wild thing

I was talking with my BFF today, reminiscing about some of the glorious (mis)adventures we've had over the last 18 or so years.  We are MMMs now - married moms with mortgages - and we just don't roar as often or as loudly as we used to.  In fact, I think we have both been feeling the strain of domestication lately, longing a little wistfully for the days when we could howl with impunity, without a single thought as to who might be waiting up for us, worrying and wondering what we've been up to. 

Yes, there is a season in our lives for everything (turn, turn, turn).  But every once in a while...  it would be delicious to forget about "acting our age" and being fine, upstanding role models for our children - and let those fun-loving, carefree, mischief-making wild things we used to be come out and romp for a while.

shine on

I have things to say about this, but I'm not sure how to frame them so I'm going to just let it go for now.  But ... if you should happen to catch yourself hiding your light under a bushel - please cut it out.  The world needs your unique voice, your "too much"-ness, your "not enough"-ness, your quirky little imperfections and your amazing brilliance.  It's ALL good, so ... twinkle twinkle, little star.

be heard

Inspired by the baby robins who hatched on my porch column earlier this month.  Until the day they were fully fledged, they asked constantly for what they needed.  Loudly.  Insistently.  Vigorously.   Because of this persistence, all four of them survived, thrived, and flew off into the next big thing when their moment came. 

It was an awesome thing to witness, and it taught me a very valuable lesson.

the emperor of oranges

The most delightful thing I have seen on the internet in AGES.

do-overs

As an artist, I am often ... oh let's call it "unsatisfied"... with the way a certain piece ends up.  The above altar, which was created last year as part of a group project for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, was originally done in shades of pink - a color I am not generally fond of (except hot pink, of course!).  Why pink was chosen as the "official" color for breast cancer awareness I will NEVER understand, but... I went with it, and was pretty much unhappy with the results from the get-go.   So this weekend I re-worked the whole thing in shades of gold, silver, copper and bronze, and I like it ever so much better.  It's now in my shop over at Etsy, if you'd like to take a look at some of the other pictures of it.  (Or if you'd like to support a culturally-starving artist... LOL)

Such a wonderful reminder this was - it's NEVER too late for a do-over.  Sometimes it's an easy fix, like this little altar was, and sometimes it's a long, involved process to get to where you want to go (yes, flabby thighs, I am talking about you) - but I'm pretty sure it's always worth the effort.  

ooooh, shiny!

Distractions, distractions.  So many things to keep our minds and hearts busy so we won't have to really dig in and feel what is deep below the surface, where the important soul work awaits.  So hard to tell that inner child (the one who always wants what it wants) to hush now and let the grown up make the wiser, tougher decisions.  Nearly impossible some days to stay focused on the big picture, and not let momentary impulses carry us away.

Whatever piece of the superficial circus has you mesmerized today - I can relate.

dodging a bullet

Wow.  Well, every life has its firsts - this weekend was my first brush with tornadoes.   The fierce storm that was sweeping across the south blew through NC yesterday, and we brushed up against tornadoes twice - once while shopping in Raleigh where we caught the edge of one that wiped out several businesses along highway 264, and again when we got home to find that another tornado had danced around our neighborhood and caused some pretty significant devastation in our community at large.  The house pictured above, which is 2 blocks from my home, had the top of this tree in their front living room.  1 block in the other direction, several other large trees were blown over and power poles were snapped off at the base, knocking out power on our block for about 22 hours.  The area where my husband's office is located was one of the hardest hit (his building is remarkably undamaged with just a couple of broken windows).  We totally feel like we dodged a bullet on several occasions this weekend, and our hearts go out to the people in our town who have had homes blown apart, businesses completely destroyed and lives up-ended.  I have not heard of anyone being seriously hurt here, for which I am eternally grateful.

Just goes to show you how quickly things can change in a life.  Yesterday afternoon we were having fun at my son's elementary school fundraiser and shopping for gadgets at REI, and in a heartbeat things sort of went sideways.  Fortunately we were untouched, but 3 minutes or one block one way or another and it could have been a very different story.  A poignant reminder to take NOTHING for granted - and to stop procrastinating on the things that are most important.