Category Archives: Joy

Something Good.

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It’s Monday, so it’s time for me to tell you something good.

Just a cute baby owl. That is all.

Friday Birthdays.  When your birthday is on a Friday, like mine was this year, there’s a universal rule that you get to celebrate the whole weekend. On Friday, a good friend took me to lunch, gave me a sweet gift (two actually, one was wrapped and the other was her telling me the nicest thing I’d ever done for her and how much it meant), lots of birthday wishes on Facebook (one of the top five reasons to have an account), one sweet email wishing me love and thanking me for a gift I had given that was “life-changing,” a present and phone call from my mom, and more presents from my aunt and boy (Eric made me a book with a secret compartment, so cool!).

Then on Saturday, another good friend took me to lunch and gave me a handmade gift (she’s an amazing artist, so even her cards are something special), and a phone call from my brother and another good friend.  Sunday morning, we found that the mail had been delivered late in the evening, so there was a package from my brother and nieces, and another card from a good friend who always says the nicest things, Sunday morning yoga, and lunch at Mount Everest Cafe, where our favorite waiter didn’t even ask us what we wanted to start, he simply brought us out a chai and a glass of Fat Tire as soon as we sat down.  It was an awesome birthday weekend.

Picture by Philip Bragg

Shantideva Quote: “If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?”

The Open Heart Project. I have a confession to make.  I have been struggling with my meditation practice lately.  Then I read about Susan Piver’s Open Heart Project on Jennifer Louden’s blog.  Susan Piver is a student of the Shambhala tradition, which is also where my meditation practice started, so to begin, she comes from a place I understand. She’s shared a series of videos, meditation instruction and guided meditations anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes.  Using these videos to focus my own practice has been so helpful.

Wishcasting Wednesday. This is something started by creative living coach and blogger, Jamie Ridler. She explains it this way: “What would happen if every week you made a wish? What magic might start to stir? Wishcasting Wednesday is a safe haven for wishes, a fertile field in which to plant wish seeds and have them witnessed and tended lovingly. It’s a place where magic begins.”  I am going to add this feature to my Wednesday blog posts.

A New Post from Hyperbole and a Half. This is actually more than a month old now, but I somehow had missed it.  I had thought/worried about Allie on and off over the past few months.  She’d posted she was working on a book, but then disappeared, and knowing what I know about freaking out and freezing up even/especially in the face of something big and good, I wondered if she might be in trouble. Her latest post is called “Adventures in Depression,” and as always, it is heartbreaking, true, and funny.  Sometimes I wonder if she realizes how brave and wonderful she really is.

Rachel W. Cole, and her list of suggested reading. I am so excited about her coming out to Fort Collins to do a Well-Fed Woman Mini-Retreatshop, (Sunday, February 19th, 12:30-3:30 at Om Ananda Yoga Studio–more details to come soon). On her website, Rachel shares her list of “11 Books that Changed My Life,” and you can also link to her much longer, full list of recommendations.  I am starting with “Women, Food, and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything” by Geneen Roth.

And finally, links to a few very special, sweet videos.

*”Being Elmo” Movie Trailer

*”Lily Shreds Trailside.” I can’t decide if I like this so much because there’s a dog and she’s so cute, or because it’s just such a cool video.

*Marcel the Shell with Shoes On


  • Okay, now it’s your turn: Tell me something good.

Something Good

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It’s Monday again, and I don’t know about you, but I am ready to hear something good.  Here’s this week’s list.

After being sick all weekend, I appreciate being able to eat, do laundry, stand long enough to take a shower, do yoga (a headstand even!), walk the dogs, write, read.  I was even grateful to go to work today.

My Christmas Cactus, given to me by my dear friend Sandy, is blooming.

My favorite recent quote: “It doesn’t matter how long we may have been stuck in a sense of our limitations. If we go into a darkened room and turn on the light, it doesn’t matter if the room has been dark for a day, a week, or ten thousand years — we turn on the light and it is illuminated. Once we control our capacity for love and happiness, the light has been turned on.” ~Sharon Salzberg, (via a Kind Over Matter post).  This is such good news!  It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been stuck, how long I have been stuck, once we/I open up to the love and happiness and joy and gratitude and wisdom of this moment, once we open our hearts and take that first small step and turn on the light, it is/we are illuminated.

My friend and dog trainer extraordinaire Sarah Stremming shared a memory of my Obi on her blog, how he used to hug her every time he saw her. I loved being reminded of that.  I am also inspired by Sarah’s recent decision to quit her full time job to pursue her dog training business, her passion, The Cognitive Canine.

heART Exchange Art Swap, hosted by the new web project “your heART makes a difference,” started by Louise Gale.  The mission of the project is to “raise the consciousness of the world, one by one through practicing self-care, love, kindness, forgiveness & gratitude through creative expression.”  The heART Exchange matches two people (my match is living in Belgium), and “is a global art swap to create, share & receive LOVE in the form of a gorgeous piece of artwork. Each person who joins the swap is given a partner to send their creation to and the only rule, is that you create with your heart energy and include a positive note for the recipient inside.”  Here’s a sneak peak of my project, inspired by Tibetan prayer flags, which I’ll blog about when I finish.

“It’s You,” a new post at Tiny Buddha. “The one you’ve been waiting for to give you permission—it’s you. You’re the only one who can decide whether you’ll try or hold yourself back.” Go read the rest.  It’s good, and it’s true: it’s you.

I finally confirmed a date with Rachel W. Cole to come to Fort Collins, Colorado and give a “Well-Fed Woman mini-retreatshop.” Sunday, February 19th, 12:30-3:30 pm at Om Ananda Yoga Studio.  Rachel lives in California, and is a soulful, warm, and creative life coach who’s on a mission to guide women towards feeds their deeper hungers so they can live their most well-fed lives. Who this mini-retreatshop is for, (besides me)? “Women who sense they have more greatness to birth but know before they can soar they need to sit in stillness. Women who crave sinking deeper. Women who know the power of women sitting with other women. Women who desire to trust their own hungers more. Women who want to explore their relationship to themselves. And of course, women who experience a little endorphin rush when they hear there will be meaningfully-applied glitter.” Seriously, this is going to be amazing! She hasn’t opened registration yet, (space for 20 women), but I will let you know as soon as she does and post more details later.

That’s so much good, I feel a bit dizzy.  Remember when Monday’s used to be boring? Okay, just one more thing, and then it’s your turn to tell me something good.

How cute is that?!