celebrating love

Today let us celebrate love.  Let's raise our glass and make a toast to the love that blooms around us and that which is infused in everything we do.

Love can be found in the passions we hold dear to our heart.  The colors we choose as we spread paint onto canvas.  The feeling of our feet hitting the pavement as we rack up the miles running.  The way we yell and scream cheering for our favorite team.

It can be seen and felt in our daily tasks.  The way we prepare a meal, make the bed, tend to the garden.  We hold love in our heart for our pets, our home, the moments we are deep in laughter.

Love is not just a feeling between two individuals.  It  is everywhere in life.  It lives within the greeting we receive when we arrive home.  The hug from our niece and the sound of her voice when she says your name.  The comforting feeling of curling up under the covers and drifting into a deep sleep.

Love is infused in the friendly wave to your neighbor or even a stranger.  The bread you bring to feed the ducks and the way you break it up into bite sized pieces, just for them.  The small flower you see emerging after the long dark days of winter.

Love can be felt through a simple touch.  A friend resting her hand on your arm as she tells you a story.  A deep embrace from your lover.   A high five given after crossing the finish line.

Love is everywhere.  Even when that "special someone" is not in your life, love is swirling around.  It is in everything we do an it ripples over to those we interact with and the way we show up in our work life.

Love is there, it is always there.  Spilling out into the world.  Bringing comfort and ease.  Spreading laughter and kindness.

Today on this day of love, let's celebrate the love we hold deep in our heart and the love we share with others.  Love is the glue that holds this world together.  Let's keep spreading it.

fears

I am not good at peeling hard boiled eggs
And am pretty bad at returning things to stores when I should
This is easy to admit

What is tough
Is hanging it all out there
Letting the world know what I am personally terrible at

I don't do great at showing up in public spaces
I have a fear of making a fool of myself
And rarely allow space to laugh at myself while unknown eyes are watching

I have a fear of the public
I shy away, back down, do not let myself have fun
It is as if they are going to choose my destiny for me

I am terrified of being embarrassed
Afraid of this unknown moment that may occur
I lock up

Even when I am out in the world alone
I think someone may be watching
I tend to dig deep into my introverted self

I want to let go more often
Play, laugh, have fun
Embrace the moment of goodness that I am in

So I am here
Stating my fears
Starting in this public space

My hope is that I will expand my wings
Take my fear to the streets
Let go and not worry about others

snow day postcard

choosing what we love

Yes folks, my christmas tree is still up.  And so are the twinkle lights around my living room window.  I love the light they give off.  It is so calming and peaceful.  I have no plans to take it down even though others comment on it when they come in.  Some think we have been lazy not taking it down.  Others just chuckle.  For me it brings peace and happiness.

There are so many moments in life when we are faced with others choosing to comment on a choice we made.  They stand there with their hands on their hips judging us.  Jumping to conclusions.  Spreading negative talk because they simply do not agree.  It can be tough to stand in their path as these dark words spill out.

But there is beauty in the different.  There is goodness in the choice that is made because it feeds our heart, even if others do not understand.  We must not let their negative talk bring us down.  We must continue to follow our heart, even when that decision can be difficult and faced with adversity.  We must stand tall in who we are and know that we are feeding our souls, and that is the most important.    


~ have you made any choices that lit up your heart but lead to judgment from others?  how did you get through and press on? ~

the writer

Being a writer can be a lonely adventure

Sitting solo on the bench

Entering through door to the coffee shop alone

Sitting with your thoughts by your side

Pen and paper your only company

The camaraderie of brainstorming with others

Creating together in a group

Laughing and giggling as it all unfolds

This rarely occurs for the writer

There work must be done alone

At times it can feel daunting

Sad and terrifying

Wondering if all this sweat and tears is for anything

Inner demons creeping in

And taking over

It can be a struggle to start

Words swirling in your head

But coming out all wrong on paper

The emotion is there

But the means to pull it out has disappeared

The writer must struggle through

Show up day after day after day

Fighting their way through

Sifting through the nonsense

Drilling down to the heart in the words

From on lookers it may seem torturous

They wonder why the writer continues to show up

Why do they not choose something where they do not have to be alone

They do not realize that within that solitude hearts heal

Minds expand and gold flows from their fingertips

There are brief moments when a writer is transported

Words flowing that she did not even know where there

For that moment the world around her disappears

She is deep in this other place, this different time, this lost world

And this makes it all worth it

beauty

Beauty
Filling the sky after the storm subsides

Beauty
Staying safely tucked into our heart as we get pulled in many directions

Beauty
Keeping us grounded, taking us back, moving us forward

Beauty surround us
Always there at the ready if we just seek it out
A reflection in a puddle
The giggle from a child
The sound of your favorite song

Beautiful moments pull us into another world of possibility
We must be open to letting them in

Seek out the beauty around you
Capture it in your heart
Hold close in your pocket for that rainy day

~~What beautiful things are in your world?