Tag Archives: Mati Rose

Plant a Kiss Blog Hop Party 2013

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In the spirit of Amy Krouse Rosenthal‘s work, 18 bloggers set out to “Plant a Kiss” in the world on April 29. We each did something we thought would spread a little extra joy, color, connection, poetry, or magic in the world. Then we watched to see what would happen!

Plant a Kiss Day was created to celebrate the message and spirit behind Amy’s work and the whimsical book she created, Plant a Kiss, which is beautifully illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.

I first encountered Amy’s work when I read Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, a truly original and amazing book, one of a kind. It’s the kind of book that makes every writer think, “I wish I’d thought of that!” (or maybe that was just me?). Everything Amy’s done since has inspired me, made me feel a deep confidence in basic goodness. I love having the opportunity to celebrate her work, and to do my own bit towards cultivating love.

Today the 18 of us who took part in Plant a Kiss day are posting about our experiences. My thoughts are below. Click here (http://www.simplycelebrate.net/plant-a-kiss-day-2013) where you can find links to all of the participating bloggers and hop around to see how each woman was uniquely inspired to celebrate Plant a Kiss Day.

Plant a Kiss #1: Send flowers to sweet Rachel. She is recovering from having her tonsils out and I wanted to cheer her up. I got a recommendation for a local flower shop from her neighbor, Mati Rose, who was spot on sending me the information for Arjan Flowers and Herbs. Designer Mina Bolouri put together a ridunculous bouquet of ranunculus, Rachel’s favorite, a riot of color and soft shapes.

Plant a Kiss #2: Deliver snacks to Fort Collins Veterinary Emergency and Rehabilitation Hospital. They have been taking such good care of Dexter, both with his ongoing physical therapy and his emergency visits, and I wanted to express my gratitude. I made chocolate chip cookies, and took hummus, crackers and veggies.

Plant a Kiss #3: Drop off donation for Animal House Rescue. This is our local (as in a few blocks away from our house) no-kill rescue, and also where we got our Sam. I took them paper towels, trash bags, bleach, folders, and dog treats.

Plant a Kiss #4: Love bomb the third floor of Eddy Hall, (the building where I work at Colorado State University).

Love bombing, in the most general terms, is when you anonymously leave notes or small gifts for people to find. It can be in a public space, such as a grocery story (like leaving notes that say “You are beautiful exactly as you are” in the diet food aisle), library (putting messages of hope from the Universe inside books about depression or addiction), or where you work (leaving notes that say things like “The way you smile and say hello always cheers me up” in someone’s mailbox), or it can be a private or more personal space, such as leaving cookies on your neighbor’s door step, ringing the doorbell and running away before they catch you, or putting a note on someone’s car windshield.

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For my Plant a Kiss love bomb, I put up tearable flyers in the employee mail room, both bathrooms, and one over the water fountain in the main hallway. This is the second time I’ve love bombed Eddy Hall, and only a few people know it was me. One person who still hasn’t figured it out posted on Facebook, “Somebody put up the motivational tear-away flyers in the women’s restroom with positive thoughts again! I love this, whoever you are! And there’s also a sign indicating employees should moonwalk out of the bathroom. English people (students? faculty? staff?) CRACK ME UP!”

*tee-hee*

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If you’d like to try a love bomb, (I highly recommend it, makes you feel good and cheers up the people who find them), some of my sources for flyers are:

Special thanks goes to Sherry Richert Belul for hosting this project (I adore you and your shenanigans, Sherry!), for the 17 other bloggers who helped me spread the love, and to Amy Krouse Rosenthal for being our reason.

And Happy Plant a Kiss Day to you, kind and gentle reader. As always, you have my love and deep gratitude. It makes me so happy that you keep showing up here. May you find a bit of love planted in your life today, or be able to plant a kiss for someone else who might need it. Don’t forget to check out the other blog posts, maybe get an idea and join us in cultivating even more love.

Something Good

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dexterishome

I interrupt this regularly scheduled post for a Dexter update: He’s home! We got to bring him home last night. He’s feeling better, eating small bland meals while his tummy heals, taking medication to help the process, and his nose has stopped bleeding. He slept peacefully last night, went on a short walk this morning, and is taking a break right now in his bed after playing with me and his Little D. I’m so glad to have him home and that he’s feeling better, even as I remain aware that he still has terminal cancer.

Now I return you to your regularly schedule programming…

1. 25 Animals Who Can’t Stop Smiling on BuzzFeed.

2. This from Pema Chödrön, “Choosing to cultivate love rather than anger might just be what it takes to save the planet from extinction.”

3. The Cultivation of Compassion on Elephant Journal.

4. Simply Perfect Food on Be More with Less.

5. 40 Inspiring Workspaces Of The Famously Creative on BuzzFeed. Looking at these revealed that I am drawn to messy, booklined spaces.

6. Recipes I want to try: Avocado Pesto Pasta, Cinnamon Sweet Potato & Kale Delight, how to make chicken stock (and my mum’s chicken soup), Avocado Tempah BLT, and Melissa Clark’s Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes.

7. 10 Snack Foods That Have Gone Too Far on HelloGiggles.

8. This, from Henry Miller, “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself,” i.e. why I don’t need to travel to have a full life.

9. Dog Loves Cat: A Love Story in Letters, a photo essay.

10. This from Tara Brach, “We are born with a beautiful open spirit, alive with innocence and resilience. But we bring this goodness into a difficult world.”

11. 10 Mindful Folks on Instagram to Follow—& Uplift & Awaken your Every Day on Elephant Journal.

12. 10 Signs Your Friend is Toxic from Marc and Angel Hack Life.

13. This from Frederick Buechner, “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” This reminds me of my mantra (so much so, it’s kind of freaky, since I don’t remember ever hearing the his quote before, but it’s so similar): Life is beautiful and brutal, tender and terrible–keep your heart open.

14. Industrial-Edged Chic in Rotterdam. This was first shared by SF Girl by Bay. If I can’t have the converted waffle factory in France, I want to live here. The colors and materials and light of the kitchen are especially dreamy.

15. An Open Letter to Employers on Create as Folk. Amen, Laura Simms.

16. This from Geneen Roth,

Here is my thought for the day: when you’re tired, rest.

I know that sounds ridiculously simple, but I’ve been watching how difficult it is for me to stop. The adrenaline rush of pushing and moving and going past my limits is so familiar. Rest is radical. Stillness. Stopping. Taking five minutes a few times a day to stop everything, breathe, rest. Let out bodies catch up with themselves.

You’re allowed to stop. You’re allowed to rest. You’re allowed to be “unproductive” and not do one thing that looks useful to anyone else. See what happens.

17. This from Your Inner Pilot Light, “Come home, my dear. You keep looking for the answers in books, gurus, therapists, your best friend, or church. And sure- glean what you can from the outside world. But when you find yourself still confused and tired of seeking guidance out there, come back to me. I have the answers, if only you’ll get quiet and listen.”

18. This from Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata, “With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.”

19. The Real You By Tara Sophia Mohr on Maria Shriver’s blog, shared first by Hannah Marcotti. In which Tara writes this,

Can you feel the one deep inside your chest,
who has existed forever?
Who has made a thousand journeys?
Who feels like a comet in the dark?
The inner filament?

I know, no one ever told you.
I know. It wasn’t the name you learned to write at school,
but that one is you.
That one is the real you.

20. Inspiring the Everyday, a blog with lots of yummy looking gluten free recipes, which I first read about on SF Girl by Bay.

21. your daily rock: make art

22. Susannah Conway’s new video on her About page. It’s authentic, real as dirt, reminds me of the videos she makes for her ecourses, communicates so clearly who she is and what she writes about.

23. 36 Awe Inspiring Online Gurus Reveal Their Fears And How They Overcame Them, originally shared by Dani of Positively Present (she’s one of the gurus).

24. Throw and Grow Confetti, also shared by Dani of Positively Present.

25. Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus.

26. A Magical Reading Life: Reading with Intention on the Mojo Lab.

27. From Erica Staab’s 40 Days of Deep Wisdom,

Breathe deeply.
Sink into your soul.
Allow whatever needs to surface to do so without judgement.
Instead of judgement try gentle curiosity.
What does your own deep wisdom have to say today?

28. Making Art Can Be Hard by Mati Rose.

29. In This Fragile Sacred Space, the wonderful Judy Clement Wall on Huffington Post.

30. This from Ram Daas, “we are all just walking each other home.”

31. Triangle Love DIY, a sweet way to design a journal cover, originally shared by Susannah Conway.