solstice adventure

solstice sunset 12/21/12
While I'm always delighted to welcome the sun back after the solstice, this year I find I'm not fighting the dark as much. I think I'm starting to see the charm that Wendell Berry describes so beautifully here:

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

journey adventure

These dark days before the solstice always put me in a reflective mood. As I look ahead to a new year, I also find myself looking back. What has 2012 been for me? I chose the word LESS for the year and in a way it has been a year of less. In the physical sense of the word, I managed to clean out many cupboards and closets, in part thanks to a wonderful organization called Turnip Green Creative Reuse, which accepts donations of materials that can be re-used by artists. And on the personal front, I chose inner and outer priorities (inner: playful, open, and true; outer: exploring things deeply, spending time alone, and spending time in genuine connection with others) and have tried to make decisions about the use of my time and energy with these in mind. On the other hand, I've been blessed with a lot of cool experiences!

One fun thing this year has been being an audiobook judge for the Audies. My category is books narrated by the author(s) and one book I really enjoyed that I normally wouldn't have picked up is Regis Philbin's How I Got this Way. He finishes each chapter with a little wrap-up beginning with the phrase "What I Took Away from It All". I loved this organizational device and thought I'd borrow it for my 2012 wrap-up here. Here are the big things I experienced in 2012 and "What I Took Away from It All" - hope you enjoy!

Albert Hadley - Working on Mr. Hadley's exhibit pushed me way outside of my comfort zone, but it was a huge gift to be able to spend time with this incredible man at a very challenging time in his life. He taught me so much about beauty and graciousness and I'm deeply grateful for the experience and connection.

Body Adventures - An awesome addition to 2012 has been my practice of getting a weekly massage with Julie - she's fabulous! I also got way into Marie Manuchehri's book Intuitive Self-Healing, and really all things Marie Manuchehri! Definitely hoping for more Marie in 2013!

Road Trips - I love hitting the open road and was so lucky to have a wide variety of road trips in 2012, from Opeth and Mastodon in Knoxville and Atlanta to Anne Lamott also in Knoxville and Buck Brannaman in Huntsville, each of these trips was a unique adventure! More, more!

Eckhart Tolle - Allowing myself to get into Eckhart Tolle was a great part of 2012. I can be so resistant to sort of "mainstream" things that I can definitely miss out. It is actually amazing that Eckhart Tolle can be considered mainstream. Really working with his teachings actually does feel deeply ordinary and yet completely revolutionary. Definitely want more Eckhart in 2013, too.

Retreats - At Jon Bernie's spring retreat this year I couldn't help but notice how much I love retreats, especially the structure and the silence. While there I discovered that the Birmingham Shambhala Center had announced dates for Levels 4 & 5 and the timing finally felt right to finish up the Heart of Warriorship series. Add a weekend at Joe Zarantonello's peaceful Loose Leaf Hollow and this was a practically perfect year of retreats. I've already got plans for more in 2013 as I continue to follow my spiritual bliss...

Travel - Although the number of trips I took this year might not seem to fit with the theme of LESS, I think it is the LESSness of travel that I love. I get to bring just my favorite things along with me. I'm out of my usual environment, with its usual distractions. Travel really distills my world down to the present moment. And it was awesome to get to see so much of my family in my travels this year, although I'm definitely missing some of the dear folks I didn't get to see. Looking forward to more time with family in 2013 for sure!

Squam - What an amazing experience to be back at Squam this year! It is always so powerful for me. I loved getting to catch up with my cabinmates after 2 years and see what's happened in their lives. So many good things. Heck, I even made something this year. But I'm also excited to see that Elizabeth is shaking things up for 2013. She's such a dear and amazing woman and it's a pleasure and inspiration to get to experience all the good things she brings to life as she comes more and more into her own true self. Love it.

So, pretty great year, eh? And 2013 feels like it holds even more magic and possibilities...

radiance adventure

Hymn to the Nameless One
By Dorothy Walters

Now as the year swings down,
and the darkness encloses
even the smallest bird,
the largest animal,
and we too enter the hour
when everything is falling once more
into the twilight
of not knowing,
what we ask is that
you be with us,
not as a pillar of fire
nor a blaze across
the heavens,
but like water
at rest in a pitcher
which catches the morning light
and is filled
with its own radiance.

mary adventure

Just back from a wonderful weekend away to hear one of our favorite musicians perform (and Rodg even got to interview her on Saturday afternoon!). Mary Halvorson's quintet played last night at the Wexner Center for the Arts on Ohio State University's campus. We flew up on Friday evening and back this evening and had tons of fun in between. It was the perfect last trip of 2012, which I believe we kicked off in April with our Mountains & Metal weekend. Over the next couple of weeks I'm planning to look back over 2012 and share insights about this past year's adventures - stay tuned!

freeing adventure

It has been a lovely Thanksgiving weekend, after a bit of a rocky start on Wednesday when I ran into some roadblocks in obtaining some essential food items for the weekend. I guess in past years I've gone earlier in the week, but I was completely blindsided by the insane parking lot and hour-long line to pick up a HoneyBaked ham and turkey breast - only to discover there were no turkey breasts left. I did track one down on the other side of town, so all was not lost, and I even got some good audiobook listening in. Still, it rattled me.

But we had a delightful Thanksgiving Day, complete with lots of fresh produce from our farmers - such a treat! There's something very relaxing about just spending a day fixing one dish after another, with plenty of time for a nap. And then eating all of that delicious food with my sweetie!

A fun thing about my volunteer gig with the Contributor is that my shift is on Friday afternoon, so this was the third year that I was lucky enough to spend the day after Thanksgiving serving my community, which is something I'm very thankful for. And you'll be happy to hear that everyone we spoke with had enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving meal, whether they're currently or formerly homeless.

Yesterday was the second time that a dear friend from work and I have offered a holiday drop-in craft program on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It's so fun to see people of all ages making art together. We call it a "craft buffet" and just put out all kinds of supplies - jingle bells, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms, felt, cloth, papers, stamps, stickers, magazines to cut up, glue, glue sticks, tape, crayons, markers, coloring pages, etc. You should see the amazing things people make! This year we partnered with Turnip Green Creative Reuse and I even pulled some things out of my closet, so I'm hoping it got folks thinking about making things as gifts for the holidays and repurposing things they might find in their own homes.

So having been able to experience pampering, service, and creativity this weekend, I woke up this morning aching to get out in nature for a bit. I'm so lucky to live near a beautiful park and it was a gorgeous morning for a walk. There's something so powerful for me about the feeling of walking on a trail. It helps me get back into balance. My mind stops racing and enjoys taking in the sights and sounds. My feet love walking on the earth.





I've also been enjoying wonderful birthday gifts this weekend: Moonrise Kingdom and A Monk in the Inner City (thanks Dad and Katie) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Pema Chodron's Coming Closer to Ourselves (thanks Mom and Steve)!

stuck adventure

(Photo of my legs by my dear nephew, Tobin)
Sorry for the silence from over here, but I find I'm a bit stuck on the blog front. On the living front there's been lots of activity - a fun trip to see dear family, birthdays, reading and enjoying lots of amazing input from the universe - but when I try to figure out how to express it in a post here, it's eluding me. I guess it's all too big to be summed up - no one heading captures it all.

Fall has traditionally been a hard time for me. I really dread the short days. But lately I've started to see the gift it offers, the invitation to slow down and bring one's energy inward, to take stock of the year's activity and perhaps set an intention for the new year. It can be a time to treasure the more subtle pleasures of life and I must admit I'm ready for that.

One of the lovely gifts this fall has brought to me is Anne Lamott's newest book: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. What a jewel - small and packed with classic Annie goodness. And here's a video that dear Camille shared with me - with Cheryl Strayed no less! And one exciting tidbit is that Ms. Strayed (aka Sugar!) is going to be at the library this spring. Truly my cup runneth over!

wayne adventure

This was a Wayne-filled week! On Wednesday, I had the great good fortune to attend a day-long creative summit - Nash-Up: Remixing Nashville's Arts, Culture and Creative Future. The keynote speaker was artist Wayne White, who I hadn't realized was from Nashville. You may know him from his work on Pee-wee's Playhouse, or the new documentary about him: Beauty Is Embarrassing.



And on Thursday I received the following video in my email, about Wayne Walden - one of my absolute favorite Contributor vendors. See if you can make it through without getting at least a little teary. What a dear man.



And let's throw in another favorite Wayne! Wayne Muller's message of enough is one that always inspires me. Enjoy!



What's showing up in your world these days?