a list of here.
a bit like candy . necklaces heading to the shop
i have a head cold.
i am trying not to worry about giving it to ellie.
this is when i use a wand like dumbledore's to pull the thoughts of fear from my brain to store in vintage spice jars.
(i wish dumbledore could come for tea. maybe he could take some of the spice jars with him.)
we watch NCIS. when it is on, i pretend my grandpa is still alive and we will talk about it in the morning.
we never actually talked about NCIS, but i know he loved it, so i pretend.
usually we would talk about birds and notre dame sports and how much we both missed my grandmother.
now i miss them both.
but each day it doesn't rain, ellie and i go outside and i tell her about the birds. i name each of them so she will always know. perhaps her first word will be chickadee.
i could easily be one of those people who travels the word searching for birds.
but mostly i am a bit hermit-like.
(having a baby with health issues makes being a hermit easy some days.)
being a hermit has its perks as you get to use your own bathroom all the time.
but it can get lonely (even when you are not alone).
this is one reason why i host retreats and get really excited to connect with people in person and teach workshops around the country.
i have been thinking lots about what makes the be present retreats such a beautiful experience for the women who gather.
i am honored to be part of them.
i believe that we must share our stories so we can deeply live in our lives.
otherwise i think the stories, our truth, get stuck inside us and that invites us to become stuck.
when we are stuck, we sometimes don't see the beauty or feel the light upon our heads.
(i know a lot of people who seem stuck.)
pounding phrases like "i am enough" and "i let it go" and "stand in your light" into metal push me to remember the truth that i (want to) believe.
i am so blessed.
but i have a head cold.
so i am going to tuck all of this "here.ness" inside me and take a breath or two and head to bed.
hope the sun shines in your corner of the world tomorrow.
this is me in make a list.
Reader Comments (8)
I love this post Liz - I think I am one of those people who travel and look for birds , My father taught me the names of all the birds and we used to love to quiz each other on the bird calls and identify the birds by their songs - there is a note that my father sent me years ago that I call my father's poem and I am going to post it on my blog soon - but now I am in Costa Rica looking at birds and orchids and sunsets and getting warm ( finally ) and tan and thinking about writing and reading and painting and taking photos of the most gorgeous things , but feel better love and I will have sunshine tomorrow for a change and I wish you had some too ....look at my photos on my facebook page and dream of the warm ocean and the sun and I will hold you in my thoughts and wish you warm .....
i like being a hermit too. i was just thinking about it the other day.
i was feeling rather lonely and wondering why. but bryce was gone
for 4 days at a conf and clancy was off living the teen life. thank
goodnesss i have the pooches and they are freshly bathed, so they
are so ripe. way easier to snuggle with.
feel better girlie.
Ohh, that photo makes me smile. Those are mouthwatering colors, so pretty! I love this post and the thoughts of you and your sweet girl naming birds. Hope you feel better soon.
I think I have joined the hermit club too. When I was teaching I NEVER had any alone time and now I have so much. I feel it's a blessing, but an adjustment nonetheless. That's kind of why I started doing retreats too. I really felt strongly that I wanted a local tribe to connect with. It is (slooowly) starting to happen!
Some days I truly look forward to my hermit time just to be.
xoxo
I love, love, love this list!
You are amazing. I wear my 'stand in your light' necklace when I find myself needing to be brave or going to unfamiliar places. I smiled at the remark about using your own bathroom all the time. Now that I work from home I take that perk for granted... I get lonely too and yet I am glad we have this medium to connect from our corners of the world. Love you!
Hi Liz,
I...cannot wait...for midwest retreat. But you knew that already. Every female I know that I've told about it gets a wistful look in their face and says, "wow, that sounds great."
Lovin your candy pic.
your retreats feed womens souls. they are amazing. i am in awe right now looking back and thinking how much attending be present has changed my life. you create magic dear liz. you really do. thank you for sharing that magic with all of us. we are the lucky ones.