on the virtues of nerve

There's a lot happening right now.

The kind of happening that involves an audience that might witness me and think what's she doing up there? and I don't get it. That's what I imagine, anyway, when I can't sleep. Or maybe it's that I can't sleep because of what I'm imagining. I'm not sure what comes first.

In early April life presses through the earth speculatively, a front line subject to nature's yea or nay. We see wick green budding among brown and marvel could it be? and the smart ones among us throw salt over left shoulders and knock on wood, because the universe counters brash optimism with unexpected snowfalls.

There's a respect due for that front line. For how bold yet how delicate it is. For how it emerges into a chill, into a lack of guarantees. But it emerges anyway, ready to be noted.

That in itself makes a statement.

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Today, show me your spring as well as your nerve.

choosing what to focus on

Lately it seems like all of the various projects I have been working on are all teaching me the same thing. Funny how the Universe can work like that sometimes. I'm finding that the clearer I am, the more clear this truth becomes to me. What I choose to focus on becomes my reality.

I began the year with my trusted companion Simple Abundance, a gratitude journal and a creative journal, all of which I use during my first moments of quiet time after the morning shuffle of breakfast, packing lunches, and carpool. That 20 minutes I spend focusing on creating and maintaining the life that I want has made all the difference. My life just looks better. I know it's my same old life on many levels but with the right focus on the right thing the entire picture changes.

I suppose it's a perfect photographer analogy to liken a life's focus to the sweet spot in an image.

When these dangling water drops caught the light, all I could see was beauty. Each time I walked past these new tomato plants on my kitchen counter, the water glistened; winking at me. I couldn't ignore them any longer. With my trusty macro lens and my heart and aperture wide open I focused on what I wanted to see; the light, the clarity, the camaraderie, the determination, the beauty. I chose not to focus on the dirty dishes, the remnants on the cutting board or the water spotted window. Those things are all there if you carefully decipher the blurred background. But, they are not what I wanted to focus on and sure enough, you barely see them.

Amazing how that works.

Do share what you are choosing to focus on lately? Give us your picture.

brand new day

I am an admitted night owl.  Nights are my quiet time.  Uninterrupted time, when little ones are asleep and I can focus on things such as photography.  I thrive in the late hours.  Pushing way past any time I should stay awake,  trying to stuff so much into those few precious hours.  This makes my mornings less than easy.  I rarely greet the new day bright eyed.  Instead I shuffle out of bed, bleary eyed, and hope with all hope that I remembered to set the coffee maker the night before.  Greeted by two little early bird beauties who happen to be quite the opposite of their night owl momma.  I envy those "other people",  you know, the morning people.  The ones who get more done in their morning before i even find the cream for my much needed cup of coffee.  Lately, due to certain circumstances, I have been up before sunrise every now and then.  I roll out of bed and into clothes I left heaped on the floor the night before, brush my teeth, and throw the nearest hat on my terrible case of morning bed head.  I grab my keys and chauffeur my teenage daughter to her early morning job.  Lucky for me it serves coffee, lots of coffee!  I could then drive home, hope that the little ones were not disturbed, and crawl back into my still warm bed with my husband.  Instead night owl me has felt an unfamiliar pull to watch the sunrise.  I take my morning self, my camera, and that cup of coffee and drive to the beach. To breathe in the silence that only a winter beach brings.  To commune with that lone seagull.  To watch the darkness give way to light and colors.  To welcome my beloved sun.  A brand new day, full of promise, possibility, and beauty.  Having these new moments of early morning solitude has really made me take pause and appreciate something I didn't even know I was missing. 

"I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be, so it's easier to remember who I am." ~story people

Show us, how do you greet the day?  What beauty do you find in the early morning hours? When was the last time you watched the sunrise?  Perhaps today is that day.  

summer in december

When all else fails and the weather has got you stuck inside, and maybe even uninspired, take a look around the great indoors for a little reprieve.

Who said the sun can't shine in December?

Find a little bit of summer today and share your sunshine.

whispers

From my kitchen window I watch them fall.  Autumn's leaves letting go and descending to the earth.  Some so graceful dancing on every breeze, others twirling and playful like a child, then a few taking a direct descent as if they can't fall fast enough.  I find myself mesmerized and remembering this proverb, "The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living."  This makes me smile as I return my gaze back out my window, mindful of the whispers.

What is whispering in your ear?  Won't you show us?