Wishcasting Wednesday: What do you wish to awaken?

In today's Wishcasting Wednesday, Jamie Ridler asks "What do you wish to awaken?"
This seems like it should be something that I could answer in seconds flat.  But I can't.  Maybe because I already feel like ALL of me is awakening from a fog that lasted...oh...say...18 months.  But perhaps that's the key...not starting from scratch, but looking at what I'm already doing and building on that.

This month I've felt like I've walked out of black and white and into colour, as if I'm being reborn -not as a different person, mind you, but as Myself.  I feel all shiny and yellow and radiant.  I feel, in short, amazing.  And, what's more, I feel as if this person I am becoming was always there, sleeping beneath the surface.  Maybe that's the answer...

I wish to awaken ME.  

I wish to be present and mindful and joyful, appreciating every day, every breath I take, every moment I spend on this earth.  And I wish to awaken the radiant being inside that beams joy out to everyone she meets, who reaches out with love and kindness, who inspires and comforts.  I wish to continue on the path I'm already starting to tread, a path lined with magic and strewn with joy.  And, really, I don't just wish this for me...I wish this for everyone.  May we all throw our heads back and look at the sky and breathe deeply, stretching our arms wide and feeling truly IN our bodies.  May we move through life seeing magic and beauty everywhere.  May we reach out to each other on our journeys and hold hands as we walk into the light.

Huh...I guess I did know what my wish was after all :-)

Joy Rebel Monday!

This past week's Joy Rebel assignment was called "Pick a Colour Any Colour" (only without the "U"s...I added those because I am obnoxiously Canadian).  We were to pick a colour and then go through the week photographing anything that was that colour.  And then Brandi gave us links to a program that would make our photos into a photo mosaic.  So fun!

I picked orange.  Couldn't say why, I'm not even that fond of orange, but I did find a lot of orange things around the house!  Here's my collage:

OK, OK, I admit that that photo of me and Little Bear was taken several months ago, but it was on my computer and I couldn't resist!  As for the rest of the photos, it was like a scavenger hunt!  I kept catching sight of things I could photograph.  It occurs to me that I should have dug in the fridge for the oranges and carrots, but oh well!  Definitely a fun activity :)

In other news, I am having a spectacularly joyful day!  Not sure why, but I am LOVING it!  I seem to be surrounded by people who are reaching out to each other with love and kindness, or who are speaking out to each other in gratitude and appreciation. So much love in the world. So much beauty if we take time to see it. So much joy if we just set our radars to look for it. It makes me ache inside.


Happy Monday!

Creating and Recording Success!

Welcome to Creative Adventure Sunday! This week's assignment was to build on our maps/lists from last week and to create a method to track our successes. Since my gentle daily to-do list from last week's post was already taking some effect, I decided to build on that. The idea of daily "success tracker" blog posts didn't really appeal, or at least I didn't feel like putting them on here or like making an entirely new blog. I know myself, and that just wouldn't work for me. I already have my "This is My Day" list on my fridge and I've been making daily gratitude posts on Facebook since New Years Day...I wanted to do something to help myself keep track of these things. I also wanted to keep track of other things...like Little Bear's daily life. The months are passing so quickly, and he's growing so much. Soon he won't be a baby any more...he's such a toddler now. So all of these ideas swirled around in my head until I was at the grocery store and I saw the spiral bound notebooks. And BOOM! Inspiration!

And here's the result of an hour of cutting and a mad half-hour of gluing...the front cover:


The inside front cover:


And a sample page:

(you can click on the photo for a larger version if you want to read it...if you can read my handwriting, that is)

I like that it's a cross between a checklist and a fill in the blank. It reminds me of my daily list, it records my gratitude practice, and it helps me take note of what Little Bear does. And, best of all, unlike other journals I've tried (like food journals...oh, how I hate food journals), I feel like writing my entry is part and parcel with the practice. It ties it all together and reminds me to do my practice just as much as my practice reminds me to do the journal...if that makes sense. Anyway, I know I haven't been doing it for long, but I'm really happy with it. Plus, even when it's closed, the cover is inspirational for me. Love it love it love it!

Wishing you all the best success and fun pursuing joy in your days! Happy Sunday!

Six-Word Saturday!

This is an experiment...

My life in six words:

1. Looking for joy in all things.
2. Totally obsessed with David Tennant's Doctor.

Technically that was 12 words. Also, it sounds like I'm stalking David Tennant's medical practitioner. That's not what I mean! My current obsession with Doctor Who's "Doctor + Rose" relationship rivals my obsession with Steed and Emma Peel from the Avengers circa mid-1960s. And, as some of you know, that obsession is SEVERE.

Anywho, this was my first experiment with Six Word Saturday. Shall it return next week? Only time will tell, but I could see how it could be as fun and addictive as making up haikus!

Wishcasting Wednesday!

In my exploration of the blogosphere (like that? I don't think I came up with it) I keep encountering weekly missions. I like this. They punctuate my week. They remind me to pay attention, to seek joy, to investigate myself, and TO UPDATE MY BLOG :-P (incidentally, if you're wondering what happened to Mission Monday, it's an all-week assignment, and thus shall return NEXT Monday and continue weekly from there).

My newest discovery? Wishcasting Wednesday
Here's the jist: You follow the weekly prompt and write your wish. Then you join a circle of bloggers who visit each other's sites and lend their voices to your wish with comments like “As (insert name ) wishes for her/himself, so I wish for her/him also.” And that's it! Fun!!

Today's Wishcasting prompt is: What do you wish for your family?

For my family I wish great joy, radiant health, increasing abundance, unlimited growth, and unconditional attachment.

But then, who doesn't. Seriously, is there a single person out there who wouldn't say pretty much exactly the same thing: happiness, health, wealth, and love? I doubt it. So if I had to go deeper than that...my wish for my family -and I mean so many more people than those I'm related to- is that they become more themselves. I wish for them to explore passions, discover hidden facets, deepen connections, and clarify their self-understanding. I wish these things for them as I wish them for myself. Let us all grow into ourselves.

<3 <3 <3

This is My Year

Last week's Creative Sunday assignment was to create a list of intentions and goals for the next year...a map to get us where we want to go. It was an interesting exercise for me...it demonstrated the power of wording. If I worded things as a "to-do" list or tried to quantify things exactly I found myself getting completely stressed out. Putting a number on things ("Drink 2.5 litres of water a day") made me feel like if I didn't reach that number exactly I would be failing...and that's not good. Drinking 2L of water is better than not drinking ANY, after all! So, after a false start or two, here is my This Is My Year list:

This is my Health: I feel vibrant, radiant, and fully IN my body.
-I do Energy Medicine daily
-I dance my chores
-I drink plenty of water
-I participate in a fitness community
-I eat vibrantly healthy foods: (I incorporate more raw foods into my diet, I buy local and organic whenever I can, I avoid "angry foods" and eat free-range meat and eggs)
-I eat mindfully

These are my Relationships: My relationships are open-hearted, unconditional, and well-maintained.
-I spend solo time with Papa Bear every day (even if this means staying up later)
-I connect with friends regularly (monthly would be GREAT)
-I communicate honestly and respect points of view. I also respect my OWN point of view.
-I parent with respect and unconditional love

This is my Abundance: I am debt-free and bringing in income in a way that makes my heart sing.
-I put extra money on credit cards
-I use up ALL groceries (no throwing away rotten leftovers)
-I share my creative endeavours
-I SUBMIT WORK TO PUBLISHERS!!!!

This is my Creativity: I joyfully create every day.
-I participate in Creative Adventure Sundays and Mission Mondays and blog about it.
-I write Something on my novel every day (one sentence is fine)
-I finish my novel draft this summer
-I finish Isadora this year
-I write a children's story for Little Bear
-I create 50 crafty-things this year.

This is my Purpose: I live my life with mindfulness and an open heart. My job is happiness.
-I practice gratitude daily
-I joyfully share my insights, creations, and struggles
-I keep energy in mind
-I seek out teachers and mentors
-I am kind to myself, but also honestly admit mistakes.
-I practice forgiveness (of MYSELF as well as others)

This is how I practice Self-Love/Self-Care:
-I focus on what Is and not what "should be"
-I take the path of gentleness
-I use the good bath stuff
-I take a complete break once a week
-I give myself Reiki regularly
-I meditate at bedtime each night
-I move every day in ways that make me smile


This is how I experience Happiness/Adventure: I experience JOY every day and with my Whole Heart.
-I cultivate optimism
-I trust the universe
-I appreciate the "small things"


When I reviewed my lists I realized that there were certain things I wanted to do daily, habits I wanted to commit to. So I created a final category: This Is My Day:

This is My Day:
-I do Energy Medicine
-I make a Gratitude Post
-I move my body
-I write Something
-I make Something
-I divinely declutter
-I listen to music
-I connect with Papa Bear and Little Bear
-I focus on the breath

Mission Monday: What do you need to say to yourself?

This week's Joy Rebel assignment is to say what you need to say to yourself. What a great mission! I snatched a minute while Little Bear had his bath, so I really didn't overthink it. I just went with my gut.

I think I'll let the photos speak for themselves this time.