Monday Morning re-set

Monday morning was hard for Chica and me today.

Okay, much more for me than Chica. She’s just hanging out like her 10 year old doggie self.

I, on the other hand, am dragging my butt.

The kind of butt dragging that even purple Chucks

a shower and getting dressed in some comfy duds doesn’t even help.

David and I worked really hard this weekend,

painting, cleaning, sorting, and making multiple trips to Home Depot for supplies.

That’s going to the new normal here for a while.

This I know.

But I got strong reminders this morning that even in the midst of busy and a million “have to’s”,

there still has to be time for creative juicy living.

That is my purpose here on this planet, so that has to be a priority, no matter what !

So I took a half and hour and did this little journaling exercise inspired by a Pinterest pin I saw.

And then I took a bit of time to create this blog post.

Ahhhhh…

Feels good.

Like a soak in a tub,

or putting on your favorite jeans or shoes…

Giving thanks to my beautiful creative soul for the reminder !

Happy Monday, Beautiful Ones !

Remember to breathe…

Haiku My Heart–This One Sweet Day

 

Take this one sweet day

See, taste, smell, hear, feel, love it.

Your one precious life.

 

************

Happy Friday, Beautiful Ones!

And a wonderful Mother’s Days weekend to all the awesome Moms out there.

Big Love !

 

For more Haiku My Heart, visit the beautiful rebecca at recuerda mi corazon.

Haiku My Heart–For Real ?

Is that reflection

or real life before my eyes ?

Some days, I wonder.

 

***************

I was in a bad mood yesterday. Teary, angry, sad, irritable.

I didn’t have concrete reasons for being so in my own life

but there was a multitude of crazy, sad, scary, unjust, annoying crap

happening to some people in my close circles,

not to mention the bigger world I live in.

(Frankenstorm ? Really ?

Stormaggeddon didn’t finish us off but maybe Frankestorm will ?)

So I struggled all day with shaking off those ick feelings, that crabby mood.

A trip to the beach for rocks and some gull and sand piper play was a beautiful distraction for awhile.

But mostly, I was unsuccessful at keeping the big grey cloud at bay.

Some days, no matter how much goodness and Love you see around you,

the crap just gets to you, you know?

But I am glad to report that after having given into it yesterday, I am feeling a lot better this morning.

Stronger, surer of my purpose on this planet, ready to chase grey clouds away with more  Love force.

I think the ick was just a reflection of what was happening around me.

I am ready to get back to real life now.

Sending big Love your way, Beautiful Ones !

Happy Friday!

 

Rebecca from recuerda mi corazon is off to Mexico for a Day of the Dead gathering.

I don’t know if there will be Haiku My Heart postings in her absence but I will keep the Haiku fires burning here while she is away.

Today, I will be…

After a pretty rainy, extremely humid weekend,

it was a treat to wake up to dry air, cooler temps and this glorious morning light from the sun.

The first thing I noticed though, was that the sun is definitely heading into its end of summer, early fall position.

How can that be ?

August just began, right ?

Everyone I talk to remarks on how fast time is flying.

(artwork on the side of the general store in Charlotte, Vermont)

I feel it too, especially when I stop focusing on the moment in front of me, and look ahead to the future.

On this beautiful Monday morning in August,

I am going to try my best to be right here where I am,

and relish this one precious life, each and every moment of it.

(photo from Google images)

Happy Monday, Beautiful Ones !

Try Something Tuesday – Take a Walk !

I have been attending Monday Meditation class at Full Spectrum Wellness for over three years now.

I have to honestly say that there are very few beneficial practices that I have adopted that I have been so dedicated to and been able to really stick to.

There is something about being in a group of people who are all present and wanting to live in the moment for an entire hour that feels so very, very good to my Soul.

My wonderful instructor and friend, Deb, sets a casual tone in the class.

Move if you need to, breathe however your body works best, sit on the floor with a back jack or on a chair.  The most important thing is to have compassion for yourself and know that there is no such thing as a wrong way to meditate. That you are taking this precious time for yourself (and the world) is the key.

Occasionally, Deb switches things up. Last night we were a small group, only 4 participants. Upon request, Deb began our evening with a walking meditation.

For about 15 minutes, we all walked in a large circle around the room, slowly, mindfully, paying great attention to our feet and our stride, and all of the sensations this activity brought with it.

While I have done this meditation before, last night something totally clicked in me. I really reached a beautiful state of relaxation and came fully present in my body. Man, did it feel good !

And when we sat down to continue the rest of our meditation, I was so comfortable and centered that I really got to experience some deep and powerful present moment thought.

Last night was the best night of meditation that I have ever experienced. And I really believe that preparing my body with the walking meditation was the key.

Walking meditation doesn’t have to take place in a class or indoors. It is an activity that anyone who can walk can do and can be practiced anywhere in our day to day lives.

I found this great link to instructions on how to begin a walking meditation instruction, from a site called WildMind.org. It is Buddhist in nature but completely non-religious. Not only does the author explain what some of the benefits of this practice are, but it is also all about adapting the walking meditation to your own needs. 

So it’s Try Something Tuesday, Beautiful Ones.

Are you ready to walk this way ?  

See you on the trail !

Today’s Post is brought to you by the Letter B !

So did anyone notice that I did a “Try Something Tuesday” post on Monday ?

My always very observant hubby did.

I only realized it at around 7:00pm when he mentioned it to me.

We had a good laugh about that !

I had gone the whole day without noticing !!!

I am such a weirdo sometimes !

 

I have to say that though I was encouraging all of you to try something new yesterday, I was also struggling with staying away from an icky place.

Savoring my mango for breakfast was one of the steps I was taking to Be in the present moment and get the f**k out of my head!

It helped a bit but what worked way better was

my  unexpected “Be” Day with Colleen !

My beautiful bestie dressed in blue and I walked to the babbling brook in the woods behind her house.

The sky was the same blue as Colleen’s t-shirt!

We sat on a big boulder and blabbed a bit as the bugs buzzed and the brook bubbled.

Then we walked on and were given a beautiful gift !

Behold ! A big fat beaver walking across a log bridge over the brook !!!

(The beaver walking by was so breathtaking that neither one of us stopped to get a photo,

but you can image him walking on that horizontal log in this pic taken after he was gone.)

We giggled and shared our bountiful excitement, giving one another a big bear hug right there in the woods !

Then as we ended our walk, we were blessed with this baby !

There, on the dirt road, a brand new butterfly !

I had to move in a bit to get this amazing portrait of this bold and beautiful being!

A Tiger Swallowtail basking in the sun on this brand new day.

 

Colleen and I noticed all the “B”s that were popping into our day.

We decided to keep it going by heading the the “Brick House” for lunch,

a local greasy spoon, drive-up place, famous for its burgers.

We decided to be BAD !

Colleen had a burger, I had 2 burpers (hotdogs) and we shared some yummy fries !

A big old hug in the Brick House parking lot ended out time together and I have to say,

my “Be” Day  with my Colleen-y pretty much banished the ickies from my brain !

Love you, Girl Friend !

 

be…………………………….Be

Oh, ya.

Taking time to make art is another way that I try and banish the ickies!

Here’s what’s been popping up lately…

A 6X6” canvas, paint and collage bits.

I was just trying to let whatever wanted to come spill out.

Not sure it is finished or if I like it, though I do like the expression in my butterfly queen.

This bit of writing in actually a piece of my Dad’s handwriting.

I found a whole bunch of his journal pages in a box in the basement last weekend.

This was all that was written on a sheet of loose leaf paper.

I cut it up and glued it here.

Feels powerful somehow…

“The story continues.”

A page in my Strathmore Visual Journal book.

I asked the Universe to give me a day without self-criticism and self-inflicted hurt.

The Angel said “It’s all yours, Baby !”

I’m gonna take it !!!

 

be………………………………Be

 

Phew, that was a long post !

Well, if you are still with me,

I am sending out big waves of love and light today,

and working on giving myself plenty of the same !

Happy TUESDAY, Beautiful Ones !

Share the Joy Thursday–The Space Between

From this week’s Joy List :

1. Being there for a friend who really needs an ear and some extra love.

2. Pride in a hard-working husband who received some much deserved recognition.

3. Kitty Cats, kitty cats, everywhere ! Their purrs are music to my heart.

4. Sharing Rock My World rocks in new ways – this time through a high school guidance counselor who wants to share them with her kids.

5. A return to the Artist in me – I am in love with my journal !!!

So if you remember, the page in my beautiful Moleskine started like this…

And when last we saw it, it looked like this :

                            

The last stamp to use on the page was this Invoke Arts “Art Queen” stamp.

So, with some sweet tunes on Pandora, ink and a dip pen, Twinkling H2O’s, acrylic paints and some great play time

(you can tell it was great but the mess !),

this is where we ended up…

The fold of the page actually falls along the nose of the large face.

And the Art Queen stamp forms part of the “vision” in the eye.

I ended up cutting a window into the page.

I love how the purple “rock wall”

becomes a frame around the first two “ladies” when you turn the page.

I added some paint, stenciling and ink work onto the second page spread…

And now it is ready for more art journaling play !

The journal entry I wrote says it all for me right now.

I am choosing to LIVE in this space between, and be as present as I can be in this one precious life.

And soak up the joys of this place.

Happy Thursday, Beautiful Ones !

 

More joyous musing can be found here.