navylane :: musings

Just a few of the good-for-the-soul things that filled my week:

♥ A light sweet smelling rain last night. I couldn’t resist going outside, in my bare feet, to throw my arms up to the sky while twirling around and embracing the mist upon my skin. So refreshing.

♥ Ink stained hands. Paint on my shirt. Gel medium on my fingernails. Yes, my friends, I am back in the studio. In fact, yesterday the creative outpouring was so intense, it actually brought tears to my eyes.

♥ Fresh blueberries and raspberries from the farmer’s market, courtesy of my aunt. To say that they are absolutely delicious is an understatement.

♥ A gathering of friends, then a night camping in the woods this past weekend. Once upon a time, before kids and marriage and the mortgage, my hubby and I spent many a night pitching a tent and roughing it in the woods with friends, but this was a first for our daughters. They loved it.

♥ Our busy backyard… flowers blooming, kids swimming, hummingbirds humming, woodpeckers pecking.

♥ Serendipity. As I was uploading the photo to the left, I noticed the perfect little heart-shaped leaf that made its way into the photo. Totally unplanned. How sweet is that?

I also just realized how many of my weekly joys are earthy delights. No doubt that Earth is the element with which I feel most connected.

What were some of your moments of bliss this week?

more self portraits + elements here

The butterfly counts
not months but moments,
and has time enough.Rabindranath Tagore

I don’t usually like to complicate birthdays, but for some reason my emotions today were much like the ebb and flow of the sea. One minute I’m laughing at the inexplicable good fortune I have in my life, the multitude of blessings that fill my heart with such love and gratitude. The next minute I feel uneasy, even a bit sad. As I told my daughter (who was baffled why anyone would be anything less than ecstatic to celebrate a birthday), I’ve never been 32 before. It’s all new to me, and I am not quite sure what to make of it yet…

A few highlights of my day…
♥ Waking up to a phone call from my mom, bright and early this morning. (Without fail, always the first one to call to wish me a happy birthday.) Plus, phone calls, visits, emails and mail throughout the day from those so dear to me.
♥ The most beautiful weather, sunny and warm. A perfect day to sit, think, daydream, read while the sun rays gently kiss my skin.
♥ Two precious little flowers picked from the garden by my daughters. Stems too short to put into water, so I carried them with me all day, holding them delicately in my hands, such sweet gentle reminders of the fragility and limited duration of life.
♥ Ending the day with a few short moments together as a family, sitting by the glow of candlelight, wishing upon stars and looking for fireflies.

And earlier this week…
♥ The last day of school! Love, love, love having both of my girls home with me. Lots planned for this summer!
♥ A roadtrip with Misty to visit sweet Kateri who took us on an amazing walk, then out to lunch to meet up with her friend Stephanie and browse the local shops. A wonderful day of warm weather and good company.
♥ Yet another life lesson learned. The hard way, of course. But I am going to count it as a blessing because it makes me a better, stronger person for it.
♥ The unshakable feeling that I am on the cusp of something big, something new. I’m not sure what, how, when, only that the feeling is settled deep into my gut, begging for my attention.

People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong…Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?Thich Nhat Hanh

♥ Seeds sprouting. Veggies growing. Flowers blooming.

♥ 20GB of precious, irreplaceable digital photos (that’s a lot of photos, folks) stored on an ancient dinosaur of a machine that almost died this week, but — thank my lucky stars — I was able to revive it once again (and a backup is taking place as I type).

♥ My youngest daughter who carefully makes note of what I choose to wear each morning who then emerges from her room dressed as much like her mom as possible.

♥ School yearbooks. I always loved school yearbooks. All those smiling faces etched on those pages forever. Friends scribbling their sweet compliments, fond memories, “don’t ever change” sentiments. Seeing that same enthusiasm in my daughter as she flips through the pages of her own yearbook over and over pointing out friends and teachers… so awesome.

♥ My husband’s inventions. This week’s McGyver-would-be-impressed project is a dirt thingamajigger with a dual purpose: to sift dirt and to be a garden cart of sorts. Always the one to recycle old battered things like barbecue grills, plastic bins and wire screens (yes, those are the actual items he used to make this thing). He cracks me up. The kids’ reaction: ‘Wow, Dad, you’re amazing!’

♥ Waking up early. I’m trying to switch my internal clock that has always dictated that I be a night owl. So far, so good. I am absolutely loving a few moments to myself, dwelling in the quiet of the house before everyone else gets up.

What’s filling your inner well up with love this week?

This week…

♥ Good music. Listening to The All Dave Matthews radio station almost nonstop this week. DMB always puts me in a good mood and brings back so many memories of college.

♥ Evenings on the back porch, sitting on the swing next to my husband, a glass of wine in my hand as we listen to an orchestra of insects, a nearby bird, and gentle night breezes.

♥ Fruit smoothies. Yum. Based on a recipe I stumbled upon a few years ago (frozen berries, pomegranate green tea, greek yogurt, ground flaxseed and turbinado sugar), it’s been my favorite way to get my day started this week.

♥ Girl talk at the coffee shop and treasure hunting at the beach with Misty and the oh so lovely Kateri.

♥ Eureka for eupnea; my child’s breath easy and relaxed, unlabored. Finally. So easy to take it for granted. I am grateful for her every breath.

♥ Studio time, easing myself back into creativity mode after a creative slump. A bit of art journaling always seems to help zap me out of a block.

Today I just might…

I dreamed about…