Waving good-bye, waving hello

What a wonderful year 2009 has been. It's brought so many healing and delightful things into my life: good tools for dealing with stress and taking better care of myself, heartfelt visits with family, two new amazing nephews (TWO!), a teacher (finally!), fun trips with my sweetie, (sorry, just have to say it, in my eyes a pretty cool new President), powerful e-courses and new friends and means of expression, the list just goes on and on... I feel deeply grateful. What will happen next?


[Oh, and no need to turn on your speakers for this little video. The acoustics of the courtyard and my camera made the fountain sound, in the words of my brilliant, articulate nephew Sammy, "kind of crazy".]

I love this man!

When I need a little inspiration, John Cage always makes me braver and happier.


[Sorry about the rather hilarious shift at 4:20 to a Chet Baker song! Such a dramatic contrast to Cage's discussion of sounds as just sounds:) Didn't realize this was part of a longer piece - should have watched the whole thing! But the first 4 minutes and 20 seconds of this are fantastic.]

Six word story

Inspired by the notion of six word stories, here's my own offering.


The light sparkled. Life was happening.

Wild about Wilde

More tragedy from another favorite prisoner of mine:) This reading by Stephen Fry is a wonderful treat!



I watched Stephen Fry in the movie, Wilde, yesterday. A wonderful film! And I also recommend a couple of recent-ish adaptations of Wilde's plays: An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest. But, these voices will always be Earnest to me:)

That Bird Has My Wings

One of the many wonderful Christmas gifts I received this year from my sweetie is Jarvis Jay Masters's book, That Bird Has My Wings. Jarvis is a prisoner on death row in San Quentin. He is also a Buddhist, an amazing man who is friends with Pema Chodron and has taken a vow to help others -- a challenging task in the violent atmosphere of the prison system. Jarvis's story is so sad that as I find myself in this little island of love and peace in his memoir, I don't want to pick it up again because I know how terrible it is going to get -- I want to let that happy, loved little boy get some more time in the care of his devoted foster parents. In the meanwhile, I'll share a few things about the book here.

Interview with Jarvis Jay Masters, author of THAT BIRD HAS MY WINGS

Merry Christmas!

I woke up this morning with a heart bursting with love for all of you who visit me here and I wanted to give you a wonderful treat, like a delicious handmade, decorated gingerbread man and a cup of spicy tea. But I haven't figured out a way to deliver food via my blog. So instead I found this video, which may or may not fit the bill for you. But I love Flaming Lips and feel like they embody that feeling of love and wanting to give something beautiful to the world through their music. This song has the potential to bring a little magic to your day. Or not:) But know the intention is all love, love, love. Thank you for being you. You are dear to me.

Merry Christmas Eve

Thoroughly enjoying a lazy day off with my sweetie. Hooray for holidays! Wishing you and yours a relaxing, lovely weekend.

Momma Zen's "Stacking up: a taste of my laundry"

Andrea Scher posted the audio portion of the following post on her wonderful Superhero Journal blog last week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thought you might like it, too.

Stacking up: a taste of my laundry

Posted using ShareThis

Winter Solstice - my favorite day of the year!

A picture of the last light of the shortest day of the year and a blurry image of that gorgeous crescent moon of the longest night:)



Looking forward to welcoming back the light!

Visions of India dancing in my head

I recently discovered the wonderful blog Lavender and Limes, just in time for Christine Chitnis's trip to India. She's been posting such amazing photos and great stories. It inspired me to shoot this portrait of Ganesh. If you like this, her blog will blow you away:)

Dare. Change.

My Unravelling friend, Karen, has a wonderful blog that I always enjoy reading. Today she mentioned this video in her post and it knocked me out, so I wanted to share it here. Enjoy!

Dare Change
Uploaded by ozikani. - Independent web videos.

Apparently this was made for a Peruvian department store. Nice!

Another interesting TED talk

You probably know I'm a huge fan of the TED talks. Found them through a link to Robert Thurman's delightful talk on how compassion is just more fun and went back for Elizabeth Gilbert's wonderful exploration of how artists relate to their muse and Jill Bolte Taylor's amazing story of her "stroke of insight".

Earlier this week I watched another talk that's kind of stuck with me since, about synthetic vs natural happiness. Thought you might find it interesting, too. There's something about it that seems to echo some of Sharon's "wise words" from earlier this week...

Gives Me Hope

You may have noticed the new little gadget on the side of the page here. I'm so touched by the stories on Gives Me Hope. Here's a lovely video with more of the stories that people have submitted.

Classic Lizzy movie

It should surprise no one that I loved Last Chance Harvey -- Netflix streaming hit of the day:)

Got that swing

I think Rob Brezsny may be onto something great for 2010:

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a jazz tune composed in 1931 by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills. In accordance with your long-term astrological omens, I propose that we make that song title your motto in 2010 -- the standard you'll keep referring to as you evaluate which experiences you want to pursue and which you don't. Please proceed on the assumption that you should share your life energy primarily with people and situations that make your soul sing and tingle and swing.

This song totally makes me swing -- thanks Kath & Justin for including it on one of your amazing Christmas mixes! Had it in my head for a day after my last post. It is always welcome:)

Hooray for blue sky!

After a few gray days I loved seeing the sun today! Hope you enjoy sharing a view of this incredible blue sky.

Wise words

December 14, 2009
Tricycle's Daily Dharma
Being, Not Becoming

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition defines renunciation as accepting what comes into our lives and letting go of what leaves our lives. To renounce in this sense is to come into a state of simple being. We have a moment of seeing, a moment of hearing, tasting, touching, smelling, thinking—just a moment, and then it is gone. When we look very carefully, we see that our experience is like a cascade of impressions. If we rely upon any one of these transiencies for a sense of permanent satisfaction, we lose the happiness of simply being. Just imagine for a moment the stillness and peace of not leaning forward even for the next breath. This is being, rather than becoming, and this is the power and fullness of metta.

-Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness

And just for Sammy!

Christmas and Bob Dylan all wrapped up in one:) Plus dancing AND fighting!

Moving movie

I also shot some little videos along on my walk yesterday, but ran into technical issues with Blogger. Hope you enjoy these today...

More moving and a little listening at the end

Love the birdcall in this serene moment. Sounds like a woodpecker to me.

Sitting, waiting, watching

So happy to have captured one of my favorite things to see, just as I was headed home. Sorry I missed getting its whistle! Next time...

Today I went for a walk

I woke up this morning craving moving and looking and feeling the wind on my face. So I tried out the new sidewalk in Kingston Springs. It was wonderful!

Babies & Blankets

Hoping to get some major work done on Yuma's quilt this weekend. Looking at the past six blankets I've made with their owners enjoying them is great inspiration:)

Another surprise movie delight - Henry Poole Is Here

It's interesting to me how sometimes the images and descriptions of movies on Netflix lead me to write off a movie that I end up really enjoying. Penelope was one of these. Today's surprise film delight was Henry Poole Is Here. And it's a streaming option (for now). See what you think.

Winter landscape

I'm addicted to posting my little movies of nothing in particular:) Even if they don't always play...

More mundane beauty

Don't worry! Soon I'll stop posting amateur films of pigeons swooping around:) But not yet!

More looking

I love watching the pigeons flying outside the library. This was a small flock and it was a cloudy day, but I was happy to be able to capture some of this.

Looking

I look; morning to night I am never done with looking.

Looking I mean not just standing around, but standing around
as though with your arms open.

And thinking: maybe something will come, some
shining coil of wind,
or a few leaves from any old tree –
they are all in this too.

And now I will tell you the truth.
Everything in the world
comes.

At least, closer.

And, cordially.

-Mary Oliver

Advent Conspiracy

Brene Brown posted this video on her wonderful Ordinary Courage blog and it really resonated. Thought you might enjoy it, too!



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