Inspired

Monet's Garden and Me in 2012

**warning:  the following post contains a shameful overuse of such superlatives as "beautiful", "gorgeous", "stunning" and "lovely".  I apologise in advance, but it was truly unavoidable.

This week something very special arrived in the mail.  Something that was wrapped up in an envelope almost as beautiful as the gift that lay inside.  (I was doing some silent inner squeeling as I opened this!)

 

I was the lucky recipient of one of Georgianna Lane’s georgeous calendars.  She has several new ones ready for 2012 and this one is brimming with 12 stunning photographs that she took this summer in Monet’s Garden near Paris, France.

 

 

Oh my goodness, I just love these colours!  It’s full of soft pinks and turquoises and roses and poppies and windows with shutters and lace. 

 

 

These lovely images will be with me throughout 2012 to remind me of summer, and romantic French gardens and beautiful dreams.

And if that wasn’t enough she even included a photograph of a stunning Parisian door…an amazing blue door.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love doors?  There's so much to wonder about them...what possibilities lie on the other side...what opportunities do they open to?  How many people have walked through them and what are their stories?

 

 

And the sweetest part of all was the little package of Parisian goodies…a card and napkin from a certain very well known French Patiserrie…Lauduree…they’re famous for their heavenly macarons, and a city guide to find my way there!  Oh my goodness…there are just so many things in my life recently, that are pointing me towards Paris.

Do you think that perhaps Georgianna knew about this?

 

Paris is always a good idea.

Audrey Hepburn 

 

Seriously, if you've never visited Georgianna's magical wonderland, you're in for a real treat.  Take a few moments to wander through her virtual garden. (and just in case you were thinking about it, I already have first dibs on carrying her camera bags around for her on her next international photography assignment, so don't even think about it!)

Thank you Georgianna!

 

Reflections on September

Just jumping in to say hello…I know things have been fairly quiet from me for the past month, but it’s all good.

My life feels smoother, my heart feels fuller and my brain is alternating between spinning with inspiration and yet stalled by wonderment….like one foot is on the brake and the other is on the gas...and both are full on!

I've had so many ideas for projects, that I bought a tiny little...bright pink...notebook to jot down all my ideas before they run on ahead of me and leave me behind…yet so many of them still remain just idea’s.

 

The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.

Lee Iacocca 

But…I have started preparing a background on a new canvas, adding multiple layers of paper for texture.  I’ve added at least 8 different layers and colours of paint and rubbed each one with ink…wiping it off to bring out the texture.  Lots of fun, but I still haven’t decided what to paint on it!

I’ve also designed a quote to be printed on a canvas wrap (to go on my turquoise wall) but haven’t sent it off yet to the printer. (tomorrow…I vow to take my foot off the brake with this one and step on the gas)

Having painted the wall in the hallway, turquoise, I'm not quite as shocked by it any more and decided to continue on and paint a wall in the dining room the same colour…but that’s on hold until the rains drive us indoors again (brake).

I started or rather re-started my digital book project…The A to Z’s of me.  I was at least half way through the alphabet when I stopped over three years ago.  Several weeks back I looked at it again…and was somewhat surprised at how much I was enjoying it, so I’ve decided I’m too far into it, to not finish it! Each "letter" has a digital design on one page as well as a written page or two. (gas pedal)

I’ve designed another website, but haven’t decided yet if I’ll use it. (foot definitely on the brake).

I DID finish another Blurb book…all 114 pages of it…last years blog posts and photographs in print and it’s been sent off to Blurb for printing. (gas pedal, gas pedal! I’m doing the happy dance over this!)

And there’s more, so many more ideas, but I need to finish up the old before I dive into any more new projects

As I was writing all of this down, it dawned on me just what September has been about for me.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve felt all month like I was in a “holding pattern” and I can now see quite clearly that it’s been a time of wrapping things up...ideas and generally just a lot of old energy.  I needed to bring closure to so many things, not just projects but even remenents of old thought patterns and parts of me that I’m well and truly finished with. They’ve been good and have supported me while I needed them but it was time to clear up the old, so that I can step into the new.

 

Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.

Benjamin Disraeli

Do you feel a quickening of energy?  An underlying current of excitement beyond the fear?  Are you seeing glimpses out in the world (and in your own world) of people reclaiming their power?  Taking a new step?  Uttering a new word?

Oh my friends, stay in wonderment…we live in exciting times.

 

addendum:  just a few hours after I published this post, I received this in my inbox...I like to think that it's angelic confirmation that I'm on the right track!

(the photo’s above were taken at Elk Lake park, about half way between our home and Victoria.  The path winds around the lake (10 k’s/6.5 miles) and as always with nature, every changing season brings something new to see and delight me).

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!

.

In My Other Life…

My home is in Hawaii…right on the ocean shore…

 

where I paint like this with bright colours,

 

in my sun drenched studio.

 

I have another home in Provence, in France

 

very near to here…where I often walk (wouldn’t you?),

 

and we often zip on down to our place on the Amalfi coast in Italy to catch the sea breezes.  Oh how I love Italy!  I can picture you and I sitting on those white chairs sipping a cool drink, can you?

 

Whenever I’m in Paris, my friends and I know the very best place to find the most amazing macarons

 

We nibble them while we sip pink champagne in silly tea cups that make us giggle!

 

And in my other life I can eat wheat so I have lots of these (so gourmet!)

 

I surround myself with the most beautifully scented flowers…all year round.

 

and I can wear shoes like this all day and they never, ever hurt my feet!

 

On my birthday my husband always brings home the sweetest surprises! 

(He’s a-m-a-zing)

 

and did I mention I love macarons…a lot?

 

….yet I still look like this. 

 

I’m on the road a lot…there’s just so much to see.  There’s a path in China to hike

 

rice paddies in Bali to explore….

 

the monks of Luang Probang in Laos to greet in the morning,

 

and a cave hotel in Turkey, to sleep in.

 

but always,  I come back home to this…

 

…and this.

 

It’s all good.

 

I found this lovely diversion, on Kate’s Chronicles of a Country Girl and it originated with Karen at This Old House where there are other links to other big dreamers to browse through.  I thought I’d let myself dream REALLY BIG, and it was a lot of fun…like a virtual vision board!   Pinterest is a great place to encourage your dreams to flow!

 

Dream big dear friends!

Changing The World

…by changing our thoughts.

A sweet alchemy begins to happen in our lives when we focus our thoughts on a world of beauty, grace and ease...and by ease, I mean letting go of the idea that life is a struggle.

The nest of eggs in this piece, represents the power we have to rebirth or begin anew in every moment. We really do hold the magic and power in our own hands to create the life we dream of.

So turn off the news, read uplifting thoughts and ideas, watch inspiring movies, surround yourself with people who believe in you and allow yourself to do whatever it is that makes your heart sing...even if your life is far from perfect right now...especially if your life is far from perfect right now!  Oh I know there's so much more to it than this...and yet there isn't...it's really that hard and yet that simple.  I wouldn't say so if I hadn't been there and back again myself.

Blessings of renewal in every moment to each of you,

The Dance

This is the second of my new "inspiration" series. 

Can you hear the beat of your soul?  The rhythm of it's song?   Don't worry that you don't know the steps to the dance, just listen and soon you'll feel it.  Your feet will begin tapping and your heart will begin singing. It will be your own unique dance that swirls and twirls you into the joy of your soul's longing.

Listen...can you hear it now?

Fearless Friday - Letting Go

 

The first in a new "Inspiration" series

Have you ever had the experience of knowing you're upset with someone and then discovering that you're actually enjoying the experience (in a perverse kind of way, lol) ?

I used to think that I didn't have any control over my emotions...I couldn't help feeling hurt or upset if someone had "hurt" me.  Holding a victim mentality let's us get a good righteous "mad" on.  We have the "poor me/bad you" conversation" in our head and usually don't realize that we're feeding on it.  It feels good to be angry, it feels good to feel righteous, it feels good to tell your story....over and over and over.  Well, for awhile anyway!

I've done this less and less in recent years so that now it just feels completely uncomfortable and unfamiliar but last week I had a little reminder that I'm not completely of the hook yet!  While I was driving, someone cut me off and I felt myself getting outrageously indignant.  I started the conversation in my head that I would have with this person and then stopped and told myself to let it go. "You don't need to do this anymore Kate.  You know how to let it go and it feels so much better when you do".  I was surprised when I realized that I didn't want to...I wasn't ready yet.  I was actually enjoying the rush. I was getting a lot of satisfaction out of my anger and indignation.

I was feeding off it. 

I laughed when I realized what I was doing and was able to let it go then.  But I wondered. 

How many people respond like this to situations but don't realize they can let it go...don't want to let it go.  There's a strange satisfaction in gnawing this bone till it's bare and spare and then continuing to hold on to it. 

Abraham-Hicks says there's absolutely nothing more important than feeling good.  We can't create anything...not healthy, happy relationships or abundance...unless we're feeling good.  Feeling good opens us up to seeing, understanding and appreciating the beauty of who we truly are and the beauty of those around us.  With that knowing, possibilities abound.

Can we consciously choose to let go of painful/angry thoughts?  Thoughts that lead us away from feeling good?  Absolutely!  Even in times of crisis.  It involves accepting full responsibility for our own "feeling good". There are so many tools available to help us with the process and different things work for different people.  I used a process called ZPoint for Personal Peace for over a year on an almost continual basis!  I still use it, but just occasionally now when something pops up that begins to upset or worry me.  

I wonder why "letting go" is so difficult when it sounds so easy!

I created the piece above to print out and have as a visual reminder for myself...to let go of all that holds me back from living my life to it's fullest potential.  We don't have to be more or become better than we are now; we just need to let go and relax into the fullness of our own beauty and grace)