Day 57 September 30, 2010

Still
I
Paint

Still
I
practice
headstand

Thought
of
becoming
a
performance
artist
who
paints
everything
white

Oh
that's
right
that
movie
has
already
been
made

perhaps
I
could
paint
while
in
headstand?


 

Day 56 September 29, 2010

I still find a paint brush in my hands.  I want to paint everything in sight.  Even in the art studio.  I'm working with paint on clay.  And just for fun, I've offered to help paint on Sunday in my daughter's soon to be 'new flat'.  

There is just something about paint I guess, and the brush too.  It creates a new look so quickly. Maybe that explains some of its allure.  

One of today's other alluring aspects is the quality of the air.  It's a bit blustery, warm, very humid and fresh feeling.  Inviting.

As much as you can, look around you and enjoy your day too.

Day 55 September 28, 2010

Busy day.   Short yoga practice.  Shorter art practice.  But spending time with friends made it worth it.

MOMA  NYC 2009

Day 54 September 27, 2010

Being in tune with someone feels so right.  Wonderful really.  It makes me grateful to be a social animal.  David and I are both in tune today, working on our blogs, working on a bookshelf project together and we both practiced our yoga asanas today too, at home.

Then, I got a big inner smile when I read my friend Denise's blog a few minutes ago and she mentioned that today, Monday, is a good day to do laundry.  She included an image of laundry hanging on the line in NYC back in 1907.  Those were the days when both of my parents lived in Flatbush, Brooklyn, NYC.  My mother would have been 2 year's old and my dad 5 year's old.  I wonder if any of that laundry on the line was my parents' laundry?  I only say that because Denise's posted laundry image looked like a Brooklyn neighborhood.

Oh yes, and before I even read Denise's blog, I also washed two loads of laundry today and hung them to dry outdoors on a sunny, but cloud filled day.  A spectacular day.  I hope your day has some spectacular moments too.  Knowing that Denise and I are both in tune to Monday being a wash day makes me laugh.  We are currently separated by the entire North American continent, she in California and I in Nova Scotia, and yet we are still in tune.  Fabulous when things work out that way.  Don't you think?

Day 53 September 26, 2010

Today I re-learned that humans are a needy species.  It seems strange that we as a species have done so well on this planet.  We have a narrow range of comfortable temperatures for our living environments, we have a narrow range of likes and dislikes it seems, and we seem to make mistakes over and over again.  Why is this?  

Perhaps we are like those insects who die in one day.  We never get to pass on the wisdom from our elders to the younger generation.  We die too soon.  Or maybe even if we lived twice as long the younger generation just wouldn't be interested in the elders' words of wisdom or the elders would just be shocked that all of a sudden they were considered elders and had to pass on 'wisdom'.  

I'm kind of shocked that I'm now an elder.  What the heck happened?  Wasn't I just a twenty year old the other day?  Yes, being really young,  a young child or a teenager does seem like eons ago, but my twenties?  I can still relate to feeling like a twenty year old.  Full of life, fearless, stupid sometimes, reckless sometimes, depressed sometimes, invincible sometimes.  

But my mirror consistently attests to the passage of many years.  I guess there is so much to be grateful for, ……. that's what I need to focus on, being grateful.  Phew!  That was a close one.  I was getting a tad down hearted.

Sorry folks.  Sometimes my moments are not always cheery.  Just had to share how I really felt.  Maybe you thought I was always cheery and upbeat?  Nah!  Mostly, but not every minute.  I am an eternal optimist.  That's how I get through my life, but as you can see, I have some moments of doubt.

Enjoy this view of a very beautiful room for a moment, that will cheer us all up.  Art can really cheer me up, as you probably have gathered by now.  I love it when you find a room where the folks in charge have spent considerable effort to make the room as pleasant as possible, both to serve the room's purpose and to just rejoice in the world of colour, pattern, design, light, shape, texture, etc.  All those elements that speak to us of artfulness.  Yes, art brings out the best in us as a species I think.  So there.  We're back to art.

Day 52 September 25, 2010

Here's a toothy question for you that I heard today.  How do you know when you are on your path?  Being on your path meaning, finding what really rings your bell.  And once you've found what really rings your bell, then ringing that bell as loudly and for as long as possible (thanks Jim for the bell analogy, it's a great one).  Yes, how do you know when you are doing what is best for you?

Well, for one thing, if you've recently made the list titled "things that I hate"  and your newest career idea is on that list, that's not great news.  That new career idea is then definitely not your path.  

On the other hand, if you've recently made the list titled "things that get me excited" and your newest career idea is on that list, that's a hint you are moving in the right direction.

Or consider this, if you could give yourself a gift, a thank you gift as a reward and the gift was a complete day devoted to the pursuits you most enjoy, what would that day entail?  The list you create for that ideal day is a hint you are moving in the right direction of finding your path.

What makes you smile, not just on the outside, but on the inside too?  What activity captures your focus so well and so intuitively that sometimes you look up from your task and realize, oh…, I think I might need some lunch or a snack now.  I've been lost in this process so much I forgot to eat.  That feeling of being lost in doing what you love, what truly interests you, that's a hint you are moving in the direction of finding your path.  So basically, finding your bliss is another way of finding your path.  

The opposite is also true.  What makes you impatient, what makes you cranky beyond belief, what really bores you,  well that is not your path.  Sometimes it's easier to find what isn't your path and then through a process of elimination you are left with other options to explore that might be your path.  

Be playful and see what happens.  That can help you find your path too.  Do what is fun.  Could you do it all day long?  Would it still be fun?  Or even just for several long hours continuously?

Maybe some of these ideas will help you a bit in answering that question of how do you find your path?  I know it can be a bit of a confusing process, but try to be patient with yourself and perhaps start by making those lists. :)

Day 51 September 24, 2010

Taking my time today.  Not in a hurry.

But I did have to remind myself. The fact I needed reminding tells you something.  I was in some kind of hurry.  A neighbour of mine once mentioned that she'd seen me zooming around outside my place.  Yes, I did zoom around for quite a while.  Sometimes I still do.  Now that I've noticed this I can continue on or perhaps re-evaluate and change that behaviour.

In my yoga practice today, another back practice that lasted 2 hours apparently, at least according to the clock I noticed after I was done, I seemed to be in such a hurry.  Several times during the practice I told myself, what's the hurry here, let's do this right today.  That helped.

Being playful in the art studio helped too.  Seeing my self-doubt, the tension I carried when faced with a decision, taught me to say internally, caught ya!  Once I'd noticed the tension I could face it and talk myself out of it.  Can you talk yourself out of tension?  Coach yourself?

Steady now.
It's only  _________ (you fill in the blank), I'll get through it.
I've done this before, I can do it again.
Travelling to unknown places, I love that.  What's to worry?
etc.

Yes, perhaps you have your own favourite saying that coaches you through challenging times.  Here here, for all the help we give ourselves.  Those big brains of ours sometimes really do help :)

Guess what?  My David, to distinguish him from other David's,  just started a blog today.  Here is his link.  Today his entry is titled Corn on the Cob.  Enjoy.

http://exploringbodymovement.blogspot.com/

Day 50 September 23, 2010

On awakening my first thought is, I have to get up and make a green drink.  So I do.  Lovely colour, light green.  

Tired, groggy, a bit nauseous from too much driving in the car for two consecutive days, I quaff my drink.  Then my coffee.  David does his drinking in the reverse order, first coffee, then green.  Jen stands up straighter after her green drink and says,  I feel good, then she is off to work. 

May we all do something today that makes us feel good.

'Abstract'  Tiles

Day 49 September 22, 2010

Excess
Plenty
Harvest

Basil
Garlic
Extra Virgin
Olive Oil
Pesto.
Tomato
Onion
Garlic
Celery
Extra Virgin
Olive Oil
Spinach
Soup.
Potato
Corn
Onion
Garlic
Soy Milk
Chowder.

Cashews
Almonds
Dates
Apricots
Sesame Tahini
Brown Rice Syrup
Agave Syrup
Cocoa
Sesame Seeds
Bliss Balls.

Bring
Your
Hunger.
It's a
Good
Time
Of
Year
For
Appetites.

Day 48 September 21, 2010

Whirlwind.  Sometimes life feels this way.  I used to feel like I was part of the whirlwind.  Now I can step back a bit and see that I am experiencing a whirlwind sensation but it is really not 'part' of me.  Another way of describing how I used to feel was that I'd been on a carousel ride too long.

Over stimulation is what is really happening to me on those days.  I can now balance my life with quiet days and stimulating days.  Two days ago it was the very quiet day.  Yesterday was the stimulating day.  

Great times with great friends.  After driving my daughter to work, I squeezed in some backbends on the chair in the yoga studio, then met my friends.  For an hour or two we examined the new fashions for women in high end clothing shops in Halifax.  As an artist I was pretty critical, but did admit I really liked both the choice of colours and the plain solid colours I saw everywhere.  Very few icky patterns or over stated ruffles from other years.  A few jackets were memorable for their design features.  I admired the craftsmanship of the seamstresses of China.  Everywhere I went there were references to China as the country of origin, even in the most expensive shop where a light weight jacket could set you  back $450.  We weren't on Fifth Ave. or in Toronto after all, so no haute couture.  

Back to whirlwinds, the picture of me today is a bit of a blur, taken by my brother in law Michael.  I was touring the Sol LeWitt exhibit at MassMoca with him and my sister Kathy this summer.  You've got to experience MassMoca if you haven't already.  An entire complex of buildings is devoted to contemporary American art in a rural setting 1.5 hours from Boston.

It can be a bit of whirlwind, but hey, you know how it goes.  Enjoy your day.

Day 47 September 20, 2010

Very quiet day.  Back to the yoga 'back practice' for this kiddo.  I can foresee doing the 'back practice' for quite a while.  Last time I really benefitted from doing it for over a month or two.  

Back pain is a strong teacher that compells you to hurry up and find something that works.  Thank goodness for therapeutic yoga.  It's life saving.

Hope the day went well for you.

Day 46 September 19, 2010

Okay, I'm beginning to embrace the change in seasons.  When summer is your favourite season it's a little hard to switch gears and accept that fall is here.  I remember living on the west coast and missing the visual contrasts that this east coast living brings.  The stark colours of winter, the riot of green in summer, the blaze of red in the fall and the muddy earth tones of spring.  Yes, visually I missed these changes.  I'd never miss the cold of winter, but it is certainly a beautiful time of year.

Stomping through deep snow one winter to capture a few shots at the river is one recent good memory I have of winter.  When asked what was my favourite winter sport I used to answer, getting in the car and driving myself to the swimming pool.  What is your favourite season?

Today I so enjoyed seeing some friends at the Terry Fox event.  I visited my old work place and got hugs from lots of folks and gave hugs in return.  They are off to a good start for another academic year.  Hurray for learning!  As a teacher, I used to learn the most from my students.  Sometimes students don't realize that you learn from them.  No matter which side of the desk you're on, it's really a two way, not a one way street.

Happy Autumn everyone.   Here are some fall shots for you to enjoy.

Day 45 September 18, 2010

Porcelain Double S Fish Vase detail

Porcelain tea bowls copper red glaze

Porcelain plate detail

Day 44 September 17, 2010

So yesterday I was silent, meaning I didn't write any words.  Instead I just posted images.  

One of my friends who is an academic wrote a beautiful paper on silence and how to use it in the classroom setting.  Sometimes it seems the part of me who taught for 18 years in a school and 6 more years  beyond the classroom walls (as an English tutor, as a First Aid and CPR instructor, as a lifeguard competition coach and junior lifeguard coach) sees part of the reason why I'm blogging as an opportunity to create lessons for others.

Dare I consider that my own varied life experiences can provide others with lessons?  Yes.

Back to silence and how sometimes we learn profound lessons while silent.  One of my dear friends just let me know that her beloved dog experienced a stroke and may not survive long.  She has been crying buckets.  I shared with her a story from my own life that has a similar theme.

About eight years ago one of our labrador retrievers was dying.  We had arranged to have the vet come to our rural home to euthanize Joshie the next morning.  Joshie was curled up in the corner, not going anywhere; he knew it was his time.  He'd been limping badly and was extremely lethargic and the vet knew it was his time too.  Joshie had been my muse.  He helped me learn that I could lean on him emotionally.  He always seemed to know how I really felt, not how my polite self managed to face my world.  Joshie was my mirror.  He allowed me to face my truest feelings and I could share with him what I couldn't share with another human.

So when I faced his impending death I was quite sad.  There I was crying buckets on the sofa near him.  Our labrador pup of one year or so, Mr. Bear, suddenly jumped up and lay down next to me.  I ignored him.  He then turned to me and placed his sharp forearm elbows directly on my lower ribcage, so that I couldn't ignore his presence.  The sharp pain of his elbows made me focus on his eyes as he silently looked at me in my grief and stared with understanding.  His gaze seemed to say, I'm still here.  It's my job now to care for you.  Mr. Bear then slowly licked the tears off my face.  He had never done anything like this before.  He wasn't the kind of dog who had really interacted so directly with me before.

Needless to say, that silent encounter meant a lot to me.  It consoled me when I need consoling.  Perhaps you will be silent for a while today, to see what you learn.  For one thing, I find that being silent allows me to hear my own thoughts more clearly.  I hope it benefits you too.

Mr. Bear's paw

Ms. Windy

Day 43 September 16, 2010

 photo by Jen and Nick

  photo by Jen

Day 42 September 15, 2010

Almost got to pick blueberries today, but then it started to pour rain.  Another day soon, I hope to be in blueberry heaven again, surrounded by acres of shoulder high 50 year old high bush blueberry plants.

Well I'm trying to rally for lots of yoga classes, but my little body rebelled a bit this morning after my two classes on Monday night, first an ashtanga class followed by an Iyengar class.  A lot.  I felt fine till this morning.  Sometimes it does take two days before your muscles realize what hit them.  Oh well.  Gotta keep trying I guess.  It was that high energy work that got me.

Toronto airport

You have to modify your practice to suit how you really feel. That said, I'm off to do some inversions.  Recuperative.

Glad I'm not flying anywhere today.  I'm such a homebody sometimes.  It's the inward journey that interests me I guess.

Day 41 September 14, 2010

Day 41

And go to bed early.

Day 40 September 13, 2010

 Just Breathe.

Day39 September 12, 2010

Fall is really here.  Guess I was in a bit of denial for a while.  This summer was so hot, so sunny, so wet, that I really felt like I lived in California again.  Today when I hung out laundry I stared at the thick green lawn and the deep green of the garden and I felt so very grateful for that rich green colour.  Summer is my favourite season, so seeing green means summer is still here in my mind.  Autumn is beautiful too, but it doesn't have the full wrap around green of the height of summer.

Autumn does have its own rewards.  Harvest.  Today David made a large stock pot full of vegetarian tomato sauce.  It included our own organically grown onions, garlic, zucchini, basil and tomatoes.  Tomatoes were everywhere in our kitchen the last few days.  Bowls and baskets of them.  Grape tomatoes, Roma Italian cooking tomatoes, Scotia tomatoes, Beefsteak tomatoes.  We had spaghetti tonight and the vast amount of left over sauce we'll freeze cause there is more sauce to make tomorrow.  More tomatoes to harvest outdoors.

Then I joined in the cooking this afternoon and made cookies and a pie.  It was so reminiscent of when the girls were little.  I used to cook and cook, make my own bread, cookies, can and freeze tons of stuff and just thrive in that role.  Autumn just does that to a cook, makes them celebrate the joy of seeing all that fresh produce.

Did I remember to mention I was a vegetarian for a decade?  Vegetarian food is still my favourite.  Well, fruit is my very favourite food and next vegetarian menus.

Day38 September 11, 2010

When I see that date, September 11, I pause and remember that sad date in the USA.  History gives us many such sad days to ponder.  In a more perfect world we would no longer need war.  Humans have a long way to go before they can embrace that concept.  

September 11 is also the birth date of Laurie, one of the best art teachers I am honored to have ever known.  I learned so much from her.  She created fearless students who went beyond themselves and literally changed before my eyes in the course of an academic year.  My newest found and most inspiring art teacher is Charlotte.  She too is a beacon of strength.  She calmly explains huge concepts to her students.  The patience of both of these women is worth noting.  The patience of a great teacher can lead people to unimaginable places.  Believe me.  I've seen it happen.

My mind is a little blurry from reading the Saturday edition of the Globe and Mail.  What an amazing array of information it provides.  Its comprehensive look at global events is a great contrast to my quiet life in the country side.  Don't get me wrong; it's a great read.  While reading the paper today I found a typo in one of their sub-titles; that was surprising.

When I read my friend Denise's blog today I learned that perhaps I need to eat more high quality fats to help my blurry brain become sharper.  Yesterday I forgot to include the address to Denise's blog!  Here it is now.  

http://web.me.com/drsunshine99/365daysofyogaanddailyroutine/Blog/Blog.html

I hope that you enjoy her blog as much as I do.

Today my body is more clear than my brain.  That's from doing 4 hours of yoga with Father Joe yesterday, plus my 1 hour personal practice and 3 hours of yoga with David today.  Sore muscles in places yes, but clear in feeling.  Father Joe spoke of love and being grounded in our bodies.  That's why I feel clear.  I'm grounded.

Brehannah on the zip line

In contrast to my feeling grounded is the realization that I needed to be fearless in yoga these last two days.  It is easy for the brain to scare us, and say "oh don't try that, it will hurt, or you can't do that because of your injury...blah, blah, blah..."  If you listen to your yoga teacher, you will learn to trust in your own body's wisdom.  Then you will learn to become as joyful in a new place as Brehannah looked on the day I photographed her on the zip line.  Brehannah's joy that day took place outdoors.  In yoga asana practice the journey is within your own body.

Day 37 September 10, 2010

Good heavens!  My friend Denise, who is doing 365 days of yoga and daily routine (see my Day One posting for more details), has posted a delicious sounding recipe for Chai Masala on her blog!  I can hardly wait to try this recipe because I've had Denise's chai masala and let me tell you, it is divine!

Divine was the word that sprang to my mind when I was in backbend pose today on the chair.  Actually the words in my mind were, "this backbend is as delicious as chocolate!"  Yes folks, what is more divine than chocolate?  For me today, the three backbends I stayed in for several minutes each were lovely.  I could breathe completely, I could rest, it was, dare I say, effortless effort.

Now David is home and I am on my way to a yoga workshop with Father Joe.  Wish me luck.

Day 36 September 9, 2010

Lasagne is in the oven.  Yum.  The downstair's bathroom is primed white; goodbye soft mauve walls.  White feels right.  

Busy day.

Drawing  Fig  2007

Yoga was pretty spectacular today.  I followed Donna Holleman's practice  for hands again.  Painting for over 5 hours will do that to you.  You need to stretch out your hands, especially if you have osteoarthitis in your hands, like I do.  My favourite part was scrubbing my hands with a small nylon brush to stimulate the skin.  Of course I also love headstand and shoulder stand.

I am looking forward to working with Father Joe Pereria of India tomorrow afternoon in Chester.  Yoga rocks  (the slang comes from working with teenagers for so many years).  I cannot begin to say how much it keeps me together.

Day 35 September 8, 2010

The effects of last night's yoga class showed up this morning.  Oh yes, the left shoulder ache.  For others it might be, oh yes, the right knee ache.  The yoga asanas affect you during your practice and after your practice.  Sometimes you might get the feeling, "I feel like I've been hit by a truck".  That comes from working too hard in the asanas.  

It is possible to overdue things in any aspect of your life.  Then you can take several paths of action.  Cry, just for the relief it brings.  Settle, for something less than perfect because it is the only game in town currently.  Accept, that sometimes your life just is as it is.  Hope, that improvement will come in some form or other.

My particular madness today occurred due to migration.  I'm migrating to a new computer, a Mac.  I have been a PC person for a long time.  So today I began moving years of files.  Files and images I hadn't seen for a very long time.  Memory lane.  Not that interesting really, the past.  Been there, done that.  But the madness came because things didn't work the way they used to work.

You'd think that since I worked for 18 years as an educator I'd be more relaxed learning a new computer system.  Think again.  Well I didn't get really crazy at least.  Learning unseats you.  Puts you somewhere new.  It can be a challenge to face newness.   

Tomorrow will also bring change.  I hope that you and I can face it with calmness.

Day 34 September 7, 2010

This day totally got away from me.  I did have a small agenda.  I did follow it, but the tasks that appeared small turned out to not be small.  Organize my desk area.  Compile a short list of items to purchase.  Pick up my daughter and return home with her.  Go to yoga class.  That does not sound like such a long list.

It took all day and I never made it into a store.  Okay, yes, David and I did cart a sofa out of our house that we were longing to move on towards its next lifetime somewhere else.  Check.  That took a little while.  So, sometimes the time it takes to finish something is longer than you first imagine.

For example, this footed bowl in the image I posted, was refired last spring, in the kiln at work.  The kiln was nearly loaded but it needed a few more large items.  The student work was all placed within the kiln so my eye noticed this footed bowl that was rather ugly due to its dull gray overall glaze.  I thought refiring would definitely give it a lift.  It was earthenware and I rarely fire in earthenware at home so I left it at work where we only fire in earthenware.   The pot is pictured here prior to its loading into the kiln; it is a pot that completely references my time spent working with the master potter Marguerite Wildenhain, at her Pond Farm Pottery in Guerneville, California, back in the seventies.

My grade 7 students asked me about this pot as I quickly decorated it.  I told them it had been hanging around for a while, it needed refiring and it was just the right size to fit on the top shelf of the kiln.  Someone asked when I had made it.  I looked at the bottom of the pot and announced, 1993.  The student gasped aloud that he had not even been born yet in 1993.  He was 12.  So you see, the refiring of that pot did take a rather long time by his standards.  It is 2010. That pot had waited 17 years to be refired.

No hurry, as Horace implied, many, many years ago.  Ars longa, vita brevis, or, in translation from the Latin, life is short, art is forever.

Day 33 September 6, 2010

Sunset at home

Glorious day.  Sun.  Cooler.  My yoga practice today was long and fortunately I am calmer.  All those years of work caught up with me somehow.  Working in the house, cooking breakfast, walking the dogs on the pasture nearby, being with David, working on photography, playing with felted wool, all grounded me.

Did you have a good day today?  I hope so.

Day 32 September 5, 2010

It's just a visual sort of day.  Clean rain washed air.  Bright sun.

Day 31 September 4, 2010

Okay, I learned that five hours of painting, harvesting lots of garden produce and preparing for a hurricane was a bit too much yesterday.  After a hearty breakfast of buckwheat blueberry banana pancakes and coffee I hobbled up to bed to read and promptly fell asleep.  Of course waking up four times last night to listen for the storm didn't help.  Once it had arrived by morning I slept much better.  We only had a big wind and rain storm, no hurricane throwing stuff around.  We were fortunate and only lost power for less than two hours. 

I also felt fortunate in headstand today.  What I learned there was that sometimes our long held feelings are difficult to let go.  These particular feelings had to do with my musculature.  We have a "fright" response hard-wired in us and when hurt, we instinctually protect ourselves.  In my case, I dislocated my left shoulder at age 19.  I'm still dealing with releasing the chronic tension in that left shoulder, because once I dislocated it I held it protectively and my nervous system then accepted that protective posture as the "new normal".  In contrast I'm learning to re-tighten my over-stretched right shoulder.  My arm drops out of its shoulder joint.  So there in headstand I work on my shoulders.  Left stretched out, right pulled in.  I stop when my left forearm becomes a little numb in places.  You can only do so much at one time.  It's all about seeking balance.  Not the balance upon my head, because I'm using the outer edge of the wall as a prop, so that I can focus on my inner balance.

One senior teacher I studied with said that Iyengar yoga is like water dripping on a stone; in this way you seek to find balance in your practice.  You wouldn't think that a stone could be changed by dripping water.  It can.  Yes, it takes a while.  Doesn't almost anything worth doing take a while?

For only a short while during my yoga practice today I thought about the art on my mantle in the living room.  After my yoga I found just the right vase to put in between the set of framed tiles.  The wooden carving of Gandhi is still there, and the set of tiny tiles with the aum sign decorations, and the goddess Shiva too.  Balance. It is elusive at times, but worth the journey.

Day 30 September 3, 2010

The heat is nearly done.  Hurricane Earl will make some sort of appearance tomorrow.  My gorgeous tomato plants are now lying down on the ground, in an effort to protect them from the forecasted high winds.  The onions are put away.  The beans picked. Three different containers burst with tomatoes.

I painted for 5 hours today, in an attempt to finish the long, white railing and balustrades outside my kitchen door.  Nearly done, another hour or so.

Covered my large, rolled up charcoal drawings with plastic, in case we have extreme flooding.  Everything that could blow around is now secured, I hope.

Avon River mud flats with Great Blue Herons

I think I'm ready for cooler weather.  Are you?

Day 29 September 2, 2010

The heat wave continues.  David wisely led us in a relatively quiet yoga class today.  I arrived sweaty and stiff.  I left relaxed and better able to deal with the heat. 

My lips are salty.  I went out of my way to get to the ocean today and I swam my heart out. 

The beach was packed with others who enjoyed the water and the blasting sun.  We all knew full well "this won't last".  But somehow isn't that one of the things that makes our life experiences so poignant?  We know they won't last, that nothing lasts forever. 

One of my favourite paradoxes goes like this, there is only one thing in life that you can always count on, and that is change. Nope, you cannot count on: the weather, or your parents to always be a fountain of knowledge, or your children to always come home on time, or your partner / spouse to always be your everything,  or your work to always be satisfying, or your pets to always be well trained, or your body to always stay the same over your lifetime, or even for winter tomatoes to always taste like the ones you pick in your own backyard in August. 

School photo of me at age 9

Yes, if you learn to accept the fluidity of this life experience, you're set. Now go get busy.

Day 28 September 1, 2010

David's photo of me on Day One

Well I was sure yesterday was the hottest day of the year.  Wrong.  It was today.  Or it might be tomorrow.  A 2 swim day.  By 10 am I was in the Avon River with the doggies, with a blinding need to cool off.  Then again at 6:30pm we were back in the water at a lake.  Doggie pandemonium prevailed for a bit, as many others had the same idea on such a hot night.  Ran into some friends, Sue and Steve, and their dog.  Sue now wants to come to the next wart meeting (women and art meeting) scheduled for next month at Heather's house.

In the studio, I worked on a duo of framed tiles, remounting one tile that had lifted off when I applied the wire to the back of the frame.  Thanks to Google I learned that you can remove old tile adhesive with a chisel and hammer.  Good thing my earthenware tile was so thick, though it was worrisome to be chiseling the back of the tile for a very long time.  All ended well so far.  Tomorrow I can hang the second frame.

Restorative yoga was the only way to practice today.  Very little movement at all, just breathing and slight readjustments to my shoulders in viparita karani on two bolsters, which necessitates doing a somersault to get into the pose against the wall.  Where would I be without yoga?  On medication for all my ailments I'm sure.  Instead, I learn to fix myself with my teacher's help.

Namaste my friends.