May | 2013 | Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray)

This is a video my friend Julia Fehrenbacher made with her friend Alia Indrawan. Julia explains it this way,

Our deepest heart desire is to nudge other beautiful ones toward their greatness, this creation was born from that desire. It comes straight from our hearts with hope that it will inspire you to lose your little mind and lean in and listen, with every part of you, to your big, brave, boundless Self.

There’s a beautiful song accompanying the words and images in this video, so you might want to watch the first time without sound, focus on the message. If you are like me, you will want to watch it more than once anyway, so this is no problem.

For me, this video came around the same time as this quote:

It’s a clear message from the Universe, to lose my little mind, to lean in and listen to my “big, brave, boundless Self,” to pay attention to the bigger “yes,” and to “have the courage — pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically — to say ‘no’ to other things.”

What is the bigger “yes” burning inside for you, kind and gentle reader? What do you need to say “no” to? It’s worth considering, don’t you think?

1. The breeze coming in through the window over the kitchen sink while I was baking cookies, and how my whole house smelled like vanilla and chocolate.

2. Plant a Kiss Missions. I am convinced that I got more out of the giving than any of the recipients got from the getting. I am seriously trying to figure out how I can become a professional love bomber.

3. Hanging out with a friend and her new baby. Walking around old town, running errands, watching him smile at her, sitting for coffee, making plans for world domination and personal freedom.

4. Sleeping in. Specifically waking up slowly, having that last hour or so where you are sort of awake, but keep saying “just a few more minutes, not yet” and maybe even fall back asleep. And as an added bonus, Eric walked the dogs for me, in the snow and on my day, so I could sleep in.

5. Peaches in smoothies. They make it creamy, tart, and bright–satisfying.

Bonus Joy: Another week with Dexter, but even better–today is his birthday! He came to us at ten weeks old, and now he’s ten years old. My first double digit dog. The only things that have changed since those first days with him are that we are both older, his face is much grayer, and I love him so much more.