roots

bloom where you are planted. - proverb

At some point along life’s journey, we pause to question where we are, what we are doing, why are we here. There may be restless stirrings in the soul and spirit as our mind contemplates these questions and our body wishes it could flee. However, while all this is going on, we still have the opportunity to blossom exactly where we are in ways that only we can define and name.

Know that at the appointed moment, you will uproot to plant elsewhere and flower once again which means that it is so imperative to always…

keep your peepers open!®

ps…and speaking of blooming where you are planted, my niece is doing just that in her first year of college; I am proud to post this picture that she sent me!

juxtapositions

It was snowing on travel day as I headed from my neighborhood in southwest DC to catch a flight that would take me west and south to sunny San Antonio, TX. Always camera ready, I’ll take a picture wherever it finds me including just outside the window of either the airport or plane and that morning, I saw something I’d witnessed only on TV -- the de-icing of airplanes, very cool! Three hours plus later, I swirled the ice in my glass as I waited for a late lunch to arrive, camera pointed at the sights right in front of me, no windows between since it was perfect weather to be outside, nice and warm.

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Travel days can be hectic. Being camera ready and building in down time to take a walk, see a few sites before the work begins when traveling for business is meditative, helps me take care of me. Each picture holds a bit of the peace that rests within, relays something about what I experienced the moment taken and gets my mind ready to focus on what's ahead. That said, I’m now immersed in training in windowless rooms at a resort hotel surrounded by nature and nice views, the temperature outdoors worthy of linen and cotton clothing yet I find myself clothed in sweaters and boots the indoors is that cold. Go figure and...

keep your peepers open!®

ps...knew what I wanted to write about and show, didn't have title so thanks dh!

she the belle of the ball

This past Monday, I decided not to go over to the Mall for the inaugural ceremony however, I did venture out for a little while and the neighborhood, just blocks away from the excitement, was pulsing with people and cars. That energy got me pumped; it was and truly is an amazing time! Who would have thought that this country would ever see a Black President period and now a second term -- extraordinary. As I tuned into the historical event via TV, I remembered how thrilling it was four years before shivering with 1.8 million others as the first African-American was sworn into office. That day will forever rank as one of the top 10 most memorable moments in my life as will that night last November as I held my breath waiting for the polls to close across the country -- nail biting exhilaration at its finest with a well-worth-the-wait pay off.

As I watched and listened to all that was going on right in my back yard, I was inspired to make a collage, one of my Paper Doll Goddesses. She had her beginnings last December as I moved the clippings around on my white board but she just wasn’t ready to come forth. In hindsight, her debut was held up because all the right pieces were yet to be discovered in addition to the fact that the spark that gets me going until someone totally unveils herself to me hadn’t yet lit a fire. January 21 had all the fuel, so without further ado, introducing she the people…

It was a great day. I was in bed beaming with pride about my President and feeling quite pleased with my new creation when I suddenly bounded from beneath the covers. Another Doll had a date with destiny and I was solely responsible for getting her ready to take center stage…

…belle of the inaugural ball had a place to be! My stylist duties complete, I settled back under my comforter, propped up to watch the day unfold all over again on the late night replays and saw not a thing. Content with fulfillment, I fell fast asleep. Until Sunday...

keep your peepers open!®

hail to the chief

Every four years, what I have always called a sleepy ball-gown southern town comes alive as it prepares for the most important event in this country -- inauguration day. Today I will detour from things I usually write about to venture not too far into the political arena to recognize that our first Black Leader of the Free World will be sworn into office for his second term behind closed doors this very Sunday. On Martin Luther King’s birthday, Barack Obama will take the oath on the world stage 150 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation making tomorrow quite a historical moment; I’m more than glad that I will witness such an occasion.

Four years ago, this native Washingtonian, a girl proud to have been born in this sleepy southern ball-gown town, stood on the Mall with millions as President Obama took office. I don’t know when my feet detached from my body so frozen were they but it didn’t matter -- I had to be out there for all those who fought and died to make such a moment possible. So on this Sunday as I sit down to write, that thought coupled with conversations with close friends are the inspiration for the words I scribe. In particular something my BFF emailed and I quote, “You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can’t make him think.” My response... how true that is girlfriend! I often say if folks who take the time and brain matter to meticulously strategize on ways to bring and do harm to others, to steal period be it from the wealthy or the poor used all that energy for good, what a wonderful world it would be. It begs the question, “What would our collective ancestors make of all the continued misuse of power, education, and intelligence born with or book gained that has risen to new heights and depths?” I wonder and so should we all.

But for now, I will refrain from more oration from my small soap box, stepping down to bask with pride about all that is happening here in the Seat of the Nation, this southern town that is quite awake as it prepares to host lots of balls, gowns and history. And as we Hail to the Chief remember to…

keep your peepers open!®

ps…thanks sds and lrh

weather report

There is something stimulating about cold rain on a brisk winter morning. I do like to bundle up, reaching for warmth in the closet but as I leave out, I take time to taste the loveliness of the day given. I am fascinated by my “art in the air” created each time I exhale; the quick step becomes the movement of the moment carrying my body through a dance between shimmering cool drops that feel tingly on my face. I listen to wet music pitter-pattering around me, popping the umbrella should it reach splashing crescendo and then begin to merge into the rush of the world. While everyone else seems to be in such a hurry I feel calmer, paying attention to things often missed when we fail to slow down…

No matter the weather, wherever you are…

keep your peepers open!®

modeling mindfulness

A not yet self-proclaimed “model of mindfulness” there are moments when I momentarily lose my mind, and though I can now add Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist to my pedigree, the flu bug does not ask for degrees or documentations of knowledge biting anyone regardless of how many healthy precautions and wellness practices they undertake...just turn on the news!

During the second half of last year, I immersed myself in learning more about mindfulness, integrative medicine practices and wellness. In a short amount of time, I completed a mindfulness weekend, a two-day symposium on patient-centered care/integrative medicine, and received certifications in Reiki, mind-body medicine and just last week corporate wellness. The latter brought back nightmares from my days in college with its 500 plus pages of readings, 12 plus hours of lectures and 100 questions multiple-choice open book test. Now if your school dayz experience was like mine, open book exams never translated into an easy A and this online experience was no different. (Seriously there were questions that weren't covered anywhere so thank goodness for the Internet, a convenience not yet available when I was working on my BA and MBA.) Despite being down with a bug, I literally and figuratively sweated through 70% of the questions, successfully finished the rest on a day when my head and sinuses unclogged, and was more than relieved when I hit “grade test” and the pop up screen read “PASSED”.

A few days after my triumph, I had an exchange with someone that may not realize something I inherently know -- it takes time to fully embody a lifestyle of wellness, you don’t miraculously change overnight with the completion of educational sessions. Practice over time and resilience when one has a misstep is what breathes life into the transformation until it becomes second nature. Eventually, the mind will stay put when challenged; the body will grow more resistant to some intrusions with healthy eating, movement, and for me a creative combination of holistic interventions. But there is one thing that will remain the same -- the flu bug can still get you even if you do watch out so…

keep your peepers open!®

party crasher

I want a New Years do over! I like so many others, come to find out, greeted 2013 with my hand wrapped around a box of tissues rather than a glass of the bubbly. My newly coiffed hair, never got the chance to whip back and forth at the party I was looking forward to attending, my outfit hung its cute self on the door in disappointment as my boots walked not a step.  The traditional good luck dinner of black-eyed peas and pork did not make its way from the fridge to the stove to the table instead passed over for a few salty chips and yet another refreshing cocktail of water spiked with pink grapefruit Airborne and a splash of orange juice.  It was all just a tragic mess!

More than a week after the flu settled down for several cold winter nights, I am still trying to shake it loose, send it on its way and politely suggest that it is not welcome to return anytime soon. Here’s hoping you’ve had better luck with that than I.

So if you like me were forced to bring in the new year with a sick, unwelcome party crasher, feel better, make plans to whoop it up when you are able to get up and if you can...

keep your peepers open!®

2 zero one 3©

A new year rang in on a Tuesday this week

raise a glass, kiss and toast, I hardly can speak

of all that's in store for 2 zero one 3

behind door after door awaits what will be seen

each day as we wake from hopefully, peaceful sleep

taking moments to be mindful, giving thanks, reaching deep

to cherish each breath we are given remember --

nothing's promised to us it's really okay to surrender,

to sit on a bench imagined or real,

close our eyes just a second, let the wind reveal

the serenity needed for mind, soul, body, and spirit

then get up you'll be set to go on and get with it

with sureness and wisdom, strength and resolve

to do better in two zero one three,

open minds, forgiving hearts together

are the perfect parts for a peaceful existence

to just be.

cheer in this new year and as the days pass…

keep your peepers open!®

ps - picture of marble bench taken in Sorrento, Italy

happy new year

blossoming cheer in this new year

and always...

keep your peepers open!®