six women

what follows is a brief poetic synopsis of a discussion in response to this question found in a magazine that I now can’t seem to locate, “If Life made a promise to the world the moment you were born, what would it be?”

rippling forces born of love
between the pages in a book of qualities
loud as quiet lightening
voice the word no, no apology necessary
then simply move on with resilient twists
lose their way in order to find it
in control.

Ponder that question, you may be surprised where it will take you. While you’re at it, check out The Book of Qualities and…

keep your peepers open!®

thank you dm, vp, kr, hs, ns

flourishing

And the day came
when the risk to remain tight in a bud
was more painful than
the risk it took to blossom.
– Anaïs Nin

keep your peepers open!®

crooked stitches

My fondness for nursery rhymes learned when I was a child has not diminished as an adult. Many of them have come to mean much more now that I am older, wiser, and have a different relationship with and understanding of words. Sometimes when the sing-songy sounds pop into my head, they seem to be teasing me about what is happening in my life prompting me to chuckle rather than fret. Take for example this one:

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

This short tale of a man, who I now feel had problems with his spine, perhaps an arthritic condition, resonates with me because after seeing a chiropractor earlier this year I found that both my back and neck are crooked, seriously in need of correction. When I was first shown my x-rays, I left the doctor's office almost in tears; the rhyme spoke to me just as I was about to break down. Giggling, I realized that my visit was the beginning of a much needed mending of injuries sustained years ago, that this "stitch in time" is saving me from what could have progressed into an irreversible condition leading to pain and limited mobility later in life.

Now I know that crooked has another meaning; my interpretation of the crooked man and all the other bent and misshapen things collected along his path has never wandered into the shade. Don’t get it twisted people, do…

keep your peepers open!®

four thoughts

I present for your reflection four images that spoke to me while out on a walk or as I waited in my car at a stop light. When I took the photographs, I couldn't help but wonder what provoked the written message, why the bike was stolen and by whom, where the watering can came from, and who posted their artwork on the window of a vacant building.

I love developing stories. Doing so keeps my mind agile, provokes conversation when I share, and allows me to continue writing. It’s a rainy Sunday, I’m feeling quiet as I wake late so I’m going to hold off on spinning thoughts about these pictures but that doesn’t mean that you should too. Pick one, tell yourself a story, send it if you like or better yet, find your own image to spark your imagination, which means you’ll have to…

keep your peepers open!®

my fav's

Been listening to a CD I heard while shopping at Good Scents, www.goodscentscapemay.com, my favorite store in Cape May for lots of cool stuff and because the staff is ultra friendly…

Living in shoes that are music to my feet; went overboard with these leather comforts picking up five pairs of Pons that make me feel like I’m dancing along as I walk…

I ordered a watermelon salad in a new to me restaurant here in DC, www.thecoupedc.com, and can’t believe how refreshing five simple ingredients that I never would have thrown together can be; hummed my way through the bowl and will be a frequent patron…

Just a quick share of a few of my summer fav’s including this shot!

keep your peepers open!®

hurricanes

Though I know how to rein it in when my thoughts are flying wild all over the place, I am human and being that, sometimes forget. I was reminded of this as I read the words, “do you remember a time when you were distracted by ten thousand things” in the green side bar of a magazine article. Featured on that same page is a poem, a prayer by someone who needed to take a moment; readers were encouraged to write their own piece about what keeps us away from our center. My words followed me from the beach…

expectations self-inflicted, inflicted by others mingle

with soft intermittent angst over the next phase

will I ever conquer the demon that follows me

ever see all that I dream of in the palm of my eyes?

even when I lift myself out of the daily

etchings lace the edges of my escape.

as I sit ocean edge reflecting

the crest and ebb of each wave

release me from quiet worry

allow it to flow out and away.

may the echo of splashing water

wash over me like a baptism at dawn

as I rise grateful.

What keeps you from your inner peace? Write it down, let the words come freely then construct your own prayer or mantra from these thoughts. Let it be what sets you down from the swirl of your own personal hurricane and while you’re landing…

keep your peepers open!®

Q street

No matter what street you turn onto, traffic in DC during rush hour is beyond believable! When I moved back to my hometown, I was so enamored with the ease of moving about via auto or public transportation. That was in 2000, this is 2013 and urban sprawl has taken on a whole other meaning for me. I got so annoyed with the crawl of cars the other day that I had to find a way to calm myself if I wanted to arrive home in one piece.

One of the main issues with the in town DC drive are the traffic lights that do not allow for a continuous flow on MOST streets especially Monday - Friday. No sooner do you start moving than you have to stop again, which quite frankly just adds to the pollution in the air as my hair begins to stand on end. To prevent a minor or mass casualty, I decided to take pictures whenever I was detained at a light…here’s what I captured as I crossed Q Street NW between Connecticut Avenue and 6th Street.

my mother's initials

This distraction became a fun de-stressor that did not distract me from driving responsibly and had me giggling at things I dare not snap! So the next time you find yourself tapping the steering wheel as you see red, turn your attention to what’s on the corner and…

keep your peepers open!®

who knew

Who knew when I picked up the scissors in 2005 and created my first collage goddess that I would go on to bring forth 70 and counting of them, that they would see the walls of several exhibitions, that people would purchase them to adorn their own walls, that they would help others deal with self image, that they would serve as a way to encourage others to explore their own creativity, that I would be commissioned to design one as a celebration of life, or that one of them would find its way to the pages of a major newspaper as part of a positive review of an exhibition I am in? I am pinching myself today humbled and happy as I open up to page 2 of the Arts Section of the Sunday Edition of the Washington Post.

Who knew? Someone bigger than me. I believe more is expected so more is to come as I continue using the gifts I’ve been blessed with so…

keep your peepers open!®