read: The Gifts of Imperfection and revisiting FLOW

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown was such a perfectly timed gift by my friend Linda (Thank you, Linda). She handed it to me at my door on her way to work one morning, the day after I got back from my trip back east this winter break. Linda had bought two copies, one for herself and one for her daughter. Her daughter didn't want it, but Linda new it was worth sharing and that's how it came to me. I know it's worth sharing too, and hope you pick yourself up a copy very soon.

To be honest, my first couple hours spent with this book made me feel pretty vulnerable. I put it down and didn't pick it up again for a week. I'm so glad I persevered, because I've had at least one incident that called for the skills I read about in The Gifts of Imperfection. And by skills, I really just mean I made a decision to step into the difficult moment with compassion for myself and others. This is not an easy task in our culture.

I've watched Brené Brown's Ted talks on vulnerability and shame and I really enjoyed them. Each talk is just about twenty minutes and worth your time, I promise. The subject matter may sound less than appealing, but trust me, it's worth a little discomfort. She unpacks the tools you will need for living a wholehearted life. She does so with humor and beautifully defined everyday emotions and experiences that we, as a culture do our best to ignore. Tools you need to live a wholehearted life? Courage, Compassion and Connection. It's a short 126 pages and they are filled with nutritious food for thought.

Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection reminds me a bit of the book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The Gifts of Imperfection, and how she got to her understanding of these gifts was through a spiritual awakening, or breakdown - however you want to spin it, it was a mind blowing event that changed her understanding of her research and herself. Csikszentmihalyi's Flow goes at it by examining a person's state of consciousness. We take a look at his subjects and theories from a slightly more distant perspective. I wouldn't say it's instructional, but by peeking into the lives of people who experience flow in their days, we learn how changing one's perspective on failure, for instance can change your understanding of who you are. And, incidentally, the less attached you are to your ego the more able to connect with flow you shall be. Not that I remember him mentioning ego in his book, it was more about how his subjects had a certain lack of self consciousness about them. And how they were able to look at failure as part of learning rather than labeling themselves as failures (another thing that Brown and Csikszentmihalyi have in common). Flow is one of those books that altered my consciousness and the way I approach my days. I will be ever grateful for that. It is a book worth reading again and again, methinks. If you haven't read these books, you should. Let me know what you think!

Don't have time to read the book, but want to know more? Spend a little time with TED:
Brené Brown's Ted Talks
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Ted Talk

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

places: soquel cemetary

There is a certain quiet, lonely beauty to a cemetery. I cannot wander the grounds where the past is buried without contemplating the present and future. This walk through the unkempt grounds of our local cemetery did feel so quiet and lonely - like the new distance I felt from home - even when we were there. I was left a little raw from this walk through the centuries, through past and present wars, through lost children and wives and husbands. But I also left with a little more conviction to dig myself and family deeper roots where we find ourselves. Because it's the connections to people that I believe make meaningful a life. The people we touch and who touch us, and the good deeds we do and the love we share. So, if I haven't told you lately, please know you are often on my mind and always in my heart and I am so grateful to know you.

read: Unbroken

Laura Hillenbrand's book Unbroken had me up nights until I was able to finish it. It's a story about Louis Zamperini, a 1936 Olympic runner, bombardier, prisoner and wholehearted individual who overcame the darkest horrors of war. The story of Zamperini begins in his troubled youth and follows him through the start of WWII and his duties as a  bombardier in the war, but the bulk of this book is about his internment in Japanese POW camps, and the spirit of the man who survived. I was indeed spellbound by the story, I hope you take the time to dive into this Unbroken all the way through to the end. You'll need some emotional fortitude to get through the tough parts, but it does turn out positively.

In the author's words: "That first conversation with Louie was a pivot point in my life. Fascinated by his experiences, and the mystery of how a man could overcome so much, I began a seven-year journey through his story. I found it in diaries, letters and unpublished memoirs; in the memories of his family and friends, fellow Olympians, former American airmen and Japanese veterans; in forgotten papers in archives as far-flung as Oslo and Canberra. Along the way, there were staggering surprises, and Louie’s unlikely, inspiring story came alive for me. It is a tale of daring, defiance, persistence, ingenuity, and the ferocious will of a man who refused to be broken."

2014 School Auction Project: Phase 1

This project has been brewing since the September. I spent some time pondering the dream catcher concept. And, as lovely an image as it is, I realized a three dimensional dream catcher wasn't that appealing to me. The process may have been interesting, but when I thought of the product at the end I was less stoked than I like to be going into this project. I still love the image of dream catchers and the idea behind them, the feeling they evoke when looking at them or talking about them. I decided it's a solid idea. They are related to the curriculum the class has already covered this fall. Conclusion? A print project. Final piece is a matted and framed print piece of a dream catcher. And a hand bound book with the children's poetry and illustrations/stamp designs. The students are between 7 and 10 years old, there are only 13 of them. We broke into working groups of 4 at a time. Even the kids who I thought would have a hard time carving created beautiful stamps that they are proud of and that stamp quite beautifully. 

Plan:
Each child will write a poem.
Each child will design and carve a rubber stamp feather plus other images if they wish, using carving tools and rubber blocks.
Each child will illustrate a page to go along with his/her poem which will be part of the book.
I will use all the stamps the kids have carved to make the dream catcher print. The net in the center of the dream catcher will be a mandala of the children's stamps and each child's feather will "hang" from the net.

Materials:
Lots of rubber blanks
Carving tools
Ink pads, assorted colors
Heavy duty cotton paper, vellum
Bookbinding materials.
Frame for the final large print.
 
Possibilities:
There may be water colors involved.
We may make more than one...
The stamps will make it possible to make more and different works, such as cards, stamped clay pieces, printed fabric

The beautiful thing about these collaborative projects with the kids is they evolve as we go along. I have to be able to go with the flow of things. It wouldn't work if I clung too tightly to an image or idea. That would be frustrating and not at all fun for any of us. This is about the joy of creating and spontaneity and community.


Resources:

I recommend you support your local art supply store, but if you don't have a local place to purchase, go to Amazon.com or dickblick.com (DickBlick will give discounts to teachers and schools). I find that my local store is competitively priced and willingly gives discounts for school projects or even donates to local schools - don't hesitate to ask!

Making an Impression: Designing and Creating Artful Rubber Stamps by Geninne Zlatkis
Making Handmade Books by Alisa Golden
Speedball Speedy Cut Carving Blocks
Speedball Linoleum Cutter assortment
ColorBox acid free ink pads, as many colors as you need.
There's also the matter of framing it, which could be quite expensive, but I'm going to troll my local thrift stores for a lovely frame and figure it out from there.

farewell sweet kylie

Kylie and Max last year.

Kitty and Kylie January 25, 2014, the day before she died. She couldn't move on her own, so Kitty kept her company.

Our sweetest, favoritest chicken, Kylie died this week. We will miss her sweet little voice and her gentle manner. Never afraid to visit us where ever we were, in the yard or in the house. She was with us for five years from the time she was just a day old. 

Farewell.

:: grateful ::

I'm grateful for:

today.

so many good books to read!

good friends to celebrate and celebrate with.

creating something each day.

my family, near and far.

an open mind.

an open heart.

constructive criticism.

torches a plenty!

What are you grateful for today?

{this moment}

an occasional friday post by me...inspired by a soulemama's friday ritual.

The Smallest Measure of Time

Paramanu: the smallest measure of time. It's a lovely word, a lovely concept. I remember the first time I heard it. It made me smile from the inside. The two most important things I learned in meditation class (where I first heard the word) were to set aside my ego in order to better understand reality and how each paramanu is an opportunity to change your mind, your actions, your understanding. Each paramanu is a gift if you choose to notice the tiny yet expansive moment and to see that reality has many sides to it. That each soul can experience the same moment and understand something wholly different than the soul beside it observing the same thing.

2014 looks like a good year for growing. One paramanu at a time.

read: Bootstrapper

Bootstrapper: From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm by Mardi Jo Link. Oh my, did I ever enjoy this book. In fact I don't think I put it down for a whole day unless I had to tend to the offspring. This is a memoir written by an absolutely stalwart and hysterically funny woman. Mardi Jo Link is not just funny and tough, though. Her writing is lyrical and I felt like I was along for the ride through much of the retelling of her experiences. Throughout the book she is searching for her spiritual self while she digs out of financial trouble and heroically holds her family together. At the end of the book I was so disappointed it was over, I wanted to spend more time in the trenches with Mardi Jo.