Saturday, June 29, 2013

contentment adventure


light

I went to see Before Midnight yesterday and while I'm sure there are as many interpretations of the movie as there are viewers (which is what I love about this trilogy) I was so struck by how unhappy the character Celine is. We've been listening for the feeling tone of conversation in my awesome MBSR class and for me there was no missing how lost Celine is. How much she's lost herself and her happiness. I knew the look on her face because I've seen it in the mirror, thankfully not for many years. But I intimately know the anger that comes from feeling like a trapped animal, fighting for its life and not knowing what that life is. I send a heart-felt prayer to everyone who finds themselves in that difficult place.

It's a place Michael Gates Gill knew intimately, too. The son of long-time New Yorker writer, Brendan Gill, graduate of Yale University and a creative director at a top advertising firm, Mike Gill was in his fifties when his life fell apart. He lost his job, his marriage ended after he had an affair and he got the woman pregnant, and he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Not knowing where to turn, he found himself accepting a job as a barista at Starbucks when he visited a store that happened to be having a job fair. His daughter recommended he keep a journal during this challenging time, which became the book How Starbucks Saved My Life. I just finished his follow-up book, How to Save Your Own Life, this week and the message of service, contentment, and simple enjoyment of life resonated really deeply with me. I'm so grateful to be in a place in my life where that is my story.

And I know this would make Julie Delpy roll her eyes, but I wish I could give Celine a copy...

Saturday, June 22, 2013

summer adventure


puppet festival

How time flies! On some level I can hardly believe July is almost here, and yet I am definitely feeling the internal shift from the burst of energy I always have at the beginning of the year to the ripeness of summer. I'm starting to want to prune back some of my plans and activities, to slow down and savor. As I've gotten more and more tuned in to how my body feels I am definitely feeling like less is more, plus I recently had an amazing reading with a wonderful astrologer, Debra Silverman, and am feeling more at home in my skin than I have maybe ever. Here's what I'm loving these days:

-my awesome kundalini yoga class
-the MBSR series that is coming close to wrapping up
-feeling present in my body thanks to Eckhart Tolle and Judith Blackstone
-delicious farm veggies and cheese thanks to Bugtussle and Little Seed farms
-fireflies, toads, and tree frogs
-Miles Davis thanks to my sweetie, who is the best personal DJ
-looking, listening, and losing myself inside this soft world

yellow

post rain

Sunday, June 16, 2013

fulfillment adventure


anniversary dinner

Sorry if I left you hanging back there! So much has happened and it's been busy again. The wonderful news on the school front is that I got in! I start classes on August 22 and I can't wait! The wonderful news on the love front is that Rodg and I celebrated our anniversary and our nephew got married all within a few days of each other. We went to Kansas for the wedding and it was so lovely to see dear family members. Rodg did a much better job at capturing all of it, so feel free to check out his photos here. Me, I was spacing out on weird little details, like I love to do.

color and light

While we were away I also had a chance to catch up on a little Netflix viewing and I highly recommend a couple of documentaries: Crazy Wisdom and With One Voice. Just the right thing at the right time. Also, this past week was Day 100 of my subscription to Jessica Swift's amazing 100 Days of Color. If you're looking to have some inspiration and beauty show up in your in-box every morning, you need to check this out.

I hope you all have a beautiful week!

Saturday, June 1, 2013

home adventure


dogwood

It's been so great to have some good time at home, even if it's also involved being at work a lot. Still, I was able to finally watch Searching for Sugar Man and of course totally loved it! Went right over to Amazon, bought the soundtrack, downloaded it to my iPod and have been grooving to it ever since. What a remarkable story and such dear souls!

The other big news of the week is that I got an interview for Pacifica! I found out just hours after visiting Cheekwood and seeing the totem animal of transformation - sister Snake. I'll continue to keep you posted...

snakey