My colleagues at Lindsey Wilson and I suffered a very unexpected loss of one of our own over the weekend. Unfortunately, it often takes something such as this to remind us how very precious every moment is.
Toward that end, I thought I'd share a few photos I found on my iPhone to start your week. They are the very precious moments of my life.
I'll start with the Instagram shots:
Miles and I stand our ground
writing morning pages
evening relaxation
my fortune on Sept. 11, 2011
my little astronaut
berries on the holly tree--an early sign of fall
waiting in the car lane after a little shower
Miles has his own sense of style
a game of pool--a first one in a very long time
A few more...
a novel
what I wear when I teach about choosing toys for play therapy
I've been away this week at our annual faculty retreat at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park. I blogged about it last year. A highlight for me was spotting 5 deer who were eating the grass along a frisbee golf course. I was able to get pretty close but unfortunately, it was near dark and I only had my iPhone with me so I don't have any good pictures to share. But it's a moment I won't soon forget.
While there I went on a very brief walk and took a few photos. I wanted to walk longer or go on another work but a) there just wasn't time, b) it rained while we were there, and c) I was too tired from sitting through a long day of meetings. Yes, I'm complaining. I know. This retreat was nothing like the kind of retreat I prefer to be on, what something you readers may have been on like a spiritual or art retreat. This retreat, though, was an opportunity to get away from the college campus and interact with colleagues in a beautiful setting and for that I am grateful.
The retreat began on Tuesday with my friend and colleague, Brenda, sharing a video of a presentation that poet David Whyte gave a few years ago at the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium. (By the way, I highly recommend the Psychotherapy Networker, a magazine for mental health professionals.) With a quick google search I found this youtube video of a small part of the presentation we watched. I was first introduced to him by Liz Lamoreux who read much of his poetry to us during the art retreat I attended this past May. I could just listen to his poems all day.
One of the poems he shared is the following. It is resonating with me as I take steps along my own journey.
START CLOSE IN
by David Whyte
Start close in,
don't take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don't want to take.
Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way of starting
the conversation.
Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people's questions,
don't let them
smother something
simple.
To find
another's voice,
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice
becomes a
private ear
listening
to another.
Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don't follow
someone else's
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don't mistake
that other
for your own.
Start close in,
don't take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don't want to take.
I'm reminded that on this journey we sometimes need to retreat, take a step back, relax, reflect, and focus. Yet, you can spend too much time retreating. Eventually you have to start, whatever your task may be. And starting can be the hardest part. It's much easier knowing you're not the only one. You are not alone. There are others with you along the way.
I read a bunch of blogs and love to browse Twitter, mainly because of the vast amount of inspiration and creativity there is to be had.
I still haven't seen this commercial on TV but I heard enough about it on Twitter. I love the diversity of the children. A wonderful tribute for the anniversary of 9/11. If you haven't seen it, you're in for a treat.
Yesterday on Brene Brown's blog she posted the following video. Who doesn't love the song Stand by Me and its message? I can't help but remember in high school in the 80s going to see the movie by the same name based on Stephen King's novella. There was a time when I had watched it so much I could recite many of its parts. Again, this version of the song in this video is full of diversity.
Here's to a world where we are tolerant and respectful of one another's differences and help one another without tearing each other down!
The following is a list of some of my favorite children's picture books that involve the topic of creativity. I love, love, love them! I shall be reading and rereading them until I am an old lady who will listen to my great-grandchildren read them to me.
Incidentally, I'm not the only adult who is fond of children's books. Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Projectand blog by the same name, also is a lover of "kidlit" as she calls it. Here's a post with her suggested list.
If I've had a bad day, I can pull out just about any of the many, many children's picture books in my household, some as recent as my own kids' childhood and others as far back as mine, and read and smile. And feel all warm and cozy inside, or as Gretchen would say, "happy."
Do you have a favorite children's book that makes you all happy inside?
A year ago yesterday I started on this blogging adventure. This is my 120th post so that averages to about one every 3 days. A bit of an accomplishment if I do say so myself.
Today I've celebrated by going to my local bakery and purchasing 4 of the cupcakes you see above--one for each member of my family. And I know my husband won't want one so then I'll have two. Something tells me, though, the icing may just be too sugary, but I know I'll like the cake part. I'm a cake kind of girl.
Buying cupakes reminds me of what Patti Digh says in her book, Life is a Verb. She recommends that you always have a supply of birthday candles on hand to celebrate the little joys in life. Sometimes we are so much on the go, working towards the next big thing, that we don't stop to celebrate our accomplishments and be grateful, because we're onto the next big thing.
