Bandwagons

i’m not really a bandwagon type of girl.  in fact, often just seeing that “everyone is doing” something is enough to make that something suspect and send me straight in the other direction.  not really sure why this is.  i mean in high school, like most adolescents, i was pretty driven by my peer group, the latest fashion trends, etc.

but somewhere along the line, i realized that i prefer to do my own thing.  maybe it’s my rebellious streak.  or my fiercely independent nature.  or a desire to stand out from the crowd.  or some kind of resistance to change.  but for the most part,  i’m not easily swayed to go along with the current trends.  i would find it really burdensome to try to keep up with all of that.

staying true to my calling and my inner self is something i have learned to put a high priority on and i’m convinced that it’s worth the trouble.  but it can sometimes be a lonely endeavor.  a lot of the things that “most people” enjoy, i don’t seem to have much interest in.  like shopping (except thrifting!)  or sports.  or jewelry.  or watching the royal wedding (ok, i do have it on tape).  at times i feel a bit like a social misfit.  and it’s hard to believe that at my age, i still sometimes feel the sting of rejection when i am not included in things.  i get it, but the hurt is there nonetheless.  (what, have i not moved on from junior high??)

this has taken a completely different direction than what i intended, which so often happens when i put finger to keyboard.  didn’t really mean to take you down that path – in fact, i was planning to talk about how the current trend that i’m resisting is the iphone.  pretty sure it’s only a matter of time and i’m already halfway there since i use my ipod touch all the time, but i’m still holding out.  we’ll see what happens…. 

me on the red rocks, nevada

(all wagons in utah)

Ratcheting up my OQ

remember back in January i started a new practice in keeping with my word-of-the-year “imagine”?  i decided to take my little camera, a notepad and a pen with me on my morning walks.  well, unless it’s a running day or i’m walking with someone else, i’ve turned this into a regular habit and i’m loving it!

 i’ve noticed lately that my observation quotient (OQ!) has been improving.  i mean, i only have about 3 variations on my walk, but amazingly, i keep noticing new things!  everything you see here has been captured just in the last few days.  there is rarely a day when i don’t end up taking some photos or writing down some of those ideas that used to pop in and out of my brain like hot popcorn or just slither away like a slippery snake.

the key is that it’s a daily practice.  once something becomes a habit, something that you engage in day in and day out, and not just a lark that you try a time or two and then drop by the side of the road, some real power kicks in.  i had read this idea and now i’m starting to get it - firsthand.  

 these little practices also help to organize my life.  when i first became a stay-at-home worker 2 years ago, i had trouble creating structure in my days and my daily practices have really done the trick!  do you engage in a daily practice??

What's Goin' On??

still taking my morning walks with camera and notebook (red lilies for easter!)

well, quite a bit, as it turns out!  here are a couple of snippets.

brothers

 last week we went down to mission beach to visit with stu’s brother and family and friends who were all spring-breaking from lake tahoe.  too bad it was cold and drizzly, but they made the best of it!

while a was there, i snuck out to go look at the house i used to live in in my 20’s.  still there, not changed much!  right on the ocean.  i’m really dating myself here, but i had 2 roommates and we each paid $100 a month (off-season, during the school-year.) that balcony above the umbrella is where we hung out to watch everyone (guys!) go by on the boardwalk.  those were the days!

4 more days of on-call federal jury duty.  i don’t mind regular jury duty, but this goes on for a MONTH and involves nightly call-ins to see if i have to be in court 40+ miles away in heavy traffic at 7:30 the next morning.  ughhh…. makes it pretty difficult to make any plans.

as you can see in the side-bar, i’m starting my experimental art e-course today.  should be fun and get me trying some new things!  for the first time ever, i decided to dress up my boring old spiral-bound journal.  does make it kind of fun to write in!

 lots of different partly-done projects going on in the studio….  oh, spent a day last week hanging out with the lovely soraya (and tara too!)  will have to take some pics one of these times!

getting excited about our upcoming trip to taos in a couple of weeks.  in a rare move, we decided not to take the motorhome, but to rent a cool adobe house instead.

 i’ve been busy making plans with my friend laura for the inner gardening min-retreat coming up on june 4.  super exciting!! 

that about wraps it up …. thanks for stopping by!!

The Crack Where the Light Gets in

i love leonard cohen so much.

love this song.

and most particularly this line.

i’ve been struggling with my creative mojo this week,

gotten a little off-kilter

distracted from my path

for a bunch of different reasons.

 when things feel a little dark

i find the image of that crack to be so powerful.

there is ALWAYS a crack,

a crack in everything, as the song says.

 finding it doesn’t always come easy,

but knowing that it’s there makes

all the difference.

because we will find it…. eventually

and the light will come in

and touch us where we need it most.

 

  if you’ve never seen him perform,

you are missing something very special

Enjoy - Happy Earth Day and Happy Easter!!!

Oh, almost forgot.... registration is open for the Inner Gardening Mini-Retreat!