Follow your Dreams....

I am reading Patti Digh's book, Life is a Verb: 37 Days to wake up, be mindful, and live intentionally. In this wonderful, inspiring book, is one of my favorite quotes.

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change." - Buddha

It is one of the things I love so much about photography - taking those close up pictures of nature, and being stunned by it's amazing patterns and intricacies. It brings me closer to that presence of being in the now and appreciating life's miracles.

I mean really, stop for a moment and look around. How the @%#*!!!! did all this happen????

How did this all mind-boggling stuff come about? The human body alone!! stars, the solar system.... flowers, insects, this computer.... and of course we just say.. God. Because it's probably too overwhelming for us... maybe we'd all go crazy :-)

On the next page is another wonderful quote:

"People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes.

All is a miracle. - Thich Nhat Hanh
This book, with the premise of if you knew you had 37 left to live your life, what would you do.. It puts things into perspective.

Somethings just aren't worth worrying or getting agitated about. Priorities shift.

Petty arguments dissolve.

Creating art moves to the top of the priority list.

I put more love into my cooking.

Everything... EVERYTHING becomes sacred.

My relationships take on deeper meaning.

I can open my heart more and be more vulnerable, take more risks.

I put these laces in my sneakers. They say follow your dreams as a reminder that each step I take should be one that brings me towards love and peace and happiness.

Journey in that direction.

It is better to believe than to disbelieve;

in so doing you bring everything to the realm of possibility.

(Albert Einstein)

Passion

Pondering a dream I had last night, it got me thinking about passion. Passion in doing whatever it is you are doing. Lessons from Nature. Roses speak passion to me.

Leaves changing color, too.

Gracefully moving in the direction of change... not fighting it, but moving through it in beauty that takes my breath away.

Sometimes the changes are so subtle.

Gently releasing... letting go.

In terms of Art, I'm setting an intention to open up more and "speak" from my heart, letting go of "reasons" and analysis for a bit.. I can be a bit heady and so I'd like to move more towards passion and wild abandonment!

Infinite Possibilites

What can we change when we look first to our similiarites rather than our differences?

First find the common ground.

Then we can respectfully find acceptance in our differences...

Because when we are friends, we celebrate our diversity, learn from each other.

Growing, reaching out with love beyond all surface issues because in Truth we are the same.

We are One.

When we work together as one, whole, we can accomplish amazing things.

May ALL Beings be at Peace

Namaste'

Poison Ivy Eyes

As I was going through my pictures, I came across this one and had to laugh...
why?
These ivy eyes are pretty much saying what is going on with me.
Poison Oak! Yes, it is surrounded my eyes, around my face, in my ear...
It's been an interesting week, to say the least and I would love to attribute it to the mercurial hiccups, but it may just be that there are lessons that were not learned, and I revisisted them again. In the cosmic calender, it was written :"The point of Mercury reversals is to allow human beings to review, reflect and re-evaluate what's been happening in their lives for several months, make the necessary corrections and then go forward again having learned some difficult lessons."
How is it that I did not learn this one!?! This is not the first time it's happened.
About early 90's, when I was teaching in a school, I decided to pick some leaves behind my home, for the kids to draw in art class. Same time of the year, as they were changing colors, not to mention in time for Halloween!
Repeat. Fast-forward to Wednesday... I did check to see if there were the three-leaf poison ivy plants and thought I was ok, but I did have to reach for that one that had changed to a beautiful red... needless to say, I wasn't too sure what poison oak looked like, and it just may be the leaf I picked!
My eyes do not look pretty...................
I am now reviewing my past week... heated arguement in yoga class between two students.. (rash behaviour?) yes, that's right, yoga class! Isn't that supposed to be calm and relaxing...... followed by a irrate custodian leaving a message having to do with enough room in yoga class which would have prevented the arguement.
Make the necessary corrections and move forward.
1) Do NOT, repeat, DO NOT go into the back to pick leaves ever again!!!!
2) Communicate DIRECTLY to custodian about space issues for yoga class.
3) Move forward, with lessons learn.