skin/arteries/mood/energy level/etc will all be thanking me.......but it's too soon to take a bow and congratulate myself now.....but don't you worry, i am already practicing my acceptance speech.

what makes me happy....

Happy Kids Kites, originally uploaded by ►CubaGallery.

what is making me happy this morning.....

~coffee with some cinnamon sprinkled in it and french vanilla sugar free creamer

~waking up and immediately playing Southern Culture on the Skids music......if you don't get happy listening to them, then you should start questioning your judgement about everything.

~cooler temps which means open windows and doors!!!

~cooler temps which means building a fire outside this evening and roasting marshmallows!!

~a call from my grandmother to tell me she loves me and to see how i was doing :) sweet sweet woman.

i want.....

Greenhouse @ Noordwijk, originally uploaded by wot nxt.

i want to live in a greenhouse. with grass, lamps, a kitchen, flowers-herbs-plants as my decor, and a bed. that's what i want.

i made this yummy slow cooker steel cut oats, apples, cinnamon, walnuts, cranberries breakfast.....put it on last night and ate it this morning. mmm. simplicity.

also, this is on my list of things to do.  I love these girls and Andrea Scher is someone who inspired me to follow my creative path oh so many years ago.   Dream Big with the Mondo Beyondo class .

for your listening pleasure!

what's on my mind....

Live Simple, originally uploaded by Katie@!.

1. sometimes it's easier to wash the dishes by hand than fool with the dishwasher.

2. i'm thinking about not cooking with meat at all for two weeks.....(two weeks is more of a realistic goal)

3. has come to the conclusion that there isn't anything much better than a garden tomato sandwich

4. slicing vegetables and fruits is by far one of the most calming and fulfilling things i do on a regular basis

5. i LOVE water and think it's odd when people say they don't.

what's inspiring me these days...

what's inspiring me these days...

1. this blog entry by Becoming Minimalist 

2. always Pixie Campbell ...  go check out her Soulodge class....fall session starts soon, don't miss out!

3.  Pinterest .....oh me oh my.  it's a visual journal of sorts.

4.  cooking, cooking, cooking.....i have experimented with a gazillion new recipes.  yes, a GAZILLION.  i love adding to my list the ones that i just know i will be making again and again.  this "list" is getting longer.  a major source of contentment and bliss.

what's been inspiring you?

Cougar

Cougar, originally uploaded by kokesch.

feeling the call of the wild......in so many ways.

a new year....

peace necklace, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

august 5th was my birthday. well it *is* my birthday...but 3 days ago i started my 33rd year. i've been thinking about how the start of a new year of being alive is always more significant to me than new year's eve/day. i always seem to make a lot of changes every year around my birthday....i never paid attention to the timing of all these changes until this year. it makes sense now. this year is no different....lots of changes are under way....

starting new adventures...exploration.....it all feels set in motion....like one of those moving walkways at the airport. the wheels are in motion...the rest is up to me.

the world spins madly on

the world spins madly on earrings, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

i read a recent etsy featured seller interview that the guy goes by the 12 x 12 method of working. creating 12 items by 12 noon. i have adopted it. i get up, drink coffee, start making items and listing them on etsy until noon....then i eat lunch, and do all the other random stuff that needs to get done. i love the simplicity of this work method. so yesterday and today i have listed 25 items in the shop :) go have a look, it's all on sale. hurray, holla, word!

balance...

june 17 sunset, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

i am trying to find balance in my life. i have now set a work schedule that i want to abide by in order to do the stuff i want to do....simple things like yard work, watch a movie, go pick blackberries, hang out with friends, paint my nails, read a book, give more solid time for learning a new language..or a new instrument...etc....

i always feel like i have to work work work to make money....and if enough isn't coming in i work even more. i can't live that life anymore. i have to give my life room....i have to give *myself* room to roam about, discover new interests or to pursue the things i want more experience in.

i took a weekend off of facebook and the internet in order to regain some perspective. if i am not working in the shop, i refuse to give any extra time that i actually do have to facebook. that isn't life. for right now i am not deactivating my facebook account....i do like it for staying connected...but i will not be logged on all the time like i have been. when i'm working, i will be working....when i'm playing, i will be playing.....no more multi-tasking constantly. it doesn't give me a sense of calm.

my weekend was spent cooking really yummy meals, hanging out with friends, playing games, throwing out wildflower seeds anywhere i could, watching some of the first season of Brothers and Sisters on netflix, i organized the kitchen cabinets, rearranged and created a new look... the list goes on and on. i was really really happy. i even enjoyed the rainy stormy weather.

right now i am going through some of my stuff that has been packed up that i intended on keeping....but with all this 'letting go' i feel like i am quite ready to release even more.

i am looking forward to some changes....

Release to Party

Release to Party, originally uploaded by Steve Hopson.

so, my word of the 2011 year started out being Release....which i haven't been doing enough of.......it was supposed to be release and emerge, with the emerge part coming into play the 2nd part of the year....but here i am still in the release part of it.
this week has changed some things...not sure why. maybe it isn't even "this week"...it's just this week that it's all shifted into place.

i am finally willing to release some of the crafty stuff i have. supplies that i don't use must go...even if i might use it one day. i don't use it enough to keep it. truth is, i WANT to get back to a simple way of creating and doing things. i am tired of being a consumer.....i am tired of having things...even supplies. i never thought i would get to that point. even my idea of being creative has shifted and changed.

what has become important to me isn't what i ever thought would. not that it wasn't a love before....it's just become a source of peace and deep joy for me now....cooking, slicing, dicing veggies, starting seeds, gardening, planting, taking photos.............

the things that have shifted and either fizzled away or have gotten placed way in the back of priorities have been having things....all these things i have accumulated to put in a home....the things i have that "organize", a ton of clothes/shoes, ridiculous amounts of kitchenware to throw these dinner parties that i haven't thrown in years. even the desire of having a house has changed.....maybe it's because my attachment to things and wanting things has slowly faded, and now needing a place to have all this isn't as important anymore. don't get me wrong, i still want a nook that i can have things i love......but my idea of this has changed.
what was important a few years ago was having the perfect plates, cups, serving trays ...the things needed to create a festive environment.....this has become not as important, rather it's focusing on having the great guests ....surrounding myself with good people, good music, good food.....

i have learned to focus on the substance on life, rather than the package...if that makes sense.

anyway, this is where i am right now......and i like it.

acceptance.

early morning lake day, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

acceptance.

hopefully at some point we begin to accept who we are, what we look like.....and cast away all that we will never be....we accept what we think are our "flaws"...and then we can begin to get on with life.
things i've started to accept....
i will never have a small nose. hehe. i have the nose i have.....move on.
my skin will never be perfectly clear....i might not have perfect skin, but i do have thick full hair that i should be happy for....but honestly, who cares right?.....
in younger years i would look at a mirror and see what i didn't like.....of course i would also see what i did, but more often than not, i saw what i thought were my flaws. i still do....especially getting older.....
i'm learning to be gentle with myself. My thoughts aren't with outside appearance anymore....it's in the real stuff...."how kind was i today?....did i laugh?....how can i bring more joy into my life and others?...."

More often than not though, the mirror doesn't see my face that much anymore. I just am who I am. What a waste of time it is to wish you had someone else's features instead of your own.

If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.
- Johann von Goethe

hour of new clarity...

jasper stone ring, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

"You must give birth to your images. They are the future waiting to be born. Fear not the strangeness you feel. The future must enter you long before it happens. Just wait for the birth, for the the hour of the new clarity."
— Rainer Maria Rilke

clarity...this elusive thing in my life. the more i simplify the more clear i get on what i DON'T want in life....
i'm conflicted. i want this, i want that. i want to be here, i want to be there.
what i do know is that i want to begin again. let go of what was....

i'm having a big sale in the shop right now....marked down tons of earrings and necklaces. i need that release. i need to let go of stuff. i need to move this stuff on so i can see what it is i want now.....what i want to create with my life......to see what happens now.

enjoy life NOW.

just dance earrings, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

life isn't some distant far off place that you're waiting for....it's NOW. don't put off joy, or having fun, or trying out new things because you are waiting on "something more".....

i got asked the other day ...."what are you doing? what are you doing with your life?"....well....i've living it. it's happening now. i'm not going to put off things, or pretend that it's not happening now...we don't get endless amounts of time. if we don't make the best of where we are at now then we lose so many opportunities to grow, embrace joy, to live in the present.

one of the secrets of life is to realize that you ARE living your life....as it is happening. it isn't something you are waiting on...it's right here. it's all up to you what you choose to do with that. so make the best of where you are....anywhere you are....even if it's not where you exactly want to be...it is what your life is at the moment...might as well enjoy what you can, while you can. it all matters.

bliss.

i'm in search for more bliss.  forgiveness.  acceptance.  love. more smiles. laughter that makes my tummy and cheeks hurt.  breezes that tousle my hair.  trees to climb.  creeks to wade in.  pastures to run in. fences to climb over.  opens roads begging to be discovered.  adventures...big and small. 


what are you searching for?

more more more.

sunset, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

~we live but a fraction of our life. why do we not let in the flood, raise the gates, and set all our wheels in motion?~ Thoreau

what i want to do....
give away more, to let more of Life in....
more color.....more love....more music....i NEED to make more room for my soul to grow. the roots of who i am are stifled....root bound........
i'm freakin' breaking the pot wide open.

HOPE

HOPE, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

thought of the day....or more like question of the week....

How does one and others identify us without all the things that we express ourselves with?.....clothes, home decor, car, jewelry, everything......

What happens when we give away the material possessions that "express" who we are?...........

Would this act free us to become who we want to be?...who we have become since acquiring some of these possessions.....

these are thoughts running through my mind.....

expression is good........but when it is only expressed through material possessions....well that can't be good can it?

needs....

the start of rock garden area.., originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

what i'm learning about my needs....

i need....

sunshine. warm air. windows open if i'm inside. music that fits my mood. to always be learning a new skill or else i'll go mad. chapstick on hand at all times. calm vibes around me. fluffy pillows. lotion. sweet tea. coconut popsicles. flip flops. okay...maybe i don't NEED all of those things....but they make me happy.

open sky and i'd rathers....

open sky, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

i'd rather ...

drink out of recycled jelly jars than store bought glasses...

be planted a field of flowers than be given a vase full of roses....

jump in a river rather than a pool....

endure the heat with the windows rolled down than turn on the a/c...

have a picnic outside, than eat in a fancy restaurant...

sing poorly than not sing at all....

and the list goes on....

field of flowers

field of flowers, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

nature....where my heart and soul exist.....

always be learning something new....

love is a madman ring, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

with the concept of always having a project in the works (a learning one)....my month of May project is to learn a French phrase/word everyday....i'm taping words of common everyday objects up all over the house in order to learn the french word for them...etc.
Do you have a May project?

a week to remember...

turquoise copper ring, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

this has been a great week so far......

1. langhorne slim show in atlanta

2. making new rings which i'm obsessed with right now, and will be in the etsy shop soon.

3. lots of dancing....which is good all around

4. sun on my skin

5. swimsuit season

6. sit-ups, dancing, etc has started the process of getting back in shape.

really good week.

what i think....

we should be outside more. inhaling fresh air.  absorbing the sunshine.  hearing crickets, birds chirping, waves crashing, streams streaming....all of nature doing what it does best....keeping us alive.  where would we be without it? 

i love...

i love....

color...
the sun...
gypsy jazz...
ray lamontagne...
glitter in random places....
oddities and eccentricities....

what do you love?

little ditty....

give me summer, give me the sea....give me the space to just be me......

dance it out....

sunset on the lake, originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

it's amazing how you feel when you dance it out no matter what.....even when you don't feel like it, and even when you yourself roll your eyes at the idea, and it feels stupid and absurd......but you do it anyway, cause you care about yourself and want to feel better...to feel free.......to feel silly and smile at the absurdity that dancing it out *REALLY* works......if even for a minute.

so what are you waiting for?.....

experiment....

So far this year has been about experimenting...playing around with new ideas, tools, expanding and broadening my horizons.  It's calm, just as I like things these days. 

You wonder, when you do new things, why you put it off so long........

Expect a lot more from me this year...because that is what i expect out of myself. :)

grateful...

grateful..., originally uploaded by My Soul Can Dance.

i refuse to complain about anything today. i can walk outside without fear of radiation/cancer. i don't feel aftershocks as big as earthquakes. my loved ones are accounted for. i am warm, inside, clothed, fed, clean water. this is all i need, and i am grateful.

happy

Happy Furry Friday :), originally uploaded by meg price.

it's only when i try to be serious that i lose my focus....

*must remember this*

less is more....

Yellow_Fields_MG_5343, originally uploaded by IdahoScenicImages.

less inside, more outside.

less stuff, more play.

less hibernating, more exploring.