hoops

Jumping hoops

spinning round
over and under and upside down

in that carefree way that is boundless and open and free and happy and joyful

sprinkling little bits of glitter here and there

a return to that moment as a child of worry free experience.

It is still around and possible and can remain as long as we believe it.

Children who are happy and care free are well attached to their parents knowing that they are being well cared for

As an adult can we find that belief in a force that we are connected to?

A bigger, perfect parent, the kind that is always there watching and letting us mess up so that we learn but making sure we only get what we can handle and who steps in when we need it for real. hmmmm maybe that is the key

trust and belief

understanding the connection

allowing ourselves to float away from the mothership knowing we will be ok

doing the hard work to remain there and enjoying the ride!

Healing Soup

Oh I could do my annual blog about soup. A poetic ode to one of my true loves, but today I decided to step it up a notch and record this magical ritual!

Healing Soup I love you so!



It begins with an open heart and an empty pot...so full of potential

then good ingredients




good music

I became so inspired by the music and the sounds...I made a little soup video




Oh the Glory

The toppings


the blogtastic photo!

Soup Season...bring it

this soup consists of the following:

Organic chicken soup base
fresh garlic minced (lots)
freshly grated ginger
bok choy
carrots
shitake mushrooms
roast chicken sliced
sometimes chinese wheat sometimes thai rice but any good noodle will do!

serve hot with lime wedges, sliced jalepanos, bean spouts and basil on the side
&
Lots of Love
enjoy!

(I don't measure...just feel it out)

The otherside post : learning to joyfully take time for myself

post meditation
post weeding the yard
post a half a pint of ben and jerry's for lunch just because I can
post putting up the hammock
post basking in the sunshine
I do feel inspired
refreshed
tapped in
and
healthy
happy
gracious
and
joyful
all in one extraordinarily beautiful day
that I vowed I would take for myself. (thanks to my beautiful wife who made me promise to last night)
and I did
and it was worth every single second!

For Myself

So today I made the promise to only take care of myself.
Why is this so difficult.
It is easy to make suggestions to others.

How do I do that?

Is weeding the yard the way?

Painting my toenails?

Meditating?

A hot Bath?

Ok....meditation met the most resistance I guess I will start there.

Just go into what seems uncomfortable

that is surely the way

I am not feeling inspired.

just groggy

guilty

out of flow

I will go back into flow

and see you on the other side.

outer space

There is only space.

Finding that space is key

and then I suppose learning what to do with it, in it.

no, they say...that is the point

there is nothing to do or be or have

just experience the space

that is the point.

just be aware that it exists

find that seperation.

The Slamming of Doors

When did my sweet little baby boy get old enough to need to slam doors?

To grasp for independence?

His own sense of self?

When did he get old enough to write letters to the tooth fairy?

I suppose he is getting ready to enter that seventh year...

you know ..become a first grader

become himself

I will take all of those hugs and cuddles as I can

the ones that come at the end of hard day of fighting for what is right!

Ok...I am not kidding when I tell you that at the end of this post I heard "Mommy, come here, I need you." So I go into his room. "It's stuck" he says with big eyes and a sweet face, about the door that he has been slamming in response to me asking him to write his grandfather a thank you note for a lovely day they have spent together. I mean, this after the actual sticking of fingers in his ears to let me know that he is not listening. "You're forcing me to do this and I already told him thank you" he argues about the note. So I calmly help him fix the door jam so that it will close properly. " "Can you leave?" he asks after the door is fixed. "Ok" I say and he returns to his grumpy, defiant state of being...with a gentle glimpse of toddler left in there somewhere, he shuts the door and disappears into his own space. At least it is still under my roof and he is not peeling out at midnight.

Oh the sweet joys of parenthood. I vow to enjoy it all!

Ok... better still...so 15 minutes goes by and he emerges

"Mom , can I play my game now?"

"Well, we have to talk first," I say

"about what?" he says

"the slamming of doors." I say

" I wasn't slamming the door Mom, just closing it, so you would be surprised." he says

"surprised by what?" I ask

"the thank you note I wrote." he replies

" the thank you note?" I ask

"yes,."he says

"may I see it?" I ask

" well, it's already sealed in the envelope he says." with a smile

ahhhhhh, my sweet, little boy remains

and it was all sealed up on his desk in his room waiting to be mailed.

"That's awesome that you wrote that all by yourself!" I said, "but, it's time to take your bath now." I say

"Ok Mom." he says and begins to take off his clothes.

Time Travel

This very potent time of year has rolled in again.

Surprised by the force of the cycle

Excited by all of the potential

All of the forward movement

Like standing up on the crest of wave and realizing that you have just found your balance and can breathe for a while...still braced for the subtle shifts of the currents below

underneath all of this

The rain
thunder that started as sweet, light flashes
that started with big pink clouds
that started with sticky humidity

Thankful for the clearing powers of the rain

It's ability to nourish, feed, and cool

To quench a thirst
Renew,
Refresh,
Recharge

Now, it is pounding


and pooling into streams

that touch something and spread
and pour until

it reaches the earth and is it absorbed

and then quietly distributed in no rush at all

in the warm, quiet earth underneath all of this

Happy Monday

Oh yes, the beginning of the week.

So new and not the weekend it is.

Ready to step forward with these new shiny shoes.

Ready to make an impact and feel the wind on my cheeks.

As I move forward through this place.

I remember as a child wondering if we were all just having a big dream together

hmmm.......that was a pretty good thought for a seven year old

because sometimes it really feels that we are

I wonder where we will be when we wake up?

As a child I imagined it was on a small white cot with no blankets....all of us in a huge room sleeping on these cots.

Maybe now I will imagine us all invisible being the sky above, looking down on our bodies as we dream this dream.

I can imagine more I guess because I have seen more than I did at 7.

I wonder what I will imagine at 80?

Last Year's Post

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Be Strong

Be Strong

For it is within you

The fibers of your muscles will grow

if challenged.

Be Strong

Your heart will work for you

pumping life through your veins

care for it well.

Be Strong

you are in charge of your thoughts

no one else can get into your mind unless you grant them access

Be Strong

it is all within you

we are all able to be

exactly who we chose to be

Be Strong

for when you can not do it on your own

rest assured that those who love you will be there

and you will always be surrounded

with exactly what you need.

Be Strong

be yourself, completely and your life will shine with brilliance

Be Strong

against all odds, use your gifts..they were given to you for a

reason...

Be Strong

and have a beautiful day, full of gratitude!

Kitchen Sink

Really now

Each time I think I have been blown away by something I get another dose.

This time unspeakable kindness, a gesture of such heartwarming proportions I can barely breathe from the sheer amount of gratitude that is filling my lungs.

It is like being at the beginning ride or the end of a marathon

Knowing that it will simply shift into something else

but I am sure to stop and bend down and smell the sweet perfume of these roses

Give thanks for each cell of my body each wave of my spirit each moment that should not be washed by.

The knowing that nothing is in vain, even if it takes a while to show up.

And can I vouch for the power of the moon?!!!!

When you call in the forces of the wind it is no joke....things move fast

and there is no mistaking the correlation.

So, deep within the hodgepodge of this post is story unfolding just exactly as it should.

I am so glad that I listened to those three little birds regardless of the circumstances

Even while cursing at my spiritual guides with frustration and tears...I followed the guidance and pushed on farther and like a wave crashing down, all of the pressure was released

and now I stand in the wake, stunned and engulfed in the golden, glistening light of the sun.

Today will be a great day!

hot bath

I am putting it all in the hot bath tonight

filling it with all that doesn't serve me

all that needs to soak it's way out

leaving me refreshed and relaxed and so put back together

I am climbing this mountain and know that the other side is near

remembering to look back at all of the hills and mountains I have climbed before

knowing they life will be sure to continue sending them

they are hard

and that means I am alive

and I am grateful for that....and looking forward to the next green valley

and I am not writing about the bath anymore

maybe I just needed to soak in the page a bit.

naaaa I'm taking a hot bath as well!

return

Waking up to a beautiful weekend.

I am reinvented

focused on the joy
the happiness

what is working so well

a study in energy

this writing a part of the equation

a shift of consciousness

perspective
can actually change the chemistry of the mind

the body

the spirit

and so I have returned

from a big ball of struggle

so happy to be in the flow

just in time

to scoop it all up with open arms and

allow it to become me

cell by cell

connection to it all

once again

remembering that it is like birth a little at a time

contract
breathe
patterning through

head showing them disappearing

then showing some more

this was just a very long contraction but a progressive one I'm sure

late night flow

As I sit poised upon a perch I wonder to myself how do these words come

......from where?

How does my hand remember how to hit the keys just right?

What part of my brain is working

What part of me is aware of what I am doing...for it certainly is not me

the me that I understand with absolute resolve

The me that I have been taught is me

Where does this stream begin

where does it cross over to that path of sea-ness

when do I become it

when it, me?

How does the hand know to stitch, or sew, or chop, or fluff, or drive a car, a plane

this is all a bit insane.

and yes, it's true, I've had some rum, and quite a bit of fun

but it is only lubricant for that which is different,

a stream, a thought a moment frozen in that illusion of time

that space of connectedness

that is us

Oh Sweet Manatee

I screamed with the true excitement of a child.

"Oh my God, there is a Manatee"

about four feet away from me...huge and sweet and just so big, gliding by like it ain't no thing.

Then it came up for air with it's sweet nose....

later in the day it returned again to say hello

a magical day in yet another magical place.

Can I take it?

Yes I can!!!

packing for the ride

Well, it is that time again.

to escape

to the green cover out east.

Only for the afternoon and a night and a morning

but that can so very long indeed

it has been raining a lot that means that the landscape will be totally changed

can't wait to soak in all that new, green, lush growth

ready to feel small among the trees

ready to feel quiet among the sounds of the crickets, birds and frogs

ready to open my heart to the great gratitude that floods it each time we get to dance in that enchanted place that waits for us when ever we make the journey

The change of scene can wash you clean and activate your wildest dreams

Knowing for sure that I will watch my children run free and explore and investigate and just be out in the open, where the buzz from the city is far away and we fall asleep under the bright white stars listening to the cries of enchanted peacocks

waking to drink coffee and run out to hold the chickens. Those easter chicks that have grown. All fuzzy and new tangled in easter sugar now making the farm element real and tangible. In a few months we can begin looking for eggs from them.

This is the key, right here...this insanely magical experience that seemed to drop down with no effort. in our laps. It is so big and came so easily.

When do I make the corrolation that it is connected to everything else we do? it is gratitude repaid, effort showing up sideways.....part of the fairytale.....how do we miss this? It is so good that we are going there today.....so very good...as a unit....four and a dog to run through the woods together and happy and free and floooded with knowing, flooded with magic, flooded with graciousness...taking the time to open our eyes and appreciate what has fallen into our lives.

Taking the time to watch the intricate spiderwebs that cover the untouched land.
Taking the time see ourselves as the spider.....
the intricate connections we make that hold space for us, even if forget to see it.
The webs that we walk into when we are not looking closely enough to our surroundings.

Oh this is good and I must write in here everyday....it saves so much time. Processes so quickly, records all of the insight that blows away in the wind.

I am off to pack a suitcase full of gratitude for an overnight stay in an enchanted place where dreams really do come true.

jumping up and down

Dare I write in the middle of the day.

What am I looking for here in this page.

My children trying to harness their energy on a trapolene in the other room.

Can I get one of those? That rhythmic up and down that seems to absorb insanity.

I suppose I could just go in there and jump with them.

Oh... these days peace and struggle fluctuate so quickly... it is harder than it use to be...but that is what stretches and expands the mind....if it were so easy I would not appreciate the reward. I keep telling myself that.

My daughter just came in to tell me that the tramploene is fine, it is not done with it's body yet....so I will go in and jump...I'll let you know how it goes.

Hello World can you hear me?

Well, I have not been here for a while. Thinking it might spark some creative flow to write.

The paints have been put away and it seems my mind doesn't turn quite as smoothly when I think so much

So practical these days....so functional.

An interesting paradox of actions and things that I do.

bouncing back and forth shape shifting gets tiresome.
so I vow to stay liquid and flow through it all. Oh, see how quickly things emerge when you just open the door and creativity flows through. That really is the nectar of life....

what makes things grow....the ideas that turn into matter.

Realize how powerful you are and how much potential you hold. Think, create....things that were not here before you put them into motion. Can we all grasp that for a moment...we would not worry so if we could reconnect to that infinite possiblity.

Hot Soup

Sweet, sweet love in the form of a hot bowl of homemade soup.

It's like the comfort of all comforts.

Exactly how I like it.

Perfect in every way.

Renewing cells one by one.

Returning strength lost throughout the day.

Soothing, healing and all mine.

I will fix myself another bowl as I coil up in this mighty, simple pleasure.

Saturday Morning Dive

Well I suppose I am ready to return here
To this place of freedom and creativity

I sit with hot coffee, a day ahead of me

A swirly evening behind

Returning here reminds me how fast time goes

How much I have to learn

How appreciative I am of the journey.

I am realizing that all things tend to get faster with time.

Intensity greater

Payoff bigger

and understanding of one's own power gleaming

I will not enter into this lightly...dipping my toe in and remembering that I may feel very cold
but it will not take me down.

May make me take a deep breath and shutter, may bring goosebumbs to my skin

But is all protected and functional

that old saying comes to mind....."God never gives you more than you can handle"

And so I step to the edge

of that great, tall diving board

knowing that others have jumped before me

knowing that I can swim

knowing that there is a organized concoction of feelings that go along with the jump

bravery, questioning, bravery, fear (not for long), strength, determination, adrenaline, freedom, impact, relief, wonder and then the desire to do all over again.

I vow to move forward and take the leap. There will be no turning around to climb back down the ladder.

But dear universe....I ask to catch my breath in between

Be Cautious

Remember to be ready when you say out loud "bring it on" to the universe.

Always good to follow it up with a I am strong statement.

Because yes you can...

just remember to hold on for the ride.

Whew

The Nudge

I can feel it again

that nudge of creativity creeping in

about to burst forth

growth with great momentum

the muscles forming after you break them down

the slow rebuilding of tissue and strength

damn, they are looking good!

I graciously await days on the beach

soaking in the magic of the sun

the salt of the sea

the comfort of the sand, the shells, the beauty of children making friends with the beach again.

I am here

arms wide open

ready to receive all of the glory in this world

bring it on universe

I am strong and I am excited for this bountiful period of payoff.

Thank you for all of the gifts!

Last years post

This a repost from a year ago...

we are headed out there this weekend. Just in time to rejuvinate, reconnect with nature, quiet, peace...look how far we've come in the year...I love spring...and was that really a year ago?

The Ranch

A small house in the woods
only 40 minutes from home
horses roaming freely
we make friends with them
feeding them carrots and fresh green apples
majestic peacocks roam and meow like cats
a big fire pit, smokey and full
exploring galore
a pack of dogs with puppies and nursing Mama dogs run around and stop by once in a while
we work on the house
stop to eat
take a hike
continue.
dirty, dirty fingernails
burrs stuck everywhere
a morning ride on the john deer over the dirt path into the expansive open woods
purple flowers burst up into the green
my children holdings hands, balancing on a fallen tree
picture perfect
then the clan returns
loud and rough
playing horseshoes, shooting clay pigeons, pop pop breaks up the wind
drinking beer from the largest cooler one can imagine
family and bratwust, burgers and hot dogs
burnt marshmellows for dessert
the stuff dreams are made of
my son running around in fatigues with an army canteen and boots and a camo hat that were given to him. The oldest grandson who gets to try it all out first.
fishing in the steam with his Pappy
happy as can be
a ride up the road takes us to visit the farm
my daughter cuddles a one day old chick in her hand
the cowboy who runs the farm tells her she can keep it if she wants.
"We'll keep it out here, at the ranch" says Mommy
There are chickens and hens
then on to the cows
we walk right into the field with them
mooing away
they just hang out there
just to roam
stars so bright and many
how did we get here
I ask?
We are tired and spend from our fist weekend at the ranch.
There's a whole new world to explore
a gift that has fallen into our lap
we are happy and grateful
and due to take a good, long, hot, bath
back in the city.

The Universe Speaks

When you make the statement that you are tapped out and tired and have nothing left to give and feel as if you can't take anymore...sometimes the universe answers VERY loudly and says..."oh yeah?" See about this this

and you find yourself plunged head on into the most amazing of experiences

I could write for days and days and layers and layers and years and months and lifetimes.

I am moved beyond belief and very aware that when I feel stripped to my core and bone tired I do in fact have more to give. Much more than I could ever imagine

I have emerged with a chill in my spine that may never go away and a warmth in my heart that is exactly the same temperature as the tears of relief that stream down your cheeks when you realize that every little thing is going to be all right.

Ahhhh

I am so very filled with gratitude this New Year!

Some small things I am thankful for today...

An amazing wife who picked up Mommy duty this morning so that I could enjoy my first "day at the office"

A heater fixed in twenty minutes for a reasonable price

HOT, fast Chinese take out with no msg ready in ten minutes and just down the street.

A wonderful sister -in -law to share a meal with on a cold Florida night!

My beautiful children

a peaceful home!

sleep all tight and cozy tonight...I will