Stillness.  That elusive state of being where All. Is. Well.  The peace among the chaos, the calm in the storm.  Glimpses like those are rare, but indeed possible to find if we only seek it, scratch that – if we only take the time to notice it’s always there.  So often I notice I get taken away by the external circumstances that somehow seem to dictate the direction of my day, the focus of my mind, and the general path I take…darn ego.  Then, due to my yoga practice on and off the mat, I take a deep breath.  Deeper than normal, way deep.

Breathing….seems so  simple right?  I mean we do it ALL DAY LONG, you’d think we’d be good at it by now.  But the truth is, we’re not.  We don’t pay attention to it because it’s always there for us and continues to keep on keepin on even when we are falling apart.  The mind, body, and breath are all connected.  Much like when we are in dangerous or stressful situations, our breath becomes shallow….our fight or flight response kicks in automatically.  But we have the power to reverse that ( to some extent) among the chaos…breathe deep and notice what that does for your peace of mind.  In my experience, it starts to shush the mind, calm the heart, relax the body, and lighten the load taking the heaviness out of any situation.  Once the mind is quiet, you find yourself  smack in the middle of the present mOMent where life is calm, beautiful even.

At this point, it doesn’t matter the situations you find yourself in.  There’s no need to avoid the chaos of life because let’s face it…that’s impossible.  So instead, find your peace among it and know that it’s always there for you.  I’m not sure who said it, but I just love the following quote.

“Life is not about avoiding the storm, but learning to dance in the rain.”

So true.  So put on your boogie shoes and let it pour….your favorite song is about to come on.

Breathe In…Peace Out!

This was my first stab at making a journal.  Yes a journal!  I LOVE  journals….the writing, the dreaming, the words, the drawings, the doodles, the to-do lists, the recipe’s, the love notes, the ranting plus raving, and the occasional scribbles frOM my daughters – I love how versatile they are.  Journals are willing to take unconditionally whatever we give  and are readily available for reviewing later….unless you loose them in your messy art supplies of course.  oops.

I didn’t really MAKE it but rather decorated the cover of an existing journal.  Lots of gel medium, cool paper, my art that I cut from a print, and lots of doodles in a brown charcoal pencil with an added splash of paint.  So fun that I thought a twist on this Emerson quote fit the bill for the beginning of a new year and an end to the last.

What lies behind us (aka 2011) and what lies before us (aka 2012)  are tiny matters cOMpared to what lies within us.  I have found that what lies within me is a place where I feel the pure, unconditional, nonjudgemental, OMnipresent LOVE.

What lies within me is a love that knows no boundaries and reminds me that we all belong to each other.  That we are loved beyond belief not because we are this way or that….but simply because…we are.  It’s a love thats found in the present mOMent and a love that I find cOMfort in for what lies ahead as I make decisions based on my experience of what lies behind me.  Kinda full circle don’t ya think?

I wish you peace, love, light and presence for your year ahead and all that it brings.

I put out the welcOMe mat today.  The welcOMe mat is for everyone.  There are no exclusions.  All.  Are.  WelcOMe.  Each and everyone of you.  It matters not what you do, or who you are, where you’ve been, or where you want to go.  It matters not how old, young, big, little, or, or, or…..There’s no health warnings, side effects, and doesn’t need to be approved by four out of five dentists.  You don’t even need to be 36″ tall to go on this ride.  ALL are welcOMe to this place.

All are welcOMe to seek the place love lives within each and every one of us. Enjoy your journey – I double dog dare you.

As far as the art?  Yeah…it changed from the original painting.  Why?  I simply didn’t like it.  It just didn’t feel quite right.  I loved the black whimsical border – but not in this painting so I replaced it with things from my hOMe.  The weave like border is cut from my actual window dressing in my home, the brown recycled paper bag in the upper left corner is from the groceries I bring home to nourish my family, and the bird was added to remind me of my little natural alarm clocks outside my windows in the early mornings.  Ahhh….that’s better, now it feels like home – my place where love lives.

Just like art, we all have the ability to re-work our life like we re-work a canvas.  Just keep going…..until it feels right.