sperlygirl

a fairy dusting...

saturday morning we awoke to a fairy dusting of snow. just enough to add sparkle to everything outside. just enough to lightly carpet the grass, revealing only those magical footprints of the creatures who visited at dawn. just enough to make the wind bitter, to make hot tea and hot cocoa taste more special, just enough to enjoy the beauty of it. 

this weekend, i finished a couple paintings. one is for my friend and it hasn't been an easy one to paint as there is much to let go of within and around it, but the process has allowed some healing for my heart. i will post a photo...but not until it reaches its new home first. 

unfortunately this weather has also brought illness to our house, again. and we have a little one who is bravely fending off a virus strep. so i think today will be one of cartoons on the sofa with a cups of hot chamomile for my little guy. 

 

emerging...

thankfully, the espresso didn't completely take out my laptop and after a couple weeks 'off the grid', we are reunited, repaired (thx j), and catching up. although i could use it before, i was unable to type with the keyboard which simply made life difficult.

it was nice to step back a bit from the uncomfortable feeling we can experience these days of "needing" to connect on-line. this break allowed me to really examine this more clearly and chart a path of how i wish to approach connection in the future. i love being able to connect, don't misunderstand me. living overseas, that connection is often a lifeline to those we love who are spread out all over the globe. but i take issue with that feeling of "needing" to be on. there is so much inspiration out there and i do love spending time reading and checking it out, but i don't wish to become lost in it. i want to be very present here too - seeking out the beauty around me, savoring the moment and reality that is right here and now. although our lives have been improved greatly with the aid of technology, i think too, that they have become easily more complicated in the process. so this break has helped me to aim to seek more of a balance between the two. 

and today i am doing just this...soaking up a gift of a surprise snow day. making snowmen with my little people, sipping hot cocoa, and feeling grateful for all the connections in my world - those in real life and those made here. 

**a beautiful tune for a day like today **

technical difficulties...

this weekend, cafe spilled into my laptop, so not good. hope to be back soon...

in the meantime, this has totally become my new theme song, love

these days...

these days i am working to remove obstacles out of my own way. i am powering through but working hard to allow for self-care along the way (as i am soooooo good at side stepping it). tiny changes, nothing drastic, but tiny changes that allow for greater change. for example, i wanted to be practicing yoga daily before going to work - so i now get up far too early. i am still snarling about it until my foot hits my mat and begins to move - then a shift happens, as i feel life awaken in my body with every asana. and time and the fact i am up so early seems obsolete. 

i am back to running (albeit on a pair of orthotics to help align my rehabed knee and surrounding tendons) a mile or so in, those suckers hurt with each foot strike, but i narrow my gaze and focus my mind and run on. 

in the kitchen, i have taken the juicer out and have been grinding up some delicious brews. my fave now is a blend of cucumber, celery, carrot, lemon, green apple and ginger. oh how i love that moment when i toss in the fresh ginger, the scent is so vibrant. a big thanks to maddie for the suggestion to freeze the pulp to add to smoothies and muffins!

now that everyone is back at school/work, my time to create becomes much more compartmentalized but i am allowing for it, with more ideas brewing.

and yet, there are still moments such as this sunset from the other night that j called down to share with me. a brief moment that allowed me to stop, take a breath, and be reminded of the beauty that resides in simple stillness.

ps:: loving that this has found the repeat button on my playlist...

sorting thoughts...

because my thoughts have been here lately, it felt right to share here. i have been thinking so much about the fragility of life this week.

you see, sunday evening, as i was making dinner. i glanced up to see blu laying in the hallway. thinking nothing of this as it wasn't unusual, i went back to work. until seconds later, when i heard her gasp. for a nanosecond, i paused, knowing deep within my heart the goodbye i was about to encounter - i hesitated, as if my hesitation could put off the inevitable. not ready (but then are we ever?) i went to her and knelt by her, calling to j, he came as we looked on helplessly. in seconds we were met with goodbye, shock, disbelief, and sadness.

some may not understand...only a pet, they may think, just a cat, they may say. but she was a traveler along my way. a dear little one, we picked out of a shelter and carried with us for 18 years.

in thinking about those last moments on sunday, i thought of this journey of life and was reminded just how unimportant so much of it is - the stresses, the worries, the drama, the stuff... because in those last moments and so many others in between, it is simply the act of love that carries us - that reminds us of our courage, helps us uncover our strength, provides peace in our hearts, nudges us towards our calling, fills us with hope, reminds us of the beauty around us, and connects us to the wonder of life. 

little leaps...

(i hemmed and hawed about posting this but until sunday night and losing sweet blu, it was such a wonderful weekend. this little space is a gentle nudge for me to focus on life's gifts - with that gentle nudge, i decided to share...)

coming off the heels of a beautiful weekend spent exploring and laughing, our good friend, and my favorite little people. there was a gorgeous full moon beaming down, autumn hanging heavy in the air, leaves bearing the hues of a favorite palette, dinners full of laughter, an aniversary that we celebrated, and some serious creative dreaming to be had.

i took a little leap and updated some ways to follow me online, you can find them now up at the top of the blog, just under the banner. 

a big thank you to all who left comments for the postcard giveaway, your kind words and support mean so much to me and my creative journey. a big thank you!! congratulations to anne, who was the lucky give-away winner. 

~wishing each of you a most lovely day~

ps - a heartfelt thank you for all your kind words about our sweet blu, we are missing her dearly but cherish all the years we spent with her and all that she taught and brought us. 

envelopes of friendship...

today, i am focusing my attention on the the warmth friendship. the other week, i received a beautiful handmade postcard from my talented friend, regina. last week, i received a sweet surprise package with a lovely note and pair of her great earrings from my friend kim. and today i was happy to discover a note from my dear friend, laura, with a few sweet treasures tucked inside, waiting inside my box. i so love the lift that an unexpected hello in your mailbox can bring to your day and i am grateful to have such friends in my world. 

speaking of...my dear friend, kt, and i are being featured here on my friend meri's inspiring new blog. she is collecting so many bits of inspiration here. 

thanking joe...

my first year of college, i took a class called The Power of Myth all about the teachings of Joseph Campbell. i remember reading that book and all the discussions that followed in class, and feeling like someone had just shook me awake to the world. a few months later, my world came to a devastating halt when my father suddenly and unexpectedly passed. and in the many months that followed, while i was trying to piece back together my life and find my new place in it - a copy of joseph campbell's a reflections on the art of living: a campbell companion was never far from my grip. on some of the lowest of days, a quote of his would carry me and provide the lift that very little else in my world could offer at that time. i don't know why exactly i felt such a powerful and instant connection, but i did. approaching twenty years later, and that same book still accompanies me. and then i discovered this new film (thx marissa) and all those "a-ha's" from freshman year psych class have reved up once more. 

 

"Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning." ~ Joseph Campbell

 

the wisdom of quiet...

i am a little giddy today (and blushing a bit too) at seeing my interview up on her lovely blog. 

i was searching for words, some concrete thoughts to share here tonight- but instead, i seem to be caught up in fleeting moments of stillness that have swooped through this house - and i find myself holding onto those...waiting simply to see what wisdom a few moments in silence can offer. wishing you that very same peace tonight. 

breathe in, breathe out...

today, i am feeling overwhelmed. my to-do list feels like it spans the width of texas and yet i only seem to be adding to and not crossing off.

the days feel short and the evenings even shorter. then tonight,  i came across these wise words and beautiful post.

the beautiful full moon beckons this evening. i watched the sky paint her canvas with soft warm hues before she emerged...so tonight i choose to side step my to-do and bask in her light.

may her moonbeams bring you magic...