taking time to...

(Garden of the Gods-Co.)

*breathe

*commune with nature

*open up to life

*walk

*talk

*laugh

*step fully into this moment

*embrace beauty

*live with uncertainty

In between all of our settling in...we made time to ...just be. It has been so good for me to step away from the computer for a whole 4 days (!!!) but...I really missed being here:)

astonished

"are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect?
Let me keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,
which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished...
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,
which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy..."
                                              -Mary Oliver from the poem Messenger, Thirst

(from one of my art journal pages)

I have been feeling buried under the weight of years these past few days. And not in an entirely melancholy way either. But in a way that has me feeling both the sadness of things gone by and the wisdom of lessons learned.
In a way that is all at once colored by memories buried and created and made rich and worn with time. Do you ever feel that way? As I get older, I am realising how all we really have is the here and now...this moment. I am soaking into it. Deep.

                                                            (beautiful Ca. coast-today)
I woke up this morning and Summer has packed her bags and left...without even a goodbye. I am sad to see her go...even though I am eagerly awaiting Lady Fall with her brisk winds and leaves turning russet, orange, red, yellow...We went down to the harbor this morning for a short cruise and watched birds, sea lions and boats.

                                                     (watching sea lions off the coast)
Tara is such a nature lover.  She is especially interested in animals! I read her tons of books with animal themes and then try to show her real life examples. Then we paint and create them too!

                                             (a few books I am currently reading)
Immersing myself in words...tumbling off pages straight into my heart. Words thick and ripe...raw with heat and sorrow. I just started reading Naomi Shihab Nye and this book is an amazing compilation of her work.

be. here. now.

"Sometimes I need

only to stand

wherever I am
to be blessed."
                    - Mary Oliver (Evidence: Poems)

This is what my mantra is for the month...be here now. I want to soak into every single moment. relax and..rest. catch up on some summer reading. sip iced water. be wild. lay on the grass. wear shortie-short skirts. eat a poem for breakfast. walk in the ocean. feast on gratitude. play with my altered book goodies. laugh more. go to bed early. meditate.  slip into sensual. break open my heart...everyday. soak up the sun. dream impossible dreams. go barefoot as much as possible.  throw a certain amount of commonsense out the backdoor. bathe mySELF in kindness. love fully.

just. be.here.now.

simplicity

                                                        (Nataraja and rose petals)

"Everyday life is the prayer.
How we conduct it, cherish it,
celebrate it, consecrate it."

                                          ~Sarah Ban Breathnach

Sometimes...its so easy to get covered in the dust of life. You know...the everyday routines and to-do lists, the mundane and routine aspects of living a life. A very long time ago when I lived in an ashram (I am going to get around to writing about that one of these days) ...we developed a practice of mindfulness. The practice was to be completely in the moment, no matter what you were doing...washing dishes, sweeping a floor or peeling potatoes. To become one with the action and..the Universe, really. Well...when I left the ashram, I still tried to carry pockets of that practice with me into my everyday life. It's difficult. Lately...I have been feeling that I need to get back to simplicity. Less...stuff. More...life.  Tara's nursery is overflowing and...so much of my art stuff has found its way out of my studio and onto the kitchen table.  Things are feeling messy and cluttered and ...way too much. I am hoping for some...simplicity so I can focus on the important stuff; loving and creating and sunshine and roses. That kinda' stuff.

 

                                           (self portrait at 42-dancing red skirt + grass)

Giving in to our own rhythms

"What might my life be like were I to give in to the rhythms of my own ragged dance? Like this, I imagine, walking down the trail, past grapevines and winecups and huisache blooming in the sun. Just like this attentiveness, this pleasure, this being present to the world"
                                                                                                                   -Susan Hanson
I just came across this delicious poem in an old O mag (May 2009 issue) and I thought it perfect to start off the day. I hope you read it out loud, let it settle deep into your soul and work its magic all the way down to your toes! Here's to giving in to our own rhythms...our own dance! Happy day!