Beauty 06/23/2010
 
Once a year when I walk into Trader Joe's I find bunches of Peonies...the world's most beautiful flower....in my opinion.  Every year I buy two bunches, place them with love and joy in a vase and place them in my entry way.  the aroma fills my entire house, a fragrance of sweet sunshine and smiles.  They are so delicate and frilled with layer upon layer of beauty.  As you know, everything I know I've learned from nature (mostly) and here again the Peony reminds me to look deep for beauty, to celebrate the gifts of the season and to slow down enough to take in the beauty of this brief moment that comes every year.  I truly love these flowers.
I just remembered a sweet story about a gift of peonies...one year when I was taking classes for my MFT at SDSU one of my classmates had to take a trip to the midwest.  Upon return, he showed up at my door with a bundle of peonies in his arms.  He knew that I LOVED this flower and while in the midwest, a place where peonies grow like weeds, he picked up a bunch and carried them home to me on the plane.  I'm not sure a sweeter thing has been done for me.  Isn't it wonderful to pay attention to the things that those around us love and try to shower them with them.  It really is the simple things that matter most!
 
 
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I took this photo a few days ago while watering my garden.  I saw this beautiful strawberry, large and luscious, hanging from its stem and wanted it to be ready now...I had to stop and laugh at myself and say thank you to the garden for teaching me once again about patience...temperance...balance.  It's easy to want what I want when I want it but sometimes it is time to wait.  Remember that beautiful bible passage...To everything there is a season...a time to reap, a time to sow...well,there is also a time to wait and be patient.  This is such a struggle for me sometimes.  And so I sat and looked at this berry for a while.  I thought about time for action and time for waiting. I thought about forcing life and letting life come to me.  Who knew that all of that was waiting for me in a beautiful strawberry.
For me, the question has always been...is now the time to act?  time to wait?  I find that sometimes I miss out on things because I am too patient and then other times I find that I've, once again, forced something into fruition and the resulting fall out is unpleasant.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if life showed us a strawberry like this so that we knew exactly when the time was ripe for action...well, the more I think about it...life does give us a way to know that the time is ripe for action...it is my inner guidance system...you know what I'm talking about.  That feeling that says...go, go now!  I had that feeling recently about the workshops I'm offering and I know that they fill with ease.  If I had acted sooner when the feeling was "No, too much to divide my attention.  Too much unsettled feeling" then there wouldn't be movement.
So, once again, it is nature, my garden, or the animals that let me know what my lessons are.  Pay attention everyone...the messages are out there...even in a beautiful, luscious strawberry!
 
 
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This piece grew out of a hike at a nearby trail.  I set out one early morning with my daughter to enjoy our "mountain" and to connect with nature.  As we headed out on the trail I looked down and saw this root in the trail.  I knew that I had to create art with it so I picked it up, left a gift in return and carried it with me throughout the entire hike.    

The next day was a group day at the teen center where I work.  We were working on the idea of recovery and what it felt like, looked like, etc. in our lives.  I was using a technique called "object art", in which you choose an object as a symbol of, in this case, your recovery.  Once you select the object, you begin to create around it.  You can use paint, fabric, collage, whatever moves you.

I was really clear that this root was a critical symbol of my recovery.  A word here on recovery...I am using this word very broadly.  It is my belief that we are all in and out of recovery all the time.  It doesn't mean that all of us use and abuse a substance but it does mean that we all move in and out of our balanced and complete states and any time we are attempting to return to our original state we are in the process of recovery.  So it is with this definition in mind that I began this project.

What I learned is profound.  It was the classic roots and wings conversation.  In order to fly, I must be rooted in truth, the earth, who I am, my principles and then and only then can I fly, like Prometheus, close to the sun. 

I love this piece.  It is simple but is filled with motion and truth and hope and is a reminder of what I need to remember to return to my original state.


 
 
I have just returned from a week of traveling.  I spent a few days backpacking on Mount San Jacinto with my family and then met my lovely sisters in the Napa Valley for some fun and relaxation.  Here is what I am exploring today....can this set of experiences be considered a form of expressive arts?

While it may seem trivial to even consider such a thing...I love the idea of playing with this question.  As I climbed the mountain and breathed in the chilly air,  I felt an incredible sense of restoration and healing.  The trees, the soil, the granite that surrounded me represented the absolute perfect expression of peace and serenity that so many of us seek.  As I required my body to exert itself and climb, I felt the release of stress and anxiety that builds up from day to day life...the mountain is easy...YES,  hike away and spend time in nature,  it is an absolute expression of healing and release.

Okay, on to Napa Valley...
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The journey began with this lovely meal laid before me.  My sisters and I chose a place called Hurley's for lunch.  When this sandwich arrived,  I was astounded by its beauty.  I considered...could eating food beautifully prepared and presented be considered an exercise in Expressive Arts....I did not create the piece BUT eating it brought me tremendous joy and community and frankly, happiness!  It isn't unlike sharing a piece of art in community and everyone who hears about and sees that experience grows because of that person's creation....so....YES, eating food beautifully prepared and presented is an expressive arts experience as well.

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A beautiful entrance to a winery...just had to stop while on the bike ride to take this shot...photography is a form of expressive arts!

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An amazing cluster of cabernet grapes...perhaps drinking wine is not an expressive arts...although, I am clearly open to hearing any argument supporting it....the photography of beauty such as this brings great benefit to one's psyche...If we could look at all the photos I took I wonder what it might teach me about all that I noticed on this trip...perhaps a gift there?
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And then, of course,  there is the benefit that comes from community while traveling....These are  my sisters.  I am on the left and my sister Cindy sits beside me and Tere on the far right.  BTW, it is important for you to know that Cindy isn't happy with this picture as it doesn't capture the depth of happiness that she felt at this moment in our travels nor does it reflect the joy that she felt in being together with us so pretend she looks that way!  In any event, here I am having a new experience at an amazing winery, steeped in community, immersed in beauty and generally, feeling as restored and balanced as I feel when my hands are in paint, clay or collage...My conclusion,  yes, travel is a form of expressive arts and I strongly advise you to go out into the world, open yourself up and experience the joy that comes from finding beauty, community and great food all over the world! 
 
 
I've been gone for a few weeks on a grand adventure to Scotland.  I've always wanted to go to Scotland because of the rich mythical tradition and the fascinating history.  The picture below was taken at the base of an amazing and beautiful waterfall near Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland. I felt absolutely peaceful as I sat beneath the water giant.  The sound of the rushing water filled my ears and brought tremendous joy.  You can see in the second picture the enormity of this waterfall...can you imagine?
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One of the things that I learned while in Scotland is how dedicated I am to the idea of self-determination.  I was thunderstruck by a repeated pattern seen in the history of countries  all over the world...the pattern went something like this:  One group (political, religious, ideological) does not approve of another's thinking so they come in to destroy and annihilate that viewpoint and people.  The new ideology lasts until another group gathering and garnishing power repeats these actions taking out another ideology...sound familiar?  It struck me...is it not possible for us to co-exist?  to value and appreciate that this is a place of multiple perspectives and ideologies?  I can think differently than you and still love you and be your friend.  Perhaps, I can learn from your thinking and conversely, you can learn from mine.  As I visited Wallace Monument and multiple castles and Church ruins, the stories were the same.  Have we learned?  Is it possible for people to agree to disagree and leave it at that?  Perhaps in some cases yes and in others no...I can think of lots of examples...but perhaps if we reached for more of coexistence, especially in our personal circles, we take a small step towards learning...I don't know...it's just what I'm thinking about after an amazing visit to Scotland.
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I've just returned from a week long family trip.  We love to pack up the tent and head to San Elijo SB for some relaxation and fun.  What always amazes me is how these weeks fulfill so many other needs.  I came to this trip particularly spent and exhausted.  With each day that passed I could feel the ocean carrying away the tension that I held.  On the first night I felt particularly keyed up and decided to sit and watch the sunset.  As the sun moved from its place in the sky to the horizon I imagined all that I held setting with it.  The glow that remained was filled with peace and mirrored the feeling I now held from simply connecting to nature and letting her work her magic!

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Later in the week,  I received a phone call from one of my sisters.  She was sharing with me some difficult situations she is facing.  I listened and shared my thoughts and my love with her.  I looked down at one point and there climbing up the fire pit was this friendly little caterpillar.  Now, I know that caterpillar is a particularly significant sign from nature.  Caterpillar is part of the totem of butterfly and signals the beginning of a transformation.  The good news is that the caterpillar always transforms into the beautiful and free butterfly.  For me,  this was a signal that while my sister may be entering a potentially challenging situation that all will be well and all will unfold beautifully. 

 

I am always amazed by the way nature always lets me know where I am.  It reminds me of what is true and guides me along the way.  This is why I LOVE to bring nature into as many expressive arts experiences as I can.  It is wise.  It is always right on and it always knows.