Everyday Beautiful

  I am extremely, incredibly excited to share the news with you guys: I started a podcast!  Check it out at the following cite:  https://open.spotify.com/show/ 3ijPXrR7cVgI5a1eRacJfz   Please share this podcast with family, friends or coworkers who might be interested or benefit from the message.

  Although I find nothing inside myself to write, I look to others today and allow their writings to provide narration through the photos of this post.  Each of the following excerpts are mantras I walk under or quotes which stirred my heart when I read them.  I hope you also are touched by one of these phrases or poems. The apparition of these faces in the crowd: Petals on a wet, black bough - Ezra Pound                                                                                                                             Ode to the Twig  ...

Tears fall, water from the soul exposing the depths of the heart.  Tears, although uncomfortable, are a sacred experience.  A cleansing, a release, an expression, a plea, a helplessness... the list extends for ages.  Why does one cry?  I contemplated this question in light of my own experience, coming up with the following answers.  As I continue to ponder reasons for my tears, I encourage you to do the same.  Realize that your tears are necessary, a thing from the depths of your true self. Pain inexpressible by words Brokenness of the world Goodbyes or Loss Unrealized Dreams Perceiving I'm not enough Holes from trauma Life as we know it changes Broken trust Unnamable reasons Burdens feel too heavy Emptiness Joy Relief A second chance  

 Shawn Harris' children's book Have You Ever Seen a Flower inspired both the title and content of this entry.  When I picked up Harris' book to read today, I came at it with a chaotic whirlwind of emotions screaming inside all corridors of my head.  Frustration, exhaustion, confusion, pain, hopelessness and loneliness weighed my shoulders down... made my breath come out in tight, short bursts... shattered my motivation.  Yet after reading Have You Ever Seen a Flower , I felt a deep, healing breath fill my body and escape out my lips.  The book's plot takes the reader into colorful, gentle self-kindness before one even realizes what's happening. So in light of my experience today, I wrote out a short self-compassion exercise for you to try.  I hope with my whole heart that you'll give it a chance even if it feels foreign or false.  Let the words sink in, allow your unconscious mind to find healing in them... even if it seems you're only saying the word...

       I have a new favorite activity: finding children's books with meaningful messages.  The simplicity authors use and bright illustrations spread across the page draw me in in a way no scholarly article, witty opinion or popular movement could.  Why is this so, I've asked myself.  What magic does children's books possess?  I come back again and again to a single idea: simplicity.  In the world of children, few things are over-thought; instead, reality comes in a kindly blunt way.  I've experienced similar emotional responses when I take pictures of nature.  While trying to find an astounding angle to capture a leaf or ripple on the water, I'm calmed, excited, amazed and challenged by the beauty of things we often consider "every-day", dull objects or ideas.       OK, now I'm rambling :)  Let me get to the point.     My sister and I visited our local library last week, and I took the opportunity...