really.

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention…. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.

Rachel Naomi Remen

how are you? really. how. are. you?
(let it out.)

perspective

the sun shines;
her heart opens (slightly).

*******

tonight,
i take a breath
and another
and i read this again
and again

my sacred life sunday.

it is a day...

As I sit, curled up on the sofa working, I notice the heavy, wet snow plopping onto the roof.

Plop
Thud
Plop

Earlier, I spent a few minutes outside soaking up the sight of this staple from my childhood that rarely visits here. The beauty covers the ground with all the purity that is solid white. The usually tall plants and trees bend beneath the weight of white. The birds flit seeking food that equals warmth; their feet and beaks push aside the stacked up flakes.

It is a day to notice. A day not to let work overwhelm or the mess that is our home overwhelm or the little tugs at wishing things were sometimes different overwhelm.

It is a day to notice the joy that is Millie's determination to sniff every inch of the backyard as she explores all this wet whiteness.

It is a day to sit inside and drink hot cocoa and eat a cupcake and just sit in the quiet and enjoy a little break and notice. Notice feelings and quiet and me.

It is a day to curl up with a patchwork quilt and soft mary jane slipper socks and a cozy sweater; a day to notice the blessing that is being warm.

It is a day to light a candle in the hope for peace and healing for so many.

It is a day to notice the blessings and the bliss.

It is a day to sit in the quiet and breathe and hope.

It is a day to breathe in and notice the feelings, so that when the rain comes and washes it is away, the bliss and the blessings will not be forgotten.

from us, this solstice

om
shanti
shanti
shanti

may peace fill
your body
your mind
your heart
your home
your town
your region
your country
our world
beyond all that we know

namaste

during the quiet...i almost...

I almost wrote about how far away I feel from my daily practice. I haven't done yoga in weeks. I haven't meditated or chanted much lately. I hold on to the intention of lighting candles and the ritual of blowing them out and sending blessings to others, and I am thankful for this. Yet, I know I am the most balanced when I have a daily practice that is physical, mental, and spiritual.

I almost wrote about the different ways friendships end. Sometimes people just drift apart, sometimes something "happens," sometimes someone lets you know the friendship is ending, sometimes you are just confused about why, sometimes you decide to set a boundary, sometimes you never understand, sometimes there is no reason at all really, sometimes you just feel sad about it long after it happens…but mostly I wanted to write about how letting go is okay.

I almost wrote about the visual journey I took while receiving a massage a few weeks ago. A journey that involved being underwater with the whales and feeling as though they were nudging me in greeting and telling me that it was okay to just breathe and not fear the water.

I almost wrote about how I am trying to find the balance in blog world of connecting and reaching out and having a life away from the computer.

I almost wrote about how an unexpected root canal brought up the claustrophobia I experienced for the first time last year. And, how I sat there in the dentist's chair and made the choice not to give in to a full-blown freak out moment.

I almost wrote about how sometimes walking away is the only answer.

I almost wrote about how much I wished you hadn’t walked away.

I almost wrote about the paradox of taking the Handmade Pledge but planning to vacation at a place that is perceived as a center of consumerism (even if it is, to me, one of the happiest places on earth).

I almost wrote about finally realizing I have two jobs (editing world and art+craft world) and the challenges this brings at times.

I almost wrote about how there is an expectation that we are to move on from difficult moments and experiences when things are "right" or "not so bad" again. That because it has been a few weeks/months/years or someone is okay or that you don't have cancer or that you are better off without a person and on and on…that because things are "fine" you are to dismiss whatever emotions surfaced when things weren't fine and the echoes of those emotions that live within you.

I almost wrote about how we never really know how our words might hurt another. We never really know that they might be sitting on the other end of the phone or email trying to catch their breath. I almost wrote about trying to catch my breath.

I almost wrote about how much this time of year invites a deep missing in my heart…how sad I am that it seems Disney no longer make the dated ornaments my grandmother bought me every year…how all I really want for Christmas is a pair of soft around the house socks from her to replace one of the last pairs she gave me because they are getting a bit threadbare in places.

I almost wrote about how lately I have been missing the idea of Indiana. The days of living near my parents have long passed. And, today, I almost wrote about how I wished I had paid more attention.