Wisdom for the brave: by Marie-Chantale Turgeon

I think this work speaks for itself. Marie-Chantale Turgeon is amazing and inspiring.
Here are her links:

Portfolio

Blog

Twitter

Etsy shop

Have a gorgeous weekend, my friends!
(And if you are in Atlanta or close by, come see me at the Indie Craft Experience tomorrow!)

a sad story of abundance

Last night a dear friend of my husband's family passed away. She'd suffered a massive heart attack the morning before and wasn't going to recover.

I am shocked. This woman held a wedding shower for me in her home in June. She and her husband helped Ryan and I with our wedding on the beach just below their home. She was one of the most generous people I've known.

So, while I'm obviously sad and confused, I also find myself wondering about what we're supposed to learn when someone dies. I have so many questions. Where is she now? Is she watching the people that she left behind? Can they feel her if she is there?

Is death supposed to teach us that life is so precious, worries are petty, and that we are meant to enjoy it and love as much and as deep as we can?

Is it supposed to teach us that there is more to life than what is available to our eyes? The universe is unimaginably vast, so much that it's impossible to comprehend. Where did we come from? If we came into being through the universe, which has always been here and will always be here, then doesn't that mean our energy just changes when we die, and remains in the universe? Does that mean we're eternal? Does that mean we are still connected to those who have passed, even though we can't see them anymore? What is the universe and where did it come from?

Where did we learn to associate sad feelings with being bad or wrong? What if we saw sadness as just another temporary emotion, and really allowed ourselves to feel it, knowing it won't last forever, but will change, just as all emotions do? I think I tend to resist feeling sad-- or when I do feel sad I tell myself that I "shouldn't."

Perhaps the purpose of sadness is to point us toward appreciation of the moment. Appreciating being able to FEEL.

What do you believe? I'd love to know your thoughts on all this, and I appreciate you allowing me this space to question. (big hugs to all!)

{image by natka.org, from The Little Chimp Society website}

happiness: by gal shkedi

If I could jump into Israeli illustrator Gal Shkedi's head for a few minutes, I'd search around for the inspiration behind this illustration, with which I am truly in love. I love the idea and the sentiment, and it makes me think: maybe we all have our balloon man in the sky, showering us with happiness and goodness, and all we have to do is look up to see him? (Or her?)

{If you'd like to see more of Gal Shkedi's work, please click on over to his website, his flickr page, and his vimeo page. He's super talented!}

I hope you all have a glorious Wednesday!

The Happy Book

I recently received a copy of this book, and it's just darling!
A journal to celebrate what makes me happy? Yes, please!

One of my favorite parts of the book is the "Spontaneous Happiness Generator" pages, sprinkled throughout the book. They are snippets of things that make people happy, in their own handwriting, and each one made me smile.

A few samples:

"Tea parties with my granddaughter- a cup of sugar water, graham crackers, + a sweet little girl."

"Waking up every morning and looking at trees."

"Daily good morning text messages from my father."

The book is terrific, because it's basically a place where you can document what makes you happy-- lots of room to write things down, questions and prompts to spark your happiness and get you thinking in a positive and fun way, and to discover and celebrate the special things that make you happy!

The authors say "you'll create your own personal pick-me-up that you can flip through whenever you want."

You can pick up a copy right here-- I can think of a few people in my life who I'd like to gift with this book-- the holidays are coming! Is there anyone on your list who would love The Happy Book?

Resurrections: by SooZeQue

It's not very often that I see something and think "wow, I've never seen anything like that before." But that is exactly what happened when I opened up my email to find these photos sent to me by SooZeQue, the woman behind these gorgeous creations. What other people see as treash, SooZeQue sees as worthy of resurrecting into a beautiful treasure. She works with a plasma cutter to cut through the metal, and says "I don’t have a long list of schools I’ve attended and degrees I’ve earned. I just have a love of working with my hands and the need to create art, whatever that might be." Amen to that!

Have you ever seen a wheelbarrow or a shovel so beautiful and intricate? I sure haven't.
You can find more of SooZeQue's creations on her website and blog.

Thank you, SooZeQue, for sending these to me!!*

if you have one goal...

What if we gauged everything by the level of happiness it inspired us to feel? What if every morning our intention was to feel good? What if we asked ourselves in each situation "does this feel good to me?" And if the answer was no, then we'd have a choice to change our thoughts, our behavior, our life, for the better. To feel good!

If I listen to myself and only myself, instead of what is "supposed to" make me feel good, according to other people, isn't that the ultimate freedom? What works for ME, not based on what anyone else thinks?

Now that is something to practice, people!

{ps- I was part of the Design Your Life series on Jess Constable's blog Make Under My Life yesterday, and you can check it out right here if you're interested! There's a funny picture of me at the top.} :)

Have a terrific weekend!!

let go of what you think you know: by david plant

{by david plant, from advice to sink in slowly}

Oh man, what a life-changer this one can be.

This makes me think of letting go judgments. You know those times where you judge someone or something in a split second, and then your mind is made up and you've put that person/experience in a convenient box in your mind? Let go of that. Those things you believe are just TRUE, because that's what you've known and believed your whole life? Let go of that, too, because maybe it's an old belief that's not serving you anymore. Maybe letting go of what we think we know will just open our eyes a little bit to someone else's unique experience. Do you ever wish you could see the world through someone else's eyes and mind, even just for a minute or two? I do.

Maybe what you think is true and "the way that it is" isn't true for everybody. That's a doozy, too. You mean I'm not right? I just think what I think, and you think what you think, and it's all right and true, all at the same time? Whoa. Let it go and see what opens up for you...

{and a couple of links:}

*advice to sink in slowly website
*david plant's website