up

things that lifted my spirit this week:

• a wednesday evening Skype turned phone date with ab. i wish we were neighbors and at the end of some days we would meet up, say hello, dig in the dirt, go for a run, share a meal, sit on the sofa and sip hot mugs of tea, play in her studio...together. a girl can dream.
  
• a thursday night pilgrimage to Kathy's house for a Mondo Beyondo local gathering. i heart these women ~ i am grateful for this tribe and their presence since the fall into winter and now in spring.
  
• a friday evening walk to a back patio barbecue at the home of dear friends.
• a saturday morning call to my parents to say, "enjoy the show!" i gifted them with tickets for mother's day and father's day.
  
• a saturday morning into afternoon reconnecting {to self, another and earth} adventure at Walden Pond with a dear soul*friend.
• indian food {take out} for saturday night's dinner.
  

24 april 2010

• rising + shining at 6 a.m.
• dancing to Brand New Day.
  
• tending to a piece of my practice {the business/practice i am creating} that's been in process for weeks now ~ entering a space of clarity + grounding.
• preparing for the launch of my practice website!
• creating a space to honor bella + our relationship.
  
• an afternoon walk through my neighborhood, camera in hand.
• my first butterfly encounter of the season.
  
• a stop at the library to pick up the latest from Katherine Center + Anne Lamott! on the agenda for the week: yummy reading {both books are 7 day loans}.
• daydreaming about my nyc urban retreat on monday evening → tuesday morning + preparing my iPod for travel to nyc.
• an evening walk to the store to gather some goodies for dinner.
  

19 - 23 april 2010

• digging Katherine Center. Katherine created the above button. i am looking forward to picking up her latest novel, Get Lucky, tomorrow. would you like one of her buttons? find buttons here.
  
• read a fabulous article about time, written by Dan Sullivan. read the article here. learn about "Free Days", "Focus Days" and "Buffer Days."
  
• walking under canopies of pink blossoms; beside front lawns {urban fields} of yellow and red tulips; and, through shower + rain bursts.
• inspired by this post i thought about "what's hot now?" and in response i say: children {i have shared quite a bit of space with kiddies this week while on the subway as it's a vacation week for the little, growin' ones ~ the sweetest treat}; pausing or stopping rather than pushing ~ going with the flow; and, playing + being playFULL!
  
• hearting Crystal Bowersox.
• reading about Unschooling. i have been following Sara for a while now and she introduced me to the term, "Unschooling." i deeply, deeply, deeply appreciate and connect with Sara's voice and path.
  

9 - 18 april 2010

• flying to DC + back again.
• gathering with my tribe + celebrating an upcoming birth.
  
• a booth at Lebanese Taverna for dinner.
• weekend footwear: flip-flops.
• patio seating at Rio, a favorite place for Mexican food.
• i put away the shovels + salt. a few days later, winter returned {thankfully, without sleet + snow}.
  
• unpacking my new cloud colored Reiki table.
• a Skype date with ab. i treasure her open heart.
  
• honoring + celebrating joyFULLY ~ an anniversary, a baptism. a year ago i received an invitation {from Spirit} to consider leaping north. leap, leap, leap ~ i did. leaping, leaping, leaping ~ i am. i am blessed, blessed, blessed + grateful, grateful, grateful for every grain, thread, bit of my life.
  
• friday night at Club Passim with K, l.m. + d. a mug of hot cocoa with whipped cream in hand. one of the best musical performances i have ever seen: Hadestown, a folk opera. inspired by 14 artists communing on stage + the three women surrounding me. go, go, go + see it ~ the tour schedule is posted here.
  
• game night at my house: a collection of sisters + a brother, Apples to Apples {a favorite!}, Taboo, gluten-free brownies + wine.
• baking Glenn's Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Candied Ginger.
• some sunday sunlight + blue sky. just a momentary slice of this ~ filled up my home + heart. did you see it? did you "ooohhh" + "aaahhh" like i did? tomorrow it will be mostly sunny + warmer. delicious.
  
• Chipping In + supporting Odette's Girls' Home-Coming. perhaps you would like to Chip In? you can ~ here!
• backing {along with 125 other backers + counting} the project of artist + writer, Christina Rosalie. her project, A Field Guide to Now, is "a collection of illustrated essays and prose exploring the fabric of the present tense." Christina has raised $7,772 + has 26 days to raise $2,228 dollars. join 126 of us + back her here. visit her blog {one of my favorites!} here.
  

5 - 8 april 2010

• i spy: a hopscotch + Happy Easter message chalked on sidewalks in my neighborhood; sailboats on the river; what Helen saw, through her exquisite writing in this post; and, Deb Koffman ART.
• i smell: outdoor grilling.
• i hear: this tune by Colin Hay; the sound of my momma's voice, lifted + lightening, after some heavy days {i am excited to see her + my poppa on saturday!}; and, a momma calling out to her daughter in the early morning, "have a good day, Lulu!"
  
• i touch: my tree of life necklace, the piece of jewelry i purchased in honor of bella. when i wear it, i feel her circling me, dangling close, within reach.
• i taste: spinach pancakes.
  

1 - 4 april 2010

• sunshine + seventies.
• a new + fun {carry-on} suitcase for travelin'. destination #1 ~ to s. + a.'s for a long, celebratory, spring weekend!
• an early saturday morning run {no jacket/cover needed!}. sharing the path with many babies + doggie wonders.
  
• five treasures found here. 2 hats {just the kind of hats i've been dreaming about} + 2 bags {the search is finally over!} + 1 sweater {perfect for spring + fall layering}.
• dancing to "Bubbly."
• connecting with this beauty + grateful for her enthusiastic response to my inquiry {more on that soon!}.
  
• sitting in my square on saturday afternoon into evening.
• outdoor phone chats with K + d. + momma.
• piecing together a new volume of tunes {my soundtrack for this leg of my life journey}.
• gathering goodies for beloveds in honor of easter + happy new home + birthdays/birthday months.
• reading Olive Kitteridge.
• an early morning easter walk here, where i met flip-flop wearin' K. later we walked to K's new + lovely home.
  
• sitting on the front stoop for an easter afternoon phone chat with mes parents.

these last days of march 2010

• a festive egg dyeing gathering at our home on saturday afternoon into night.
• i am leaning in. read Liz's post "toward all of it."
• "The goal of your life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature." ~ Joseph Campbell
• a wednesday lunch at a new spot, the pulse cafe, with an old friend.
• i purchased my "cloud" colored Reiki table!
  

24 march 2010

• listening to s.'s "droplets of spring" mix this a.m. dancing to track 5. have a listen here.
  
• in love with + lifted up by the words + image in this post by Dixon Hill Girl. bella's life was all about "bounce and boing" + she was a genuine lamb/lambie lover!
• you must read this article about saturday morning waffles at Barb's house. it will make your heart sing! this captures the spirit, the essence, of the kind of life i am creating + living. a life of inviting, welcoming + communing.
• today i received a christmas card + letter from a dear friend. it's never too late for cheer ~ joy is never out of season.
  
• an early evening walk to the library in the sunlight + wind to pick up Lift by Kelly Corrigan.
• tonight i found a most perfect, heart shaped potato chip on my plate, next to my grilled cheese. i savored this chip.

21 march 2010: on the ground

14 - 20 march 2010

she's been keeping watch. thank you {again} for this gift, danielle.

• awake for a couple of hours in the middle of the {leaping forward} night into the early morning. listening to the rain + wind. this springing forward felt more like a blasting forward.
  
• {last weekend} dealing with some disappointment about canceled plans due to not feeling well. shelter from rain + wind. ease + rest called to me. still, it's been weeks since i've seen K. sigh.
• filling up the last pages of another daily writing journal + beginning another.
  
• Ellen DeGeneres + Portia de Rossi on Oprah.
• a reiki + massage exchange with another practitioner. wonderful to give + receive.
• i read this post by my friend, Trish, at wish studio. she made her blogging debut! i look forward to hearing + seeing more of this talented + spirited beauty in the bloggie world.
• 5 tips for meaning in cleaning by Karen Maezen Miller. three gems ~ 1. "Focus on the doing, not the getting done." 2. "We spend most of our lives ignoring what’s in front of us and looking instead for something more." 3. "Your own attention is what transforms your life." presence, presence, presence. i look forward to reading her new book.
  
• a few things i spied on my st. patrick's day late afternoon walk ~ eight bikes attached to the fence in front of one house on school street; three houses with statues of mary in the front yards; and, one open window.
• sitting on the front stoop in the early evening reading Style Statement.
• a thursday afternoon into friday morning visit with t., a philly friend. it was sweet to begin our gathering on a thursday in my new england home as our weekly tea date in philly was every thursday. we walked to + from dinner here. we shared a gluten-free pizza; a spinach, red onion + avocado salad with olive oil, lemon + thyme dressing; and, a gluten-free brownie sundae. we talked, listened, hugged + held. it was the perfect time for this perfect visit.
  
• wearing fresh out of the box sneakers {a purchase made long ago} + favorite warm-ish weather garb.
• spring equinox! morning run, clean sheets, laundry + a bit of spring cleaning. catching up conversations + communications. making plans to celebrate an april anniversary {Anais Mitchell + game night}. i followed the light all day ~ working on my practice by the open window in the living room, on the front porch + by the open window in my bedroom. an evening walk.
  

4 - 13 march 2010

• honoring my work schedule for the practice i am creating. this feels so good.
• getting ready to order this table {in orchid} for my practice.
  
• writing, writing, writing, writing, writing...writing, writing, writing, writing, writing.
  
• "The other interesting thing about a work life is how different it is from a workday. The tasks we face on a given day are often around specific actions, or specific conversations we need to undertake. The tasks we face in pursuing a work life more often have to do with intangibles, with what cannot yet be touched or spoken, and very often with the great intangibles of our unhappiness. In a good workday you are more often than not trying to make other people happy; in a good work life you are trying to make your self happy. In a work life we must treat the intangibles as seriously and as practically as we treat the touchable, doable tasks of a given day. To do this we must use a different language and a different imagination from what we might use at a desk or a workbench; we must locate a form of current different from the one that powers our laptops or our power tools, an internal current inside the imagination, inside the body that is determined to flow out around all external obstacles and find its way home." ~ from The Three Marriages by David Whyte
• a couple of successful runs!
  
• bus to nyc + back. saturday night dinner at Sapori d'Ischia with d. a sunny sunday in manhattan with mes parents {they traveled up from the garden state}. we ate a light lunch at Le Pain Quotidien {the one at abc carpet & home}. we walked + walked + walked from square park to square park to square park all day long. we landed here for an early dinner before saying, "so long. i love you. see you in less than 5 weeks! and, oh dad, i'll drop my tax stuff in the mail this week {so that you can do my taxes for me}!" an early monday morning board meeting on the 38th floor of a building in times square {what. a. view.}.
  
• i purchased a plane ticket to visit with my bff, s. + her partner, a. i am grateFULL + giddy that i will be attending their baby shower + spending a long early april weekend with them!
  
• sore throat in the mornings. a glass of orange juice x 2 or 3 or 4. water x gallons. hot mugs o' tea. bowls of soup. a few bee honey drops. at least one crazy loud sneeze per day. {why yes, i was just getting ready to declare, "i haven't been sick this winter!"}
  
• a friday night skype date with a wyoming beloved, who i can't wait to see this summer.
• honoring early march birthdays of dear friends near + far ~ l.m. + s.n. + k.d. + l.w.
  
• a phone message from a friend who lives in the city of brotherly + sisterly love {my former home}. she will be in town this week for a gig + we will get to visit!
  
• receiving a precious note with a tea bag from ab. {ab, i enjoyed the tea this early afternoon!}
• Zooey sings Dream a Little Dream of Me.
• looking forward to diving into Style Statement.
• thinking a lot about shame + worthiness + love of self.
  
• getting ready to spring forward {in all ways}.
  

3 march 2010

• a day spent mostly at the kitchen table with a candle lit.
• "The interesting thing about a work life is that it is very much like a workday. Most of the hard work is done by simply turning up, facing the task at hand and moving forward, inch by inch, foot by foot, until we look around, admittedly after a much greater time than we expected, but surprised to see it has all been done." ~ from The Three Marriages by David Whyte
• laundry.
• onion, prosciutto, sun-dried tomato + gorgonzola omelet for lunch with a side of roasted sweet potatoes.
• You and I. dancing + smiling to this. "...baby how we spoon like no one else..."
  
• making lunches for thursday + friday. tempeh, sauteed veggies + quinoa. yay for tempeh!
  
• spring planning. outlining goals, creating a schedule + noting travels for march, april + may.
  

the last week of february 2010

• living this prayer written by Alla Bozarth-Campbell. a prayer that found me nearly 13 years ago has called for me again in this season of my life. here, in the wilderness, is where i am residing these days. "The stories you tell / one another around the fires / in the dark will make you / strong and wise... / You have been preparing / for this for hundreds of years. / I am sending you into the wilderness / to make a new way and to learn my ways / more deeply... / You will get where you are going / by remembering who you are..."
• change. trish + i enjoyed our last weekly mid-day tuesday tea date downtown. {her office is moving.}
• i had myself a rain day on wednesday. sort of like the snow days/weeks beloveds have enjoyed in new york, new jersey, pennsylvania, virginia + even texas. yes, i do live in new england but somehow we've been snow day-less this winter.
  
• a monthly wednesday morning phone date with d., a beloved from seminary. as always, our call included thoughtful listening, hopeful sharing + lightful laughter. {i can't wait to SEE her in nyc this weekend!}
• i spied a woman holding a yellow umbrella; feathers, feathers ~ everywhere; slivers of light; and, a dumpster with a large "Y E S" printed on it.
• a saturday afternoon visit with family friends from my hometown. feeling at home, nourished, grateful.
  
• fresh flowers, tulips.
• this song.
• i made "Camping Cookies" with dried cherries.
  
• what i was calling "jogging" officially turned into running!
  
• "Surrendering, anticipating. / Knowing / the explosion of color / that is to follow." ~ Chris Heeter

21 february 2010

what am i here for?

i am here
to
be
here.

20 february 2010

today:

• this affirmation, "You know what to do." i do know what to do.
  
• morning time with k. in the car, standing in line on the sunny side of the street and at a table for two at a new-to-me spot in a new-to-me neighborhood.
• an afternoon catnap. the light in my bedroom is exquisite in the mid-afternoon time. i am grateful i gave myself this gift of rest, rest in the light.
  
• a surprise phone call post-catnap. i thought it was my dear m. instead it was h., dear m.'s daughter, on the other end of the line. such a sweet surprise to speak with a young + growing {+ articulate!} one. i can't wait to {finally} meet h. and her younger brothers this summer.
  
• some analyzing of one sentence in an e-mail received yesterday. some worrying. some prayer. some letting go. knowing + trusting it is all unfolding perfectly.
  
• some replaying of parts of an approximately 100 minute interaction yesterday afternoon into evening. some hoping. some prayer. some waiting. some letting go. knowing + trusting it is all unfolding perfectly.
  
• the made with love soundtrack roomie l. gave to me for heart's day played in the background while i wrote in the late afternoon into early night. on the cover of the cd case are these stamped and handwritten words, "Love...For your open heart and generous soul, here's a soundtrack for a year of love, life and laughter." yes, to all of this!
• a night walk under the 40% of full moon. imagining springtime nights in my neighborhood. bliss.
  

19 february 2010

today:

• this a.m. i left treats and "birthday observed" notes in the kitchen for roomie l. she will be out of town on her day of birth so today at our home it was her "birthday observed." tonight roomie l., roomie s. and i enjoyed three hours at our kitchen table sipping wine, toasting, talking, eating gluten-free pizza and salad from here, singing happy birthday, making wishes and savoring gluten-free chocolate cake with cream cheese icing and hot pink sugar crystals.
  
• a cheerful walk to the subway this dazzling a.m. when i work in my office downtown i usually catch the bus to the subway in the morning. walking this a.m. was a refreshing change. i am grateful that much of my life is {and always has been} spent traveling on foot. i am thankful, thankful, thankful for my strong, healing feet and legs.
• on this morning walk through my neighborhood i spied a multi-colored glove for a very wee hand propped in a visible location ~ positioned, no doubt, to catch the eye of that wee one's guardian. throughout my neighborhood this season i have happened upon a couple of spots like this ~ spots where a bright hat or single mitten/glove is showcased, waiting to be claimed. this makes me smile. i don't think of what's lost. i think about what's been found, even given, to me, a passerby, who imagines the little wearers of these goods frolicking about, alive, well and free.
  
• during three {out of a total of five} of my waiting periods at subway stations today there were musicians playing instruments. this made my heart sing.
• i finished this book on the subway this a.m. i have been reading it all week long on the subway. sometimes smiling out loud. so funny, this book.
  
• there was a special, four-legged, furry guest in my downtown office. a sweet doggie dear. this afternoon when she visited my desk area i turned to her, she paused and i paused and we just looked into each others' brown eyes for a long moment. sometimes no words are needed to speak, to connect. love.
• this afternoon i sat in a familiar place with a relatively unfamiliar person, who felt somehow familiar. mostly what there is to say about this is this {bountiful} handful of words ~ ease, hope, yes to adventure.
• this evening, in the dark and chill, another successful jog/walk-stretch x 2. in this space, in this practice, i am attentive to the temple that is my body.
• now ~ to sleep peacefully, blissfully.
  

17 february 2010

today:

• purchasing my airplane ticket for travel to the garden state in may to honor bella and celebrate momma's day and momma's birthday.
• a birthday phone message for and e-mail exchange with my bff, s.
• a walk to and from the library with my camera in hand.
  
• thankfully my first steps outside did not involve slipping and slamming to the ground, torn pants and scraped palms and knee. however, i cannot say the same for yesterday.
  
• writing hours this afternoon.
• making a pot of vegetarian chili this evening.
  
• secret birthday decorating in celebration of my roomie l.
• listening to this song and this song again and again.
  

this long weekend

• sitting at the kitchen table on friday evening talking with roomie*dear l. about so many things including journalists we heart. post-chat l. sent me some link*love and i read this on saturday morning, Domains | Christiane Amanpour. i look forward to reading about others' Domains.
• i watched ridingGiANTS on friday night. it was brilliant. "There's times when you experience the most deepest sense of who you are."
• researching the horrifying violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo {what is also being called the "War Against Women"} and an organization doing something about it, Women for Women International.
  
• to the library to pick up Nora Ephron's book, I Feel Bad About My Neck {per marta's recommendation} and The Three Marriages by David Whyte {thanks to Jen Lee's reference to it in a recent post and podcast}.
• hours of writing here on saturday afternoon while sipping a pot of rooibos tea.
• cooking this recipe {with brown rice pasta} and baking chocolate chip walnut cookies using this baking and pancake mix.
  
• disappointment and a wee bit of wondering about receiving voice mail on sunday at 3 p.m. rather than a live voice. less than an hour later a call back, a 40 + minute conversation and plans to meet for coffee/tea friday late afternoon.
  
• viewing Truth In Motion on sunday night. this film is about the US Ski Team's road to the 2010 Winter Olympics.
• monday morning still-tucked-under-the-covers-and-i-haven't-even-done-my-morning-practice-yet inspiration ~ issue 32 of this joy + ride, connecting me to him + her, this and this and Marianne's post led me to this {i can't wait to have a listen!}.
  
• i spy yellow on my monday morning jog/walk-stretch x 2 ~ a young woman wearing a bright yellow winter coat; two yellow Volkswagen New Beetles; and, a temporary opening in the blanket of clouds, where light pushed through for a moment.
• egg, prosciutto and cheddar cheese breakfast sandwiches made with millet potato bread.
• monday afternoon and evening hours here. a cup of chai. writing. a side of K. more writing.
  

14 february 2010

i heart:

• vanilla rooibos tea
• good books
• writing
• imagining
• tenderness
• witnessing someone {from a distance, someone i don't know} smile or do something loving
• inspiration
• traveling
  
• fresh air
• the sky
• going to the post office
• libraries
• remembering how safe, clear and at home i felt in my maternal grandmother's presence
  
• remembering what bella looked like and felt like {her whole life} when she was sleeping or just before sleep when she would ask me to tell her a story about when she was a baby or toddler, things she couldn't remember, things she loved being told and retold, things i loved to tell and retell
  
• the color of this sweater

• my tribe
• the handmade shawl wrapped around my shoulders
• having "jog" written in my daily planner for tomorrow morning
• Anticipation by dar
• Silhouette by Lauren
  

10 and 11 february 2010

inspiring me:

• new running shoes.
• waking on wednesday morning after a restful night of sleep. morning practice, jog/stretch/walk x 2, shower, starting the laundry, and to the library and grocery store ~ all of this on foot (except for the writing part of my morning practice, of course) by 11 a.m.
  
• The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. she has a new book, Lift, coming out 3/2/2010.
  
• this slideshow of heather by doorways traveler.
• a big yellow garbage can at the edge of the sidewalk on Benton Road wednesday morning, trash pickup day. it was kind of like this one, only it was entirely yellow, including the lid. it made me think of yellow raincoats. yes to bright yellow raincoats and garbage cans!
  
• crossing things off my list that have long been on my list. for example, supergluing that angel wing back on ~ for weeks she's only had one wing, now she has two.
  
• spice drops in a clear glass bowl.
• bubble wrapping treasures to send to my bff, s.
  
• spending wednesday hours, late morning into mid-evening, in my living room with the multi-colored twinkle lights turned on and a candle lit.
• the women i share space with on mondays, tuesdays, thursdays and fridays. they fill up the space with sparkle and spice. everywhere i am surrounded by brilliant woman. all my life. extraordinary. i am grateful, grateful, grateful.
  
• "Paul Hawken's Commencement Address to the Class of 2009." read it here. {c., thank you for sharing it with me!} there is so much good*ness in this. like this, "You are Brilliant, and the Earth is Hiring." this, "...if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse. What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world." and that is only the beginning. read on.
• Media Voices for Children.
• 20 years ago today, 2/11/1990, Nelson Mandela, Madiba, was released after 27 1/2 years in prison. i enjoyed reading these reflections about that day.