"What is passion?

It is surely the becoming of a person."

-John Boorman 

Start Quote

Many women long to live passionate lives, to be swept away

-but at a safe distance and in small doses...

Passion, after all, means the abandonment of reason 

in the reckless pursuit of pleasure...

Passion is wild, chaotic, unpredictable.

Permissive. Excessive. Obsessive...

Passionate women can't help but exult in their emotions, 

revel in their desires, howl at the moon, act out their fantasies...

The rest of us have real life responsibilities that leave little room

(or so we think)

for giving in to passionate impulses:

runny noses to wipe, dogs to walk...

[household and family to run]

There goes the day.

There goes a life, and not with a bang,

but a whimper and a whine.

What we don't realize is that passion 

is the muse of authenticity.

It's the primordial, pulsating energy that infuses all of life, 

the numinous presence made known with every beat of our hearts.

Passion does not reveal herself only in 

clandestine, romantic, bodice-ripping cliches. 

Passion's nature is also cloaked in the 

deep, subtle, quiet, and committed:

nursing a baby, 

planting a rose garden, 

preparing a special meal, 

caring for a loved one who is ill, 

remembering a friend's birthday, 

persevering in a dream.

Every day offers us another opportunity 

to live passionate lives rather than passive ones...

If we will will stop denying ourselves pleasure...

Passion is part of Real Life's package

because we were created by Love, for Love, to Love. 

If we do not give outward expression to our passions, 

we will experience self-immolation

-the spontaneous combustion of our souls.

End Quote

"The only sin passion can commit is to be joyless."

-Dorothy L. Sayers

I don't know about you, but I don't want to self combust, 

or wither away into nothing...

Here's to passion, and loving every day.

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) Workout. I did not want to do today...and even though I got there a little late I finally made it out of the house. Working out was just what I needed to kick my butt.

2) Best friends. A lot of times there are people in life that you wanted to be friends with, and then somehow it gets ruined and they don't like you anymore because of something you said or did. It sucks knowing that someone doesn't like you, even when you know you did nothing wrong. That's why best friends are so important. You realize how much it means to your heart that you have someone (besides your family and your spouse) who will love you no matter what, who will want you in their life all the time...it means so much.

3) Cleaning other people's houses. I can't even tell you the kind of therapy that it is for me. I have no idea why, but working out and then seeing your best friend and then helping her clean her kitchen, is super helpful. It's like ingesting a burst of sunshine.

4) Passion. The last couple of days I didn't know what I wanted to do, and then I remembered what I'm passionate about. Teaching piano, making music, being with my family and friends, creating...I'm excited about tomorrow, and focusing on my passions.

5) Tomorrow is Friday!!!

May 24th - Nothing

"Since we cannot change reality, 

let us change the eyes which see reality."

-Nikos Kazantzakis 

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When an artist prepares to draw or paint, 

she carefully considers the balance between both 

"positive shapes" and "negative spaces". 

Positive shapes are the instantly recognizable objects that are rendered 

on paper or canvas, such as a bowl of fruit in a still life. 

The negative spaces surround the objects 

and define them with a boundary. 

As many artists will tell you, 

it is far easier to draw the negative spaces 

between the positive shapes before anything else. 

That's because, 

to the eye trained to see beauty, 

nothing is invisible. 

What looks empty to the rest of us 

appears to the artist's eye as full,

 a complete mystery in its own right. 

The space surrounding the bowl of fruit 

is as important as the bowl itself 

if Wholeness is to emerge. 

In the Japanese culture, the negative spaces in 

art, philosophy, religion, design, business, and life 

are not thought of as empty but rather as "full of nothing."...

The empty space is pregnant with possibility, 

shrouded by the unknown 

until the time is right for it to be revealed....

Which explains why my mantel is bare at this moment. 

Gradually, through Simple Abundance, I have discovered that I've outgrown the objects that lived there for years, and my authentic self has yet to reveal what should now take their place, if anything.

So, at least for a little while, 

I am enjoying the fullness of nothing.

It's difficult for many of us to accept that emptiness 

-in life or in a living room- 

can have a positive influence.

I think we need to learn how to tolerate more empty spaces.

We need either to become more comfortable with 

waiting to fill what's empty with what's authentic 

or become just willing to accept 

the exquisite fullness of nothing....

Today you might like to create some empty spaces in your home to jump-start your ability to see things in a new light...

Experience the fullness of nothing for a week. 

Then pretend you have just moved into a new home. 

End Quote

I actually have quite a bit of empty space in my home. 

Mostly it's on the walls. 

Partly because frames are expensive, 

and I haven't found what I'm looking for at thrift stores yet, 

and the few that I have have not been put up yet 

because pictures haven't been printed........

I always see the empty walls and think 

"ugh"...

I also see the bare wall by my bed that I want to put a barn door in to replace the door leading to the bathroom.

I see the bare corner upstairs where I want floor to ceiling book shelves and seating, a cozy little book nook.

I walk up to my house and see that huge square of empty concrete that could be home to a marvelous little tiered and layered planter. 

There aren't many empty places in my home that I don't already know what I want to go there. 

But the reality is that I can't fill those spaces right now, 

so why not "accept the exquisite fullness of nothing"?

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) A lazy day. All we did was cuddle, watch movies, have some great piano lessons (my kids rock), take super long naps, eat tacos, play in the water, do some laundry....and that's it. It was wonderful.

2) Robbie reminding me that I wanted to mop every day. I had sat down on the couch and he was like "what are you doing?" I had completely forgotten. Day three, 10 minutes each day, and the floor is staying clean. Yesssssssssss.

3) Wednesdays really are the worst. Monday you're all excited to start the week, Tuesday you're movin' and grooving', and then Wednesday hits you like a load of bricks. Thursday is one day before Friday, Friday is, well, Friday, and then the weekend takes the cake. I'm glad today is over, and that I had it.

4) The kids are starting to play imaginary games together. It's super cute. 

5) Robbie did the dishes. Even though I used almost every pot we have to cook dinner...he still did them without complaint. He's awesome.

May 23rd - Dream Archive

The dream archive...

yes...

another journal.

"I am -as I write- 

completely reconsidering my entire house."

Have any of you ever felt this way? 

I have. 

I think about my house all the time. 

I kind of love it, and the possibilities of what it can be.

It is fun to rethink my home.

Start Quote

Not to move from, but to continue to live in and love.

How it works, how it looks, who it looks like...

As you awaken to your authenticity, 

you may notice that bare walls, windows, and floors 

beckon invitingly like a new lover, 

while the stuff you've accumulated over a lifetime 

doesn't seem to even notice that you're in the room...

However, my bank account, probably like yours, 

won't permit this fantasy and so I have to proceed slowly. 

We need to view this as an opportunity 

instead of a stumbling block. 

Our real life budgets may delay the process longer 

than our conscious minds might wish...

but it's the perfect pace to nurture our authentic flair...

Danish Proverb

Transformation cannot occur without transition...

The process is the reality and it 

cannot be rushed.

So we learn to wait patiently. 

To consider.

Save.

Reflect.

Simplify.

Embrace order.

Get ready.

Experiment.

Observe.

Embark on creative window-shopping excursions...

Continue to prime the well with visual images, 

collecting everything that you can on paper...

Instead of being frustrated, 

you'll be grateful that you've been given 

the extraordinary gift of time 

- time to know what you love 

so you can love how you live.

End Quote

Sarah has some GREAT advice on how to keep it all on paper and never loose a single idea. Besides your discovery journal and treasure map, 

this is a dream archive.

Start Quote

[Use] a zippered, canvas, looseleaf notebook (seven by nine inches) with plenty of pockets for such tools as a tape measure, scissors, pens, pencils, paper clips, sharpener, and calculator...

Each room [has] a section of its own, complete with a wish list, photographs charting changes, a floor plan, and an envelope for paint chips, fabric swatches, and receipts.

In the back of the book...[keep] a year's calendar noting sales and special events and a personalized resource guide with the names and phone numbers of stores, showrooms, dealers, contractors, and material suppliers. 

End Quote 

Now my discovery journal is kind of like my dream archive...

And that's okay.

-You do You

I don't do all the mapping out until we actually have money 

saved up and we're ready to start a project. 

I love her advice, but to each his own. 

If you haven't started your discovery journal yet, get on it! 

Or maybe try your hand at a dream archive. 

In my experience, it's super fun.

And free. 

Free is good.

***

Gratitude Journal

***

1) Letters and notes in the mail. I have had some of the most loving and thoughtful letters come my way, and they are truly inspiring and uplifting. I love them, and I love snail mail! I always want to send a thank you card back, but then they would send me a thank you for the thank you, and then I would send them a thank you for the thank you, and where would the madness ever end!!!

2) Mia Maids and service. I don't ever remember doing a service night like the girls did for me tonight. They cleaned my entire downstairs top to bottom, and most of my upstairs, and played with the kids, and all in an hour. Their service to me was so amazing, words can't really express how it feels to be so loved. And to be in a clean home...

3) Friends and water and shade. We had a really fun play date today, I'm truly blessed with such great friends and that their wonderful children are friends with mine. And water, lots and lots of water. And a dog that goes crazy with water and kids, so funny to watch. 

4) Old stuff. Not everyone will appreciate this video, but Robbie said "the back of your head is ridiculous" and we looked it up, and remembered this gem. Can I have your number? Caution, a few curse words.

5) We survived the hottest day of the year so far...if we could do this one, we can survive all the others too.