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This entire site started ⓒ August 5, 2010 to present day, and all photographs and text herein, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by the visual artist and photographer, Muriel Zimmer. No part of this site, or any of the content contained herein, may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without express permission of the copyright holder(s).

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Day 118 November 30, 2010

The last day of November is here.  Tomorrow begins the final month of this calendar year.  Are you ready?

a taste of things to come - Brian in wintery Ottawa


It's best to just wake up ready and keep open to the day's possibilities.  We never really know where a day will take us.  It seems that we love security and repeating patterns, we love knowing what is going to happen.  Creatures of habit.  That's us.

Sorry to burst that bubble, but do we really know anything?  Every year the image that is reflected back to me in my mirror seems to only tell me how much I've changed.  I recall memories from my childhood that seem to validate that another person lived that life I remember.  I've changed.

Change can be good.  It can be challenging.  It cannot be stopped.  Just in case you missed the first time I said this, change is the only thing in life that you can count on.  Yes, it's hard to lean on something that's in motion.  But go ahead and lean.  Lean on your ability to transform yourself and others.  Roll with the flow.  Embrace change.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Day 117 November 29, 2010

Day 117 icy puddle



Today starts off beautifully with a clear, sunny sky.  David and I walk the doggies all the way to the river, a round trip of several miles.  Along the way I spy an icy puddle where the surface cracks resemble the outline of smiling lips.  Voila, the cell phone captures the image that I now share with you.  It felt like the ground smiled at me when I saw this. 

Nearly all the shapes created by the puddles’ icy cracks contained rounded corners.  And you thought ice broke with sharp, jagged lines, correct?  Perhaps it is because this ice isn’t completely broken in order to create these cracks?  Or the fact that puddles are not angular in shape regulates the shape of patterns created within them?  Some law of physics must guide these patterns contained within icy puddles.  And if you step on the ice to shatter it, yes, it does then break into jagged, sharp lines.

As an artist I’m more interested in the pattern itself and less why it occurs.  Patterns in nature do inspire me, as do patterns you find in the city too.  What inspires you visually?  Color? Size? Shape? Movement?

I hope you find a moment of visual inspiration today :)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Day 116 November 28, 2010

My dear friend Denise, yes the same Denise who encouraged me to begin this blog, and the very same Denise who writes her own blog at the following link http://web.me.com/drsunshine99/365daysofyogaanddailyroutine/Blog/Blog.html  just left here after sharing dinner with David and I.  We had a great visit with her over the last ten days that she’s been home.  She was here at David’s yoga class last Monday at the Inner Sun Yoga Studio in Wolfville, and she joined in the laughter when one of the students cracked a very funny joke at the expense of one of the other students (all in good fun).  It seems to be a rather joyful group of people who come to that class.  I was so glad that Denise was there to share it with us.

Today I also visited my friend Charbel and his parents.  Charb and I had a great visit; we just talked and talked for hours.  We got down to the bottom of our feelings and then back up to the present moment, which was highlighted by the glorious sunny, cold weather.  I miss the sun on those gray days we’ve experienced recently, but it makes me appreciate it even more when it does shine.   As one of my colleagues at work used to say, “how can I miss you if you never go away?”  Perhaps it is absence, or a real challenge even, that makes us appreciate what we really have.

Today David and I talked about how green that grass always looks on the other side of the fence.  Just brilliantly green and inviting.  I remarked that we often cannot see just how wonderful things really are just where we are.  David thought that this was because we were too close to it, to really see it.  Ah yes, distance somehow romanticizes our view of things.  Step back for a moment and really see what is in front of you.  You may be pleasantly surprised by something you’ve previously taken for granted. 

Include the phrase, "I’m grateful for _______________", in your conversation today.  You fill in the blank.


Saturday, November 27, 2010

Day 115 November 27, 2010

Okay, perhaps this will surprise you, but David and I enjoy watching one reality show on television, Project Runway.  It’s all about fashion designers and they compete in a crazy, high-pressure environment in NYC at Parson’s fashion institute.  One reason this surprises even me is that in real life David and I could never be accused of being fashionable in a truly modern sense.  I pay more attention to it than David does certainly, but I’m still not a style girl at all.  I’m a ‘if I’m not comfortable I’m not wearing it' girl.

This is where I quote Mondo, one of the best designers from Project Runway's season 8.  One designer praised him for his ability to design with ‘reckless abandon’.  It’s true, he does that in a big way.  Another  praised Mondo for opening up and admitting to the world that he was HIV positive.  Mondo replied that “ this is my life and I have things to do.”  Yes, Mondo, despite the fact that you have a serious health condition, you forge forward and celebrate your life.

That’s what life is really ALL ABOUT!!!!  Celebrate.  Do the dance of joy.  Get busy.  Do something with your time.  I know you can do it.  Okay, I’ll stop being the cheerleader for a moment.  But you know what I mean, right?

Friday, November 26, 2010

Day 114 November 26, 2010


Yes.  That is such a powerful word.  No.  That word is also powerful, but it is much more difficult for some people to learn to say it.  I used to say yes to everyone who asked for my help.  What I finally learned was that I ran out of energy and had nothing left for myself at the end of the day.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Care givers can easily take care of others and neglect to care for themselves.  If you cannot take good care of yourself though, how do you ever expect to take good care of anyone else?

acrylic paint on white sculpture clay 2010


Thursday, November 25, 2010

Day 113 November 25, 2010

detail of Tai's portrait on sculpture clay 2010

Today I awaken to the sound of the doggies rustling around downstairs.  I get up and bring Mr. Bear and Miss Maddie outdoors while David continues to sleep. Now that is a rare occurrence, I am up before David.  Hearing the doggies this morning is just one example of how we all listen to the sounds that make up our lives.

We pay attention.  I try my best to listen: to the doggies, to the geese as they fly overhead, to the coyotes when they howl at night, to my children, to David, to the lessons learned on the yoga mat, to my art making, to my family and to my friends. 

It is my friends and my family who are the boldest sometimes.  They give me information I may not glean from any other source.  Don’t you love how honest your friends and family can be?  They will bravely tell you what no one else will dare to mention, and they’ll even tease you about it.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Day 112 November 24, 2010

Well, we had another day of rain and snow mix and dark, gray skies in Nova Scotia today.  Another day in paradise.  What was your weather like? 

I was talking to a woman today who shared with me her thoughts on how lucky we are to live here.  She and I agreed that it is so difficult to think of the people in Haiti now and how they are suffering still from the after effects of a natural disaster in their country.  Cholera has set in, due to a lack of pure water.  When you consider that news, you dare not complain about anything, for yes, we have plenty of pure water to drink in Nova Scotia.

News from Korea is worrisome recently too.  North Korea instigated aggression against South Korea yesterday.  I just sent a message to an old student of mine from Seoul, South Korea to wish him and his family at home good wishes, to lend them support.

May we all show plenty of kindness to others and offer support to each other in difficult times.


View from 'the Look Off' near Canning,  Nova Scotia

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Day 111 November 23, 2010

Day 111

I wake up to snow covered fields.  Just a light dusting really, nothing major, not yet.  Nice and easy so far.

Sometimes yoga is really nice and easy too. To quote a cartoon character in Saturday’s Globe and Mail, “I’m not sure yoga in the morning is going to work out for me.  I just fell asleep on my yoga mat”.  Well yes, yoga does put you in touch with your honest feelings, and if you’re tired you might just actually fall asleep on your yoga mat. 

But no worries, you’ll eventually wake up.  Then just dust yourself off and continue your practice.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Day 110 November 22, 2010


In looking out the window, the sky is leaden gray today and the air around the freezing mark, but the farmers’ fields in front of the house are still mostly a deep green.  Yesterday I braved the cold and planted a few dozen tulip bulbs, my favourite flower.  It’s pretty miraculous that these flower bulbs can lie dormant all winter under the deep snow in frigid temperatures and then flourish in the relative heat of a Nova Scotian spring.  Amazing, I think.

As I topped off the beds where I’d planted the bulbs with loose straw, it made me think of my own insulation needs.  I too need lots of airy padding to survive our winter outdoors.  A puffy down filled coat, thick boots, thick gloves, a woolen hat and definitely a scarf. 

Then there will be the days I walk the dogs during a blizzard out on the dykes.  That requires more puffiness.  I’ve done photo shoots on those days.  I wear my Avalanche padded ski pants, a Helly Hansen parka that protects my face from the raging winds that blast only inches away from its large fur trimmed hood, arctic weight gloves, felt lined boots, and of course the several layers of clothing I wear with a scarf and hat.  Yes, puffiness helps during a blizzard.

We rely on so much to survive.  We insist on such a narrow window of comfort, both in temperature and in many other categories.  We need ample food, fresh air, pure water, sleep, nurturing, etc., or we shrivel up and perish.  Sounds like we have more in common with tulips than I might have realized. 

Tulips, a flower that literally drove men made at one point in its long history, require a deep well loamed bed, bone meal, humus rich soil, inches of space surrounding each bulb, and even feeding of more nutrients once the plant nears flowering.  And then, tulips only flourish for a few years at most.

Make the most of your few years on the planet.  Even a life of 100 years can seem quite brief I imagine.  In tulip years perhaps not, but no matter how long our lives are, we all need to embrace the time we have and make the most of it.  Make a pact with yourself today.  Agree to laugh out loud proclaiming your joy for the gift of your life.  Hunker down in difficult times, insulate yourself from adversity and then grow steadily, and flower.












Sunday, November 21, 2010

Day 109 November 21, 2010


One day at a time.  This is the best way to approach many things, including a yoga practice.  For me, I really appreciate having the opportunity to assist in a beginner’s yoga class once a week.  I guess that's because Iyengar yoga has given me so much I want to pass it on to others.

As a beginner, it is common to get discouraged, but try to see that this work, Iyengar yoga, is totally non-competitive, no matter what anyone else is doing, all you need to do is your best.  

Years ago I needed to do a restorative practice for about a year and a half due to a health issue that contra-indicated a practice with headstands or standing poses, etc.  So I went to class and did what I needed to do and everyone else did the class following David’s instructions.  David researched what practice would benefit me and he told me to do only that practice whenever I practiced, no ands, ifs or buts.  That was a big change for a year and a half.  After one class during that time, Petra, a long time friend in the yoga studio, told me that she wished she could do what I was doing and I replied, well I was wishing I could do what you were doing.  The grass is always greener syndrome even applies in yoga.

Part of the journey is to learn that Iyengar yoga is modified to help each individual.  True there are the classic poses, but it doesn't matter if you ever achieve them.  Only do your best each day.  Work with what you've got.  Each body has lots of issues.  Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar himself was an incredibly sickly child and very stiff from having spent such extended periods of time in bed when he started yoga at age 11.  To put it mildly, yoga helped him regain his health.

There is no" keeping up with the class" in Iyengar yoga.  A dedicated Iyengar yoga teacher, and they are all dedicated, is very willing help anyone who is sincerely interested in the work.  That's what they do.  You might need to have a special restorative practice,  like I did at one point, or move to a completely restorative class when you begin, but you just do the work, one day at a time, and believe me, it helps.

photo of Saturday class by Jen

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Day 108 November 20, 2010


I was tired, finally, lying on the ground, my head cradled by a piece of firewood, my hands rested on my abdomen.  I stared at the nearly full moon through a heavy screen of deciduous trees.  All the tree’s leaves had fallen, their black branches wove an intricate pattern. The pale, gray moon glowed with a steady light. A few clouds kept it company.  I heard a few soft voices behind me, but my focus was fixed on the cool night air and the moon.

Those long minutes upon the ground let me completely unwind.  They had the same effect that staring at the ocean waves has on me.  I touch nature with my eyes and nature touches my heart, fills me with stillness and a calm joy as I realize that I too am part of nature.

This happened last night.  I was steaming most likely too, cooling off before I returned to complete the sweat lodge ceremony.  It is very poetic, this ceremony, for it distills events to their essence.  Images of generations of native peoples float through my mind, through my understanding.  I become a witness.  A participant. 

What did you witness today?  Did you participate in something that touched you to your very core, even if only for the briefest of moments?

Friday, November 19, 2010

Day 107, November 19, 2010

Do you ever live in the present, or perhaps you live in the past or the future; that is more common.  For me, my art practice and yoga practice both help me find the present.  Often we compare today’s experiences to our past experiences and we may or may not like what we see.  Or, we might question ourselves, and wonder if what we do right now will affect our future for good or for bad.  Please remember to be in the present as much as you can.  The present is where you learn calm acceptance of whatever your life brings you.

Think of our ancestors who had to fight for daily survival.  They did not have the luxury of questioning why things happen the way they do.  They were too busy just surviving.  Now that modern humans manage daily survival more easily, their big brains can get them in trouble.  They think too much.  Those big brains always need a job.  They think even when we don’t want them to think.  Right in the middle of a yoga practice I’ll notice my brain is still pestering me.  Somehow when I make art my brain actually stops pestering me, because I am at peace doing what I love.  In yoga it is sometimes more of a struggle to quiet that big brain of mine, unless the practice is very physically demanding.

But even when that big brain bothers you, remember what the first master of the Zen Center in San Francisco and Carmel Valley says.   Shunryu Suzuki, in one of my favourite books by him, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind says in his chapter entitled Mind Weeds,


“ We say, ‘pulling out the weeds we give nourishment to the plant.’ We pull the weeds and bury them near the plant to give it nourishment. So even though you have some difficulty in your practice, even though you have some [mind] waves while you are sitting, those waves themselves will help you.  So you should not be bothered by your mind.  You should rather be grateful for the weeds, because eventually they will enrich your practice.”

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Day 106 November 18, 2010


Are you having a good day?  I hope so.  More likely, something didn’t go as planned today, or something could have been more to your liking. 

Every job I’ve ever had, and I’ve had many, had at least one part that I didn’t like.  The trick is to just accept that.  Yes I did leave jobs that weren’t working out too well and then I stayed at jobs when they did.  But still, nothing was ever perfect

Sounds like life. 

What do you see in this photo I’ve posted today?  An old farm, bleak, worn out, spare?   The people who lived there didn’t do much in the way of landscaping.  They were probably just too busy farming to worry about fussing with flower and trees.  Too busy cutting firewood, hauling water, clearing the fields, and making do, or as my mother used to say, living hand to mouth.  You get the feeling that there wasn’t much time for extras on this farm.

Well, when you have a day like that yourself, when there just isn’t time for extras, just shelve that ‘to do’ list you’ve created.  Just make do.  Eat lightly, without much fuss.  Rest.  Drink lots of liquids.  Just persevere.  Settle into yourself.  Read a good book.  Or listen to music.  Walk in nature, unless it’s nature that’s the challenge, like the kind of day when you lose your house due to a flood. 

Settle as much as you can, wherever you can.  And just make do.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Day 105 November 17, 2010


So you can see from this photo of me taken by my brother in Ireland in 2002 on Liscanorre beach, that I may not be the kind of person you’d enjoy as a traveling companion.  Some people break into song spontaneously, well I break into a headstand.  There can be just so many days without a yoga asana practice for me and I cannot stand it any longer, I am compelled to practice.  It really helps to keep me sane and happy.

So here I was, relaxing on a gorgeously smooth, very large stone on this rocky beach.  Perhaps half an hour had passed. My traveling companions didn’t seem to be in any hurry and there was barely another person in sight, so I thought, hey, this is such a smooth rock and it feels so welcoming, I’m going to do some yoga, right here and right now.  And so I did. 

There didn't seem to be a great yoga practice space at our bed and breakfasts or even enough time, so this beach was very appealing to me, spacious, quiet, and still....  just like the effect you receive from a great yoga practice.

What do you do spontaneously?  


Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Day 104 November 16, 2010

Please drink some tea today.  Any kind that you like. 

I had two different kinds of tea today, my first on an empty stomach was reishi mushroom tea and ginseng extract with honey.  This tea warmed me right up.  Later in the day I had Japanese brown rice green tea.  Soothing.

On such a cold day as today holding the warm cup in your hands is nearly as pleasurable as actually drinking the tea.  What is your favourite cup of tea?

Monday, November 15, 2010

Day 103 November 15, 2010


Phototropism.
Definition: Growth or movement in response to a source of light.

I think phototropism affects not just plants, but people too.  There is SAD disorder, or seasonal affective disorder, which affects those who receive too little light.  Interesting that the acronym for this disorder comprises a word that describes one of the disorder’s effects, depression or sadness.

It’s true I don’t lean against the windows in my country house on a sunny day, the way some plants respond to light by growing and leaning towards the direction of the sun’s rays.  But today, on a sunny day without wind, I am compelled to go outdoors to work in the garden.  It’s magnetism.  The sun pulls me outdoors so that I can immerse myself in its rays.

What compels you to action?


Sunday, November 14, 2010

Day 102 November 14, 2010


I’m starting to daydream about making pottery again.  It’s been a while since I’ve felt wet clay in my hands.  The longest so far that I’ve ever been able to hold out from working with clay was about 8 years, that’s since my adulthood.  Once I was first introduced to clay there was no looking back.  Well after those 8 years without clay I didn’t even care if I ever fired what I made.  I just knew I needed to work with clay, as soon as possible.  And I did.  Now I’m painting acrylic paint on once fired clay, bisque ware, but I’m dreaming of making cups, lots of cups.

Do you dream about what you’d love to do?  Can you feel it happen?  I can see the cups I want to make.  In my mind I can already drink out of them.  I see them all lined up on boards.  Just like I used to make my mud cookies and dry them on boards in the sun as a child.  I see my pottery cups set on boards to dry in the sun.

I hope you can dream about something that you’d love to do.  I hope you help to make your dream come true.  Just try, and see what happens.  Maybe you want to write, or sing, or bake? 

profile of earthenware moon flask


Saturday, November 13, 2010

Day 101 November 13, 2010

Spend some time doing what makes you feel great today.  Sure you may not feel 100%.  But don't let that hold you back from ensuring that at least at some point today you do something that brings at least a smile to your face.  Better yet, laugh out loud today.  Promise?  Good job :)

Maeres Island, B.C.
You could always try to hug a tree....

Friday, November 12, 2010

Day 100 November 12, 2010

Today marks the 100th day of this journey, this blog.  Time for a bit of a celebration I'd say.  For those of you who are just beginning to read this blog I wanted to tell you how this all got started.  It first started at the suggestion of my friend Dr. Denise Tarasuk.  I first saw Denise across a very crowded room during a large parent teacher meeting at the private school where I used to work.  She was stopping to talk to several teachers as her son was a student in the senior school.   She looked very happy as she passed out chocolate Easter bunnies to her son's teachers.  She wore one of my favourite colours, raspberry, and her energy just seemed to radiate upwards from her body into the air around her.  I thought to myself that I really wanted to meet this woman, and so I did.  I just introduced myself to her.

And so year's later here I am, writing this blog.  Dr. Denise's homeopathy has helped me a lot over the years.  The beauty of homeopathy is that the doctor treats the whole person, and does not just relieve the symptomatic pains that illnesses present.  Too often western medicine just seems to relieve symptoms and never gets to the underlying causes of the dis ease a person feels towards themselves.  However, western medicine has its triumphs, surgery being one of them.

My friend Charlotte, an extraordinary art teacher and colleague from work, commented that it was great that I was planning on doing yoga every day for one calendar year, but she then gently asked, "But what about art?  Aren't you forgetting about art?"  Of course.  She was right.

Now you see the origins of this blog.  A gentle suggestion or two from good friends can greatly alter the course of your life.  But that is why we have great friends!!!!!!!!!!  They help us to stay true to ourselves.  We have to be willing to allow people to help us, to hold us in the palm of their hands.

Annie Willow



Thursday, November 11, 2010

Day 99 November 11, 2010

Recently I spent eight days with my brother on his boat.  Doing a yoga asana practice while on a boat trip of more than 700 nautical miles, going no faster than 15 knots or about 16 miles per hour means that many day light hours are spent moving on the surface of the water, not on the surface of your yoga mat.  It is a meditation all of its own to move with the boat. 

When the boat stops is when I do my practice on the yoga mat.  One morning it is early in the day before my brother wakens.  I just unroll my mat on the rear boat deck and move a few life preservers and a cooler out of the way.  I barely feel any motion from the water at dockside.  Another day I unfurl my mat onto the dock as soon as we tie up.  Once the stern and bow lines are secure, I'm off and running fluidly into the standing poses, followed by Halasana and forward bends.  The air is exquisite coming off the water.  It bathes me with steadiness.

Another morning I knew there would be a very long day ahead on the ocean, but I'd slept in and then realized the only window of opportunity for a brief yoga practice before dark was during the time when the boat left the harbour mouth, in the no-wake zone.  I unrolled my mat and did Setubandh Sarvangasana and Supta Padangusthasana and Savasana.  That practice was so deep I barely heard the 400 hp diesel motor revving underneath the floorboards below me, as I lay upon my mat.  That practice of maybe 30 minutes settled me for the day.

view from the wharf at Annapolis Royal, N.S.


So really what I learned was that you never stop moving on a boat trip.  Even at dockside there is gentle movement.  In your sleep you feel it and certainly the Utthita Trikonasana you do on a floating dock is not the same as the Utthita Trikonasana you do on the floor of your house.  My headstands were forgotten, seen as too dangerous to try when I had only about 20 inches of wooden dock on either side of my mat.  If I fell out of headstand, the water would have been quite cold, as it is in late October in the north east.  I do love water but that wasn't the way I wanted to experience it.

I now know that being on the boat with its constant movement was a metaphor that spoke to my animal nature, especially because of my daily yoga asana practice.  An animal moves quite naturally.  Modern humans sometimes lead very quiet lives with little movement or else they move frenetically without awareness.  But if you practice yoga asana daily it serves as a reminder that you are an animal, you move your animal nature in much the same way as a boat moves constantly as it embraces the fluid nature of its chosen medium, water.  

Do you move every day with awareness?  Do you make time for yourself and welcome your animal nature?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Day 98 November 10, 2010

Since my friend Denise talked about how she manages her breath during difficult yoga asanas recently in her blog, I thought I'd discuss the same topic today, but from another perspective. 

Just last night in class with David at Inner Sun Yoga Center in Wolfville, he mentioned the breath in relationship to the purpose of a yoga practice.  He said,  "the purpose of any yoga practice is to reach balance."  So to carry that to the breath, when you are in the midst of your asana practice you might find that you hold your breath or place your tongue against the roof of your mouth during difficult moments.  Both these things point out that there is strain in your practice.  This holding the breath or placing your tongue against the roof of your mouth is sometimes so subtle it is difficult to detect.  You really have to pay attention, be self aware, to sense it. 

There are other bigger signs of strain, the face is like a neon billboard for announcing strain.  Your forehead creases, your eyes bulge,  your mouth pinches, etc.  Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar mentions that the head and neck are to remain passive during yoga asana practice.  So forget all those facial signs of stress and strain.  And when you notice the more subtle tongue lifting or the holding or your breath, that is when you say to yourself, "Ah, I'm straining.  I need to back away."

earthenware tiles

You literally lesson the intensity of your approach to whichever asana you are doing.  You either back away, shorten your stance, come down from an inversion, raise your self up from the deepness of a foreword bend, or you can completely stop doing the asana.  I find it better to just back away from the intensity of your approach.  Then you can clearly see the difference between strain, and good effort without strain. 

"Effortless effort."  That is what Iyengar states as the approach to take towards your entire asana practice.  You try your best, but not to the point of strain.  You find the grace, the stillness of the moment within the pose.

Like in your life.  Find the grace amidst the hectic experience of being on this planet this very day.  On the subway, on the commute, in the kitchen, in the corridor, in the meeting, in the field, in the classroom, in the market, find that moment of being at peace.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Day 97 November 9, 2010

Perhaps you wonder how I manage to be such an eternal optimist?  I've seen another side of myself at other points in my life.  Throughout my twenties I was depressed off and on.  Even during some of my thirties.  Infrequently I could also go into a rage.  I was impatient.  Clueless too sometimes about what everything was all about.  Restless both physically and in other ways.

Seeing that other side of myself from today's perspective makes me realize that some of my problems were caused by a less than optimum diet, a less than optimum exercise regimen, a lack of sufficient self discipline, a lack of a truly balanced posture and a lack of a meaningful spiritual focus.  

Here is how I see the world now.  I see the positive.  I know the negative exists, but I choose to focus elsewhere.  It is a conscious choice.  Having experienced what I call a darker side of my life, I now choose what I call a brighter side.  Here is an example of my optimistic approach to life.  

Brunswick St. mural, Halifax, N.S.


In 2003 Hurricane Juan ripped the roof off of my husband David's yoga studio in Halifax.  Much of the artwork for my first solo art show was stored in his office awaiting the date to install it in an upcoming show.  Having heard that it was David's building that suffered roof damage, we travelled to Halifax together to see what had happened.  I was fearful that we could have lost both his business and my art show pieces.  Fortunately, the damage only proved severe to the studio location and the office was spared.  Of course the elevator and the entire building was in near darkness and wet.  The stairs were the only access point.

Having talked to other business owners in the same building who were standing in their ruined offices in ankle deep water sounding very upset, and having walked into David's studio to see a large, black lake of water in the middle of his studio floor, I felt fortunate for my art work was spared.  As I carried my heavy ceramic artwork down to the street on the dark, wet staircase to place it safely in my vehicle, this was the mantra that kept me going, "I am so grateful that I have strong enough legs to carry my heavy artwork down three flights of stairs."  I saw how to be grateful in the midst of that difficulty.  David was fortunate too, it turned out, for he relocated to a much improved location and my art show opened on time and was a success.  

Can you see the good even in bad situations?  How do you get through the bad times?

Monday, November 8, 2010

Day 96 November 8, 2010

Thanks to an article in the Saturday Globe and Mail on Oct. 30th, I found a great quote about why writers write.  Samuel Johnson, the lexicographer who wrote the most comprehensive English language dictionary ever compiled at the time, in 1755, is quoted as saying that the purpose of writing was to enable readers, " better to enjoy life, or better to endure it."  

Yes, somedays we just manage to endure life.  Just to endure is enough of a challenge for some of us.  Life can be hard.  Actually, count on it being hard.  But hopefully somedays we find enjoyment in our time on the planet also.  

Finding equanimity, finding balance, is what really helps us manage this experience called life.  Remember to take good care of yourself today, well hopefully not just today, but you know what I mean.

Today is the fourth consecutive day of rain and gray skies in my part of the world.  What is your part of the world like recently?  Many people find that day after day of rain dampens not only their persons but their spirits.  These are the days we need to really see what is right about our world.   See how lucky we are.  See that we are taking extremely good care of ourselves and those we love.  Stretch ourselves.  Go beyond our normal reach. Take good care of a complete stranger!  Even a smile, eye contact, or a thank you, can lift the spirits of a complete stranger and make each of you reassess how you relate to people in general.


Sunday, November 7, 2010

Day 95 November 7, 2010

Where would an old lane like this one pictured in Ireland take you?  To stories told by genuine people I'm sure.  When I visited Ireland a few years ago even though I was easily earmarked by the locals as a newcomer I still met genuine people everywhere I went.  

On the first morning my brother and sister and I stopped for a break at a great coffee shop and we met a local couple.  We told them our story, about how we were there because our mother had always wanted to go to Ireland but had never made it, so we were going for her.  We told them how our family had left Ireland in 1850 due to the potato famine and arrived in New York city.  We were hoping to maybe one day find some of our relatives from Ireland.  

The woman reassured us by saying, "Augh… don't you worry now, by our standards talking about the year 1850 is just like talking about last weekend."  She was so kind to make us feel so at home there, even though our family hadn't been back since 1850.  I looked in the phone book in Dublin and found pages and pages of Halpins, our great great grandfather's name.

We had many similar moments of feeling like we were really home during our three weeks there.  We heard an elderly man at a local ceilidh sing a very sad song acapella, about his true love that he'd had to leave at the chapel gates for, "he'd gone to Amerikay."  That brought tears to my eyes, as I realized he was singing about a person from a family like mine, one who'd had to move away, emigrate, for whatever reason.  For many of the Irish it was to leave the potato famine, for others who emigrate it is to leave persecution or war behind them. 

I learned something on that trip, a deep connection to many of the deepest feelings I gleaned from my childhood.  The countless dinners with potatoes, the countless St. Paddy Day celebrations, the marvel of a visit from a family friend who still spoke Gaelic, the countless masses, the gleaming white double damask Irish linen table cloths only used at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas dinner, the family stories from Flatbush, Brooklyn.  What I really felt after that trip to Ireland was that I was born in the USA, I live in Canada, but my home is in Ireland.

Where do you call home?  I hope that when you think of your home, it brings you some good, heart warming memories.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Day 94 November 6, 2010

This is just such a great portrait of my friend Garry that I want to share it and I'm so grateful that Cathy sent it along to her friends.  Can you see how joyful Garry looks? Isn't it wonderful when we make ourselves happy by doing the work we love?  

I felt joyful today when fresh from the grocery store and yoga in the city I decided to take the doggies for a jaunt in the very wet field across from our house.  They loved it and so did I.  The clover was so vibrantly green and the water that overflowed the ditches so lusciously muddy.  The sodden gray sky only accentuated the bright colour of the clover, the bark of the birch trees, the intense red of my rain jacket and the black of the dogs.

The overflowing ditches are due to the terrific amount of rain we've had in the last two days. And pounding wind along with it that sounded like a drum beat as it hit my bedroom window.  Last night the only way I could get to sleep was by designing artwork in my mind.  That always quiets me down.  To let my creative mind soar.  Just exercising that part of my brain, that part of my self, speaks to me at such a deep level I just naturally relax and then drift off to sleep.  What helps you get to sleep on those nights when you cannot fall asleep easily?  Or are you one of the lucky ones who is asleep 17 seconds after your head hits the pillow?

Friday, November 5, 2010

Day 93 November 2010

Internet service is erratic here in my neighborhood this afternoon.  A fierce windstorm with rain has us in its grip.  The good news is, it is very warm again, 16 degrees celsius.  Two of my lawn chairs flew across the yard earlier today.  

Despite the weather, the doggies and I enjoyed harvesting some more carrots in between rain showers.  I kept the big carrots, they got to eat the second quality ones and the tiny ones.  We were all happy.  

I am also happy to report that I got to a new place in my yoga practice today.  I'm working on releasing my left shoulder blade so that it will move down my back with freedom.  Its usual position involves chronic tension due to an old dislocation.  Changing that tense way my body thinks is 'normal' for that shoulder blade involves a lot of patience.

At one point I was talking to that shoulder blade internally like this, "release, release, release, see how the other shoulder blade is?  why don't you try that position, eh?  come on, just try it.  release, release, release…"  Of course I'm doing my best to actually move the shoulder blade as I said this internally.  Lo and behold, the shoulder blade moved quite a bit, but just for a few seconds, which surprised me so much I gasped and lost my breath.  I was in headstand at the time and quickly came down.  Headstand is a great place to work on shoulders.  

Yes, newness, breaking free from our time worn patterns, can take your breath away.  It's shocking, but in a good way.  Try something new today.  See where it takes you.  Be fearless with yourself.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Day 92 November 2010

thorn plate detail
thorn plate

It's interesting to examine the path you've chosen in your life.  One day you might compare your choice of path to a friend's choice of path.  That can surprise you.  You look at your friend and see their credentials.  You see them for the person they are today and what they want to do in the future.  What really interests them.

Then you can examine your own credentials, the person you are today and what you want to do in the future.  What really interests you.  

What affects our choice of paths?  Our family commitments, our parental expectations, our personal expectations, our wants, our desires, our obligations, our life experiences, our strengths, our weaknesses, our place of birth, our lineage, our intent to help others?  It's obvious.  Lots of things affect the choice of which path we chose in our life.  

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Day 91 November 3, 2010

This afternoon the sun blazed away and took the chill off the air.  I was gardening at just this time.  I luxuriated in the bright light, in the thick green grass and in the red blueberry bush leaves that contrasted sharply with the lush clover that encircled them.  

At one point I actually felt that it was spring, not fall.  The warmth and the light tricked me.  This was a good thing for it meant I was relaxed.  Lost in the airy mounds of hay, the various shades of green surrounding me in the fresh, crisp air, it was a fine hour or two.  That's right, I had no concept of actual clock time.

Observe how this happens to you when you are totally engrossed in the delight of your task at hand.  That is a definite clue that you are doing something you love.  Contrast that to the itchy, restless feeling you get when you are totally bored or distracted by a different task at hand.

Why is this kind of awareness useful?  It can help you chose a career you love, for one thing.  It can help you understand yourself and others, for another thing.  Self awareness, that's pretty helpful indeed.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Day 90 November 2, 2010

Well thank goodness my dear friend Denise called me today.  She wanted to make sure I realized that we are at the one quarter mark of this year long project.  A year long project can feel just like that somedays, … long.  

There is nothing like talking to a friend to help you get back on track, get back to feeling great about yourself.  Friends are like gardens, they need cultivating.  You need to support your plants with regular weeding, watering, and cultivating.  The same is true for friends.  Friends are really created, just like gardens.  You need to help friendships along.  Support each other. Laugh together.  Do what you love to do, with each other.  Understand each other.

Then as years go by, you learn that no matter how much time passes, when you are with your friend it feels like you just saw them a day ago, even if it's been 6 months really.  Your friendship never falters, you always pick up right where you left off.

The best thing about friends is that you can tell them anything in your heart.  And they'll listen and help you.  That's one of the best things about friends.  You can really be yourself with them.  

Call a friend, or write to them, or visit them.  You'll see what I mean.  Go ahead, cultivate your garden.



Monday, November 1, 2010

Day 89 November 1, 2010

Gray day today
Dampness stays out with constant movement
Gloved hands push the garlic cloves into the soft piles of dirt
A blanket of loosely piled hay goes next 
A blanket to protect against six months of cold
cold days, cold nights, cold in between everything

I cook potatoes, red onions and a lot of garlic for breakfast
Inspired by my brother's version of the same
A few strips of turkey bacon, some crumbled mushrooms, 
a sole egg the way our father loved them, over easy.
We need comfort food on cold days such as this

Over easy, that's a good take on things, over easy.