“the life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living.”
—
image credit: prisarts
Nov1
Category Archives: acceptance
Oct30
wait.
on a tired evening after a long day at school
i arrived for my hair appointment
already ready to be home
a stylist new to me
was running late
quite a patient person by nature
i felt myself becoming impatient
really wanting to be done and home
and on and on about me
finally she was ready
we took the elevator and headed upstairs
thinking about waking up at 4:30 the next am.
i sat down in her chair
sensing she had been through something
while she worked we began to talk about our lives
she shared things with me:
she can only work 3 days at a time and then needs 2 days off
due to a chronic illness that has affected her leg
(ah, the elevator)
she is one of eight children raised by a single mother
she was a very young mother years ago
she loves her daughter, granddaughter, and mother dearly
she is sharing rides with a co-worker as her car is not working
she doesn’t always have dinner or time for it
this was her last week at the salon
she needed some down time to recover
she would love to have her own little salon one day
she spoke of other joys and challenges in her life
determined not to give up and make the best of things
such a strong soul
i felt ashamed for my impatience
happy i had waited and not expressed it
i had nothing to complain about
she was an incredible person
still kind and happy
still in the midst of overcoming hard things
i tried to offer encouraging words
wished her well
gave her a restaurant card i had in my wallet
as we parted ways
i was reminded to always consider the other person
wait before reacting or rushing to judgement
we really have no idea what someone’s life is like
i thanked her
so very grateful for the lesson.
—
“let the first impulse pass, wait for the second.”
-baltasar gracian
Sep11
opportunity.
when hanging outside with a couple of my grandies,
we talked as they worked on creating pictures
taken from online designs
very, very carefully selecting each tiny bead to put into place
i thought it would be a good time to tell them about my cat, olive
who loves to pounce on the jigsaw puzzles on my table
when she finds me in the midst of them
i also thought i would do a mini dramatic recreation of how it all happens
as i pretended to be olive, bouncing my hand on the table
i apparently was a little too into my role
when i hit the table
we all froze for a few seconds
after noticing that all of their hard work
had just been destroyed in the course of my acting.
great recovery though
as i apologized
we all laughed and laughed and laughed at what happened
knowing
that while it would take a long time to rebuild their designs
we also also knew
that life can be so instantly funny sometimes.
—
“the more you find out about the world, the more opportunities there are to laugh at it.”
– bill nye
Jun15
we.
‘Friends Who Share Balloons’
—
“peace is not merely the absence of warfare,
any more than true health is simply the absence of a disease.
nor is peace simply a quiet state of equilibrium –
impossible to achieve in an evolving system.
though refraining from harm is an essential first step,
lasting peace is created by actively redressing harm done.
peace is a creative process of joining i and thou into a co-creative we.
it requires authentic communication, empathic listening, and wildly creative solutions.”
-anodea judith
—
image credit: willowdayflowerproject by gina – Leaves, Twigs, Iris, Geraniums, Lilacs, Delphiniums, Hydrangeas, Marigolds all got together and became “Friends who share balloons.”
Apr20
falling.
forsythia bright in my quarantine kitchen
blossoms have begun to fall
everything is temporary.
—
“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” – pema chodron
Feb28
heavy.
yesterday was heavy.
put it down.
—
image credit: diego rivera, untitled (a heavy load) 1948
Dec29
come home to you.
where olive belongs.
—
“Want to know the truth about belonging?
It takes courage to belong.
It takes bravery to show up in your own skin.
It’s easy to fit in.
It’s easy to blend in and hide your outrageousness.
And it’s also the easiest way to lose the precious parts of you.
You deserve to be seen. You deserve to be heard.
You deserve to be known for the real deal that you are.
Stop taking the easy way out. Stop trying to fit in.
The best place in life is where you’re already okay.
Come home to you.
It’s where you belong.”
―
Dec3
true laughter
have you laughed with someone today?
—
“a wonderful thing about true laughter
is that it just destroys any kind of system of dividing people.”
-john cleese
Nov25
be curious.
each one with her own strength
kinder figure out how to solve the puzzle
by working as a team.
—
‘be curious, not judgmental.’
- walt whitman
Jun21
liminality.
today is the summer solstice which marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the shortest in the southern hemisphere. cultures around the world have marked the solstice throughout history as a moment of importance both for the changing of the seasons and for our relationship with the sacred.
this solar moment marks what is known as liminal space, or space between. the concept of liminality is more than just a space between two distinct times; it’s also a space in which rules are temporarily lifted, and roles are reversed.
if the concept of liminality seems new to you, think about all of the liminal spaces in your own life, birthdays are a great example as they’re a space between ages and you’re granted temporary permission to do exactly as you please. part of liminity is that it shows up to transform you, and then it ends. in the example of your birthday, you’re now a new age.
—
“the question is not what you look at, but what you see.
it is only necessary to behold the least fact or phenomenon,
however familiar,
from a point a hair’s breadth aside from our habitual path or routine,
to be overcome, enchanted by its beauty and significance.”
― henry david thoreau
—
art credit: cy twombly, le jour ni l’heure: quatre sagioini: estate (the four seasons – summer)
credits: emily ridout, elephant journal, merriam-webster dictionary
I didn't have my glasses on.... 