AP Inspired

the ingredients for joy.

i am not sure where january went. . .but hello, february!

and to each of you, an apology for my ebb and flow of posts.

back in october, you might recall, i made some twenty-thirteen resolutions.

and then the craziest thing happened. these goals started falling from the sky and into my wide open arms. just like that.

one goal was to finally get myself properly feng shui certified. within a mere week of that declaration, i was graciously extended an offer to complete a feng shui course. one of my favorite feng shui experts was transitioning her material into an online course, and she needed some willing students to participate in the beta course. never mind looking, i completely leaped!

about the same time, i decided to take this blog a new direction. and wouldn't you know, suddenly i am in the lovely company of a graphic designer who was realigning her work with a web designer. and would i be interested in having a blog makeover? again, no pause here.

a few other pretty fancy goals have shown up, and well, it explains why i've been more distracted. trying to pull myself together so i can do the work.

and that's what i'm here to tell you about today. when we chase our own dreams. . .those ideas that both delight and scare us, the ones tickling and taunting us with what if? in our heads, the visions that make us tingle toe to head. . .we gather the ingredients for real joy.

i constantly revisit the question of HOW. . .as if there might be a recipe for joy.

i suppose my answer today would be. . .

trust yourself way more.

choose faith over fear. you can't do both.

surrender that need to control the details of how the goal is suppose to look when it arrives.

tell better stories to yourself as words have HUGE energy to make themselves come true.

and align with those impulses of intuition because i am here to tell you, that is spirit speaking to yours.

i finished the class portion of my shui course last week, and i am onto my final project.

{sigh}

later this month, i begin the overhaul of this blog space. but in the meantime, i will be here. and i hope to see you around, too.

xo

think forward.

when life gets in her face, one of my lovelies steps right up. eyeballs it up and down. and narrates it into a story with a better ending.

given this began when she was a wee three, the girl's got spin. masterfully weaving her challenges into heightened awareness and brighter expectations.

what i love?

she gets it. the story delivers. and hers are usually plump full of reasons to celebrate and smile and sparkle.

when we tell ourselves a better story over and over, it is enough.

enough to create a shift.

so.

a few days into this new year, what is the story you want to tell?

no more stumbling on the past.

no more excuses. {haven't you outgrown them all?}

let your courage roar instead.

where do you begin?

i believe there is hope within a resolution.

whisperings from the deepest source within us to consider something different at new year's dawn.

our goals, like a luring sentence at a book's beginning, give us a glimpse into what could lie ahead.

who are you longing to become?

probably the best version of yourself.

so.

start there.

and tell youself that story.

xo

inspiration prompt: what 3 goals, if accomplished, would make you a different person at the end of 2013 than you are today?

a year of good things.

i love toasting in a sparkly, bubbly new year. and slumbering into the dawn of its raging possibilities.

there is potent energy everywhere. with oodles of suggestions on juicing the most out of ourselves in twenty-thirteen.

i read somewhere to pick one word for the year. something to umbrella everything you hope to feel. create. manifest.

i was tempted to borrow someone else's brilliant word until, in the quiet of the shower this morning, it came to me.

meaningful.

i like the notion of making meaningful contributions to the upbringing and merrymaking of our little lovelies.

enjoying many meaningful connections with my mister.

sharing meaningful moments with friends and family.

and coupling meaningful thoughts with word and deed daily. so no matter my flaws and faults in a given day, i rest my head on the pillow of dusk knowing i cultivated meaning that day. and, perhaps, my contribution will grow legs of its own to carry forth something good into the world.

to me, a meaningful 2013 is precisely what i'm clinking my glass to as i welcome a year of good things coming our way.

happy new year!

xo

inspiration prompt: share your 2013 word here. it might be a bright glimpse of inspiration to infuse someone else's new year!

wild grace.

a balmy day was setting her sun over our town. the wild grace of wind blew in through open car windows. and my little women were laughing, filling the space with exuberance that balms the soul. the speakers blared it's time. voices were chiming in along with the melody and lyrics.

joy was rising, my friends.

and that's when i recognized her.

unleashed abundance.

it is too easy to get caught up in a life we want instead of appreciating the life we have.

so when i captured this extravagance in my little world yesterday, i was reminded the simplest way to an abundantly blessed life is this:

approach each day by noticing the expansion of happiness in the moments right now.

becoming open to life is when our blessings soar to incredibly impressive heights.

xo

 

:: photo taken by the super cool + talented k. lane ::

a year in review.

1. after following me home from an afternoon january run, churchill was a most delightful guest in our house until his family retrieved him a few days later.

2. my birthday celebration included the jean paul gaultier exhibit. which was genius eye candy, people. seriously. followed up with dinner at bolsa -- a local restaurant started by a high school friend. the food? every morsel made my mouth gallop with joy. quite the perfect evening.

3. oh, copenhagen.

while it is impossible to adore one moment over another, feeling the morning sun wash over me while sitting in a local park was exquisite. and our day at the louisiana museum, seeing both the exhibits and walking the grounds, had smiles crackling across my face.

 

 

4. watching one lovely come off her very first rollercoaster ride. with a mega watt smile and blushed cheeks, eager to do it again.

5. and witnessing the other lovely in the water with her most favorite animal ever -- the seal.

6. sharing birthday balloons with a friend and doing a little shui quenched with possibility.

7. at a street fair in may, one lovely was called out to boogie with the breakdancers. the emcee suddenly called out the other lovely, my mister, and me, too. shall we say a family that dances together stays together?

8. at a neighborhood party, a few of us went inside to talk. we wandered into the dimly lit office and spontaneously declared it the VIP lounge. in no time, there was rumor of a VIP room. . .with people stopping in to check it out.

9. flipping through channels one evening while sleep eluded me, i caught ryan adams and cowboy junkies in concert together. i burrowed into their music and melodic voices, deciding it was about time i get myself to a concert.

10. so when, that same week, a friend texted me i have an extra ticket to edgefest -- wanna go? garbage, cake, the black keys are playing. . . i couldn't say yes quickly enough.

11. seeing a super moon and a blue moon this year.

 

12. reading the fifty shades trilogy. more than once.

13. seeing the cirque du soleil michal jackson immortal show with friends and our lovelies.

14. at horseshoe bay, a lovely and i counted 103 bats in the night sky together.

15. lounging with my family at a favorite austin haunt of mine.

16. trying to open a gold glitter glue pen. applying too much pressure. and suddenly. . .

g o l d 

g l i t t e r

arced

electrically across the room, onto the chandelier, into the plants, and wildly about the walls and ceiling. with every sunset, my walls shimmer still as i can't quite get the smear of sparkle off.

17. a very impromptu trip to our old stomping grounds over labor day. breathing mountain air. remembering how breathtaking fall can be. and enjoying the company of our  b i g  family.

18. watching the final installment of twilight. *sigh*

19. absolute favorite movies i saw? the big year, we bought a zoo, and midnight in paris.

20. my 4-year old nice whispering a cascade of secrets to me one evening. and just before leaving that night, she beckoned me eye-level again to mention she would perhaps send me a note. in the mail.

21. fireworks in december. makes up for missing them during the summer.

a list like this, well, it authors a happy ending to 2012. by noticing all the little things, the life right in front us, love catches on fire. and no matter how ordinary the kindling, the bonfire is a serenade of everything perfect in our lives.

xo

a year of plenty.

i felt this nudge at the beginning of the year to keep note of uncomplicated moments and illuminating experiences. a feast of our finest and most wondrous memories from twenty-twelve.

i began the list simply as "2012" on my iPhone. and whenever i felt a big wad of love, i made a note.

the list is almost complete as we are mere weeks from another year slipping away.

while i hope for a few more additions before the bell tolls twenty-thirteen, i encourage you to juice a bit more out of this year. i know for some, this year has been ripe with challenge and change. for others, it was confettied with buttery bliss. wherever you are, tell your cells a story from twenty-twelve that makes them tingle with delight. by savoring something from the past twelve months, you launch graciously into a puddle of joy.

and consider making this list yourself in the new year. not only is it a perfect exercise in mindfulness, the joy you curate most certainly rubs off when you read over your compilation.

meet me here tomorrow for my list. in the meantime, come up with a few of your own. sharing our full-bodied moments before we surrender this year seems a delicious thing to do, yes?

xo

 

amazingness.

it was never my intention for this to happen.

but i'm going with it.

i'm talking trees again.

{sheesh!}

over the summer, i ordered a lemon tree.

i wanted a tree that blossoms. so why shouldn't it be blossoming meyer lemons, right?

{just go with it.}

the lemon tree reminded me i also wanted to try a new fruit.

months later, i am surfing amazon.com and behold! there is a kumquat tree.

naturally, i ordered it.

seems i was rather caught up in developing my own fruit/tree farm, i didn't see the fine print that kumquat trees cannot be shipped to texas.

gah!

are you wondering where i am going with this?

well.

today. i spoke with george from lemoncitrustree.com. which is where my lemon tree came from. george had been calling me for days. patiently awaiting a return call from me. simply to inform me about these kumquat regulations.

but, wait! could he ship me another tree in its place? and, hey, how about a discount, too?

yes. yes, please! i said.

people. george was enormously friendly. incredibly helpful. his customer service was like heaven breaking loose.

upon ending our call, i had an email from him that concluded with. . .

i hope the rest of your week is filled with amazingness!

which has me thinking that you, too, should order a tree from him.

lemon, key lime, clementine, navel orange. . .maybe even kumquat!

whatever you choose, it will be amazingness.

i promise.

falling for a fig.

a few weeks ago, a large brown box arrived on my doorstep.

inside was a very tall and rather bare naked fig tree.

i had been whittling delight for weeks anticipating its shipment.

so when i pulled out the almost 2 foot tree, i shuddered.

nothing in the description prepared me for a stick-in-the-mud project.

was i really capable of procuring a much needed green thumb to turn this "stick" into something beautiful?

i had doubts.

and i was not alone.

there were comments and giggles about my tree.

i softened its starkness by placing flowers nearby. you know, directing the eye somewhere else other than the obvious 2 foot bald branch in my kitchen.

this would require patience.

and so, i simply hoped it would bloom by summer.

while preparing for our abundant feast last week, i noticed something.

a small bud had blossomed. unannounced. i felt a swirl of satisfaction.

but what happened over the next few days is nothing short of merry-making exuberance!

the pursuit of something so simple has left me splashing about in lovely little puddles of joy!

a reminder it is always the little things that have the most generous capacity for delight.

xo

 

Related articles

a progress report.

show and tell.

what dreams may come.

early polling.

when i wrote this post, i didn't share any of the goals i mused.

i was saving these delicate ambitions for another month or so.

and then. . .

almost right away. . .

with very little effort here. . .

people and opportunities just slipped into place, giving me a glorious head start.

i have blogged in this space of mine almost  f o u r  years.

and it is not a stretch i have contemplated practically every week whether to invest in its development. or not.

during the delirium of being sick, i started thinking about what i do spend money on. i will dress to impress. tend my home to appeal and delight the eye. edit anything and everything my fingerprints are on.

so, why would a space that houses my words and stories be any different?

that little ditty changed the way i think about this blog of mine.

and a 2013 goal to spiff and charm up the space was prompted.

as synchronicity would have it, i stumbled upon someone who can make it happen.

now.

my excitement is pretty spectacular.

as i climb here. . .

i need something from you.

feedback.

please.

i very much hope to make the most of this moment, so tell me. . .

what posts do you LOVE reading?

do you wish there was MORE or LESS of anything?

email me.

you talk, i listen.

every response will be entered for a $25 amazon card. i'll draw a winner on monday, november 19th.

seems thanksgiving is the perfect time to give thanks for your participation. . .

and, as always, my gratitude for your buoyant support over the years.

thank you.

 

les artistes

my lovelies always want us to tell them stories about when they were "little."

we have a few gems that no matter how often we tell, they listen as if it is their first time.

they laugh hard. interrogate us like they weren't there. and query what we were thinking at the time.

over the weekend, the lovelies started a few paint projects. and true to course, they were covered in color. as i was trying to control/quarantine the spaces affected, one lovely started to tell me a story.

remember that time we were painting the boards?

[her reference to canvas.]

 

you were on the phone and came over, painted my hands, and then put them on the board.

remember?

we made a BIG mess. but you just painted my hands and helped me make my handprints.

i remember it.

we still have the canvas, but all i recall is the finished product. not its making.

so.

it was delightful to hear her share a curated moment with us.

and, how out of the million little things i do good or bad every day, it is one that made her final cut.

my heart is full.

xo