23 days of gratitude - Day 2

(this is a stream in the woods reflecting the colors of the leaves above)

I am grateful for the seasons and for living somewhere that I can appreciate all four of them for all they have to offer.  As I was walking through the woods the other day really soaking up the smells and  colors on a particularly mild morning, it seemed like fall might be the most enjoyable.  Summer and winter tend to be extreme in temperature and activity (or lack of activity if you tend to avoid high heat or bitter cold!!) and spring's milder days are almost manically enjoyed after the lack of sun and warmth during the winter.  Fall is generally mild, beautiful (it amazes me how awesome the colors seem each year!!) and tends to be pretty mellow, once the back-to-school frenzy passes.  The cooler days and nights inspire me to make soup, and pie, and have fires in the fireplace....   An opportunity to get quiet and appreciate the moment and all it has to offer.   October 31 is the official start of the winter if you follow the wheel of the year.  Leaves are almost all off the trees, temps are more regularly chilly - time to take stock of all that brought us to this moment and get ready to take a season to regroup and rejuvenate for more awesome living to come.  I am grateful for the contrast of the seasons giving me many, many things to appreciate all year long.

Namaste 

23 days of Gratitude - Day 1 :)

I have a friend on Facebook who started posting gratitude posts every day for the 30 days before Thanksgiving.  I love the idea and I love hearing her gush with gratitude so I'm using her idea here....

I am grateful for a bunch of things in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and what it morphed into.

I am so grateful that we were fortunate enough to have only the inconvenience of the no electricity for a few days.  There are so many people who have lost their homes, and some who have lost their lives.  I found this website showing a bunch of ways we can help get everybody the things they need to rebuild their homes and their lives.  I figure every little bit helps.

I'm grateful for the emergency services personnel and the electric company workers and everyone else  that have been working non-stop, even as their own lives have been similarly impacted, to help other people.

I'm grateful that our electricity is back on and that this time, rather than 3 days in the dark, with no water and tons of food spoiled, our generator was working!  We figured out ways to spread around the electricity so that it was hard to tell that the power was out.  And, I'm grateful that the massively tall trees in the lot next to ours chose to fall within the lot, rather than on any houses, cars, etc. :)

I'm impressed and grateful that Halloween went on as planned, even though many of the homes on the kids' route were without power.  Actually, they are more grateful than I am for that one.  I'm grateful that this is finally going to be the year that they decide NOT to consume all of their candy within days of collecting it..... what you think is what will be :)

Sending love and light to everyone as they work through the details of letting this intense experience show it's blessings.

Namaste

Mindful

Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for -
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world -
to instruct myself
over and over

in joy,
and acclamation….

Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

~ Mary Oliver ~

It's all how you look at it....

I love this!!  I love Wayne Dyer!  He has been a blessing and wealth of wisdom on my journey.  It's from a Facebook post of a friend who shared it from Peace Comes from Within:  http://www.facebook.com/peacecomesfromwithin  (for more of the same :) )

What I've discovered: what you think about something determines what is real at that moment.  Perspective = perceived reality.  If you don't like how it feels, deliberately choose to see/think about it differently - change your perspective!!  It's all good in one way or another, so seek out what's good no matter what you initially think about it.  

I choose Peace.  I am grateful for all of it.

Buy a pair, give a pair - GIVING!!!!

I was turned on to TOMS shoes, a shoe company that gives a pair of shoes to those that don't have any for every pair you buy, earlier this year and loved the story and the concept.  I proceeded to purchase a pair for me, and a pair for my daughter.  They're awesome!!  I had just read The Go Giver (highly recommended!!) and the TOMS story exemplified the concepts in that great book, emphasizing giving as a core principle for any successful business, and life!

Today I just found another company doing the same thing but for eyeglasses!  Warby Parker will donate a pair of prescription glasses for every pair you buy.  They have a cool virtual try on application on their website -  you use a webcam picture of yourself to 'try on' different frames.  They also let you select 5 frames to try on at home - free shipping on everything.

In both cases, the prices are extremely reasonable.  Totally loving the expansion of giving as a core value in business!!!

dragonflies......

The dragonflies are here!  I love them.  So many different colors and sizes.  The playing fields are full of them, darting back and forth, clearing out bunches of mosquitos and other bugs - much gratitude for that!! On the peak this weekend I took an extra long 'walk' - which was more sit/ draw/reflect/meditate than walk - and a dragonfly came and sat on my hand for a long look at me.  It was awesome!  He/she moved up to my shoulder for a closer look, then flew off.  I totally feel like dragonflies bring amazing, sparkling energy to where ever they visit.  Check out this beautiful photo and tribute to the photographer's father, including an amazing story about dragonflies,..... here.

A rather large visitor to my garden.  Serious wingspan!  His eyes sort of wig me out.

Memorial Day Weekend on the Cape

Our first weekend on the Cape of the 'summer'!  It was foggy and the sun popped in and out, but it always seems like great weather there no matter what.  I read a great book!  The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.  Now I can't wait to get his newest book Do the Work.  B&N didn't have it in the store - total bummer - so I bought The War  of Art and I'm really glad I did.  It's a quick read and a total must for anyone that has ever experienced resistance to doing what they know they want to do, know they can do, but for some reason, just can't quite do it!  Check out the link to the B&N writeups on it here.  

So I got some Cape-y pix while I was down there - 

These are pink and white beach roses.  The flowers, and the hips that are on the plants for the rest of the summer, always catch my attention.  The flower petals are like crepe paper and the hips start out green and turn this great orange/red before they rot and go to seed.  

My sons and their friend ended up attracting a bit of attention on the beach when they started playing and singing some recent hits together.  They are really good!!  At one point a house full of Memorial Day party-ers out on their deck asked them to do a few songs for them across the inlet.  They got a great response and were floating the rest of the night.  It's the first time they've ever played/sang together, and the first time their friend has ever sung in front of anyone - I think they are hooked!!  

Just some cool shots - the wooden bridge over the inlet.

Funky seaweed!!!  It looks like a monster from the deep.

An old post in the sand next to the bridge.

And a tunnel where the inlet fills and drains - there's a marina on the other side of it.