Inspired

The Cure For Ennui

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I read these words by Nancy Leilah Ward a few days ago in her September “energy vibe” report and thought to myself… “thank goodness, it’s not just me!”

I’ve noticed in myself – and heard reports from other people – that there’s a feeling of ennui that many are experiencing. Feeling unmotivated, as if we’re swirling around in an eddy of energy, not going anywhere, just spinning in the same spot. To move out of this, I am receiving messages to do what is fun, what makes me feel good.

September has always felt like a time of doing and newness for me…the result of many years of both being a student myself and then working in the elementary and post secondary educational systems. It’s a time to sign up for courses and think about what activities I want to focus on for the coming winter months. It’s a time to shed summer flip flops and start pulling out the knits, a time to put some structure back into my life.

But this month I’ve been feeling like I’m walking in circles and can’t get quite get a grasp on anything to pull myself out and into a new direction. It feels like I’m in a holding pattern, circling the airport and waiting for a slot, to land.

So…the remedy seems to be, to do something fun! OK, I’m up for that! For me, so much of my fun centers around being creative and today I’m playing with script…as in writing. I’ve joined Kal Barteski in her Script School which started yesterday. I love the easy flow of her script and think it will be fun to add it to my own projects…or just use it as a meditative practice.

And yesterday I had fun with a friend teaching me the basics of jewellery making…which was lots of fun and something I’ve always wanted to do.

"If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good".

Dr. Seuss

As always dear friends, thank you for stopping by…you are a each a beautiful blessing. Stay in wonderment.

(The photograph is of a new variety of coneflower (echinacea) "Hot Papaya", that I planted in my garden this summer)

Fall Fennel

 

I’ve been away for a week and then home for a week but have been feeling a bit under the weather and generally listless. I kind of like the word listless. It sounds exactly like I’ve felt. (I just looked it up and it’s derived from the middle English word “list” which meant “desire”….so it’s feeling desireless) I fought it for a few days but have since decided to just go with it and let it run it’s course. I’ve got a few jobs (like finishing a blurb book) that don’t require energy or inspiration…perfect!

We have so much fennel growing in our garden right now…just two plants, but they’ve grown almost 8 ft. tall! We won’t be harvesting them to use in a culinary sense but they’re very pretty…quite light and feathery looking. As it goes to seed this fall, I know the birds will enjoy it.

I hope this last long weekend of the summer (here in North America) is a perfect ending to the season. On the west coast we’re having some of the nicest weather we’ve had throughout the summer! I love sunny Septembers!

 

I have seen slower people than I am and more deliberate…and even quieter and more listless and lazier people than I am. But they were dead.

Mark Twain

...back soon with more "list"!

Light

This lovely chandelier is hanging in what seems at first to be the unlikeliest of places…a pub! It’s just one of many hanging in Victoria’s old City of Lights Building which was originally built in 1894 to house the coal fired electric generators that powered Victoria's streetlights. It seems quite fitting that these beautiful chandeliers are now hanging in the old City of Lights building!

 

So much is said about becoming enlightened these days. With 2012 bearing down creeping up on us, and all the information and mis-information around that, there almost seems to be an urgency about it. I’m not sure how others define enlightenment but I’ve come to understand what it means for me.

Enlightenment is not about bunnies and rainbows, nor is it about the “woo woo, airy, fairy”. It's not about retreating to a mountain top or meditating in a cave. Enlightenment is about personal growth and using that growth to live a balanced life...in the world, not hiding away from it.

It's about releasing fear and it's about trusting. It's also about loving myself and emanating my truth. It’s about being disciplined and becoming the spiritual warrior (the heart needs to keep the ego in check!). It’s about drawing a line in the sand and calling on courage from the very depths of my being because I know that's what I deserve. It’s about ending struggle, letting go of drama and realizing that I’m never a victim…never, ever, ever. Enlightenment is about knowing gratitude and it's about asking myself what Einstein considered to be the most important question...Is the universe a friendly place?...and listening to my answer. If our thoughts become our reality, then the answer to this question is crucial.

Perhaps enlightenment means something different to you or maybe it’s not something that’s ever been on your radar. (You’re probably not a naval gazer like me!) but as long as we have the intent and determination to live to our greatest potential, to live in peace and joy with kindness as our north star, then we’re seeking enlightenment.

It’s time to power up…turn our lights up brightly…and be the very best we can be. We deserve that and so does the world.

Knowing others is wisdom;

Knowing the self is enlightenment;

Mastering others requires force;

Mastering the self needs strength.

Lao Tzu

Have a lovely weekend dear friends and if you're considering a movie, I saw The Help earlier this week. I loved it! The acting is great and although I didn't read the book, I've been told it's not a disapointment.

I'm so glad you came to visit!

The Heart of the Matter

 

a basket of gorgeous artichokes…picture taken at the Ganges Saturday Market, Salt Spring Island, BC. Canada

I love artichokes…especially the hearts. The outside of the artichoke is a bit tough and fibrous but there are tender parts on each “leaf”, near the center. Eating one is a hands-on affair and another case in life where the "journey is as important as the destination"…the heart of the artichoke being the destination!

And speaking of heartful journey’s, I’ve been following Lilou Mace on her Juicy Living Tour - a 12-month inspirational, filmed tour across the US and the world, which began on 1-11-11. Lilou lost her job (in marketing) in 2009 and floundered for awhile but has used the opportunity this gave her to grow in so many ways (one of which was writing a book...I Lost My Job and Loved It) and since 2008, she’s been sharing her personal growth quite openly via her You Tube video’s.

In Lilou’s own words, the purpose of the Juicy Living tour is to inspire people globally to focus on positive living and thinking in times of financial, social, and economic chaos. My mission is to follow life – wherever it leads me. This is a healing journey – for me and for all of those watching who want to let their soul guide them.

I find what she’s doing, both amazing and inspiring. The tour is funded completely by donations, and she stays with friends that she meets along the way or has come to know through the internet. The energy of the tour is building on itself and as she interviews people, more and more are eager to be a part of it and it now looks as though she will be extending it into South America and Europe next year. As of this writing, she’s created 1,557 video’s, done 798 interviews and had 8,924,916 views on her You Tube video’s....and yes, that's almost 9 million.

Her interview’s include a billionaire on his spiritual path, well known authors, spiritual teachers and many, many ordinary people doing the extraordinary…living a heartfelt and love filled life while following their dreams. I may not fully embrace every point of view that is shared, but I very much appreciate Lilou's openess to always listen and acknowlege that there are as many opinions and idea's in the world as there are people. Her philosophy of loving and appreciating everything rather than making something "right/wrong, good/bad, positive/negative" mirrors my own philosophy and personal mission statement in life.

I see Lilou stepping off the edge of the cliff and trusting her wings to unfold. I love that she’s so open and is finding strength in her vulnerablity. I also love that she inspires thousands to do the same in their own way. I especially love her boldness in following her dreams and her heart.

And that’s really what we all want isn’t it…to take that leap and to fly? To follow our heart and our dreams?

And that I believe, is truly the heart of the matter.

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.

Confucious

(A happy Friday and a beautiful weekend to all of you. All of life is beautiful but it's not always easy, so it's wonderful to have the time to nurture ourselves. As always, I am so grateful for your presence in my life!

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My Life in Turquoise

I’ve been painting…I mentioned last month that I thought I might paint a wall in my hallway a turquoise blue…and I did!  I’m still in shock over the colour, I love it, but it’s shocking (for me).  I’ve never, ever, ever painted anything in my home even remotely this bright, but I wanted it…I needed it…so I did it. Yay!

I know I’ll get used to it and as I decorate around it, it will blend in a bit more…but it’s still shocking.  But shocking is good. Shocking is bold.  Shocking shakes me up…gets me out of my comfort zone…and that’s definitely a good thing.  In the end, it’s only paint and paint can disapear if I decide I can’t live with it.  I’ll let you know!  In the meantime, it’s bright, it’s bold, it’s cheerful and it’s happy.  I love the happy and cheerful part.

 

I’ve also been painting some bottles and the lids on a few tins, the same colour.  Our home is small and open plan, so the same colour needs to tie into the kitchen and living room. The tins (thrift shop finds) will sit on the counter to hold tea.  The bottles are also thrift shop treasures (as well as an old jam jar) so it’s a low budget project!  The bottles are painted on the inside and I got the idea here.  I’m also painting a few more, a soft lime green and white.

My next project includes a wrapped canvas, more paint (different colour) and vinyl letters as a mask for text.  It'll go on the turquoise wall…if it turns out!

I’m having fun with it all.  Years ago I did quite a bit of painting/decorating and considered my technique “not too bad” but the day I did this, I was covered in turquoise paint from head to foot!  Mr. I had a good laugh when he saw me and thankfully, offered to finish the rollering.

I’m also really, really enjoying the summer weather that has finally arrived.  We’re working outside almost every day and checking lots of things off that “finish the house” list. 

I love August.  I love listening to the crickets, I love the way people are a little more laid back, I love eating on restaurant patios, I love the outdoor living…there’s just something so “open” about August, and when doors open, people seem to as well.

I hope August is shaping up to be a good month for all of you. 

Stay open dear friends.

Yesterday found us roaming the country roads of nearby Salt Spring Island.  This is a long weekend in Canada with each province celebrating it’s own history and heritage so it’s probably the busiest weekend of the summer.  It was a warm, sunny day and the 30 minute ferry ride to Fulford Harbour was such a treat, although we just squeaked on…we were the second to last car aboard. 

Even though Salt Spring Island is very near to where we live on the Saanich Penninsula of Vancouver Island, and looks so close, it’s hard to believe that it’s a separate island…we hadn’t been there for 7 years.  A visit was definitely overdue and it was a perfect day for an adventure!  There's been no particular reason why it’s been so long since we visited but so much has happened in those intervening years, not the least of which has been building a new home, moving, and those never ending ongoing landscaping projects.  We’ve focused so much on “doing”, just putting one foot in front of the other and have…at times…forgotten how important it is, to simply “be”.

I needed to get out of town...I needed to not have an agenda...I needed to play!

The beautiful bottles pictured above were for sale at one of the stalls at the Ganges Market and I meant to go back and pick out one or two to take home with me (how could I resist these colours?) but by the time I made it through the market, I was on people overload and ready to leave the bustling little village

Salt Spring is a picturesque island of musicians, artist studio’s, organic gardens, sheep farms, wineries, B&B’s, cyclists, boaters, and kyakers.  It’s a visual feast for the eyes and oozes charm from every nook and cranny.

We lunched by the ocean as we watched the sea planes take off and land in Ganges harbour… 

We sat and sipped a beautiful glass of light summer wine at a local winery, while overlooking a peaceful, pastoral valley…

We sat on the edge of the Fulford Harbour dock in the sunshine, licking an ice cream while waiting for the ferry…

and we arrived home tired and weary…but in the very best possible way.  

I don’t plan to wait another 7 years until I return!

 

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged, to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

Nelson Mandala

And I'm hoping that you too can take the time to play when you need to...or better yet, BEFORE you need to!

As always...thank you dear friends, for stopping by,

Inspired Colours

I’ve loved generating colour palette’s ever since I started digital scrapbooking about 10 years ago.  The scrapbooking has long since gone by the wayside but my love of creating colour palette’s hasn’t.  I often play around with my pictures by picking out several colours within them that I like and then saving them along with the photograph.

While I was drooling trolling around Pinterest the other morning, I ended up on Design Seed’s page and almost jumped out of my chair…here was someone doing (and posting) the same thing I’ve been doing all these years (and not posting)!. 

I’m not sure why this get’s me swooning the way it does…but who cares “why”…it just does.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE making up colour palettes from my photographs.  And I don’t know why it never occurred to me before to post them, as I know there are lots of you who are just as infatuated with colour as I am. 

Anyway, here is my colour palette for the Sea Holly growing at the front of my home.  This is a lovely plant…it comes up green but as it matures, it turns a blue/mauve. It’s a bit spiney like a thistle and thrives in well drained, dry and even poor soil (that’s my kind of plant).  I think I'll be posting more of these!.

I’m still painting a canvas, although getting closer to finishing.  There will come a point where I'll just have to sit on my hands and stop, but I’m not quite there yet…just adding a bit of text at the moment. 

And right now I’m off to the local deli where they make the world’s best ever chili. Oh yes Texas, it’s true!  (Maybe I’ll generate a colour palette for that!)

 

Life is about using the whole box of crayons. 

RuPaul

Hugs to all of you, dear friends…I hope life is both kind and colourful for you…