THANKSGIVING EVERY DAY

 

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” Cicero

On the 1st of November we begin our annual tradition - creating a month filled to overflowing with daily thanks.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Melodie Beattie

Everyone who sets foot in our home has the opportunity to share a gratitude - large or small. A token of the many overlooked and underappreciated simple pleasures that we take for granted each and every moment. Why postpone the thanks and cram it all into one day Instead we choose to spend the entire month of November lavishing gratitude on those around us.

On Thanksgiving Day we pass the gratitude bowl around our table. Everyone pulls a thankful note and reads aloud the anonymous gratitudes we've gathered throughout the days of November. It's become one of our favorite and most cherished traditions!

This year I've chosen to let the gratitude swell behind our home and our small bowl. Each day I will post a gratitude to my Facebook status. I’m eager to watch the thankfulness I share grow and thrive.

Will you join me?

Post a single gratitude a day as your Facebook status…perhaps it will shift the direction of someone else’s post towards thankfulness. Gratitude is contagious!

” Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners   who make our souls blossom."
Marcel Proust

BELIEVE

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."
Toby Reynolds

"If you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true." <em>The Alchemist</em> Paulo Coelho

EQUINOX

 

Fall arrives today with its colorful crispness, its cornucopia of  richly harvested flavors, reminding us of the bounty we have to celebrate.

A certain sweet sadness arrives with Fall. The lingering warmth, the longer days. The changes draw our attention to the contrast of winter already on its way.

Rich gem colored tones of sunset and leaves, delicious baked-in, wood-smoke smells, audible crunch of leaves under foot, crafty exploration of All Hallows’ Eve costumes, earthy messiness  of pumpkin carving, sharing family traditions, founding new ones…

I am eagerly anticipating the glory of Fall! What do you look forward to?

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GARGLE

 

“Some people drink deeply from the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.” Bright, Grant M.

What an absolute pleasure to share an exchange with someone capable of synthesizing, applying and actively participating. A rich dialogue. A willingness to engage, to risk opinions, to gain understanding.

When was the last time you made time for such a conversation?

KNOWN

"Not being known doesn't stop the truth from being true." Richard Bach

Each one of us holds a great yearning to be known. An intrinsic desire to be completely absorbed by another. Not assimilated or even understood. Simply heard and accepted.

We must first know ourselves thoroughly in order to share this gift with another. And in the process of sharing our knowledge the reciprocal can occurs. This is not always the case, but the opportunity exists! Sometimes we are so eager in our own effort to be known and revealed that we neglect to allow the reverse to happen as it naturally will. Effortlessly.

How well do we know those around us? Do we hesitate to hold the conversations that will allow this knowledge to be shared? Is our priority in the knowing or the being known or in the process of this rich exchange?

Prerequisites. Is it necessary for us to be open to the point of being willing to know another as much as we know ourselves in order to be known? A willingness to know another deeply and at times utterly painfully. A shared experience that holds the possibility to be sublimely liberating and glorious.

What we choose to with do with this knowledge changes everything.

There is such rich opportunity in this uncharted territory. For forgiveness, acceptance and love to blossom and thrive.

Do you know what it's like to be truly known? And to know another?

INVOLUNTARY

 

“Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet.”
Alfred Lord Tennyson

Fascinating the involuntary response that is our body’s breath. The gentle, irresistible action that tugs and releases the air within us in and out of life each instant.

Without the least bit of help from us, this mysterious system defies our bidding, escalating with our emotions and triggering cascades of internal responses to which incapable of  granting either permission or disapproval. 

Beneath the surface our breath operates continuously. Only when we try to cage it, holding our breath in, silent, does it become fierce and noticeable.

Through each and every moment our breath accompanies us: silent, steadfast, loyal.

Yet while we rarely acknowledge its constant presence, breath is the only involuntary response over which we have any direct control. For what purpose I wonder?

With the practice of pranayama I have witnessed the direct correlation between breath, body and mind. My own serene stillness at the end of a series of long, deep, satisfying breaths or a series of Nadi Sodhanai . My restless energy fueled by Kapalabhati. The steady, open-mouthed chill of Shitali.

And the times when my breath is illusive, sharply reminding me of its own free will. The jagged roughness at the end of wind-sprints. The intensity of inhale corroborating with an unexpected touch or thought.

Gentle reminders that the breath is ours up to a point. The mystery remains regardless of what science can explain.

What is the quality of your breath in this very moment? It’s texture, length, taste, sound?

Subtle changes. What does our awareness shift in the qualities of our breath and the quality of our experience?

TRANSPARENCY

There is a glorious and highly valuable quality in transparency. A sublte, lost art.


The ability to roll down the tinted windows that we cruise through our daily lives safely, discretely hidden behind. Remove the mask and reveal the delicate, authentic truths that we so seldom find the appropriate time, person and space to share. A cherished glimpse of a rarely seen private collection of memories, stories, dreams.

Tact and selectivity serve real purpose in our daily lives. It is the truth that perhaps even now some share openly, honestly and completely innappropriately.

Then in the darkest hours or the quietest of places. Tucked in among intimate conversations. A perfect ratio of volume, temperature, proximity and company allow for candid, forthright revelations. A steady, articulate unveiling of truths and experiences. Liberation.

What a glorious, radiant thrill! The art of the timely reveal. As elegant and demure as the curve of skin from beneath cloth. Just a hint....

What would you unveil?

IN MY HANDS

If I could only hold this moment in my hands. I would bury it away. Secretly stored in a pocket. So that I could stumble across it many months from now and remember, instantly, the feeling of now.

Even the little time I've taken to think this thought has removed me just that much from this time, this feeling. Distance.

If I could only hold this moment in my hands...I might stockpile happy little memories, like a diligant fury creature busily hoarding treats for the cold winter months ahead.

I'd stash this one away and hope to pull it gently from the wash, tattered and softened, full of the scent of now.

Which moments would you tuck away for a rainy day?

MOM KNOWS BEST

via FrenchByDesign * on Pinterest

Love this! Thanks to pinterest.com and Holiday Matinee for the reminder.

LOVE GUIDES

Let love guide our choices. Not fear.

Each time I find myself thinking, "I'm afraid that..." I realize that I am allowing fear to influence my actions.

Someday, in the near or distant future, I will look back and wish I'd taken the risk.

How many times have you thought, I wish I had...

A healthy respect for the consequences of our actions and decisions is responsible.

Is a life lived without risk - of injury, of heartbreak, of failure - a life worth living?

I will fail, I will love and lose, I will stumble and hiccup and along the way I will live voraciously, love deeply and sincerely and live authentically. And all of this will smply pave the way for when I shine, I thrive and everything works out even better than I ever could have imagined.

Even with Mercury in retrograde, that day is here. That time is now.

What will you dare to risk?

UP

"You'll never find rainbows if you're looking down."
Charlie Chaplin

I have so many choices in a day. So many opportunities to lift my gaze and let it linger on all that I have...thank you for the reminder, Charlie.

One of my favorite San Diego summer events happens this Monday and it's FREE!

The Spreckels Organ Society's
International Summer Organ Festival
Movie Night with Dennis James
Monday, August 23, 7:30 PM
Yankee Clipper

Synopsis:
Deceit, treachery, and romance are combined in this depiction of a fierce race from China to New England between the American ship Yankee Clipper and the English ship Lord of the Isles.
Silent, 1927
Starring: William Boyd, Elinor Fair, Frank "Junior" Coghlan, John Miljan, Walter Long

GRAPE IS HEAVEN

Summer is the time for cold, sweet treats.



We experimented with fresh pressed juices and popsicle molds...lemonade, orange, grape.

Clean, bold stripes of delicious frozen colors.

The chilled colors feel brighter, lighter, crisper to match the intense chilled flavors.

"Grape is heaven."

What sweet frozen flavors delight your taste buds at the end of a long, hot day?

BEE GONE

Searching for the deeper meaning of life experiences...

Girl meditating beneath a tree stung by a bee. Sounds like a tabloid headline. So reads the synopsis of my afternoon.

Bees are considered divine messengers. What does this mean?

I was simply trying to follow my goal:
meditating on the finality of letting go. Releasing struggle. This was it. A ritual to signify the final goodbye.

Answers arrive. Sometimes in a timely fashion. Others much later in my life. In some cases I have had to let go of the answer coming before it has agreed to arrive.

Letting go.

Other times, while the answer may be present, I am simply, unwilling or unable to recognize it.

How to find closure in this time? Simply thank the event for being part of my overall experience. Let it go. This brings a sense of completion and closure to the process that this life experience has made possible.

Today I make this letting go a tangible act. In the hopes that my heart is lighter for it.

I write my final journal entry on the subject. I meditate with the intention of releasing this event from my consciousness. As I do so, I summon this experience one last time. I honor it with my love and attention. I acknowledge my gratitude for this experience.

And I say good-bye.

Then I let it go.

Released out from the very pores of my being. Pouring forth from my heart, my hands, my head, my feet. Free from within me. Liberated. This burden is gone.

My intention was to let go.

I sat peacefully envisioning and experiencing for one last time the emotional spectrum of these past two years. Nestled among the sturdy, sprawling roots beneath that significant tree. It seemed only appropriate.

I clearly imagined releasing it all. Letting it go...

BEE GONE!

And in that moment a tickling under my arm startled me. I reached up only to grasp the innocent creature in my hand. In so doing I plucked his stinger from him. I could clearly see it. Efficiently anchored in my tender skin.

A divine messenger? What if I misinterpret the message? I was letting go. Isn't that what I was supposed to do?

Bees were thought to carry knowledge of the future. Can I have a glimpse at the next chapter along with the conveniently embedded stinger? Please?

What does this mean!? Or is my lesson to let this go as well. Carry on as intended. Stay focused. Say a final goodbye.

I'd like to exorcise the swollen nagging in my arm along with the rest. Or shall I let this distract me from my task. Am I not meant to let go, quite yet?

Girl unsuspecting, meditating under tree, stung by a bee.

What would you like to bee gone from you?

HOPE FLOATS

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'"
John Greenleaf Whittier

Sadder still "it may still be" when hope should have been drowned long ago...

There is something magical about the buoyant quality of salty ocean water.

Buoyancy is an upward force equal to the weight of water displaced by an object. Objects in salt water appear more buoyant than objects in fresh water because salt water is denser than fresh water. SALT.

The freedom of simply floating on one's back. Cradles by the warm, salty water and gently rocked by the waves.

In that moment I held in my heart a sense of buoyant hope. Hope floats, you see.

Today there are moments when I wish I could drown my hope. It stubbornly rises to the surface. Persistent as my breath.

Hope floats. Apparently cheerfully buoyant. Resistant to the nagging reality of the situation or the heavy weight of the factual evidence and experience at hand.

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."
Helen Keller

Is it possible to suffer from persistent, illegitimate hope?

There is an African proverb that goes something like: however long the night, the dawn will break. This is the thinking that rationalizes my floating hope.

How long does one wait for the sun to reappear? How many months? If only my hope had a sense of ordinary time. Hope is epically patient.

"We enjoy warmth because we have been cold. We appreciate light because we have been in darkness. By the same token, we can experience joy because we have known sadness."
David Weatherford

And when the joy arrives, as the eagerly anticipated rains after a long drought, the contrast allows for a deeper sense of appreciation for what was, what is and what might still be...HOPE.

What do you hope for?
Is there anything that might have been still lingering in your heart?

PLENTY

Plenty. The feeling that one has enough.

A state of contentment mingled with satisfaction and a serving of gratitude.

In my gratitude journal each night I log the items that I reflect upon with utter appreciation. This evening's list includes...

I am grateful for:
runs watching the sunrise
long bayside walks with my dear friend
trying out our new bocce ball set
listening to my daughter laugh
technological improvements and kind, gentle help
feeling beautiful from the inside out
harmless flirtations
cartwheels and handstands on the grass at sunset
warm, snuggly animal friends
good books and bubble baths

But there could be so much more. Today I went on a long morning walk to reconnect with my dear friend. And rather than sped this precious time dwelling on where we've been, what will happen, what we want, what we might become, what we've said and done - a first - I was able to remain in inquiry mode and simply remain present.

A small triumph. Baby steps.

I enjoyed our walk, (with I might happily add a limited nod to non sequiturs), and held my mind gracefully trained upon us, our current state and reminding myself that right now this is plenty.

I have stopped the cycle of wanting and suffering. I am surrendering to what is. Just in this moment. And the glorious freedom that comes with the knowledge that each moment holds the possibility of change...HOPE.

This is enough. I have enough. In this moment, this is what we have and this is plenty.

And then I proceeded with my day.

And this day has been just right. Because in this moment I am free from my expectations of what might or might not be. I am enough. I have enough.

Plenty.

I feel myself peering over the edge every now and then. Looking down upon the landscape of what might be, what could be, what I would love to be...but for now I am somehow strong enough to resist the urge to follow that path. I have plenty of strength. Please let me continue to have plenty of strength.

There is vast power in not knowing. It is the freedom and the choices we make during these opportunity gaps. I choose to remain present and strong. I have plenty.

What do you have plenty of?


P.S. Thank you for your patience as I make some exciting technical updates...images and blog posts will return to their regular, predictable schedule over the next few days! Stay tuned.

ONCE

There is something utterly delicious about writing the first words on a clean, white page. I am never quite certain where they will lead me.

The maelstrom of undocumented words swirling in my head leaves me dizzy. There is order in placing them neatly, one after another, single filed across a blank page. Left to right.

There are times when my words flow faster that my hand can possibly travel. Complete paragraphs cascading from the reservoir of my mind. A stray thought can send them alight as a strong wind does the fallen petals of spring!

Is it my anticipation of what might be that makes the first words so delightful?

The possibilities!

Once upon a time...

JUICY DETAILS

"One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else."
Eleanor Roosevelt

Genuine interest is such a rarity these days...much like genuine, unabashed opinions, expressed candidly, without apology. Without judgement. Simply authentic passion about one's own feelings and opinions...

Thoughts on politics and religion awaken a sense of discomfort for many...but isn't this where the richness lies?

I am genuinely interested in expressive writing, candid art, exposed materials and manufacturing processes, the lost art of handwriting and letter writing, the soothing sound of old records, the smell of citrus, the warmth of stone in sun, the milling of cider, the pace of life beyond the urban sprawl...

What about you? What catches your eye, holds your attention and arouses your curiosity?

How do we find more time to lavish on these genuine interests?

Happy Birthday Mom!

You are an amazing, intelligent, resilient woman. Celebrate yourself today.

"Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got."

Janis Joplin

WINGS

Sending this one out to my sister who is in need of some wings.

I have been in that place - where faith seems elusive.

Where the very ground of what I knew and held to be the truth has fallen away from beneath me, to leave me vulnerable and exposed.

I wish I could offer a recipe for wings. Instead I offer my love and support...to rebuild your solid ground upon.

Change is constant.

It may not be today or even tomorrow but this raw feeling will change as well.

xo

CHANCES

"Chance is powerful. Let your hook be always cast. In the pool where you least expect it, will be a fish."
OVID

In delightfully unexpected little ways that will shift my path for many days and years to come. Each choice I make brings me closer to what I desire.


Where will you take your chances today?

PLAYING FAVORITES

Ahhhhhh, the joy and simplicity of childhood...



Life at this time is reduced to a series of tangible favorites. Clearly defined and seemingly unchangeable.

Children often speak in these terms. As adults we loose this ability, this sense of clarity in general terms.

Once upon a time, over 5 years ago, I was nonchalantly asked what my favorite color was. Haphazardly I responded "purple." For 5 years that answer has haunted me...

Flash to today:

"What's your favorite color?" she asks again.

In my grown-up voice I fire back, "Color of what, exactly? To wear? To paint my bedroom?"

In my mind context is everything. Where would this color be? What would it be paired with? I need more information.

Give me more...in an effort to somehow justify or rationalize my color choice

"Your favorite animal?" she inquires.

"For what purpose? To cuddle, to carry me across the desert, to protect me?" I query.

"Just pick an animal, you know, that you like." she calmly encourages (just a hint of patient understanding in her voice).

"An action verb." she insists, "like run, jump, dance..." she lists a few examples in case I need a refresher course on grammatical terms.

"Leap." I carelessly respond.

I can play. It's like MadLibs. No consequences. I hope...

If the answers didn't matter, if there were no consequences and no one to judge your responses, what would YOUR favorites be?

Is there a difference between these answers and your grown-up mind's thoughtful, calculated response?

CLARITY

“Celebrate what you want to see more of.” Thomas J. Peters
________________________________________



I love this quote for its reminder to find gratitude in the smallest places... and to build the foundation for my day upon those little things.

Where my focus lies reflects not only my strengths but also my greatest weaknesses and fears.

Today my ONE Thing is CLARITY.

How can I create a sense of transparency and allow for truth and honesty in all that I do and say today?

How about you? What does clarity mean in your life?

YIELD FOR STRENGTH

“Seeing into darkness is clarity
Knowing how to yield is strength.” Lao Tse

How has your yielding created a sense of strength?

COMMENCE LIVING

"A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting."

Henry David Thoreau

Sometimes I the words I read inspire me to re-evaluate the seemingly small daily choices that I make.

Even a work of fiction can impart a sense of magic and wonder...of possibility.

What do you read that inspires you to live your best life?

HINT

"A discerning eye needs only a hint... and understatement leaves the imagination free to build its own elaborations."
Russell Page


The stark, clarity of the blatant or the uncertain elegance of the subtle...
exposed or slightly hidden...
knowing or imagining...

Which do you prefer?

CELEBRATE

EACH DAY

I am filled with anticipation...

What will today bring YOU?!

PLACE HOLDER

What occupies the space between your thoughts?

WALKING AWAY

When do you find yourself needing to walk away?

Today my ONE Thing is gratitude.

Life is truly unexpected and miraculous! I am so truly grateful for the ability to sit still, talk and listen with a dear friend tonight. I am grateful for the ability to forgive each other, to move forward together on whatever path we choose and to have the strength to walk away. It feels really good to have come so far...
Thank you:)for your honesty, your willingness in the face of great discomfort and your commitment to going with ALL of your heart.

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." Confucius

xo

CONFESS

“Confess to yourself in the deepest hour of the night whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. Dig deep into your heart, where the answer spreads its roots in your being, and ask yourself solemnly, Must I write?”
Rainer Maria Rilke

What would you rather die for than be forbidden to do?


Afterthought:
I found this quote and it so sums up exactly how I feel about my ability to write and communicate:

"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter."
James Earl Jones

TEAMS

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
Joanne Kathleen Rowling (author Harry Potter)

Tonight I enjoyed a lovely guilty pleasure - Twilight Saga Eclipse.

I left behind the duties of my day and escaped to drinks, appetizers and the movies with a dear friend. Our conversation spanned many areas of our lives and landed, of course, just as the previews were concluding on THE question: which team are you?

And for once I had the perfect answer (kudos to Kate:)

I am officially team Why Do I Have to Choose?! Honestly, I deserve a real,capable, 360 degree man who is able and willing to discuss literature and design, complete basic home repairs and share his feelings all without breaking a sweat. I don't need a teenage actor portraying a wolf or a vampire or drama over who's more handsome or more breathtaking or who's better at saving the day.

Edward or Jacob?

Why do I need to choose?

Although I am completely willing to shell out $12.50 to spend a few hours of my time daydreaming at the movies...

I am team "Why do I have to choose?!"

“Our choices in life are made according to our sense of our own worth”
Kaylan Pickford

How about you, who do YOU choose?

BON VACANCE

My mind reels with the possibilities! 5 days. No responsibilities. No structure to my time.

Certainly there is a feeling of longing and absence. Simultaneously there is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the ability to step away and be..."independent".

Like the elf who wants to be a dentist in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, my mouth is learning to form this very foreign-sounding word. In-de-pen-dent.

My days are anchored by a familiar routine for which I am truly grateful. I am blessed with an amazing daughter. We are both experimenting with this new-found independence!

Summer sleep-away camp.

Today my one thing is: GRACE.

I will savour the slow and beautiful in all that I say and do.
How can I define the word grace in how I choose to live today?

I'm curious - what does GRACE mean to you?

ONE Thing

“Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!"
Og Mandino

Deliberate action.

My golf coach reminds me that once I start to swing just think of ONE thing...

Plan, strategize, put everything in place and then once you're there just think - what's my one thing right now?

One thing.

Right now my one thing is typing this blog post.

When I'm finished my one thing will be sharing the end of this day with my family.

In this moment, what is your ONE thing?

POSTCARDS

I am enjoying blissful day dreams of recent sweltering summer days...cold ocean swims and bare skin nestled into warm sand or against scorching pool tiles...



This chilly, drizzly July weather is good for crafting and letter writing...shrinky dinks and postcards to far away places all happened today.

I wrote a special someone a stack of sleep-away camp letters and postcards today. Hard to believe!

I recall my father writing long letters to me in college and paper-clipping articles from the Wall Street Journal against their yellow legal pad pages. His precise, fountain pen print was unmistakable. He took the time hand-select intriguing stamps. At the time, it was a pleasure to receive mail, of any sort. But I must admit that I rarely made the time to write back to his considerate correspondence.

I get it now...I am hoping for a stack of postcards in return next week...I'll even stop by the Post Office to hand-pick some playful stamps.

And yes, there will be a care package!!! Summer camp is so...super:)

How often do you check your mail box? Do you ever get anything good anymore via snail mail?!

I read about this incentive project to encourage letter writing called Vive La Snail Mail on the Shutter Sisters site. Check it out if you're like me and LOVE to find your actual mail box full!

MARCHING

I have a new-found fascination with marching bands...

There is something so enthusiastic and proud about this summer tradition.

SUMMER TRADITIONS

Thought I'd share a glimpse of our weekend...Coronado Fourth of July parade...Part 1.
ENJOY!

BLOOMING MOST RECKLESSLY

"Everything is blooming most recklessly;
if it were voices instead of colors,
there would be an unbelievable shrieking
into the heart of the night."

Rainer Maria Rilke

CREASES AND FOLDS

"I am too alone in the world, and yet not alone enough
to make every hour holy.

I am too small in the world, and yet not tiny enough
just to stand before you like a thing,
dark and shrewd.

I want my will, and I want to be with my will
as it moves towards deed;

and in those quiet, somehow hesitating times,
when something is approaching,

I want to be with those who are wise
or else alone.

I want always to be a mirror that reflects your whole being,
and never to be too blind or too old
to hold your heavy, swaying image.

I want to unfold.

Nowhere do I want to remain folded,
because where I am bent and folded, there I am a lie.

And I want my meaning
true for you.

I want to describe myself
like a painting that I studied
closely for a long, long time,
like a word I finally understood,
like the pitcher of water I use every day ,
like the face of my mother,
like a ship
that carried me
through the deadliest storm of all."

Rainer Maria Rilke

I love Rilke's ability to create these stark visual images with his words. A recent book wove German poetry into it's narrative...what a lovely reminder of its beauty and sadness.

In the places where I am folded I am a lie...like the crease of well-read letters...the stories we tell ourselves and others to get through the day.

I am grateful for the beauty of these words, the company of wise people, the truth that I know to be myself and the courage to write a very difficult letter.