Living Your Spirit #10 ~ The Cobwebs of Your Mind

The attic...storage room for unused things, or things we need out of sight to get to when we need them, or a place to put things of sentimental value that we just can't seem to get rid of.  Sometimes we need to get in that attic to sort things, clean up the dust and cobwebs, and very likely get rid of some stuff.

The same is true of the mind. It gets cluttered and dusty with unused things. Finding your way through all that stuff every day in order to get to the things you really need and need to do can be stressful. It is more commonly known as mental clutter.

Do you make a daily list of things to do? Do you find yourself writing the same task on the list each day so you won't forget it, but you can't seem to get it done? I't kind of like ducking under the same cobweb day after day and not getting it out of the way so you have a clearer path. It  is sometimes called procrastination, or avoidance behavior, but I just like to call it cobwebs. It seems to give it a better reason to clean it up and get it out of the attic.

Did you ever notice when you have a space in your home all cleaned and organized just the way you want it, how you like spending time there, and you want to be in that room and enjoy it? The same is true with your mind. Now no one wants to be in an empty room - there needs to be some furnishings, but how much more we will enjoy being present to our own mind if it is cleaned of the cobwebs and put in order. What a simple way to nourish your spirit.

Remember the chunking down?  Here. Just clean one little corner at a time. Oh, by the way, our minds are not square rooms, you know *twinkly eyed grin*. There are myriads of little corners and angles that can accumulate dust and cobwebs. Just find one or two and get started, and I will do the same.

Let me know what you find up there. Sometimes we uncover wonderful surprises about which we had all but forgotten.

Have a peaceful day.

Living Your Spirit #9 ~ Finding Balance

Often, we struggle with where to schedule what in our quest for balance. Paint in the studio all day? Yes, sounds wonderful, but there are other things that need to be done. There are the necessary out of the building errands, correspondence to tend to, both paper and electronic, marketing needs to be met, supplies to organize, financials to manage...and that is just the business end of things.

Then there are the home things, the personal things. Whether you have the responsibility for the cleaning, the laundry, repairs, appointment scheduling, meal preparation, shopping (and I am referring to both males and females here), and personal time for relaxation, social events, outside activities...the list can go on and on. No wonder we feel out of sorts and lopsided some days, as if there are pieces of us everywhere to be collected.

Picture, if you will, an old fashioned see saw, the kind kids used to play on years ago - just a support with a board placed across it, no fancy playground equipment.  You would ordinarily think that the board would be placed evenly across the top of the support so that equal sides of the board would be on each side.  But if one child was considerably bigger than another, in order for them to ride comfortably, the board would be shifted to accomodate the weight difference.  The support, aka the fulcrum, would be in a different place between the two sides.

So the first thing we need to do is properly place the fulcrum between business and personal life. How much weight do we need on each side? There are those that really have the need for symmetry, so they may need to have things perfectly even. As all artists know, however, one can find beautiful balance in assymetry. Do what works for you. Let's place that fulcrum first, then begin to assign spaces, or time chunks on either side. It actually can be fun to see what kind of balance can be achieved. Build a little model to make a fun game of it. Not a bad idea for family members and household chores, too.

One of the things that sometimes comes of this exercise is that  maybe some things will just have to go, or be set aside for a different balance day. Putting too much on the scales will eventually topple the entire thing. Believe me, I used to topple on a regular basis. Finding balance is a process. Finding a way to enjoy the process adds to it .

Donna Welsh, I Believe I can Fly. Miniature sculpture on recycled flooring base. ©2010

Living Your Spirit #8 ~ See the Spirit in Others

Sometimes I am so intent on living my spirit, looking for what it is telling me, and acting on the truth of it, that I forget that part of living my spirit is finding and acknowledging the spirit in others.  This week, I will make a deliberate attempt to see the spirit in others, to pay attention and find the good in them, even if it seems to be buried.

Join me on this treasure hunt! Share what you found and your treasure map for finding it.

It is going to be an exciting week. Peace and be well.

Living Your Spirit #7 ~ Be a Dreamer

If we allow ourselves time to dream, we turn on our imaginations.  Night time dreaming is wonderful. We would be lost without it, as it serves a very important function, but that's for another post. This is about daydreaming, wondering, pondering...all those things that caused trouble for us in the classroom so long ago, or even now.

 Call it what you will - meditation, brainstorming, daydreaming. When we allow ourselves the time to let our innermost thoughts bubble their way to the surface we access an essential part of ourselves.  So often, we busy ourselves right through our day into the next. Our time is precious, and we deserve some of it to nourish our spirits.

My children and I used to have "ponder days". We would take a whole day and maybe go on a picnic and watch the clouds or examine the behavior of the ants or maybe just hang out in the yard and observe the world passing by. We didn't have to be DOING anything. It was not busy time. It was slow and langourous. We explored all the subtle and sharp tastes in lemonade, we looked very closely at plain old dirt. I remember those days fondly, better than any other planned exciting experience. For they were times of dreaming, much of which children do very well on their own. They have such a wonderful capacity for it. I was privileged to share some of those moments.

I encourage you now to take some of those moments for yourself. Bring some childlike wonder into your life. Take some quiet time today...allow yourself the luxury...no, the necessity...of dreaming.

You may say I'm a dreamer
but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us,
and the world will live as one.
                             ~John Lennon

Living Your Spirit #6 ~ Embrace Your Humanity, Forgive Your Mistakes

You've made a mistake in your artwork. Something went amiss. Now what? "Oh no (you stamp your foot)! Now it's ruined."
Not nec-ces-sar-ily...some things that some people would call mistakes, I like to call happy accidents. Sometimes they can be used to turn your art around from what you originally intended to an unexpected pleasurable outcome. We occasionally try to rein our creativity in a too narrow path; throw something away before we have recognized that it might still have value, perhaps in another area ~ or perhaps just as it is.

Mistakes are part of human nature. We all make them. There are cultures that deliberately include mistakes in their creative efforts as a statement to our human imperfection. I have adopted that upon occasion, although more often than not, I don't have to make the deliberate effort.

Today's challenge is to look at a mistake as an opportunity.  Share your examples.  Don't be shy. Mine? Yes, the red ran where I didn't intend, so I continued and exaggerated it. I think it turned out better than my original plan.

Donna Welsh, Stages III. Encaustic on wood, 8.5 x 9.5 inches. ©2010

Wednesday with Words

I know Wednesdays are supposed to be wordless in the generic blog community, but I have had way too much caffeine today (as opposed to none on a usual day), so I will try next week for that thousand word image...meanwhile please forgive me and carry on as though I know what I am doing.

Living Your Spirit #5 Venture Someplace Scary

Sometimes we stay so within our confining comfort zone that we miss out on rich experiences.  Today I will find something I have been hesitant to do or someplace I have been hesitant to go. I am actually looking forward to it and would love to hear your experiences as well.

Donna Welsh, Stages II. Encaustic on wood, 8.5 x 9.5 inches. ©2010

2011 Reading List Inquiry

I am preparing my reading list for the year. My goal is 30 books for 2011. Reading gives me balance and makes me sit still. I am hoping for some suggestions. I like books with substance; biographies, good  mysteries, extraordiary novels, classics...and sometimes just the fun stuff.

Living Your Spirit #4

Listen to the inner voice that knows best who you are, not the voice of society, or worse yet, the media.

Donna Welsh, Stages I. Encaustic on wood, 8.5 x 9.5 inches. ©2010

Living Your Spirit #3

Find miracles in small things! Look for a miracle today ~ if you look for it, you will find it, but not necessarily where you expect.

Living Your Spirit #2

Don't be afraid to be kind. It enhances your spirit and greatly improves sleep.

Happy New Day! Live Your Spirit #1

Celebrate each new day as it dawns...each new moment as it arrives.

FORWARD

And so...one thinks of times past,

of mistakes made,

lessons learned,

and growth thus far,

and the realization that all things

come together for the good

of the higher self ~ if only one

can recognize it as such.

Growing pains occur all through

one's life. It is pain from which

growth can spurt ~ if only one

can recognize it as such.

Loss is gain, for the spirit

becomes stronger for allowing

grieving and not hiding

from it ~ if only one

can recognize it as such.

And so...forward...to grow.

A Beautiful Day for Exploring

A good day to look inside yourself...who knows what surprises you might find there!

Overwhelmed? Chunk it Down!

Small manageable bites...it is amazing what you can get done in only 15 minutes of focused time.  You'll feel calmer, enlightened, with a sense of accomplishment. Anyone can find fifteen minutes, and you might even discover that at the end of the 15, you may want to keep going. Go ahead...just don't tire yourself. This is supposed to be fun!

Donna Welsh, Untitled. Photograph ©2010

Simplify

Ponder the intentions for the new year. If you find the intention doesn't work, it can be cast aside for a more relevant one. Only resolve that of which you are certain...I intend.

Smile Break

How can you watch this and not feel good, not smile, not just feel the stress melt away?

Miraculous bodies

It is awesome in the truest sense of the word to observe our bodies at work. How they heal themselves and know exactly what to do...how the skin knows where to regrow...how all the tiny cells know just what their jobs are and do those jobs well for the most part when we don't interfere.
There are "Bodies" and "Body World" exhibits in various locations throughout the world. I saw the "Body World" exhibit some time ago in Philadelphia and while it could have been disturbing, it was amazing to actually be able to see actual bodies doing what they do and witness what makes them work.
All of the specimens were actual individuals who donated their bodies for this project, as some do to science. This leaves some with strong feelings. I am not posting pictures due to the sensitive nature, but I feel it is an amazing exhibit should you be close enough to attend.
Ponder your body today...

Amazing place

This was one of the most fun day trips I've had. In Frederick, MD there is a bridge...a painted bridge. The birds sometimes fly to this fountain. Alas, there is no water, there is no fountain, there is no niche in the wall. It is painted on a flat surface. I repeat...painted on a FLAT surface, and a woman once wrote to the people responsible for maintaining the bridge about what a shame it was to have such a beautifully painted bridge and then let ivy grow all over it. You guessed it - the ivy is painted on as well. The little weed on the bottom left is real...

The gate isn't real either, nor the stones, nor the arch - flat surface! Look closely...the little bird is not really there. I was awestruck and want to go back to this charming place where there is art everywhere and little shops full of wondrous things. More info HERE

Wrapping Paper Trail

I've been bothered by the gift wrap pheomenon for many years. This year, I fully intend to do something about it. I have tried over the years to be frugal, earth-friendly and recycle, but in the face of the big picture, they have been limping, if not fully lame, attempts.

Here's the thing:

Wrapping paper is bought for the express purpose of throwing away. Very few people save and reuse it, or if they do, it might just be once and then the next recipient throws it away. Think about it - we pay to buy the gift wrap, and then we pay someone to haul it away...and it ends up in a landfill somewhere. That's just disturbing.

So don't complain unless you have a solution, right? Here's the idea. This year, I will use bags; reuseable, of course. No tissue paper. Shredded newspaper will do - to be recycled or composted. Then, perhaps, large fabric bags (handmade) like Santa sacks, with several unwrapped gifts inside. These to be returned next year to be refilled or given back with next year's gifts inside them.

We'll see how it goes...maybe a new family tradition will be born, maybe I'll be banned from the gift wrapping society. I'll let you know.

After the Thanks

As we moved through the Thanksgiving holiday, my thoughts went to the Native Americans that sacrificed their land and their lives and so much...that this day represents not so much Thanksgiving, but Mourning for them...that we, as humans, really have not come as far as we would like to think.

Although it is hurtful to think of all the atrocities humankind puts on one another, the truth is that we still do.

Even those of us who think of us as a civilized society still contribute in some small way to the making of weapons or the technology of war. Albert Einstein once said "Our technology has surpassed our humanity." I am so sorry to say that I believe this is true.

There is a small group, I know, of gentle soldiers trying to bubble the way to the surface and employ peace and harmony, but in light of the greed recently made evident by the downward turn of economical events, it is a steep, uphill climb.

May those of you peacekeepers and peacemakers continue to shine your lights, continue to set examples, and continue to refrain from the avarice that will bring us all down.

Peace and be well.

Pondering Understanding

It is a beautiful and cold Sunday. As I take a break from my weekend tasks, I find myself thinking about how frequently we are misunderstood, or even more, how frequently we misunderstand others. This happens in small increments on a daily basis and then grows to huge and global proportions. I wonder if we'll ever get it right. I wonder if it is even possible.

We do not understand as much as we think we do. We think we are right and others wrong far too often. In striving for peace, we must strive for understanding. Communication is so easily misconstrued.

Especially in these days of e-mail and instant messaging, the lack of the use of adequate words to express emotion can send ambiguous messages, and misunderstanding will lean to the negative before it will lean to the positive. We take many shortcuts, but the written word should not be one of them.

Even in the best writing, it is so easy to misinfer. An excellent piece by Rick Kleffel on NPR's Morning Edition illustrates this beautifully. You can access it HERE.

Thank you for stopping by. Ponder everything. Have a safe day.

Pretzel Soup

I met with study group for a few hours today to work on our combined project. We will all be so happy when this is over. Our brains hurt. I am so glad I rested yesterday!

I love this time of year, cold and crisp with the leaves falling, and bundling up just warm enough, but not having to spend 20 minutes layering.

Soup. It is definitely soup weather. I had Pretzel soup last week when I was feeling under the weather. I remember having this as a child, and looking back on it now, it may have been because my father was out of work and there wasn't a lot to eat in the house. I don't know if it is an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe or from the depression, but it definitely makes me feel warm and cozy. Here's the recipe:

Heat enough milk for each person to have 3/4 to 1 cup. Pour hot milk into bowls and float a pat of butter on top. Place a large bowl of THIN pretzels in the center of the table and everyone crumbles pretzels into their bowls.

The trick to this is eating all the pretzels while they still have some crunch left. Kids seem to love this, and you can always add more pretzels to the remaining soup, er, milk in the bowl. For a dessert soup, add some cocoa and sweetener before serving.

This is definitely a wonderful warmer upper!

Autumn Daze

There is always so much to do, but a rainy Autumn day is the perfect time to cozy up with some vanilla truffle hot chocolate, needles and yarn, a good movie and get in some warming time. Warming of the body, the mind, and the spirit; recharging for the days ahead, so full of holiday planning, work and school commitments, and family time that is so important.
I look at the house around me and the chores needing to be done, but my chocolate is hot and ready, the couch looks inviting, full of pillows and a favorite afghan, and I am taking the time to fully enjoy this moment...

For Daddy from Emi

Make a Smilebox scrapbook