Wishcast Wed and 52 Photo Project

Chocolate Smiley Face

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Bacon!!!

Happy Wednesday to all. Today over at Jamie Ridler's Studios and Bella's 52 Photos Project we are sharing wishes and pictures.

This week the prompts were: Wish: What do you wish to nourish? and picture: chocolate.

So the picture was easy.. Chocolate makes me smile and if you eat the good stuff it can be healthy too.  The only rub is that I eat way too much of it so I am currently working on paring it down to a few ounces of good dark chocolate a week.

I wish to nourish my mind, body and spirit with healthy food, creative projects and deeper connection to spirit whatever that may be.

In regards to health and losing weight I am seriously thinking of joining Weight Watchers as in the past it has worked for me, maybe it's the fact that someone else is weighing you that makes you more accountable, not sure.  In regards to my emotional eating I'm in the midst of reading Geneeth Roth's "Woman, Food and " which a friend recommended to me.

To nourish my spirit I have been reading the works of Pema Chodron and I am really connecting to what she says about loving kindness and compassion.  I have also been reading many different poets as I have been taking a poetry/writing class.   Words have always had a profound effect on me, I believe they can heal the soul.

I am continuing with nourishing my creative side with writing and picture taking.  I have discoved a new app for the iphone, the leme camera app.  It allows you to take double exposure pictures and it I love challenging myself with it.  The below picture was a group of women at an art workshop and my Kuan Yin statue.  The results being that I am infusing those women with love and compassion.

I am also continuing with my writing.  Below is a recent poem I wrote with the prompt being "vanilla".

vanilla

some think
boring
mundane
bland
safe
not me
I think
earthy
sweet
exotic
spicy
I miss the smell
of it on my
skin
he didn’t ask
but I knew
he didn’t like it
what else do
we give up
for love

So my fellow wishers, what are you wishing to nourish today?  As you wish for yourself, I am also wishing for you.

Namaste,
Karen

What I've been up to........

Wow,  two posts in one week!  This is a record for me lately.

Just wanted to show you guys what I've been up to.  I am taking Maya Stein's Feral Writing Course and below is one of the pieces I wrote that I actually feel kinda sorta good about.  (jeez why is it so hard to admit we like anything we create)

A ode to my childhood "backyard"

squares of grass around
black pavement with white lines
mysterious clothes drying on frayed rope
rusty garbage bins big as mountains
garage roof tops to be scaled
freedom found climbing willow trees
skinned knees and bare feet
mother’s call from apartment window
neighbors yell to quite down
friends laughing hide and seek
breathe held as bottle spun
first kiss under cover of night
first beer, breaking curfew
whispered talks of heartbreak
others had shiny pools and manicured lawns
but we had worlds to explore
connected through
squares of grass around
black pavement with white lines

On the photography front I am still having a grand ol time with the iphone and it's myriad of photo applications.  The above picture was taken with an app called leme camera.  I choose the double exposure "film" and I'm loving this one.  The Kuan Yin statue is exposed with a picture taken a few years ago at an art retreat, so in a sense I am infusing my friends with love and compassion here.

Wishing you all a wonderful day for me it's beat the heat over here with temps climbing to 100 degrees today.  urghh...

Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photos Project

Happy Wednesday to all.  Today over at Jamie Ridler's Studios and Bella's 52 Photos Project we are sharing wishes and pictures.

This week the prompts were:  Wish:  What do you wish to try?  and picture:  the table at meal time.

I wish to try sinking deeper into writing and photography.  I just started a  poetry/writing class at Maya Stein's Feral Writing and I am finding it easier to fit in my low energy days because it only requires you write on a choice of prompts for 30 minutes a day.  Maya gives you feedback on your writing  and her take on my words have me loving them and it's helping me pare down my writing to the bare essentials. 

I bit off more than I could chew with some other wonderful writing courses especially Natasha's at Creative Nachos and Jennifer's Word Cellar.  The timing was such that I was going through some things in my life that took most of my energy.  I hope by the time the summer is over I can delve more deeply into exploring my writing through these other courses.

With photography the iphone has really kept me taking pictures and telling my story through them especially through the instagram app, where you share your pics, there is a wonderful community over there.  The above picture is not technically "at the table" but it is the fixings of what I was making that night; fresh tomato sauce with whole wheat pasta.  I love simple ingredients with little fuss.  I looked at the butcher block and thought what a great picture that would be, the reds and greens against the wood block. 

Again like with the writing once summer is done I would like to get my dslr camera out and try learning the more technical aspects of photography, the iphone is fun and is helping me develop my eye for composition so it has been perfect for where I am now.

So what are you wishing to try today?  As you wish for yourself, I am also wishing for you.

May you and yours be well.
Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photos Project

Good Morning my fellow wishers and dreamers.  Today is Wednesday and we're sharing our wishes and pictures over at Jamie Ridler's Studios and Bella's 52 Photos Project. 

The prompts this week were:  Wish:  What do you wish to ask for?  Photo:  summertime treat.

I did not participate last Wednesday in wishing because I am having a difficult time finding words lately.  This week I am going to jump back in because I believe in putting our wishes and intentions out there.

What I wish to ask for is patience and trust.   I was speaking to a friend last week about my impatience with myself and my journey, my aggrevation with the pace I am moving at and by the end of the conversation I said "Oh hell, maybe I am exactly where I need to be ."  The next day I am enjoying my daily Dove Chocolate treat and the message inside the wrapper read:  "You are exactly where you are supposed to be"  I KIDD YOU NOT, this truly happened. (of course you know I had to take a pictue of it, see below)
It's times like these that I start to believe there is a universal force trying to get us messages in whatever way it can, in my case it just happened to be through chocolate!!  

The picture I wanted to share as a summertime treat over at Bella's 52 Photos Project is the above sunflower picture, for me sunflowers represent all the joy and color of summer.

Bella also interviewed me over at her digs.  The interview was done in a format where Bella asked a question and I answered with a picture, this is an idea that really appealed to me since I tend to be more visual.  You can see it by clicking the link below.  All the pictures were taken with my iphone.

Karen's Interview over At 52 Photos Project.

So my friends what are you wishing to ask for today?  As you wish for yourself, I am also wishing for you.

Namaste,
Karen

Where you can find me today and Monday Inspiration

Blue skies in my neighborhood

Bella over at 52 Photos Projects asked me to do an instant interview where she asked me questions and I answered in pictures.  It was really fun and I am glad she asked me to do it.  I took all the pictures with my iphone.  Still being inspired by my iphone and the way it lets me take pictures in the moment. You can see the interview and pictures by clicking on the below link below

Interview with Karen over at 52 Photos Project.

Namaste,
Karen

Week Ending July 9th, Iphone Edition

Hi everyone!
I hope you're enjoying this summer day. 
Though I have not been able to find words  I leave you with my week in iphone pics.

May you and yours be well.
Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photo Project

Hello my fellow wishers and dreamers, today over at Jamie Ridler's Studios and Bella's 52 Photo Projects we are sharing our wishes and images. Today's prompts are: What do you wish to take a break from and a picture from "the blue hour" which is between dawn and sunrise or sunset and dusk.  So here we go.

What I wish to take a break from is the constant worry that my husband is going to end our marriage.  It has been weighing on my mind for the last FEW years as he struggles with his feelings and doubts.  I have been patient, understanding and hopeful but underneath it all is the CONSTANT fear that he is going to leave and that I am being a fool for waiting him out. 

To say this situation has effected all areas of my life would be an understatement.  I wish to get to a place where I'll be ok within myself no matter what happens, it sucks giving this kind of power over yourself to someone else.  For the rest of the summer I wish to to take a break from fear and worry and enjoy each day as it comes with my husband and with myself.  I know this won't be easy and I'll have to remind myself everyday but this day is all about the magic of wishes and this is mine.

My iphone camera and photo applications have been my constant creative companion these days where my physical (just found out I have arthritis in my knee) and mental energy have been low.  It is really helping me train my eye for composition.  I just wish there was a way to print these pics in high quality but I don't think there is yet.

This leads me to Bella's 52 Photo Projects prompt.  I actually love the "blue hours" though I am rarely awake for the earlier dawn to sunrise hours I am always glancing up at the sky in the latter sunset to dusk hours.  I took the above photos over a few days loving the brilliant pinks one day and the subtle glow left behind some clouds the next.  I like the time when the sun has just gone down even though I guess technically it is not quite "blue" yet.  I love the glow left at that moment.

What are you wishing to take a break from today?  As you wish for yourself, I am also wishing for you.

May this day find you and yours well.
Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photo Projects

Necklace and Kelly Rae Box sitting on my table

Hello my fellow wishers and dreamers, today over at Jamie Ridler's Studios and Bella's 52 Photo Projects we are sharing our wishes and images.

Today's prompts are:  What do you wish for your summer and what picture holds the words that describe you.

I almost did not post today since I have been going through tough times physically and emotionally and I always think people want to only read happy go lucky stuff but you know what F#@% it , this is my life right now and if I don't share the bad times along with the good times I am only showing you one side of me and my life. 

One summer wish is that I remember the words above, to BREATHE and have FAITH and COURAGE.  These are the words describing me right now in this moment. 

There is much going on for me these days on the physical and emotional planes... Physically I was just diagnosed with arthritis of my knee, aggravated it by injury and found out with MRI. So I feel like this is another (along with already existing asthma) chronic condition I need to get used to in my life. Emotionally the roller coaster ride I call marriage is coming out of the swooping stomach dropping free fall it was in recently and  heading back up the hill but these free falls take their toll on me.   When these things happen it seems like the ride back up the hill takes an eternity and I have to watch out not to lose my faith and endurance along the way. 

Another wish for this summer is that my husband and I enjoy each other, warts and all, and re-connect on all levels and I wish to also re-connect with my sense of self that gets lost during tough times, and to truly enjoy all the joys of the season with friends and family.

I recently wrote a letter to my body over at Kristin Noelle's which I would like to share here today because it is a wish of mine to read this letter to myself each day until it seeps into my soul.

Dear body of mine,

I wanted to first say I am so sorry for the way I have been mistreating you over the years. I go from being really aware of all your flaws to completely ignoring you all together. We have been on a bumpy ride the two of us, never quite comfortable together. I know part of this was no fault of ours but now it is time to get back on track and learn to live together in a healthy and loving way.

I want to say I love you to my upside down bowling pin legs, my over 40 belly, my bumpy toes and old man lined hands. I want to say forgive me to my smile for neglecting it for fear of judgment over a front tooth which is crooked due to a beloved niece knocking her head into mine.

I want to promise you that I will try to always fill you with nourishment and love and forgive me for those days when only grilled cheese and chocolate will do. I want to start moving with you more, getting into the flow of an active life. And though we may have some health concerns to deal with I will do my best to keep us as healthy as I can and respect and love you as I would a dear friend.

But most of all I want to say thank you for always being here for me even when I felt unsafe and unloved. May we have many healthy and happy years ahead of us.

Love,
Karen

So my fellow wishers what are you wishing for your summer?  As you wish wish for yourself, I wish for you also.

Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday

Hi my fellow wishers and dreamers, today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler's Studios we are sharing our wishes.  Today Jamie asks us what delights do you wish for?

Definition of DELIGHT - from Merriam Webster Dictionary

1: a high degree of gratification : joy; also : extreme satisfaction
2: something that gives great pleasure

I wish to delight in the joy that is found when you engage all your senses and the summer season is ripe with opportunities to do this.  Here is a small slideshow from the last few weeks with examples of all the senses including the sixth sense, the spirit.  I have been a bit quite lately, the words hard to find.    I am still taking pictues so for now they can speak for me.




What delights are you wishing for today?  As you wish for yourself, I am wishing for you also. 
Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photos Project

Today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler's Studios we are sharing our wishes and at Bella's 52 Photos Project we are sharing our pictures.  Jamie is asking us "what do we wish to begin?" and Bella is asking us to find a heart in our pictures. 

I have been finding it hard to express myself in words lately.  I am in a bit of a flux staying creative by taking iphone pictures, the most I can give my energy to right now.  Everyday we have the choice to begin and that is what I am doing, slowly but surely.  So today I am answering Jamie's wish with a short poem expressing what I would like to begin.  The heart flare picture above is what I love about taking sun flare pictures, you never know what magic will be created.  To take a flare picture you can point your camera directly into the sun and shoot away.  This picture goes well with my poem as I believe it all begins with love.

Begin
Begin the healing
Begin the feeling
Begin the seeing
Begin the being
Begin the caring
Begin the sharing
Begin the giving
Begin the living
Begin in love
Begin being part of
Begin and begin again

So where are you today in your wishes and heart?  What you wish for yourself, so I wish for you also.

May today find you and yours well.
Namaste,
Karen

My week in Pictures - Iphone edition

Happy Saturday... words are hard to find for me today so I will share some iphone pics from this week.
Have a wonderful weekend, may you and yours be well.

Namaste,

Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photo Project




After the storm

 
Good morning my fellow wishers and dreamers.  Today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridlers Studio's we are sharing wishes and at Bella's 52 Photo Project we are sharing our pictures. 

The prompts this week are "What is your Money Wish" and share a memory photograph.  I have been noticing since combining these 2 prompts that my wish and photograph are gelling well together.  This week is no different.  I first read Bella's prompt on Sunday and I immediately thought of the above picture taken at the beach last summer then I read Jamie's wish prompt today about money and you know how the story goes about a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. lol.  I have to say this wish prompt is difficult for me as I find it hard talking about money.

The money wish I have is pretty simple.  I would like to be able to find a way to make money doing something I love and that has purpose.  Currently I am working part time bringing in some money to contribute to my household and to support any classes I am taking.  In the 30 plus years that I have been working I have not really loved any job I had.  The people I worked with were always nice and there was nothing horrible about any of the jobs I just never felt satisfied.  I was lucky to have been able to find work and for that I am grateful but my deeper wish is that my job and purpose work together.   I have a strong desire to have my job mean something and to be able to support myself, do you know what I mean?  This is all about wishes so I am just putting this out there into the universe.

The photo prompt over at 52 Photos Project was to choose a memory picture.  This picture came to mind immediately as lately I have been trying to recall times I felt joy and hope in my life.  The last few years have been tough with deaths in the family and a marriage that is a bit rocky.   I find myself looking for all the life lines I can to get me through this time.
The feeling I had upon seeing this rainbow was of such pure joy and hope, it actually brought tears to my eye.  I have seen rainbows before but for some reason this one came at just the right moment.  I really felt that hope and joy right down to my bones, I ran all up and down the street taking pictures of it just so I could remember that feeling.  The sad thing is until this prompt I had forgotten that moment of joy which is giving me the idea to create a collage board of these pictorial moments, a visual reminder I can hang somewhere in my house and see it every day.  Sometimes you just need to remember there were and will be better days.

So what is your money wish today?  As you wish for yourself, so I wish for you also.

May you and yours be well,
Namaste,
Karen

Wiscast Wednesday and 52 Photo Project

Today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler’s and Bella’s 52 Photo Project we are sharing our dreams, wishes and photos. Jamie is asking us “What do you wish for your health?” and Bella is asking us to share photos of water.

I have had some health problems over the years including asthma/copd, gerd and now a knee problem. It can be overwhelming and some days I feel like I can't remember a time I just felt good.  So today comes along and while I am worrying about the MRI I have scheduled next week and allergies are messing with my breathing I come across the above picture to share at Bella's and I am reminded of a time when I DID feel good.

The scene above is of Squam Lake which I took while attending  Squam Artworkshops  last September.  I can remember breathing in the beauty of that lake and all the emotions I felt being around like minded souls.  I was undone in a good way and still trying to assimilate the changes that occurred for me there. I felt accepted in a way I have not always felt, accepted and supported. I came up against a lot of my anxieties about being away from home on my own with no familiar faces and having to really pay attention to myself and my needs in a new way but  also knowing that If I fell there would be arms to catch me. It was a new experience for me, one I still find hard describing.

Long story short if you have read my blog before you know I can get caught up in the fear/anxiety cycle pretty darn quick and this only makes ALL my health problems worse. I am in a strange formless place somewhere in transition. It is DAMN uncomfortable and I am clinging to the old ways tooth and nail, which includes emotional eating and the fear based place of not feeling loved or being enough for this one or that one. Generally not taking GOOD care of myself.

Something else I worry about is what will I be giving up in order to move forward. I know in order to truly embrace this change I will be giving up some things or even some people and  beliefs I held about myself and my story.  Then a day like this comes along and I am in creative space for a few moments writing this wish and looking at my pictures remembering that time and space where I caught  a glimpses of who I could be, healthy, whole and open hearted.  I want to be that person and I need days like this to remind me that it IS possible, that I can connect to community and sacred space through creating.

I am learning there may always be tough days but I can balance them with time spent in connection and creating which can only help my healing.  I thank both Jamie and Bella for creating these spaces for community and connection, I am truly grateful for these spaces.

I am feeling all over the place this week and I can see it today in my writing but I am just going to put it out here and let it be what it is.  So what are you wishing for your health today? As you wish for yourself, I am wishing for you also.

May this day find you and yours well.

Namaste,

Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photo Project



light and dark

 Hello my fellow wishers and dreamers!  Today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler's Studio's we are sharing our wishes and at Bella's we are sharing our pictures at 52 Photos Project.

The prompts are:  wish:  What dreams are you wishing for and picture:  A ray of light.

I am finding it very interesting combining these two prompts, I find they support each other bringing writing and pictures together, which I love.

This week I have been thinking about balance, acceptance and compassion.   Finding the balance between darkness and light is something I have been working on recently.  I know there are riches to be found in the darkness but I don't want to spend so much time there that I start to feel like I'll never see the light again, you know what I mean?

I am bringing compassion and acceptance to where I am right now in this moment and at the same time I am setting intentions to mine that darkness which will make my life richer and more fullfilling.  Just like spending too much time in the darkness can make you forget about the light the opposite is also true. I spent a lot of time ignoring those dark space and what happened was a cut my self off from a big part of myself and what makes me ME!

The picture I chose for 52 Photos Project represents this balance.  You see the rich dark purple glow infused with the soft golden light within. 

I would like to also share this song with you, I thought of it immediately when I read Jamie's wish prompt this morning.  There are many versions but I kind of like this one, it's quirky, like me!



So my friends what dreams are you wishing for this week?
May you and yours be well.

Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photo Project



Bella trying to find the perfect spot in the sun

 Hi my fellow wishers and dreamers.  Today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridlers Studios we are sharing our wishes and at Bella's place we are sharing our pictures over at 52 Photo Project.

Today's prompts are:  What do you wish to take a stand for and "found it on the ground".

Well what I wish to take a stand for is pretty easy, myself!  I worry so much about what I say and do and how it will affect others in my life that I lose sense of what I want and what's important to me.

I am going to give you a pretty painful example.  There is this woman who is very close friends with my husband.  She also happens to be my husband's best friends wife.  This woman and my husband were room mates (strictly platonic) when I first met my husband so I know there was a bond formed then.  When I became engaged she actually had the balls to say to me that it was a good thing she liked me or my husband would not be marrying me.  I should have known then she was setting the tone for what she felt was her place in my husband's life. 

Over the years (17 now) we moved to the same town as them, became god parents to one of their children and so on.  I think one of my main concerns is she relies on my husband for too many things, especially when her husband isn't around or not emotionally capable.  This has been a big problem for me and don't get me wrong my husband made himself available, he was not blameless.  It got to the point over the last few years that my husband and she would talk on the phone almost every day and the texting was out of control.  I ALWAYS felt like I was in competion with her for my husband's attention.  When my husband starting going through his doubts about our relationship he confided in her and commiserated with her regarding her problems also, which I feel can be a dangerous boundary line to cross between married people.   I always felt I could not make waves because I was actually fearful my husband would choose them (his best friend and wife) over me and really how sad is that.  Basically I kept myself in this situation because of fear.

Over last summer there was a big blowup when I overheard my husband telling this woman that he felt like they should back off because his feelings for her were starting to feel more than friendly, well of course when you confide and commiserate with someone this is something that could happen.  She then said she wished that she felt the same way because then her life would be easier.  I was like WTF; my husband did not mean he would run off with her, he just felt like his feelings were getting mixed up.  Needless to say I freaked out and really told my husband I could not deal with this anymore.  I was giving this woman way too much power over me, yes I was, she was just being who she is.  Anyway she would take on no ownership of this issue, just acted like it was all on my husband.  I tried to tell her how I felt about the lack of  boundaries she had with my husband but she wouldn't hear any of it.  And then to top it off I found out she was saying nasty things about me to other people, when all  I had ever been was nice to her.  I shouldn't be surprised really she is one of those people that always talks about others.

So now I am in a place of distancing myself from her, really who needs friends like that.  My husband is still very close to his friend and still talks to her somewhat but I told him I feel like It is time for me to stand up for myself and not be around someone who really doesn't respect my feelings.  I am not worried anymore that my husband will leave, we have decided to work on our marriage and he has already talked about what happened and what led him to that and he was honest with me about his mixed up feelings.  So the bottom line is if he does leave me over my distancing myself from this woman then I figure I am better off without him! 

I would ultimatlely love to help others stand up for themselves, to not let fear keep them in bad situations and  in order to do that I have to walk that walk myself, which led me to this answer for today's wish. 

The photo prompt was found on the ground which was really interesting to me since lately I have been looking up at trees and the sky for my pictures. The first thing I noticed when I looked down was my puppy and her shadow as she basked in the late afternoon sun spot, now it is not techically ground as in outside, but it was the ground under my feet while I looked down in that moment ;-)

I want to truly thank you for listening to this part of my story today, it felt good to share it here with you in this wishing and creative space.  In a way the picture I chose for the photo project goes with the wish as this puppy has really been a balm to my soul these last few years, always there with her unconditional love.

As you wish for yourself, I am also wishing for you.

May this day find you and yours well.

Namaste,
Karen

Tuesdays Tunes and Pictures

Hi!
Today's tune is "Songbird" by Fleetwood Mac. The Pictures are of the wild cloud formations we have had around here the past week.



Here are the lyrics:

For you, there'll be no more crying,
For you, the sun will be shining,
And I feel that when I'm with you,
It's alright, I know it's right

To you, I'll give the world
to you, I'll never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,
It's alright, I know it's right.

And the songbirds are singing,
Like they know the score,
And I love you, I love you, I love you,
Like never before.

And I wish you all the love in the world,
But most of all, I wish it from myself.

And the songbirds keep singing,
Like they know the score,
And I love you, I love you, I love you,
Like never before, like never before.



May this day find you and yours well.

Namaste,

Karen

Winner of Jen Lee's "Finding Your Voice" Giveaway

http://www.jenlee.net/multimedia-resources/

Thank you all so much for stopping by and reading my interview with Jen, you all had such wonderful things to say.  I decided to pick two winners instead of one because I just felt that strongly about sharing this opportunity and I belive in paying it forward, I received an unexpected bonus at work and I wanted to pass that on.  So without further ado the winners are:

Amelia
MezzoDiva

The winners were pulled using Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:
25
17
Timestamp: 2011-05-06 16:04:59 UTC

Congratulations you guys are going to love it.  I will contact you to get your address information

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.  I leave you with this optical illusion shot of our puppy Bella, it truly looks like she is floating!  So Fun.

Namaste
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday and 52 Photo Project

OPEN

Good morning my fellow wishers.  Today it's Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler's Studios it's a day to share our dreams.  The wish prompt today is:  what do you wish to know?  I am also participating in Bella's 52 Photo Project where this week the prompt was:  Color.

So here is the thing about today's wish, it's tricky for me since I have been spending the last year or so cultivating a sense of "not knowing".  This may sound odd but the NEED to know has been a big stumbling block in my moving forward.  So this will be an odd wish for me to answer but try I will.

I spent many years wrapped up in the vortex of having to know, finding safety in the finding and knowing of things. I am now working towards being ok with the NOT knowing, you can really get lost in that NEED to know.  I am learning to distinguish between what I truly need to know with what is ok not knowing. ( It is hard for me to explain this in writing.)

Obviously I need to know things, like what time I have to be somewhere, how to get there, what I have to bring with me to be prepared, how many tsps of this or that go into this or that. On the other hand having to know the cause of everything can be a way to get trapped in that cycle of why, why, why, some things just ARE.  I know I am an extemely sensitive person with some trauma held in my body, I don't need to know the actual cause to move through it,  that need to know can actually turn into another distraction which in turn keeps me stuck.  So basically what I wish to KNOW is that I will be ok with the NOT knowing.

I met Bellla online during some e-courses.  I love her blog and the way she sees the world through her photos.  You can find out more about her at  She Told Stories or here at 52 Photo Project.  My response to this week's prompt is the pic above of the open flag waving in the blue sun filled skies.   It  makes me happy seeing it and it takes me back to the moment I took the picture.  I can almost feel the sun on my face and to me that is what a picture can do, take you back to that moment.

Lastly I did an interview with the lovely Jen Lee which includes a giveaway of her new multimedia package, "Finding Your Voice"  Just click here to read and enter.  Interview with Jen Lee.

I have to say this week was hard for me and I am still not sure I explained it in the right way. I try not to edit these wish posts too much, just going with what comes out when I spend time with the wish.

As always what you wish for yourself, I am also wishing for you.  May this day find you and yours well.

Namaste,

Karen

Tues Tunes: Jason Mraz "Geek in the Pink - Live"

May around here, buds turning to new leaves

Music always soothes my soul and Jason Mraz has something special.  I love watching his live performances and the way he interacts with the audience.

Also a reminder to check out my post here to win a free copy of Jen Lee's "Finding Your Voice"
http://deldino.blogspot.com/2011/05/giveaway-and-interview-with-jen-lee-for.html

May this day find you and yours well,
Namaste
Karen

Enjoy "Geek in the Pink - Live"

Giveaway and Interview with Jen Lee for Monday Inspiration




Jen on stage courtesy of Jen Lee

It is my pleasure to share with you the interview I did with Jen Lee regarding her new multimedia package  "Finding Your Voice" which is available now at Jen Lee Multimedia Resources.  You can see Jen telling you in her own words about the making of "Finding Your Voice" in the video at the beginning of the interview.

I first met Jen online and quickly became a reader of her blog where she shares so openly and honestly, truly living her own motto:  Just Be True!   I have also seen her perform live at Moth Storytelling events and have taken her classes at Squam Art Worshops where she will be teaching again this September.

Below is what I  wrote after returning from Squam last September and it is the best way I have of describing Jen to you.

Jen Lee Squam September 2010

The thing I have to say about Jen is she has this way of seeing right through all your layers and getting to the core of you, I really felt like she was talking to my heart, I have no other way of describing it. In these classes we learned to tell our stories and bear witness to others stories.  I could not write my story, it was too hard and Jen really spent some time with me and helped guide me back. In the afternoon class we learned how to care for our creative souls, how you can feed your soul and keep yourself strong and nourished so we don't get depleted. At the end of the class Jen gave out blessings that we randomly picked and she then proceeded to connect with you by looking straight into your eyes and reading your blessing to you. I can honestly say Jen broke me open in the best way possible.

The questions I had in mind were questions that came up for me and others when we spoke of finding and sharing our own stories, so without further ado here is the interview:

I love that you added an audio component to your multi media package, what led you to this decision?

My favorite way to take in new content right now is to listen to audio programs. I love hearing people speak their own words in their own voices. I wanted to add an audio component to this course because it adds another layer of presence to have a voice to go with the words, and I wanted to infuse this project with as much of my presence as possible. I would prefer to be face-to-face with everyone, but that isn't always possible. I was trying to create something that would be the next best thing, which is also why I decided to hand-write blessings inside each one.

Can you tell us a little about the first time you shared a story on stage or just one on one, what it felt like then and how it feels now?

I was telling stories rather unconsciously to my friends for a long time. I would just tell them what was happening or what I was thinking like it was nothing, really, and sometimes the words would be like little bombs that would just quietly go off in the listener. It took me a long time to figure out, "What's that about?"

Now I'm trying to bring more awareness to the stories I'm holding, so I can deliver them a bit more intentionally and gently. But there's still this part of me that doesn't really understand what I'm holding, especially with a new story. I have to give it away, to tell it, and then have someone tell me what it is before I even know myself.

What is your favorite self care practice during the process of story mining and telling, the one that help keeps your balanced?

My favorite self-care practice is to balance the being seen with letting myself be hidden, too. I've gotten myself in trouble when I've operated out at the edge of my capacity for vulnerability too hard and too long. That kind of overdoing it takes a lot to bounce back from. I go to these shows, and I can tell the stories on stage, but sometimes I can be really socially awkward with the hosts and the audience members before and after. I used to be hard on myself about that, but now I know it's just the next developmental piece for me. Part of the reason I've been able to do it is that I can slip back into the crowd when I'm done. I live this very anonymous existence here in Brooklyn, and the invisibility helps balance the visibility of some aspects of my work.

When I take a big leap, I give myself a lot of loving care on the other side to recover. Mining and telling our stories is more than an intellectual exercise--it can really be a form of soul work--so appreciating the ways we're stretching and being careful not to push ourselves out past the edge of our capacities makes a big difference. It's too easy to make ourselves wrong for needing the things we do, but I get a lot farther when I embrace and honor those needs instead.

What wisdom can you share with those who are interested in learning how to find and share their stories but are concerned with judgment especially in the sharing of their stories?

I'm a big proponent of telling our stories to safe people, in welcoming and secure environments. It starts with one safe person, who will let us belong to her no matter what we say. Our intuition is our best guide regarding what to share and with whom. We don't have to take on our critics or precarious relationships right away--we can work our way up to that, if we must do it at all. The other thing we can do is become safe people for those around us. The greater the safety nets we build, the more courageous we can be.

I would like to thank Jen for taking the time to answer my questions. I really believe this is important work, the sharing and telling of our stories, so  I would like to GIVE AWAY a copy of Jen's "Finding Your Voice".  Just leave a comment to this post to be entered, easy peasy, no rules or requirements.  I will announce the winner this Friday May 6th.

Jen Lee Bio:

Photo by Mati Rose McDonough, www.matirose.com

Jen Lee is a Brooklyn-based writer, photographer and a regular performer in NYC's storytelling scene, including The Moth Radio Hour and The Moth Mainstage. Jen is also the author of Solstice: Stories of Light in the Dark, Fortunes, and Take Me With You: A Journal for the Journey.

Jen leads workshops and retreats focusing on creative expression. She believes everyone has a story worth telling, and she would be delighted to hear yours. Send your stories, requests, comments and questions to Jen using the Contact link found here Jen Lee contact form. She invites you to follow her on Twitter, and to download The Story Catcher, which you will find over at Jen's Blog:  Jen Lee.net

May this day find you and your loved ones well. 

Namaste,

Karen