Wishcast Wednesday: What do you with to focus on?

Beauty against a dark sky

Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift. – from Thirst: Poems by Mary Oliver

Hi my fellow wish casters, today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler’s Studios it’s a day to share our dreams and wishes.
Today’s wish prompt is: What do you wish to focus on? And wouldn’t you know it I was just thinking this same thing yesterday, it always seems like Jamie is reading my mind, lol!

It might sound weird but I want to focus on the gift of darkness that has been a part of my life for awhile now. I spend so much time distracting myself from it and pretending that I did not get that gift, like a bad pick of a grab bag I just wanted to return it. But you know what I am seeing now, this gift, I can learn from it and I have a feeling if I accept it for what it is I will indeed be happy to have received it for it will only make me stronger. Does this make any sense to you guys? Not sure it makes sense to me either, just the way I have been feeling lately.

I would also like to focus on my creativity, during the busy tax season at work I had little time to create and I am finding it slow getting back into it, but I am also strangely accepting this pace. I feel myself leaning into the flow of my life lately, my impatience is waning a bit, and I like it. I have been really finding my creative time being spent photographing trees and skylines and for now that is just perfect for me.

Lastly I would like to just focus on moving forward out of the quicksand that has been my emotions these last few months, I am seeing the rope there just out of reach but I am getting closer every day. I just need to remind myself to go with the flow and not against it that is the key to moving forward for me lately.

What are you wishing to focus on today? As always what you are wishing for yourself, so I am wishing for you also.

Namaste,
Karen

Poetry and Music speak for me today



Spring in my  backyard



Love lit a fire in my chest,

and anything that wasn't love left: intellectual subtlety,

philosophy books, school.

All I want now to do or hear is poetry.

-Rumi

Some days when I can't find my own words I turn to the words of others.  Today both this Rumi poem and this Bruno Mars song speak for me.

Namaste dear ones,
Karen

Want to see: "I AM" by Tom Shadyac

I can't wait for this documentary to come to my area, it sounds amazing.  The main concepts explored are:
1. it is scientifically proven that the human race IS connected. 2. It is human nature to be Cooperative NOT competitive. 3. You should always follow your heart to find where your passions lie...LoVE IT.

And I really like what he says at the end of the trailer below: "We started out asking questions about what was wrong with the world and ended up finding out what was right with it"





Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday: What do you wish to tend?

Spring in all it's glory

Hello my fellow wishers and dreamers! Today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler’s Studios we are sharing our dreams and wishes.

Today’s wish prompt is: What do you wish to tend?

The very first thought that popped into my head while reading this was that I wish to tend to the happiness of my soul, the part of me beneath all the bullshit, the heart of me, my spirit.

I truly believe that all the time I have spent tending to my anxiety, fears and doubts has caused some damage to my spirit. I also believe this damage can be mended by tending to the happiness of my soul.

So instead of worrying that this extra weight makes me unattractive to my husband I am going to cultivate my sensuality and sense of confidence just as I am.
and
Instead of giving certain people power over me and my emotional well being, I am going to spend more time with those who appreciate me for who I am and don’t want me to change that.
and
Instead of spending time in fear of what the future holds I am going to spend time in creative space tending to the part of me that is in awe of the poetry a tree branch can make against a skyline, that feels the emotions in the music, that loves the written word.

Yes.......this is what I wish to tend to.............the happiness of my soul.

So what are you wishing to tend to this spring day? As you wish for yourself, I am always wishing for you as well.

Namaste,

Karen

Tuesday's Tunes: Say Hey!

Dreaming of Blue Skies of last week

I am NOT going to let another gray rainy day get me down!  This song makes me smile and tap my toes.  It reminds me of summer days.  Enjoy.

On another note TAX SEASON IS OVER!!!!  I survived another season and now back to normal hours and getting to spend time in creative space.  Enjoy your day!



Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday: What do you wish to read?

My book gnome guarding my bookshelves!

Hello my fellow wishers and dreamers. Today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler’s Studio it’s a day to share our wishes with each other.

Today the wish prompt is: What do you wish to read? Ha Ha Jamie, the better question for me would be “What don’t you wish to read!” Reading to me is THE great escape. I have been in love with reading since I was a child, I would read everywhere including the dinner table. Even now I go through times when I am reading a few books a week and I almost always have a book on me.

Below is the list of books currently on my reading list. My plan is to read each one before the end of the summer and review them on my blog.

Inner Excavation by Liz Lamoreux
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Creative is a Verb by Patti Digh
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
Art and Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland
Expressive Photography by Shutter Sisters
The Power if Focusing: A Practical Guide to Emotional Self-Healing by Ann Cornell
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
Art is A Spiritual Path by Pat Allen
The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron (someone just told me I should put this on top of list)
Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
The Beauty of Different by Karen Wolrond
Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr

On the very tippy top of my list is “Finding Your Voice” by Jen Lee. This is a multi media package that you can purchase directly from Jen Lee at this link: Jen Lee – Finding Your Voice and you can hear about the process of making “Finding Your Voice” directly from Jen herself in the below video. I have had the pleasure of learning the art of finding and telling your story directly from Jen, through her classes and seeing her live performances. She is so gifted and present in her storytelling and compassionate and wise in helping others find their stories!


Content and Containers: The Making of Finding Your Voice from Jen Lee on Vimeo.

On another note I am happy to report the end of tax season is upon me and I am looking forward to getting back to my normal working hours and spending more time in creative space.

So my friends what’s on your reading list this year? As you wish for yourself, so I am wishing for you.

Namaste,

Karen

Wishcast Wednesday: What do you wish to transform?



These 2 pics were both taken yesterday, this is what Spring looks like around here.

Good Morning my fellow wishers and dreamers, today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler's we are sharing our dreams and wishes.  Today's prompt is:  What do you wish to transform?

I wish to transform my attitude, my perspective.  Growing up I was such a positive girl filled with hopes and dreams.  I remember yelling at my Mom and Aunts for their pessimistic attitudes.  My Aunt used to tell me, "Stop dreaming, Karen, there is no white knight on a horse coming for your".  As an adult I can see now that she was talking to and about herself.  I never said I wanted a white knight on a horse to rescue me.

The thing is I am noticing as an adult I see myself being pessimistic at times (learned behavior kicking in!)  and I want to transform those thoughts, stop them dead in their tracks.   If you sink into the pessimistic thought it just starts a downward spiral.  I am becoming better at noticing them and right now I am cultivating awareness and this is the first step.   I am not saying that every negative emotion needs to be turned into a positive one; it is more about the self defeating ones, the ones that I turn on myself.

This past Monday is a perfect example.  I was just starting to recover from a back/knee injury and was feeling much better and noticing that.  So what's so bad about that you say?  Well I came into work Monday feeling much better than I had in weeks and I FALL right on my bad knee.  I was like WTF!  My thoughts starting spiraling into that pattern of why did this happen and I don't deserve to feel better and so on.

I am happy to report that after a few moments I became aware of those thoughts and changed them, this is so big for me.  I got out the ice pack, took an advil and thought of that Buddhist saying:  "Fall down 7 times and get up 8" and that actually helped.  This fall was not about what is wrong with me or that I don't deserve to feel better, it is about being sleep deprived and busy at work and not paying attention to where I was walking.  ( I tripped over a box)

On a lighter note I want to transform my wardrobe.  When I was a bit younger and lighter I used to wear more skirts and tights and boots and funky scarves.  As I gained weight I started dressing to hide my weight in bigger clothes and mostly jeans and pants.  I want to embrace the inner Boho girl again and I don't want to wait until I lose weight to do it!

Ok back to embracing the chaos that is Tax Season over in the office and counting down to April 19th when I can take a breath again.

So my friends what are you wishing to transform today?  As always as you wish for yourself, I wish for you also.

Namaste,
Karen