you dance inside my chest

“In your light I learn how to love.

In your beauty, how to make poems.

You dance inside my chest,

where no one sees you.”

- RUMI

I want to know what you ache for...

one of my favorite poems by Oriah Mountain Dreamer:

"It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments."

© Oriah Mountain Dreamer from the book "The Invitation"

a reminder to be true to myself, to my dreams, to my art...

adventurous

"I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I'm not afraid to look behind them."
- Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

centered & balanced

I was organizing a bookshelf and stopped to view some photos from years ago. I was younger - and thinner, but I feel more beautiful today. I know who I am, where I stand and where I am headed. I am centered and balanced.

how old do you feel today?

"I'm not interested in age.
People who tell me their age are silly.
You're as old as you feel."

- Elizabeth Arden (1884 - 1966)

I believe we are all AGE-LESS.

At times I feel I am two thousand years old...wise and eternal, connected with both heaven and earth.

Other times, I feel I am a girl of four or five, wishing upon a star and skipping my way through life with laughter and careless joy.

How old do you feel today?

wish upon the NEW MOON tonight

"The soul, like the moon,
is new, and always new again."
- Lalla (14th century)

four blessings: old age, beauty, happiness & strength

"Just as the soft rains fill the streams,
pour into the rivers, and join together in the oceans,
so may the power of every moment of your goodness
flow forth to awaken and heal all beings--
those here now, those gone before, those yet to come.

By the power of every moment of your goodness,
may your heart's wishes be soon fulfilled
as completely shining as the bright full moon,
as magically as by a wish-fulfilling gem.

By the power of every moment of your goodness,
may all dangers be averted and all disease be gone.
May no obstacle come across your way.
May you enjoy fulfillment and long life.

For all in whose heart dwells respect,
who follow the wisdom and compassion, of the Way,
may your life prosper in the four blessings
of old age, beauty, happiness and strength."

- Traditional Buddhist Blessing & Healing Chant

con tu nombre amor mío

Si me quitaran totalmente todo
si, por ejemplo, me quitaran el saludo
de los pájaros, o los buenos días
del sol sobre la tierra,
me quedaría
aún una palabra.
Aún me quedaría una palabra
donde apoyar la voz.
Si me quitaran las palabras,
o la lengua,
hablaría con el corazón
en la mano,
o con las manos en el corazón.
Si me quitaran una pierna
bailaría en un pie.
Si me quitaran un ojo
lloraría en un ojo.
Si me quitaran un brazo
me quedaría el otro,
para saludar a mis hermanos,
para sembrar los surcos de la tierra,
para escribir todas las playas del mundo, con tu nombre, amor mío.

- Alejandro Romualdo (1926-2008)

moving to Susana Baca's sung version

siempre nos encontramos en mis sueños

mi bello Papa-Coco de ojos azules...

Papa-Coco quien me contaba cuentos

- historias reales

- leyendas maravillosas

- con guitarra y voz dulce

Papa-Coco siento su mirada en cielos celestes,

Papa-Coco escucho sus consejos con amor,

ya que siempre nos encontramos en mis sueños...

remembering my beloved grandfather on his birthday

feel the artistry

"Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent." - RUMI

art of living

She wears butterflies in her hair and sings old love songs never forgotten. She sports a vintage pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars and tries not to use a cane when walking. When I hug her, she smells of fresh roses and baby powder. Once upon a time, she loved to cook and occasionally shares secret recipes. She is one of the greatest artists I have ever met, teaching me about the Art of Living.

originally published in November 2007

old love letters

"Make each day a magnificent adventure.  Accept the challenges that come your way.  Seize each opportunity that you find, without concern for what others might say.  Experience each day with open arms, savoring both victory and strife, welcoming the good and bad together, for only then will you know the joy of life." - Anonymous

found amongst old letters this morning

patience passion persistence

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
- Harriet Tubman (approximately 1818–1913)

contemplating patience, passion and persistence...

a day of play

We built a couple of colorful towers.  We gathered two monkeys, two dogs, at least three lions, a leopard, a cardinal, a snake and a sleepy giraffe.  Guests of all sizes and shapes arrived in planes, helicopters, boats and trains.  French music played in the background as we danced, giggled and blew bubbles...

a lovely Sunday with my 4-year-old

in love with life

forgiveness keeps us young, forgiveness keeps us light, forgiveness keeps us in love with life

who do we need to forgive?
who needs to forgive us?

"The act of forgiveness is the act of returning to present time. And that's why when one has become a forgiving person, and has managed to let go of the past, what they've really done is they've shifted their relationship with time. Forgive and call back the energy wasted on past events."
- Carolyn Myss

trusting the process of life

“Affirm to yourself as you sort through your things, “It’s safe to let go.” Clearing clutter is about letting go and trusting the process of life to bring you what you need when you need it. Anything you are keeping “just in case,” you are keeping through fear.”
-- Karen Kingston

warrior queen gypsy woman

soy guerrera de otros siglos,

soy reina desde antes,

soy gitana bailando,

soy esa que grita su verdad en silencio,

soy mujer

what inspires you?

from my studio...
 

antique books with golden pages,

blank textured cards - thirsty for words,

transparent buttons and crystal clusters,

a corset to be worn with white leather gloves,

colorless miniature buildings,

framed porcelain seeds waiting to bloom,

a fallen tree birthed into something new,

an empty box ready to hold memories,

bleached banana leaves and a single brave feather,

tiny fingerprint pebbles,

an ivory talisman that rested upon her heart,

a sculpture that whispers - WOMAN, you have WINGS, now FLY...

from my journals

earth and stars

Be humble for you are made of earth.
Be noble for you are made of stars.
- SERBIAN PROVERB

the air that inhabits you

"I would like to watch you sleeping,
which may not happen.
I would like to watch you,
sleeping...

I would like to be the air
that inhabits you for a moment
only.  I would like to be that unnoticed
and that necessary."
-Margaret Atwood