Friday: A day with laughter

“Earth laughs in flowers.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

This gave me the *giggles*

Ken @ Mildly Creative brought up a quote from The Onion (a magazine known for its satire) today.

They said this about Sasha Baron Cohen: “Oh, that Sacha Baron Cohen. He’s totally unpredictable. You never know what to expect unless you’ve seen all his other work.”

I LOVED his character Ali G (that I am pretty sure he has retired).  Those skits would have me giggling hysterically.  Not always for him- even though he was very funny- but the people reacting to him made it worth it.

Check out this clip with Kobe, it is short & sweet & way funny!

Day of Rest

When your body takes charge by bringing up an issue…you should listen.

I had a very interesting day trying to relax and ward off a migraine.  That left me feeling very drained and needing to just walk away from my writing for a bit.

I napped a bunch & drank lots of liquids.  One thing that can’t be ignored is how much our bodies take care of us and how we owe it to ourselves to do the same.

Today I leave you with this quote:

“If anything is sacred, the human body is sacred.”

~ Walt Whitman

It’s been done before. SO WHAT?

Picture this.

You have a good idea.

You think it is cool and original and want to share.

So you go asking around or searching for help on how to execute it.

Then the worst happens…

Someone else has done it before you!!!!

This happened to me about six months ago, I thought up this neat idea on a mini walkabout I was doing.  When I got home I was surfing the ‘net and reading some blogs, that is when I saw it…a link that took me to a blog written by a beautiful soul who had the same idea and executed it brilliantly.

Needless to say, I was crushed.  I thought to myself, ” Oh boy, now if I do it then people are going to think I was ‘ripping off” this person. That sucks.”  It discouraged me because I really liked the idea.

CUT TO:  TODAY (putting in a little of my movie flair *lol*)

Since then I have let that one go, that is when this lovely & perfect idea came to me. My ‘Love & A Photo’ Series.  It was kismet.  Now I am not saying that it hasn’t been done or I am reinventing the wheel. I’m not.  There have been about 1,000 people to do a similar thing.  Thing is, this is ME.

There is only one ME and only one YOU. So rock it out. Your peeps need you to share.

So let’s say you have an idea and it’s been done? Roll up your sleeves and get to it!

The world is desperate for you to make YOUR “voice” heard.

It is.

New stuff: A great course for you DIY-ers

Wednesdays are fun! I look forward to them because it is me sharing with you about people that I have ‘met’ or stuff that is cool.  I give you this guarantee, I will not post an item or recommendation I haven’t tried or feel would bring really good things to your life.

I am posting this a day early so you all can check out his course before it starts on Wednesday July 15th!

I got a good vibe from this guy right off the bat. There is something about a bloke who cusses and marches to the beat of his own drum.  He strips away the formalities.  What you see is what you get and I dig that about him.

(I almost forgot to mention this:  He created a little thing called GOYA, “Get off Your Ass”.  I was really hedging stepping into a new area.  He just guided me through the process & made it a little less scary.  At the end of the day, it was all about taking that leap)

Johnny B Truant (or JT as I like to call him because the other name is too darn long, *lol* ) recently started this great little blog called ‘Learn to be your own V.A.‘ which is basically a place for you to find the tools to DIY your own blogs &/or websites. He also offers tutorials that are so easy that even I could follow them (and that is saying a lot since my mind tends to be resistant to all things ‘techie’. Thank god for the techies!)

A few weeks ago, I signed up for his blog transfer service which meant that he would move my iWeb blog over to WordPress. I am very glad that HE did it because then I was free to do the more fun stuff like trying to pick widgets and ‘prettifying my site’.  Not that it is all about the ‘fluffy’ stuff but I want it to be pretty and have good posts for you to read.  :)

Anyways, back to what I was saying, JT has created another course which knowing him is all sorts of fabulous.  While I haven’t taken the “Make the Internet your B*tch” course, I do know this guy delivers.  He answers every email ( I know this because I would email him some pretty ridiculous questions) & takes you through so slowly it probably pains him but he does it anyway!  :) He wants to make sure it is done right and works until it is.

So if you have been wanting to start a more business-ey blog, look into the course and see if it a good fit.  Click the link on the right sidebar to take you to some pretty hilarious videos about the course (they explain it in only the way JT can) *The badge is a small version of the one above

PS He just let me know that if you want ‘IN’ to try to sign up by August 1st.  The price goes up after that!

Being gentle in your journey

Here's a flower for YOU!

There are days when you will feel like you got hit with an emotional sledgehammer or that you can’t create anything worth sharing.  I am writing this post for those days.

First, Breathe. Pay attention to just that one moment.

Then before your mind lanches into a mini tirade (I know mine tends to do that) let yourself know it  is ok to feel what you are feeling- that nothing is wrong with having ‘a dump day’.

Dump days can be good because it causes you to be aware, to listen to what your heart or body is saying.

Listen.  Most of the time we rush through life, barely listening  to the people around us let alone ourSELVES.

This step is important so I will say it again:  LISTEN. (Note: don’t wrap a story around it though, the mind may want to do that.)

Hear.  The voices may scurry through your head faster than you can keep up. Let them. If they scurry out, say good riddance *sidebar- this is also a punk band from santa cruz, who knew!.  When you engage with the ‘wiggly thoughts’ move out of the personal and into the receiving mode. This part is tricky because our thoughts want to wrap a really mucky story around the feeling. It is ok to not believe all those ‘wiggly thoughts’ and to let them just exist until they go away.  Not everything has to be ‘taken on’.

Embrace.  This step is totally crucial. Do not skip it. It is all about who YOU are. The YOU that is so fantastic that the world would be lost without you. The YOU that offers something special and unique to the world. The YOU that is divine.  On dump days, you will be like, “Yeah right, I am not special, I got mad at a good friend or my house is a mess or my job sucks.” Those are stories. Outside of YOU.  Go back to the divine YOU. Please go there.  You will see the truth. It is beautiful, like YOU. (Now I am not just saying this to pump you up, it is true.  But even if I was, I am so not sorry because you deserve it! You are wonderful.)

Treat.  I like this one.  It comes from a place of being good to yourself. Being kind.  It can look a number of ways.  For me, I am all about pampering my body since I don’t do it enough.  I won’t put to much description here because I really do want to let you listen to your own voice.  What do YOU need?

Trust.  It may feel like this will never end.  That life is a big downer (even if just for today). It will and it isn’t (just a small reminder:  life is so not a downer…there will be tough days though.  that’s ok).  One of the big deals in life is that there is just no guarantee about anything.  No way of knowing that it will all end up great. So it takes a tremendous deal of courage to know that whatever happens, stuff passes.  Hurts. Pain. Happiness. Debt. Loss of a job. It is all temperal. It takes guts to live life OPEN. Don’t close, not ever.

Inspire. When you need a pick me up, and can’t find it in you (just yet!)  Take a visit to a few souls that share this journey with you.  Whether it be friends around you or maybe a ‘bloggy buddy’.  Life is about sharing and connecting even on the tough days. Don’t be afraid to get vulnerable. You are free to share.  The people around you will love that.  (I know I do.)  Let others love on you when you need it.

Short story= Tough days happen. You are awesome. A ROCKSTAR. Let yourself receive love.

A few places I go for inspiration in the ‘bloggy world’:

Dancing Mermaid

Jen Gray

Joy Rebel

Goddess Leonie

Christine Kane

Dancing Footprints Studio

*SERIES* “Love & A Photo”: Connie and Hansel

MEL:  Names

Connita de los Angeles: Connie..but Hansel always calls me Connita de los Angeles!

Sparky:  Hansel…but Connie calls me Sparky…or Hot Stuff.

MEL:  Ages

Connita de los Angeles: 33

Sparky: 28

Connita de los Angeles:  That’s right…you can call me a COUGAAAAR!!

MEL:  Life’s Work

Connita de los Angeles:  Artist, Art Teacher–to inspire creativity & spread the power of Art through my blog Dirty Footprints!!

Sparky:  I work in an Organic Farmer’s Market here in Phoenix.  But my real passion is for photography and Art.  I also love to make jewelry.

MEL:  What city do you live in?

Connita de los Angeles:  We have been living in Phoenix, Arizona for 3 years now.  Before this we lived in Cleveland, Ohio.  I was born there.

Sparky:  I’m originally from Costa Rica.  I moved to the states almost 7 years ago.

MEL:  How long have you been together?

Connita de los Angeles:  A little over 6 years.  We’ve lived together now for 5.

MEL:  How & where did you meet?

Sparky:  I was working in a Spanish restaurant in Cleveland when Connie came in and was sitting at a table with the owner.  He asked me to make her a salad, and I wanted to really impress her, but I was too shy to talk to her, so I made her the biggest, best salad I ever made in my life!

Connita de los Angeles:  Yeah, I remember that salad.  It was good!….Tasty…. Real fresh!

Sparky:  You had on those tight jeans with that big metal belt.  What happened to that belt?

Connita de los Angeles:  I don’t know.  That was a pretty cool belt!  I remember after you made the salad you stood around the room…and I kept looking at you.  I had this overwhelming feeling.  I told my friend at the table that you were the guy I was going to be with!  When I left I went up to you and thanked you for making such a great salad!  You were very sweet.

MEL:  What was your first impression?

Sparky:  I thought right away that Connie was very friendly and funny.  Everyone at the restaurant knew her and she was always making everyone laugh. And I liked her big fluffy hair!

Connita de los Angeles:  I thought he was a hottie!  Yep.  Super cute!  I also really liked his accent and thought he was quite charming.  But, like I said, I right away had this feeling about him.  Like I already knew him.  That’s how I knew we would be together someday.

MEL: Describe your first date:

Sparky:  We went to the Spy Bar in downtown Cleveland and we hung out and danced until it closed.  Then we went down to  Lake Erie.  We sat on the broken pier that overlooked the city and watched the sunrise and spent the whole time talking.

Connita de los Angeles:  Yeah, that was a really cool night/morning!

MEL:  Tell me about the most funny thing your partner ever did to “impress” you?

Connita de los Angeles:  Hansel is a bit of a showboat let me say!! Plus, he is the absolute funniest guy I know!!  So he is always doing silly stuff to amuse me.  On my 30th birthday we had a huge party at our favorite Mexican restaurant…and you know how they bring the hat out and the fried ice cream and sing Happy Birthday?  Well, after they did that for me, Hansel joined the servers and started going around to other people’s tables and singing to them.  It was hilarious!!!

Sparky:  One time Connie entered a mechanical bull contest at a bar to impress me.

Connita de los Angeles:  Were you impressed?

Sparky:  Yeah, I guess.  It was hilarious!

Connita de los Angeles:  I made 3rd place, even though I never rode or saw a mechanical bull before in my life!  The coolest thing I remember too is that you got on top of the bar and were cheering for me all crazy!! But it was my thunder thighs you were probably most impressed with!!

Sparky:  Exactly.

MEL:  When did you know it was love?

Connita de los Angeles: We are the exception to the rule.

Sparky:  Yeah.  We did things opposite.  Most people meet and things are really good then they go bad and they break up.  We started off a little rocky then things got really good!

Connita de los Angeles:  We are far from a normal love story.  Nothing about us is  typical!  Our love started off like a Mexican soap opera.

Sparky: Nooooo, not that bad!!

Connita de los Angeles:  Ok, I guess you’re right.  Maybe more like a Costa Rican soap opera!!

Sparky:  But seriously, at first I was kind of young and had to figure some things out about what I wanted in life.

Connita de los Angeles: Yes, and I was kind of confused myself about relationships and what I wanted.  This sometimes caused issues for us at the beginning, so we broke up a couple times.  But I always knew that we were meant to be together.  You know, being a cougar, you have to be the wise one!!

Sparky:  Connie was always very understanding and compassionate to me, and once I saw that, I knew that I loved her and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

Connita de los Angeles:  This is going to sound weird, but I really realized what a gift Hansel was to me and how much I loved him during an argument we had early on.  The argument was over something ridiculous on the surface, but out of nowhere I had this instant revelation that what Hansel was really trying to show me is a part of myself that I wasn’t willing to accept or examine yet..and the argument was happening because of my resistance.  This revelation was huge for me.  It changed our relationship, and it changed me.  I realized at that very moment (and we were driving in the car on West 14th street in Cleveland) that Hansel was trying to help me grow and that a good partner in life holds a mirror to our beauties as well as our blemishes….but all in love.  That’s the real deal,baby!!  No candy coated cupcake lover!

Sparky:  I agree. I completely agree.  We’re the real deal.

MEL: Are you guys more of ‘perfect twins’ or ‘opposite attracts’?

Sparky: Perfect twins.  Yes.  We like to do the same things like hiking, art, and traveling.  We both really like music.

Connita de los Angeles:  I agree.  We even finish each other’s sentences or will say something then the other will say “I was just gonna say that”.  Or during the day we call each other and the other will say that they were just about ready to call!! It’s a little freaky sometimes–how we can read each other’s mind!

MEL:  Retell the coolest travel adventure that you have taken together.

Connita de los Angeles: For me it was the first time I went to Costa Rica with Hansel to meet his family.  I learned so much more about Hansel by seeing where he grew up and it made me love him even more.  But, after we spent time with his family Hansel and I  hitch-hiked our way around the Pacific Coast part of Costa Rica.  That was so fun, and beautiful, and freaking exciting!!!  I remember one night we hitch-hiked in the back of some old man’s pick-up truck, and he drove us through the jungle.  It was about a half hour drive, just laying there in silence on our backs staring at the stars!!  I’ll never forget that sky, or how the air felt.  Then there was the day we rented an ATV and drove for miles and miles along white sand beaches with nobody there!  We found a tiny little soda (what they call little stands where families will sell you something to eat or drink) that was made out of palms and we drank coconut water and Coca Cola!  Hansel would take me to the coolest little secluded waterfalls or he would stop, and then say “look up” and there above us was a family of monkeys playing on the trees!! Everything about that trip seemed magical.  My heart felt so incredibly at home, with Hansel, and in Costa Rica.

Sparky:  That was also a great trip for me too.  But my favorite trip war our crazy road trip from Cleveland, Ohio to Phoenix, Arizona we took to move here.  The weekend before we left, Connie and I sold almost every belonging we owned for travel money…and then we packed our 2 cats, 1 dog, bikes, 1 suitcase, and our art supplies into our jeep (that already had 165 thousand miles on it!!) and drove across the USA in the middle of July with NO AIR CONDITIONING!! Yes, if you can survive that with someone..then you can survive anything!

Connita de los Angeles:  As well as a bit crazy, it was lots of fun to see how the landscape evolves across the county.

Sparky:  Yeah, I loved it!  We took some awesome photographs and went to some really cool little cities!

MEL:  How do you share your creativity/gifts with the world?

Connita de los Angeles:  I teach Art in a K-8 school in Phoenix.  I also try to share the magic of creativity with others through my blog Dirty Footprints Studio.

Sparky:  When I lived in Costa Rica I used to sell a lot of my Art, mostly mobiles and jewelry.  Since I moved to the States, its funny, I seem to give more of my Art away then sell it.  Connie promises she is going to help me get an Etsy shop started.  I’m working on some pieces to have for that.

MEL:  What was your first disagreement about?

Sparky:  Our first disagreement was about the cats and dog.  I hate to admit it, because now I love them more then ever.  They’re my kids!

Connita de los Angeles:  When we were first together Hansel did not like how my long haired cats and dog got hair on his clothes!

Sparky:  It was a bit of an adjustment at first.  In Costa Rica, pets are always kept outside.  I had to get used to the fact that Americans treat their animals like a part of the family.  But they won me over.  We are all one happy hairy family now!

MEL:  What do you do after a fight?

Connita de los Angeles: We don’t fight very often at all.  We’ll have disagreements sometimes, but they’re not really fights–they end up being kind of goofy after awhile.

Sparky:  But if we do have a fight we learned that it really helps afterwards that one of us takes a walk for awhile, so we can cool down.

Connita de los Angeles:  Then when we’re more clear, we always talk about things and apologize.

Sparky:  Then we have sex!

MEL:  Have you faced any adversity?  If so, and you care to share-what…

Connita de los Angeles:  I think moving across the country together to a place where neither one of us knew anybody and both of us were uncertain if we’d have a job and we had next to nothing in belongings and money was a very stressful time for both of us.

Sparky:  It was hard.

Connita de los Angeles:  Especially when we got here it was summer, which in Phoenix means the snowbirds go home and there is very little tourism–meaning businesses and hiring slow down.  So it was a tough time for Hansel to find a job.  And, also, our car died a week later when we got here, then a couple months later our beloved cat Vinnie died too. And we had an apartment but nothing in it.  We literally slept on the floor for awhile and ate dinner by the ambience of a cardboard box!!!  But when one of us would start to freak out a bit, the other would remind us that this was all temporary and part of the adventure that we actually set out to have.

Sparky: That’s the great thing about us.  We help each other.  We’re always strong for the other person, when they’re having a rough time.  We pick each other up.

MEL:  Describe your love journey in 3 words.

Sparky:  Growth, compassion, kindness.

Connita de los Angeles:  Growth, trust, understanding.  And we both agree that we would like to add a bonus fourth one that we agree on: Laughter.  We laugh alot!

MEL: What is your favorite beverage?

Connita de los Angeles:  SMOOTHIES!!!

Sparky:  A bottle of Blue Moon beer!

Kids could teach us a thing or two

The other day I got to watching some kids playing at this park. I thought about how much life changes as we get older and more ‘wise’. I do think we definitely learn lessons along our life path that are very necessary, and yet I can’t help but wonder if we lose some of our magic to do it. You know, the stuff that is inside each one of us & the gifts we share with the world.

For me, there are many times where belonging becomes more important than listening to my own heart or I am afraid of shining so I put the ‘gifts’ I have to offer the world away (wouldn’t want another person to feel threatened with my strengths). It boggles my mind why we move into that way of living.  Instead of being free and giving the world our beauty, we shrink.

I’m pretty sure that we weren’t like that as kids.  We stayed more open and less tied to public opinion. It wasn’t all about cute clothes, being cool, or who had the most toys (at least not until we were taught that is how you behave!). As a kid, it is about fun. About the moment. Taking risks. Laughing a lot.

You can learn many lessons from kids ( I know this because ALL my friends have kids, so I’ve picked up a few things along the way from observing them).

FOR A KID:::

Life is more simple. They don’t try to project what they will be doing in five years or try to ‘find themselves’ through multiple classes or workshops.  They grow as they need to. Picking up lessons along the way not trying to rush to the ‘next phase’.

‘Toys’ are meant to be enjoyed not accumulated. Ever watch a kid play and how they enjoy just the toy they have.  Then when they get bored will simply drop that one and find another.  For the most part, there isn’t this manic desire to collect more than they can play with at a time.

Getting mad/sad/grumpy doesn’t last forever. They get mad. Scream. Have a fit. Whatever. Next thing you know they are giving hugs and playing, all is right with the world.  No grudges or messy stuff to ‘cling’ to.

Money is not everything. In fact, they have no concept of it. They don’t need it to find the pleasure in life.  It strips away many things when you stop living as though money is the answer to what plagues you. It isn’t.

Joy is all around them. Each day brings new things. Eating a fig for the first time. Walking. Learning how to read. Playing with Mom & Dad. Finding a catepillar. Meeting a new friend.  Snow (this one comes from experience, you haven’t lived until you have seen a kid play in the snow for the first time).

Being YOU is living, not achieving. Simply put it isn’t all about what you offer the world.  It is about YOU. Your essence.  That has nothing to do with outside stuff.

“Falls” happen.  Watch a kid take a tumble (then what happens? After the initial crying/laughter…which ever they choose in the moment) They don’t beat themselves up or stop trying.  Ever seen a little kid learn to walk for the first time?They are fearless!  It doesn’t occur to them that there is an option to ‘give up’.

Their love is unconditional. ‘Nuff said.

The world is constantly pushing.

Now is the time to ‘push’ back.

Don’t let outside stuff make your path.

YOU do it. Listen to your heart.

Go bravely forward knowing that the beauty that is inside you needs to come out.

That life is this wonderfully complex journey.

**When you need inspiration, have playtime with a kid.  Trust me, it works.**

Glimpse: My Overnight Trip to White Sands

These are just a few images that I took while in Alamogordo & White Sands National Monument.  I had a blast!  So much fun, that at times I forgot to get out my camera to capture it.  Also, a few images did not come out, much to my dismay! Boo!

It was great to be able to have a night to play and refresh myself a bit.  Life has been pretty intense for me lately.  I am trying to be gentle with myself through it all.

Hope you enjoy the ‘peek’ into my world.

PS I LOVED making sand angels in the moonlight. *Blissed* out moment!

Whispering words

“We rarely hear the inward music, but we’re all dancing to it nevertheless.”    -Rumi

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