The seventh new year

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Many people celebrate January 1^st as the start of the New Year. For me, I find that the beginning of September is a more organic time to renew and restart the yearly cycle. As a teacher, I continue to hold to the new beginnings we all experienced as children. New clothes, new office supplies, new friends and teachers…

Seven has been coming up as a magic number for me recently. So many things come in sevens—days of the week, wonders of the world, continents, oceans, the seven-year itch… And then there’s that idea that every seven years our bodies regenerate all their cells. (This seems to be only partially true, but it’s fair to say that our bodies of seven years previous are very different than the ones we inhabit today.)

I am entering the seventh year at my current school. A couple a weeks ago I started the yearly ritual of reorganizing and setting things up anew. I thought my big project was going to be to fix up my files, but suddenly my assistant and I were tearing apart cupboards and reorganizing supplies with an irresistible fervor. It was as if my room was begging for its cells to be regenerated.

My workspace is much more than a 9 to 5 location for me, and probably the same for most teachers. It’s not only our office, it’s our creative studio, research lab, theatrical stage, psychological couch…it’s a place for big ideas to be discovered, feelings to be revealed, and bonds to be strengthened. Magic happens there. That magic is our daily reward.

Spending time in the classroom over this three-day holiday weekend does not exactly feel like work, it falls more in the categories of personal renewal and setting intention for the year ahead. We true teachers dedicate our long hours because we care, because we know it makes a difference, and because it fulfills our need to be in the service of others.

Many friends have been setting their intentions in the Black Rock desert this week, and part of my heart joins them there. This year I am deeply grateful for the time to create a fresh space in which my little co-workers and I will learn and grow every day.

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I wish you all a bit of renewal in this transition between the seasons…

Happy New Year!

All in a word: Enjoy

My dear friend, Diane, at The Dew Drop Inn has a very special tradition. On New Year's Eve, she creates a magical bag full of important words written on small cards, words that come from the very depths of spirit and inspiration. She invites everyone and anyone to draw a word from the bag. The word is then yours to ponder, reflect, or just giggle at and toss aside.

I was thrilled to partake in this tradition again this year. I reached in and rummaged through the cards until my fingers found the small word meant for me. I read it, smiled, and let it ooze into my soul. I tucked it into my little black purse as we all headed out to a bacchanalian evening of dance, costumes, and art.

While on our California Coast trip two weeks ago, I reached into the very same bag only to pull out this...

 

How thrilled I was to find this word on August 3rd! (Or to have it find me again.) And the timing couldn't have been more synchronistic, seeing as I was on VACATION.

It gave me pause to think about all the ways I have lived up to my word so far during this grand year of 2011. Here is a list:

~ A terrifically delightful getaway at Carmel Valley Ranch, complete with moonlit tree swings

~ A luxurious stay at the Kirkwood Lodge for a weekend of snowboarding

~ Cozy dates on the couch with my sweet, streaming LOST (second time through for me)

~ Taking time to enjoy the beauties of the earth: An Andy Goldsworthy inspired unit with the first graders, hikes in the hills near my house, creating my backyard garden, morning walks with the pup

~ Cooking and baking (and eating!), often using fresh herbs from my windowsill

~ Renewing my meditation practice

~ Using my crazy ankle injury as an excuse to Slow Down, write a lot, and just plain rest

~ Experimenting with photography without harsh self-judgment

It's funny, but being tied to crutches for the past few months has really been one of the greatest gifts. I have slowed down in ways I don't think I would've just because I wanted to. I've said no to extra obligations that have been asked of me. I've taken naps when my body was tired. I've allowed myself to move through the world slowly, watching, enjoying each step of renewed strength.

Recently I heard someone describe the joy they got from smoking a morning cigarette. It wasn't the actual cancer stick they craved, it was the quiet moment on the back deck overlooking the garden with nothing but their thoughts and a bit of sunshine. How sad, I thought, that we don't allow ourselves this morning ritual without a reason. What if we insisted on a few moments to ourselves each day where we could stop, take notice, breathe...enjoy?

I'm as guilty as the next, getting caught up in the swirl of life. But having this word and these memories is encouraging me to keep that sacred time, especially now that the new school year is ready to ramp up at full speed. Morning Meditation is written in pen on my daily schedule, as well as permission to say no, and a reminder to take things slowly whenever needed. I give you all permission to do the same! 

What do you do to cultivate true Enjoyment in your life?

Magical souvenirs

I believe everyone benefits from a bit of magic in their lives. 

Magic can come in many different forms, though I've always had a tendency toward forests and fairies. No matter what I do, otherworldy beings find their way into my picture book writing. Also, anything small is completely entrancing to me. Along our trip down the coast last week, I took notice of the magical items that caught my attention. 

(please insert as many squeeeees as you like)

I could not suppress a squeal of delight when I saw this at The Garden Shed. The tagline reads:

'Create an enchanting garden that will open your eyes to the magic of the fairies. This unique mix of wildflowers, herbs, and low-growing plants grows into a miniature landscape to captivate children and adults, and provide a charming home for delightful garden sprites.'

After a breakfast treat of aebelskiver in the adorable Danish-inspired town of Solvang, CA...

I chose some jam to bring back with me.

The name makes me picture small creatures scurrying around to collect berries for their magical elixir.

Fruit of the Forest!

Also at the Garden Shed were these imagination-capturing little lands...

How sweet are these? There were many different styles including a log cabin and a zen pavilion. Look at the teeny tiny details...

I want to make one. My Guy told me perhaps when I retire...

It's so important to collect these magical souvenirs when we're out roaming the world. Even if we don't purchase them, they can stay with us in photos, sketchbooks, imagination... Getting away from my regular day-to-day inevitably brings me new ideas or reminders of things I've always loved. These are not-to-be-missed treasures! They enlighten our sense-of-self and spark our creative muses.

What captures your fancy? And how do you use it in your creative life?

{Outward and beyond}: Cambria

I want to give you a peek inside a magical little shop in Cambria, California called:

The Garden Shed

Can we start with the sweet packaging? I got a little thrill when the shopkeeper, Ashley, attached this mini-bouquet to the bag.

(Note: all photos taken with iPhone--please forgive the quality!)

This treasure trove contains abundantly adorable garden-inspired pleasures.
Let's take a look, shall we?

 Woah! This is actually the busiest corner of the store, which makes those little birds hanging from the tree all the more whimsical.

I adore this whale weather vane. But I adore most weather vanes.

Botanical prints are another high-on-the-list design favorite of mine. Check out the twig frame lining the textured fabric matte. Gorgeous.

Mosaic fairy mushroom. Complete with a metal stake to hold in place outside. Yes.

Can you resist antique keys? I can't. 
This lock must be for containing magical plant elixirs in the fairies' outdoor apothecary. Very strong fairies, I suppose.

Plenty of plants adorn the outside area ready for purchase. I ended up with a container of lemon thyme to augment the collection on my kitchen window sill. These plants above are called Alkanet 'Blue Angel" (anchusa capensis).

LOTS of succulents, like this echeveria, sat sprinkled with dew.

The name of this plant was much too long to remember but no less intriguing.


Of course, no shop of wonders is complete without its own furry salesperson. Meet Abner:

(and notice the sprinkling of mosaic that delights the entire property.)


Abner would really like you to come visit, too. He has just one request:

[the Garden Shed's website]

Relax and enjoy

We've made it to the final stop on our tour of the California coast--beautiful Cambria! More to come soon...but for now, this pic I snapped in Santa Cruz says it all.

Happy weekend, everybody!

Twenty-two days

Twenty-two days ago I decided to write a blog post every day until July 31st. And here we are! I made it! (Except for one busy Saturday. See below.)

It has been a real shift in habit for me, getting up and writing each morning. It's been absolutely dreamy. It feels important. I feel important. I feel more important if I've already taken a shower when I sit down at the computer. Much more official.

“There is something very right about simply letting yourself write. And the way to do that is to begin, to begin where you are.”

-Julia Cameron, The Right to Write

 {elloh}

I gave myself an assignment to formally note what I have learned/noticed/relearned over the course of the month. Here’s what found its way to my list…

~ Writing is magical.
~ Writing is hard.
~ You've got to show up every day.
~ Sometimes you have nothing to say.
~ Time off is also important. We need to fill the well, let things simmer. (Reason for the missing Saturday post.)
~ Some ideas take time.
~ Length does not equal profundity.
~ I'm really wordy.
~ I'm perfectionistic.
~ Being the caretaker of Six Giraffes fills me with elation.
~ It also feels like a big responsibility.
~ This belief often leads to fear.
~ Meeting like-minded strangers is exhilarating. So is turning them into new friends.
~ Knowing I’ve impacted someone's day gives me a tingly thrill.
~ I crave validation. Especially for my personal ideas.
~ I’m still finding my voice.
~ I love telling stories with visuals.
~ I want to create a realistic blogging schedule for the school year.
~ I love teaching people things.
~ I love musing on personal life journeys.

I am a writer.

I’ve been saying that for about eight years now, and it has been true all this time. I’ve gone through periods where I spend copious time in my notebooks, carrying around small journals to capture unusual moments throughout the day. And then I get "busy." Notebooks start to collect dust.

But now I am consistently writing, and that is all it takes to be a writer.

“I think the angels reward people who show up at their desk at 6:00 a.m.”

-Elizabeth Gilbert 

Last night I just had to draft out a snippet of an idea. It was as if I had suddenly stoked a previously invisible smoldering fire. Energy rushed through me and onto the page until I could no longer fight off sleep. This morning I felt a weight had lifted, as if that idea had been taking up internal, spiritual space. The bubble gum that had been holding the envelope tight was gone. Once I freed that character onto the page, I was able to speak about new things. Literally.

This fascinated me. Do I show less of myself when I don’t provide an outlet for the characters inside me? When I am really committed to my writing schedule, will I feel more space to express new ideas? I’m curious to see as well as curious to read what finds its way to my pages.

{artsyville}

Thanks to everyone who has spent some time here at Six Giraffes during these inaugural months. I love reading your comments, and your encouragement lands like a bouquet of bright daisies in my happy hands.

Next week I’ll be taking you on a road tour of the California coast. Stay tuned to see what magic awaits—hoping to have lots of special things to share!

A lesson via Coleridge

My mother is ambitiously sorting through all the STUFF in her house. I was informed that I needed to come over and go through various old boxes of mine to decide what I intended to keep. (She is graciously still storing some of them for me. Thanks, Ma!) In one of the boxes was a selection of old books that I had chosen from my grandparents' collection when we cleared out their house, years ago. To my surprise, I discovered an ancient artifact among the pile...

(The title on the spine, Coleridge's Poems, fell off just this morning...)

This leather-bound collection was awarded to my great-grandfather for his academic accomplishments at St. John's College in Toledo, Ohio in 1906! The cover feels silky soft, and the book smells like an old, antique library.

I was introduced to Coleridge and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in high school senior English. We did "Kubla Kahn" too, which always childishly made me think of Olivia Newton John's cult classic - "In Xanadu did Kubla Kahn..."

 

We read a lot of romantic poetry that year, and I was completely entranced by the fanciful odes to nature and the faery realm. I've found myself re-creating a relationship with poetry this week, and I felt the power of this volume not just in my hands, but deep in my soul. An affirmation, if you will. 

 

I'd love to be invited to this party...

Delicious! It makes we want to sit amongst the trees all day weaving words about mossy banks and stream-soaked pebbles. Am I allowed to do that? Well, I am on vacation. 

Isn't this the kind of question that plagues so many of us? If this is what I love, why am I not doing it all the time? That doesn't mean I have to quit the job that pays my bills (and fortunately also feeds my soul.) It is possible to keep our passions present using smaller chunks of time. I know a successful business man who travels abroad several times a month who is also a gifted portrait artist. He uses his time on the plane to sketch, and it's amazing how much he accomplishes.

I've heard this message before. Nothing new. It really comes down to choice. Art, while seemingly thriving in dreamy freedom, needs structure. It needs regular time set aside to perform, develop, grow. The question really becomes...when will I give my art the structure it deserves?