Thursday, June 30, 2011

victory

Yesterday was pretty silly. It began with tea, yoga and a hike and quickly slid into lawn games with steel and rain.  From croquet in the park to trivial pursuit, and I even convinced a jigsaw puzzle into the mix. Then we went skiing behind steels apartment.  Ahhhhh the productive summer of unemployment! xo

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

living ferociously

Finding refreshment in the unpredictability of things. I've tossed planning and predicting to the wind and am spending time preparing instead. For what though? xo  

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

and so I studied the sea, held on to my rock



Have you ever met someone Truly Powerful?  
Consider me awestruck, mistrustful and already wildly expanded.
xo

Thursday, June 9, 2011

dear mornings

Thank you for sunlight through my bedroom window and the promise of things to come. xo

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

the body: a vessel of transformation


I've been reading a book about Tibetan healing, where art, spirituality, medicine and intuition are all used to promote the healing process.  The training to become a Tibetan doctor begins with 14 years of preliminary education and an additional 5-12 years of rigorous studies, including 2 years dedicated to the artwork alone!  Tibetan medicine regards the body as the source of all learning and healing, and diseases as valuable opportunities to gain insight.  As the Buddha declared, "Our body is precious.  It is a vehicle of awakening."

To mark the end date of my cleanse, I celebrated my own healing with sun, colored pencils, friends in capes, en vogue and this refreshingly delicious cocktail: cheap beer and kombucha.  Cheers to summer! xo

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

a present battle

Been craving a haircut for months now.  I had hoped to learn a new relationship with my hair.  I wanted to channel my mother with her flowing braids.  And part of me has definitely wanted to please those boys who've coaxed me towards long locks.

Hair is... paradox! A source of beauty and strength and a veil for insecurities... a cause for anxiety and regret.  Gorgeous in a coif, gag-inducing in a salad.  Tied to our emotions, pasts and self-image.  What does our hair hold on to?

Until I was 17 I wore mine (long and fluffy) in a bun, struggling to contain it's mass. I shaved it off with giddy excitement and found a new peace with myself. And then I got curious, 10 years later have I changed in ways that I don't yet know? Could I be a new long-haired me?  I am once again annoyed and dismayed by it's weight, heat and unruliness. How do we know when discomfort is growing or limiting? At this point I am at a crossroads between embracing who I think I am and pushing on towards the unknown. Silly stuff. xo

Monday, June 6, 2011

evidence

Of...
organization gone right
flow
surprise creativity
condensation
form and function
room for improvement


A big theme for me in the past few years has been of letting go.  I've also become increasingly dismayed with the amount of STUFF I have, from clothing to craft supplies to food.  The weight of all this excess gets heavier with time, and the frequency with which I move (4 homes in the past year!)  It's one of those situations where I have to constantly remind myself to keep plugging away at the little things, and one day I will see change in a big way.  

So the other night I decided to tackle my drawing supplies.  Pens, pencils, charcoal, paints, pastels and crayons have all lived in a vintage sewing box with the initials M.E.K. for years and years.  During the process of sorting and testing, and moving them into a ziplock, Erika wandered in, wondering if I was moving out.

"just moving my pens" I told her, to much amusement.

Once freed up, M.E.K (too darling to send to the goodwill) seemed to be the perfect place to house my sewing supplies.  In this chapter I re-discovered some remnants of wool and you might see where this is leading.  It's rough and hand sewed, passably functional and a lovely manifestation of that creature change.  I also liberated the cheap sewing box I never really liked.   

For anyone who has seen the show Hoarders, or who has made an impulse buy, you know that getting rid of things is only a temporary solution.  The real work is in changing the process, recognizing the fleeting invite of newness, and looking within, instead.

xo


              
   

Sunday, June 5, 2011

the squiggle game






I discovered these napkin doodles last night while doing some cleaning, remnants of a airline squiggle game to maine or thailand I think.  A favorite way to pass time, the game is simple: draw a squiggle and a friend turns it into a picture; whimsical beasties encouraged. xo 

Saturday, June 4, 2011

transformation




 I spent a lovely day with tea and patterns, organized chaos and flow. xo

Friday, June 3, 2011

munchkins, circa 1985
Squishiness aside, I do cherish my position in the middle.  

These past days have included treasure hunts, late wake-ups, book making and big emotions for those around me. My 7 weeks of cleansing and 4 weeks of intensive yoga are nearing an end.  There's some anxiety about re-entering the world of beer and bars, while maintaining the new level of health I feel. I hope it stops snowing soon and turns into summer.  xo