Subject: You

“The act of naming the world, in ways uniquely your own, 

is one way to spark the creative energy 

that lives inside each human being.”  

- Rebecca McClanahan

I came across this quote in a magazine this week. It felt so relevant following my last post about being comfortable in one’s own skin. Spend some time alone. Learn to like yourself. Enjoy doing things with yourself. Make time for just yourself. You will see that a great fire burns within – the fire of imagination and creativity. We keep so busy being accountable that we forget to circle back and look within. Children have it but we spend a lifetime dulling that fire. What if we made room for it again? For possibility? For creativity?

Joy is contagious!

I was reading a story about two moms and their children hiking through an old garden. As they climbed through the overgrown paths in the early morning mist, they tried to keep their eager children close. A child’s voice yelled as they came towards the end of the path, "Look! There's a stream. And look at that tree!” As the children rushed ahead to get a closer look, the early morning sunlight was breaking through the thick branches of the tree, making it appear even more grand. Its deeply etched roots and thick storied bark let them all know that this was not an ordinary tree. This tree had lived through many seasons of life yet still stood strong.  With pure joy, some of the children rested under its majestic limbs while others started climbing to seek new horizons.  It was indeed a 'treasure tree.' 

We often forget during our busy days to look up and see the simple pleasures and joyous discoveries around us.  On a recent late afternoon walk, I ran into my friend Paul.  We had not seen each other in a while so we began to share about our lives and our families.  During our conversation, I told Paul that I was working on a piece about the simplicity of joy, and about finding joy in all things. “How easy it is for us to forget or get lost in all the noise and distractions around us!” said Paul.  “We should just stop for a moment and observe the many joyous gifts around us. I mean, just look at this sunset!” We paused and took in the unique colors of the sunset, its wispy blues and rusty yellows, and contemplated the fact that each night is a different painting made expressly for our joy.

So often we take these gifts for granted. Slow down and allow the childlike discoveries of our surroundings to fill our hearts with joy. The more we allow joy to be part of our daily lives, the more joy is contagious. Pass on the gift of joy to others!

Start Your Life of Creative Adventure!

It is always interesting to read about entrepreneurs and what leads them to pursue their talents and create their own inspirational businesses. I love reading about growing one's passion and talent into a business...or simply turning a hobby or activity that you enjoy into something to share with others. It is so satisfying to share what works for you with others. After all, this is our only life of creative adventure. You have permission! 

In the process of discovering one’s own talents or interests, many of us begin with a list of things we enjoy doing. Often our list of goals and things we like to do are launched and relaunched at the beginning of each year in the form of new year’s resolutions.  I especially like to create to-do lists for projects for home and work that sometimes become a “thinking list” of new ideas and thoughts. 

Yet often during the process of list making, we create a box of restrictions around ourselves in the shape of boundaries, perfections and expectations.  This can take away from the freedom of trying something new, trusting our hearts to explore a dream or even taking the risk of creating something that could blossom into something of beauty.  We often stop ourselves from choosing to live our dreams before we even try a step forward.  As one entrepreneur shared with me, “If you have a good idea don’t wait, just jump in and begin to swim and discover your talents!” Another successful business mentor told me,  “If you follow your heartfelt dreams, everything will grow in your “own” life….and your “own” journey.”

I know there is so much “other” in our everyday: things we must do, responsibilities, and our own self-imposed expectations.  Make  time to open up your box and explore with freedom. Develop your talents and interests and see where the journey will take you.

Welcome Spring!

As we welcome in the Spring season, enjoy new beginnings and appreciate your surroundings!
Have a wonderful and peaceful holiday weekend.
Keep following your heart and living your dreams!

Be A Green Leaf in Drought

There are so many joys I find in gardening: the discovery of life in a new blossom, the first burst of rose buds in the spring, and that grand tree, dormant for winter, finally stretches and releases fresh green leaves. The doves coo in the quiet dawn mornings as the butterflies practice the choreography of the season.

I often write about gardening because it teaches me so much about life.  Most of all, it has taught me to slow down the day and avoid list-making in order to truly take in the moments that nature created for us to enjoy.

Because of my love for gardening,  I have become fascinated with garden stories and metaphors.  Many refer to the garden for cultural significance while others look to the garden for spiritual understanding.

During a recent trip to Asia, I became fascinated with the green leaf. Its design was on clothing, jewelry and notebooks. It was everywhere— an icon of new life, good luck and good health.  

When I returned home, I came across a book, Green Leaf in Drought by Isobel Kuhn, a true story about the lives of missionaries who traveled in the most eastern part of China during the early 1950s. It documented their lives and the many trials they faced trying to be "green leaves" during many seasons of drought, loss and sadness.  The story of their lives touched my heart.

We all go through droughts such as loss, uncertainty and sadness during the seasons of life and yet, through these challenging times, there is always hope for newness.

How To Be a Green Leaf in Drought

- Find a time in your day to refill yourself with something you enjoy.

- Play some music, sketch, take a walk, read, putter in the garden, try a new recipe or set some time aside to just sit, be still and breathe.

- Once you refill the soil of your soul, you will discover the newness of life that gives you strength to continue to shine. You will have the strength to continue to grow through all seasons. You are a green leaf.

- Plant a seed of encouragement to help others who may be going through a drought.

Life lessons from the garden

This week, I was thumbing through some of my garden books when I was pulled into a story about the virtues of the gardener who tends to the cyclical unpredictability of the land, season after season.

Yes. A garden instills humility in us -- a deep respect of something greater than ourselves. We learn about the gift of nurturing, tending and caring for others – from the heart. 

The author went on to describe the gardener’s deep inner strength and their wisdom to not only grow a successful and healthy garden but to choose to live a life that is able to find joy in all things.

Life, like the garden, is very unpredictable—yet, we gardeners dig, prune, clean and repeat.  We welcome in the joy of the surprises created in the garden—not by us, but by something greater than us.  Hope and inner strength translate beyond the garden.

One of my favorite lines goes something like this:

I thought by being diligent and dedicated to my work, I was growing my garden, yet I learned that actually my garden was and still is growing me.

I am sure I am not the first person to discover that gardening is a wise window into the mystery of life. And, like many who have come to this conclusion in their higher-learning institute of gardening, we discover how to be joyful through all of the seasons of life.  

Plan, celebrate, reflect -- February is full of surprises!

Take a Tea Break

On a cold and chilly morning on a recent trip to China, we were preparing for an early morning hike. Our guide arrived to greet us, appearing through a curtain of mist, with a flask in one hand and a stack of small cups in the other. As we drank from the cups, it was almost magical how our senses were heightened by the harmony of the aroma and our dramatic natural surroundings. The warmth of the tea was as comforting as the camaraderie that came from sharing these moments of time. Once strangers, we were now good friends. The tea infused us all with energy for our trek.   

We began a conversation with our guides about the art of drinking tea. No, having a tea is not a quick drive through a Starbucks or a dash into a local coffee shop, the art of drinking tea is about taking the time to slow down while breathing in the aroma coming from the steeping tea leaves.  As we began to learn about the different types of teas --  their tastes and their regions -- we were intrigued and decided to take a class about tea.

The next day, we met May, who invited us into her world of tea.  She told us how she fell in love with it at a very young age.  She was from a small village where both her parents worked full days, 6-7 days a week.  Yet, once a week, her mother would always find time for the two of them to go to a local tea shop. They would spend hours talking and laughing as they sipped on their favorite teas accompanied with sweets from the local market. 

She knew from these early experiences, that she wanted to make it her mission to introduce the art of tea appreciation to everyone she could meet. 

As we slowly sipped on a variety of teas, we shared in many stories with much joyous laughter. We found ourselves lost in time…not rushing to grab something, text a note or pick up the phone for a two minute call. We stopped. Time stopped as we took in the moments and the layered aromas of the earth. We learned how to taste the flavors of these aromas, and as we sipped, we were walking through the humid forests, climbing to the tops of mountains and traversing golden plains with our eyes closed! "The essence of the tea will quench your adventurous spirit," she said. 

Our special May closed our class with a request. She asked that we remember her with our next cup of tea and that we continue her mission to invite others for tea.

As I write, I am sipping on a Snow Blossom tea (May’s favorite). And, I've invited a friend who will be here very soon. To May, we will raise our teacups! 

Sit and sip a cup of tea. Let it warm your soul. And let the sharing of tea invite conversation. It is truly a special gift of time, of peace and of comfort.