The Peace of Wild Things

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me
And I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Wendell Berry

60 Extra Minutes - What Will You Do With Yours?

{This blog post is via Dreama Tolle - it is her words - find it here:

dreamatolleperry.com/extra-moments

I loved her list of 60 things to do with our extra hour today!}

Don’t rush by one single moment

Give everything the divine attention it deserves

In doing so you will unlock the gift held within  

For this is life

We thrive

in the grace of these moments

**

This week-end is the time we fall back—most of us in the US will gain a  whole extra hour in the day.
A few years back I decided to look at all the potential ways a fellow might ‘spend’ this bounty.

Revisiting the list I’m gonna say #56 would probably do all of us the most good in the long run.
And that #59 is something that would be worth doing every day

So here goes…

1. making a fall bouquet of found items in your yard
2. taking a walk or bicycle ride
3. tell a ghost story to your hubby, grandkids or whomever you can corner
4. dance to your favorite music, slow and fast
5. savor a bottle of wine you’ve been saving back for a special occasion
6. pamper your feet with a hot foot soak and a good massage with lotion
7. look through old photos (remember the ones we had before digital came along?)
8. watercolor remembrances of this Fall in your journal— doing your best to match the magical colors of the leaves—which is impossible but the JOY is in having a go at it!
9. draw a single fallen leaf (or trace it) and paint it in your journal
10. unplug…the phone, the computer, the tv
11. begin a book that’s been tugging at your heart to read
12. call someone you love that you haven’t spoken with in awhile
13. write a letter to your _____ that has already passed and tell them what you’re up to these days…I’m pretty sure they’re listening:)
14. skype or facetime a long distance friend and share a cup of tea together
15. watch some old family videos and marvel at how pretty you were then and didn’t even know it:))
16. find a swing and swing in it
17. head out into the countryside far from the city lights and watch for falling stars
18. make some lists of crazy things you’d like to do
19. pick one and set a date to do it
20. watch a classic movie with home made popcorn
21. paint a petite painting
22. make a pumpkin pie, then eat two slices with lots of whipped creme. and have a glass of cold milk while you’re at it
23. create a playlist of your favorite upbeat, positive message music (Spotify app is perfect for this!)
24. hang children’s art in your studio to remind you of the beauty that exists in all art
25. place quotes, letters, photos, and keepsakes in your work area (office and studio) that help you to remember to follow your own North star
26. buy an orchid to spend this winter with
27. take a long bath in scented water with candlelight and spa music
28. work on a vision board
29. bake chocolate chip cookies
30. daydream. like you did when you were a kid
31. watch the sunrise. so simple. so special.
32. write a love letter to yourself. take note of the big things, the small things that define who you are. write it from the outside looking in. you are a marvelous work of god
33. plant spring bulbs. come spring, you’ll have new faces bringing color into your world.
34. call your mother (or if she’s gone, write her a letter)
35. write your significant other a love note.
36. mail 5 postcards from your town to faraway family and friends (my sis Rhonda does this to me and I love it—I discover things about where she lives via her postcards)
37. visit with your neighbor–share the chocolate chip cookies you baked. This is supposing there are some left to share 
38. meditate in a new place
39. get a pedicure with a new color
40. eat some gelato (I suggest salted carmel flavor…yummmmm)
41. watch Under the Tuscan Sun….again
42. do something outside of your comfort zone
43. go to a local antique/junk store. look for things that remind you of your childhood….and smile
44. browse in your local book store…you never know what goodies are out there. (half price books in my area is one of my favorite haunts)
45. go to the zoo or aquarium (if you are lucky enough to have one where you live)
46. go to the flea market…you REALLY never know what you will discover, uncover, that you can’t live without
47. get your hair done and maybe add some wild color. i’m thinking a streak of purple would be fun!
48. go to the dollar movies. cheap thrills. big screen is always better
49. read the cartoons or a joke book (I have several Scott Adams books, author of the Dilbert cartoons. Pointy Hair Boss and Catbert my fav’s)
50. watch a funny movie (share your picks in the comment section)
51. create stations for yourself on Pandora radio. (Spa, Yoga, Pink Martini, John Mayer, Jim Brickman are a few of my fav’s–please share some of yours in the comments below)
52. head for the kids section in the library or bookstore. the images and stories are always so delightful!
53. buy some colored gel pens and have a field day in your journal
54. go to someplace new, a place you have never been before. a park. a cafe. a new (to you) street in an old neighborhood
55. meet a friend at an outdoor cafe for coffee and smiles
56. spend the hour in quietness
57. pick out 10 great digital photos and print them out and post them in places sure to make you smile. your bathroom, refrigerator, taped to your easel, closet—all the unexpected places that you frequent ?
58. take photos of yourself making goofy faces and mail them to others with the caption “wish you were here!!” (not that I know anyone who does this….)
59. write 60 things you are grateful for
60. this one is yours. fill in the blank__________________ ?

***

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf.~Rabindranath Tagore

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time”
~Marthe Troly-Curtin

We didn’t realise we were making memories.
We just knew we were having fun.
~Winnie the Pooh

***

“Time is a game played beautifully by children.”
~Heraclitus

***

Taking time to do nothing often brings everything into perspective.
~Doe Zantamata

***

**

60Magical
Moments
How will you spend yours?

dreamatolleperry.com/extra-moments/

Love is...by Lord Byron

 

Playing with light, processing and fonts in my "BeStill52" class...

"Yes, love indeed is light from heaven;

a spark of that immortal fire shared with angels shared..."

 

 

Beauty + poetry....

Beauty

Beauty is mystery,

something to be explored,

to search,

know, 

pursue, 

love,

wonder. 

That is what it means to 

see beauty.

While I am working on some mixed media techniques, dealing with slow internet issues, home school + 4H, and posts for healing creative pathways - I am also enjoying some poetry interludes...

Remember this "Black Out Poetry" post?

Here, I painted my favorite sky blue acrylic to reveal the words of the poem I discovered on the book page...

Actually, there is a lot of inspiration over this word "beauty" right now, and I found another poem, mingled among the words of the same old book (I am pulling apart to use as an art journal), about the beauty of creation...

 I think these pieces might become a little series, perhaps bound in a little chapbook!

There is still time to enter in the MyMemories Digital software giveway...scroll down and leave a comment in the comments area...winner will be selected and announced on Valentines Day! 

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at StudioJRU
FaithFilledFriday

Relaxing art for Sneak Peek Friday

I wonder if God knows what He is doing to me when He drops an explosion of creative ideas that has basically left me completely immobilized in moving forward in any of them! 5 new projects in various stages of beginning, plus old series waiting to be added to, and of course a small stack of UFOs...

Perhaps His real message is 

"I am stretching you, 

follow close,

don't be afraid..."

So, I grabbed a book from my shelf to use for a word filled sketchbook...and tried to find a page I hadn't devoured as the one below....

 

I drew a grid - the smaller spaces seemed to be more inviting - and just began to doodle...

text words began to jump out at me

and the result was a hybrid of "zentangle" and black out poems...

it relaxed my mind 

and 

my creative heart was at rest...

The result of my attempt to just "do something"...

Now, I can't wait to tackle that explosion!

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU....

You are a poem...

 

Just wanted to leave a blessed thought with you all...

(based on the original words in Ephesians 2:10 NLT)...

I will be out of town all week and I am NOT going to have internet service!  See you this weekend!

Sneak Peek Friday - Book Spine Poetry Hop!

I had the pleasure of guest-posting about "Book Spine Poetry" 

for my friend Jennifer at Studio JRU last Friday -

Today is the reveal of everyone's (who are playing) work!  

I am so looking forward to seeing what friends have put together...

Here's my new one:

I simply ran the Photoshop Action called Lomo-fi - free download found at Daniel Box's Tumblr blog (plus quite a few more)

My poem reads:

Leaving Home

Walking a Sacred Path

The Path to Serenity

Daring to Draw Near

The River of Life 

To see what others have created - click here and let's go the the Sneak Peek!

Why don't you try one too!?

Sneak Peek Friday - Book Spine Poetry

I have the honor of guest posting at my friend Jennifer’s blog today.  Won’t you join me there for a little fun with books and poetry?

Click here or on the "In the Studio" button above to go see what all the fun is about!

Sneak Peek: WIP + This and That

I learned about and played with "Book Spine Poetry" (book titles are the lines of the poem)

A peek at a work in progress...I am planning a series of paintings inspired by a book I am reading: "The Discovery of Genesis".  The book traces how the accounts of Creation in the book of Genesis is embedded in the characters of the Chinese language - I find it very exciting...this will be my first character to highlight....

This will be the background - sorry it is a little blurry.  Since it is still just a WIP, I think I'm okay with a little blur...{smiles}.  Check back next Friday for the finished product ♥

















Here are the supplies I am ordering for yet another idea that sweet tweener and her friends have inspired this summer - they come from Canada, so it may be a couple of weeks before the project gets complete!  Stay tuned!

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU

A Psalm of Cinquains - c

"C"

A cross
stands distantly
calling to a people
lost...One turns; drawing close, he kneels...
Cleansing!


I recently got inspired by David's work in writing Psalm 119...and at the same time had come across this instruction (from an old homeschool English book) for writing cinquains...I am sure it wasn't just a serendipitous coincidence!  So here I am, taking the 26 letters of the English alphabet and creating my own Psalm of Cinquain for my Lord...(one a week for imperfect prose!)

and linking this week with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU



Joining with Emily and other imperfects at imperfect prose...

Here is the pattern for writing a cinquain:
Line 1 - states the title.........................2 syllables
Line 2 - describes the title....................4 syllables
Line 3 - expresses an action ................6 syllables
Line 4 - expresses a feeling..................8 syllables
Line 5 - another word for the title.........2 syllables

Would you like to join me in writing your own?

A Poem/Prayer to the God of Creativity

Angel of Creation

Creator

You spoke the world into existence

Your Word goes forth, 

and does not return empty,

but performs what you have sent it to do.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue;

therefore let your speech be seasoned with salt.

Think about what is right, true, just, pure, 

any good thing,

anything worthy of praise.

Out of the fullness of the heart,

the mouth speaks...

Speak Life!

So, the Creator is alive in my heart,

His creative Spirit is a fire within

flowing through me - extending 

towards those around me...

Speaking words of life..

that which is true, right, just, pure, good,

and praiseworthy...towards me

and those in around me!

Calling me -

Wonderful,

Beautiful, 

Cherished,

Daughter,

Beloved,

                                                                         Child of My Right Hand...

                                                         Creating

                                                           streams of hope,

                                                             sparks of love, 

                                                            pools of peace,

                                                              rivers of passion...

                                                           in me,

                                                             so I can touch those

                                                          around me

                                                           with Him.

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU