Connection & Support

Connection:  1. To hold in position so as to keep from falling, sinking, or slipping; 2. the act or state of connecting; united;  3. something that connects, joins, or relates; link or bond;  4. a relationship or association;  5. logical sequence in thought or expression; coherence


Support: 1. to carry the weight of; 2. to bear or withstand (pressure, weight, etc.);  3. to provide the necessities of life for a person; 4.  to establish a theory by providing new facts; to substantiate

5.  to give aid or courage to; 6. to give approval to; 8. to give strength to.

I love this image -  a flower, clearly linked and connected to something(s), ready to remind her of her place in the world.  That we exist inside something very beautiful, even when we forget. This photo is a metaphor, a reminder for me that someone is always ready to stand near, ready to help, ready to ensure that we don't sink, or slip or fall.  Today, I am grateful for this reminder and reality. I'm listening to a song by Alexi Murdoch right now - another beautiful message of connection and support - enjoy. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfJAh6hrCzw&feature=related

Center

Center: 1. A point or place that is equally distant from the sides or outer boundaries of something; the middle:  2. A point equidistant from all points on the circumference of a circle or on the surface of a sphere; 3. A point around which something rotates or revolves:  4. A part of an object that is surrounded by the rest; a core: 5. a. A place where a particular activity or service is concentrated:  b. A point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions.  6.  To place in or at the center; To direct toward a center or central point; concentrate or focus

My attention goes directly to the center of this flower -- the beauty of the orange and the intricacies and textures of the center. 

I have certainly used this word before in my blog -- Center -- I am on the front end of a 9 day vacation, and want to make some good choices about how I spend this glorious time away from work.  I don't want to waste a minute of such freedom. I want to return to my center, my balance. I do have some work to do, and I want to schedule and commit to my health/exercise life while I have such a beautifully open calendar.  It should certainly be easier to make space for this while on vacation, right?  With hopes to soak up this week in all good ways, I will hold this image, this flower in my mind's eye, and let its bright, clear center be my guide. I'll let the definition "A point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions." be my guide and my reminder that I can act and choose in ways that will create the perfect vacation week.  Onward.  

Floating Above

Floating (floating above)   1. a. To remain suspended within or on the surface of a fluid without sinking.  b. To be suspended in or move through space as if supported by a liquid.  2. To move from place to place, especially at random.  3. To move easily or lightly.

Again, through the simple tools of Iphoto, I was able to make this flower look like it is floating or suspended in mid-air, against the black backdrop.  Easy.  All the other extraneous business fades into the back background, and the all important beauty of the flower remains front and center. 

I wish there was a simple tool I could employ in my life, to float above..... to float above the extraneous, above the bull shit (that others, and I create), the ridiculous concerns conjured up in my mind.  I want to  keep the important things in life - the beauty - at the forefront, suspended against the dark background of the rest. 

Somehow, it is not as easy as it is in Iphoto.  But, of course, there are tools at my disposal, if I could only remember to use them.  Loving kindness, mantras, my breath, music, poetry, writing in a journal, making a mandala -- focussing on the magic of color, paying attention to the metaphors called up in this life's journey.  This week, there is much to rise above. Every day, there many things of beauty that I could appreciate, attend to, create.  Onward.

Clarity

I think it's time to return to the mandala-a-day project.  It's been a while since I've sat long enough in my creativity to really settle my insides.  I've been marching along with a focus on my work-mind/life, while trying to hold my emotions at a relative distance (except for those times when I simply can't, and the flood gates open full force).  

I like this photo, altered with simple tools in I-photo.  I see the intensity of yellow against the stark pitch of black, and the other colors determined to find a tiny space to shine though.  It is just like my emotions in these last few months -- no matter how hard I try to press them into the background, they always find their way forth, sometimes in small ways, and often with an intensity that forces me to stop, to accept.  When I allow this process to simply be and when I stop fighting myself, some sort of beauty and clarity emerge.  Onward.