Be Still

by leigh

Be still…two seemingly simple words.  They can be easy to understand, but difficult to actually put into practice.  I hardly ever shoot still lifes.  I see Kelly's beautifully composed ones and wonder how does she do that!  I can see the thought and careful consideration she puts into the still life before she even picks up her camera.  I can see that not only does she shoot still lifes, but she understands what it means to be still.  In times of stillness comes inspiration.  I tend to think as I shoot.  It becomes a very organic process for me as I feel myself guided as I am out with my camera.  Guided by who? what?  my thoughts maybe…perhaps led by god…my inner soul?  Whatever it may be it's a form of meditation for me.

I may not be a seasoned still life photographer, but I do practice being still in my daily life.  Through meditation I am able to be fully present and quiet my mind.  Some days I meditate early in the morning after exercising and before the rest of the house wakes up. Other days I listen to a guided meditation before bed, but lately I've been using my 15-20 minutes in carpool line for my stillness time.  I'm currently doing Oprah and Deepak Chopra's 21 Day Meditation Experience.   Everyday I receive an email that talks about the focus for the days meditation.  Today was Making Lightness the New You.  I'm given a centering thought and then I listen as Oprah gives her thoughts on the day's focus and then Deepak leads the meditation.  He gives a sanskirt mantra to use during meditation. The wonderful thing about mantras is that you say them silently over and over to yourself during the meditation which helps to stop your mind from wandering which is usually the most difficult part of meditation.  The best advice I was ever given was not to turn off my thoughts, but to turn down the volume.  If  a thought keeps popping up just acknowledge it and then focus back on my breath or mantra.

There are many different ways to meditate.  Some people insist on sitting cross legged on the floor while chanting.  That just doesn't do it for me.  Sometimes I meditate sitting down and other times I'm in bed right before I go to sleep.  And sometimes my meditation is a walk outside and other times a walk with my camera in hand. You find what's comfortable for you.  If you would like to learn more about meditation, this is a great website  We live in a world where it is difficult to be still.  We worry about wasting time and if we can't get our to do list checked off then we certainly don't have time to sit around and chant.  One of my favorite quotes about meditation is this…  I hope it inspires you to find some moments of stillness in your life.

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day — unless you’re too busy.  Then you should sit for an hour.” -Zen proverb

It's not that easy

by Kim

. . . being green. 

- Kermit

"Kermit"

My inspiration for today . . . Sesame Street, and my dear friend Kermit the frog.

Kermit says it's not that easy being green. That it's not easy having to spend everyday the color of the leaves. He thinks it would be nicer being red, or yellow or gold, or something much more colorful like that.

He feels like it's not easy being green because you blend in with so many other ordinary things and that people pass you by when you don't stand out like sparkly diamonds dancing on water.

But he doesn't know how cool he is . . . being green and all.

Because green IS the color of Spring, and hope and of things to come.

And one of my very favorite things about spring is the new green growth, the renewal, and re-birth of all things that have laid dormant over the winter months.

Green is the color of balance and harmony, and is all about vitality and restoration of our senses.

There is something very tender and spiritual for me about spending time in nature, where there is truth to be found, a vulnerability to be experienced.

Living in and among nature is what gives me the strength to cope with the adversities of this life and it's what has gotten me through some really difficult times. And there are so many lessons about life to observe and learn when we take the time. Nature has so much to teach us, but we must be willing to look beneath the surface. To pay attention, to engage.

"Love Abounds in All things Green"

What I want Kermit to know, is that green is anything but ordinary. It's the color of cucumbers, apples and broccoli. The color of leaping lizards and lily pads, and of the beautiful monarch chrysalis. The color of ferns and evergreen trees, of cactus, parrots, and praying mantis.

Green is the color of sustainability and of our future. It is the color of nurturing and of life. It's the color of chlorophyll, the pigment rich in enzymes and antioxidants and critical in photosynthesis. Green IS energy.

Green is the foundation of the forest, and it IS the color of nature. All we need to do is open our front door.

Green IS, extraordinary!

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves

of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something

infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance

that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."

-  Rachel Carson

Wishing you all a green kind of day,

Love, Kim

When I'm Quiet..

by Judy

I've noticed that when I allow myself to quiet my mind, I don't focus on my "to do list", or that shiny new camera/car/ or latest gadget that I want.

Instead, with a quiet mind, I naturally focus on the more important things in life, which makes me realize how really wonderful my life is.  With each breath, my heart fills with gratitude.

When I'm quiet, I think of how grateful I am for...

my loving husband, always supportive, and my two sons who fill my heart to over-flowing each day...

my job, and the opportunities it brings me...

my friends, who encourage and inspire me....

how privileged I am to be healthy and strong....

new days with fresh starts, because God knows there are many days I need a fresh start...

my love of reading, which expands my world and allows my mind to grow...

this country that I live in, where anything is possible...

my strong empathy toward others, which enables me to be a kinder and gentler person...

my childhood memories....

and the fact that those things that 'didn't kill me" really did make me stronger.

and then, of course, all of the "little things" that just make life so darn good, like...

the smell of fresh brewed coffee, the way the light shines in my bedroom in the morning, my dog greeting me at the door with a wagging tail, flannel sheets in the winter, iced tea in the summer, and a phone call or text from a friend, just when I needed it the most.

Put down your cell phone.  Turn off the T.V.  Just sit with yourself for awhile. Quiet your mind, and the gratitude will flow...

The art of getting lost . . .

by Kim

"There is an art to wandering. If I have a destination, a plan-an objective-I've

lost the ability to find serendipity. I've become too focused, too single-minded.

I am on a quest, not a ramble. I search for the Holy Grail of particularity, and

miss the chalice freely offered, filled full to overflowing."

- Cathy Johnson

For me, there is nothing more satisfying than to stumble across or into something enchanting, that was unplanned. With . . . or without my camera.

No expectations, no disappointments.

To be in the right place at just the right time, via the universe.

Sometimes it's being lost in a place, sometimes it's being lost in a moment.

Instead of searching, receiving.

And sometimes, it's just allowing myself to be in the stillness of a space with out a plan, and that absolute feeling of delight when something or someone unexpectedly crosses it.

Because it seems Murphy's law says, the more we chase things, the less likely we are to find them.
Because in the chase, often times the very things we are looking for, cross the very path where we were too impatient to wait. (Even if we were unsure of what it was we were waiting for)

( Our own Kelly, lost in a moment at sunset in Galveston before she thought she was in my way - are you kidding - for me it was total serendipity!)

If nothing ever changed...

Kim

"The butterflies attractiveness derives not only from colors and

symmetry; deeper motives contribute to it. We would not think

them so beautiful if they did not fly, or if they flew straight and

briskly like bees, or if they stung, or above all if they did not enact

the perturbing mystery of metamorphosis: the latter assumes in our

eyes the value of a decoded message, a symbol, a sign.

-Primo Levi

From my front porch there have been lessons in nature . . . about the circle of life.

about sorrow,

and about happiness.

and about how if we are to have room to really grow in this life,

to become more aware,

and to be more compassionate,

and to find the meaning of true joy,

then we can't fight change.

Because . . . 

This particular butterfly had some technical difficulties. He was supposed to be inside of that silk thread harness like a sling, not hanging (second image.) His ability to adapt to this change may have meant the difference between becoming a butterfly or not. I often wonder what change I've fought too hard that has prevented me from moving in the right direction.

Thankfully I have been able to decode a few of those messages from my front porch (only a million more to go.)  And my heart is full of gratitude for the nearly 1000 caterpillars that have come in to my garden and left as butterflies, as they have been a great source of healing through some difficult times. 

And it's kinda funny, 'cause that circle of life, when we don't fight change, becomes a give and take. A receiving and a giving away of all that is good even in adversity.

Yes, change is so hard because it takes me out of my comfort zone and into uncharted territory. But, from my garden change is not only growth, I get to witness evidence of life.

#tryingtoembracechange

'be still'

by Susan

'the quieter you become, the more you can hear.'  ~  ram dass

A simple, quiet message to focus on… today.

~ xo's