What were the 3-5 things that gave you joy this week?
1. Spring weather. Spring Break is next week at CSU and I have the fever because the weather has been so nice! The birds are everywhere, making all kinds of noise, and things are starting to green up. This is what the sky over my backyard looks like right now, (I just want to sit under it and stare):
2. Time spent with friends. I have some gems, seriously. This week it was coffee and life strategizing in the sun with one, an accidental lunch with another, and lunch and a movie with a friend who lives in Nashville, so I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like.
3. Superior ranking on my yearly evaluation. This isn’t about pride, ego, or needing external validation (much), but having my good work rewarded, (we are getting raises for the first time in a few years, and the higher your ranking, the more of a raise). It’s also a confirmation that I am doing what I “should,” and that it’s valued.
4. Fruit Salad. Luscious and juicy and sweet: yum.
5. Communally taught yoga class. The person who was supposed to teach this morning overslept and didn’t show up, so we led ourselves. One person started, and then we all jumped in at various times, adding a pose or series. It was awesome.
Bonus Joy: Blackout poetry on old business cards. These are one of the things I didn’t burn in a cleansing ceremony after leaving my old job (which technically is the same position I have now, just a slight shift in responsibilities–I’m now simply an Editor, and not for Writing@CSU), and I’ve always thought I would eventually do some sort of art project with them. This morning, I had two ideas, one being blackout poetry to cover over the old print. Here’s my first one (with an original card slid behind for comparison, to show you a bit of what is getting covered over):
Stay,
bringing attention
With time to consider,
recall vividly
We are all seeking the good life
Each of us calls it by some different name
The Universe saying “yes.” This happens all the time, if you are paying attention. It happened for me today, more than once. Sometimes, it yells in celebration, and sometimes it’s as quiet as a whisper, and it happens more often when you are on the right path, doing the good work that is uniquely yours, following your calling, trusting your heart, knowing your hungers, being wholeheartedly yourself. It’s been happening for me a lot lately, and often when it does, I burst into tears. For so long I ignored it, told it to wait or even shut up and leave me alone, and all it wants is the very best for me. The love and wisdom that is available to us, all the time, can be utterly heartbreaking.
image by renaissancechambara
Leftovers. Thanks to the boy for this. I opened the fridge to make my lunch today and realized there were multiple options, so much that I felt like I was ordering off the menu of my favorite restaurant. He takes such good care of me.
Spring. Spring Break isn’t until next week, and technically according to the calendar it’s not quite Spring yet, but the warm weather yesterday and today, more daylight, and crocuses blooming say that it’s close. I ate my second breakfast today sitting in the backyard with the dogs, one of my all time favorite things to do, (I think it’s theirs too), and I can’t wait to do more of that.
image by Armin Vogel
Online classes. I feel like I have stumbled upon this magical wonderland of creativity and support, wisdom and kindness. There are so many classes available, taught by so many amazing women, and though I don’t really have this kind of time, I keep diving in. I just started “Blogging from the Heart” and “Telling True Stories” will be right on its heels. You, dear reader, can only benefit from me spending time immersing myself deeper into the practice of writing.
Live music. Last night, I saw Gregory Alan Isakov and Ani DiFranco in concert. There are plenty of bad things I could list about staying up late, standing in a dirty hot loud crowded space for four hours, getting shoved around and groped, having drinks spilled on you, but that’s not my point here. My point is there’s something good about hearing and watching music performed live. The force of sound vibrating in your chest, that bodily experience of the music. A direct and immediate conversation between an artist and their audience. Anything can happen, spontaneously, in the moment. You are trapped in the crush of humanity, screaming, dancing, singing, clapping, and sweating. There’s the potential for aggression but also the opportunity for compassion, for you to soften to those around you, the chance to be in the moment, feeling what you feel, allowing emotions to arise and dissolve, feelings evoked by a person opening their heart to you, telling the truth. This is all possible, mistakes, bravery and vulnerability, life and pure love.
Ani DiFranco, image by Julio Enriquez
Global Sorority. This is yet another fabulous Kickstarter campaign that I pledged this week. It’s a documentary planned by Tia Kelly & Loretta Cella. They explain it this way:
It’s our hope that these documentaries will be used not only to bring awareness, and aid the upward mobility of women and girls in developing nations, but also to be a learning tool in schools and colleges in the western world, offering a platform for discussion around women’s issues and also giving young women a starting place as to how they might connect and make a difference, in their own lives and in the lives of young women around the world.
Color Me Katie blog. This blog is fun, sweet, colorful, and makes me so happy.
Kate, a 24 year old freelance photographer, actress, street artist and fun maker!
And finally, the tiniest-big dose of happiness and cuteness the internet has to offer: Dancing Baby Plover from Dou Dou Birds. Click on the image to see the other three views. The sum of four enables you to see the full measure of his little happy dance.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 