my abc’s right now

:: inspired by susannah’s post last week ::

a is for apples…especially fuji apples.  i cut apples for my children every day.  someday i know i’ll miss this pre-dinner ritual.

b is for books…i adore books.  even with iPads and kindles and nooks, there can still be no replacement for holding a book in my hands, feeling the weight and texture of the pages, turning those pages and dog-earing them, pouring over images.  e-reading has its place but there are some books i will always prefer as a book.

c is for color…i love the colors that exist everywhere in the world around me.  browns of the earth under my feet; blues, greys, pinks, reds in the sky above me; bright orangey-yellow yolks of freshly cracked eggs; creamy green flesh of avocados.  i cannot get enough of color.

d is for dreams…i believe one must always dream, hope, strive, conjure, inspire.  there are sparks in each of us waiting to take form, take root…waiting to blossom, waiting to be shared.  only i know the dreams that lie inside me.  i must acknowledge them and allow them to manifest.

e is for eddy…my husband and friend.  my rock.  before my mind knew that he was the one, my heart knew it…all along.

f is for family…i love my little family-of-four down to the tips of my toes.  and i love my family of origin and extended family.  they are a constant in my life.  love and support…always there.

g is for growth…both physical and symbolic growth…in me, in nature.  my personal growth mimics the cycle followed by nature.  expansion and contraction, full display and private reflection, movement and stillness.  stagnancy breeds dis-ease.  allowance of true growth bring vitality, clarity, a degree of ease.

h is for hugs…i can never get enough hugs.  the embrace, the warmth, the very touch.  hugs are loving, inviting, affirming.  hugs from the tender arms of a young daughter; hugs from the stronger arms of a little bit bigger son; hugs from the protective arms of a husband.  daily…and so good.

i is for inspiration…open eyes, open ears, open mind.  it’s all there, if only i stop to look.  inspiration invokes beauty and peace, calls for community and contribution.

j is for joy…it surfaces and embraces me…a feeling of openness.  i find it walking in the woods, and my children teach it to me daily.  it is pureness.

k is for kindness…i try to show kindness to everyone i encounter, as well as kindness towards our living, breathing earth.  it might mean a contribution of money.  it might mean a smile.  but whatever the form, it is an extension, a reaching out, an invitation…because we are all in this life together.

l is for love…my heart feels so full of love some days that i swear it will explode.  it is inside every one of us…it connects us, binds us, seals us.  does love make the world go round?  absolutely.

m is for mama…being a mama is probably the best thing i’ve done in my life.  i had no idea just how good it could be.  being a mama is a privilege, an honor.  it is a constant state of vulnerability.  a constant state of movement and flexibility.  a constant state of stretching.  it’s both about me and not at all about me…

n is for no…but not in a negative sense.  more like a yes…because by saying no to one more thing to do, one more thing to think about, i allow for more {yes} space.  more space to breathe.  more time to rest.  more days to play and explore.  i find so many wonderful things to do, but there must be time to relax, rest, stop.  i cannot do everything, be everything.  i must choose.  saying no…or yes…means making choices.  this is a life lesson for me.  no…yes…duality…life.

o is for o’keeffe…as in georgia o’keeffe.  she’s always been one of my favorite artists.  her palette, her lines…the way her shades and colors seem to melt one into the other…her independent spirit.  i wish i could have spent time with her in the desert.

p is for painting…with paint, yes, but also with colored pencil, with photographs, with words.  painting of, and painting with, life…it’s all one big canvas.  we are mere marks on that canvas.

q is for quiet…i crave it.  i need it.  shhhhh…

r is for respect…tolerance.  we must have it, own it, extend it.  a moral life depends on it.

s is for studio…i’ve got a designated space in our home.  yet to be organized.  but it’s there.  paper, canvas, prints, pencils, paint, brushes.  calling me.  inviting me.

t is for tea…while i’ve always liked tea, i now enjoy it.  a bit of a ritual…a way to begin my day.  boiling the water, steeping loose organic leaves, cradling a special mug.  it is a gentle transition into the day.  i must sit…and so i end up watching, looking, listening.

u is for universe…it is vast and full of mysteries.  i am just a tiny bit of something in the midst of it all.  and i am humbled by this.

v is for vegetables…as a child, i ate vegetables because they were on my dinner plate and i was expected to eat them.  as i grew older, i tolerated them a bit more.  and now…i downright like them, even crave them.  to eat something pulled from the earth…so direct…so full of nutrition.

w is for water…ocean, lake, river, stream, creek.  the sound, the fluidity, the crisp clearness.  the inherent power and peace.

x as in cross it off the list…i often procrastinate, and it makes me a little nuts that i do this.  but when i make lists – get the muddle out of my head and onto the paper – oh, how good it feels to cross items off the list one by one.  so very gratifying.  this is life…one thing at a time…one step, one action, one moment.

y is for yoga…since i took my first class years and years ago, i was hooked.  such peace in my muscles, in my mind, in my breath.  in my early days {okay, years} of motherhood, i couldn’t quite figure out how to get/keep the physical practice of yoga in my life.  but the philosophy, the mindset was there…resting, simmering.  now yoga is back.  it brings me strength and flexibility, peace and clarity.  it settles me and opens me.  it helps me to be real.

z is for zzzzzz…{sleep}.  i love my sleep…i need it.  without it, i am irritable and prone to colds, sore throats, etc.  with it, i am rooted and can embrace each day as it presents itself.  i have the opportunity to be me.

sending a little love your way, m