Take Time to Smell the Roses Daily

In a recent post, I wrote about the importance of taking time from one's busy day to stop and smell the roses.

As I put  my own words of advice into practice, I am awestruck with the many simple pleasures of life that I have discovered on my journey of slowing down and stopping to "smell the roses."

I encourage all to take the time to slow down as one never knows what one will discover along the way, like the gift of Love.

Take a Moment to Stop and Smell the Roses...

As I was rushing to fit in my morning exercise walk in between calls and meetings, as I was racing through my to-do list in my head, I stopped for a moment to realize that I was half way through my exercise routine and did not even notice the beautiful summer morning and many treasures of nature surrounding me.   I found out how easy it is to be racing through life and, once again, miss the simple joys of life.

As I slowed down a little more to look at the beautiful plants and trees and take in the gentle warmth of the morning sun, I started to understand more and more the old cliché, "stop and smell the roses."

Yes, I did "stop to smell the roses."  And what a refreshing difference it made for me.  After a few minutes of being in the present and taking in the gracious beauty of my surroundings,  I continued on my way with my morning exercise routine. I turned off my to-do list, my head became more clear with new thoughts and ideas. I began to breathe more freely and found that I was more energized, refreshed and refilled.  

Little did I know that those few moments I took to slow down my daily routine would have such an amazing impact.  I encourage all to slow down for a moment to "stop and smell the roses" and see what you can discover. 

Celebrating Summer Fun with Friends

A great way to celebrate summer fun with friends is to have a picnic-style garden party to inspire creative hearts. 






 During the summer months I like to get friends together to to enjoy an afternoon  of inspired creativity in the garden to paint, draw and write with delightful foods and wonderful conversations filled with much laughter and joy. 















At the end of the afternoon, we all walk away refresh and refilled with the glories of creativity 
and fellowship.  

Giving Thanks will Create a Joyous Life

A friend and I were sharing in a conversation today about life in general, decisions that need to be made, changes taking place, careers choices, ways to create a work life balance, etc. etc. --and how everything in our lives is so impacted by the technological rush and distractions.  

As we continued our conversation exploring various topics  on our minds and hearts , I began to realize more and more how life really doesn't  need to be so complicated. 

I mean the things that may influence us such as family, friends, work, community and oh yes, the non-stop technology noise, can be complicated and sometimes challenging.  Yet I believe more and more especially in today's global society with so much going on in world, how easy it is for one to be distracted from the simple gifts of life. 

I also believe that these simple gifts of life can be discovered through one's heart, if we take time to give thanks every day, and sometimes every moment for the many things we have and often take for granted.

For instance, if you a take moment, get out a sheet paper and pen and jot some of things that you are thankful for, such as family, friends, community, work, the air we breathe, the water we drink the nourishment from the food we eat, the beauty of nature, I can go on and on as there is so much richness in our lives if take the time to see what we have, as oppose to what we don't have.

As you go through the exercise of giving thanks, on a daily bases, I do know as one chooses to open their heart to be more thankful for all things, you will create a joyous life.

Stop, Breathe and Refill to Enjoy the Gifted Moments

On a recent travel excursion I found that I was continually reminding myself to slow down, breathe, and be present to take in the gifted moments of everything and everyone around me.  

As I started to put the slow down, stop and breathe mantra more into practice, I found that my senses had awakened more to a greater awareness to everything around me.  

I began to discover things I had not previously seen before, or taken the time to experience, such as the colors of the sky the reflection of light the details of a flower the peace of an evening sunset. 

As I returned home from my travels, I realized how easy it was to fall into some of the old habits of the technology rush and distractions.  As I began to get swept away into these old habits it dawned on me that I again needed to remind myself to slow down, breathe and be present.   For every day is a gifted moment-- and I encourage all of us to take time to enjoy life's experiences.

What is Love ?

This morning I woke up with a simple thought about the age old question, "What is love?"  How do we understand  this "thing" called love?  It is not something you can hold onto or describe briefly. It is such an amazing feeling beyond any expression. One can easily and freely have access to love when  our hearts are open to a greater purpose than ourselves. 

I know we all have much to do in our day-to-day lives with challenges that may confound us. I find it is easy to be distracted from this simple expression of love.  So often, I try to remind myself of the things that reflect love for me: sharing with family, saying hello to a friend, reaching out to a neighbor, smiling, singing, gardening, the list goes on and on.  

I also remind myself of one of my favorite verses from the Bible, in 1 Corinthians: 13, that many will recognize  for it is often recited at weddings.  " Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It does not anger easily..." and as the verse goes on, I am reminded that this gift of love, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...as love is the greatest gift.

As I finished writing these thoughts this morning, I turned to look out the window and  was drawn into the early rising sun dancing across the garden.  I decided to take a break from writing to visit the garden. As I began to walk through the garden, I found myself captured by the beauty of the early morning sunlight, giving me such a warm sense of peace and comfort.   This feeling is a little hard to express-- maybe no differently than how one contemplates describing the essence of love.  

This morning, I found myself maybe one step closer to a better understanding of this age old question, "What is love?" Love is in all of us and is all around us, if we choose to open our hearts more to a greater calling.

Grow Your Creative Heart

On a recent trip to the East Coast,  I spent a wonderful afternoon teaching a class on the joy of creating art from the many inspirational treasures of the spring season.





 Like several of the members in my class, I found myself  taking in the gifted moments of the soft sunlight dancing across the yard creating a glorious blanket of light and a sense of peace after a long gray winter.

During the class time, some of us spoke about how this gentle spring day took us back to memories from some of our earlier years of life, running through the great outdoors and discovering the treasures of this season. 

And though we may not always have the time to wander through the fond memories of our childhood days, I was reminded once again, to take time and enjoy the gifted treasures of today as we prepare for tomorrow.

Oh, how great it is, to just breathe in the fresh air and sit for a moment of time and take in the inspirations of the spring season to grow one's creative heart.