Summer Rain

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

  

We had a bit of rain here earlier this week.  I've grown accustomed to what's called "June Gloom" around the central coast (foggy mornings that usually burn off by noon), but rain in late June was a bit unexpected. I was bummed.  I bemoaned the lack of sunshine.  I shook an angry fist at the corpulent clouds overhead.  "Well, there goes my walk!" I complained. 

Then, I looked at my small son. He starred at me quizzically as if to say, "What's wrong, Mom?" He's not yet one year old, so I can only attempt to interpret his myriad expressions - we manage, however, to have surprisingly sophisticated conversations...

But looking at his big inquisitive eyes stopped me short. What lesson was he learning from me today? Giving up and getting upset easily, pouting when something doesn't go your way, is definitely NOT something I want to teach him.  And what's a little rain, anyway?  A bit of summer drizzle?  Why should that stop us from journeying out and exploring our little world? 

So off we went! Bundled up in hoodies, we strolled through puddles, listened to birds chirp high in the trees, looked for rainbows. I even managed to snap a few photos of rain-bejeweled flowers along the way. 

 

Making the most out of the day you're given - now THAT'S a far better way to live! I hope my son will grow to know that, rain or shine, we ultimately make our own good days.

 

Many smiles,

 

Today's Gratitude List:

• Neighborhood parks
• Cookies from a friend
• Long summer days

Breaking the Fast

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.” 
― A.A. Milne

 

I LOVE breakfast. 

I love cooking breakfast.  I love serving breakfast.  I love eating breakfast.

 

 

It is a meal I never, EVER skip.  A day without breakfast is no day at all to me. I wake up ravenous - ready to eat the world.  "Feed me breakfast, at once!" my stomach demands. Growl, grumble, gurgle, growl.



My husband is the opposite. He can't be bothered with food upon waking.  He doesn't even want to look at food until well after 10:00 a.m. - after he's had at least one large cup of coffee and read through his emails. Then, maybe, he'll consider breakfast.

 

Fun fact: The English word "breakfast" comes from the idea that an involuntary "fast"occurs during the hours we sleep and that the fast is "broken" upon eating the first meal of the day. I do so love breaking my fast!

 

I have a sneaking suspicion that eating a hearty breakfast not only helps me maintain energy throughout the day, but also helps me maintain a healthy weight. It sets the metabolic tone for the rest of my day.  And since this girl needs to stay away from unhealthy carbs (at least in the morning), here are links to two of my current favorite breakfast recipes:

 

Asparagus-Zucchini Frittata

 

and

Ham and Egg Breakfast Cups

 

 

I hope this morning finds you well.  Cheers!

 

 

Today's Gratitude List:

• Colorful pinwheels that entertain my son
• Sunshine!
• Fresh strawberries from the local produce stand

The Same Breath

 

I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart:  I am, I am, I am.  ~ Sylvia Plath

I am fortunate. On any given day I can throw open the windows of my home and inhale the richly aromatic scent of eucalyptus.  It is just one of the many benefits to living along the central California coast. I try not to take it for granted.

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

Each breath reminds me of the synergetic relationship we share with the world around us.  It is easy, in this technology driven, “first-world” fast and furious day and age to forget that we are a community of life.  Easy to forget that we share this planet with others, that we feed and flourish from and for each other. That we all breathe the same breath.

To the Raramuri people of the Northern Sierra Madre, Mexico, this concept is called Iwigara. According to Enrique Salmon, a Raramuri anthropologist, "Iwigara helps a person relate to all forms of life because of that central notion of breath, and so the rocks, the plants, the animals, the wind, the waters, everything is sharing the same breath with us, and so we are a constantly connected to everything around us."

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

 

We are all related.  Share breath with the waters. Fill your lungs with the winds. Inhale the beauty of each seedling, the wonder of each woodland creature. Exhale and know that you are a part of something larger, a world breathing harmoniously in the steady song of life.

 “Lullaby”

The earth is your mother,

she holds you.

The sky is your father,

he protects you.

Sleep,

sleep.

Rainbow is your sister,

she loves you.

The winds are your brothers,

they sing to you.

Sleep,

sleep.

We are together always

We are together always

There never was a time

when this

was not so.

Poem by Leslie Marmon Silko

Have a beautiful day,

Today I’m grateful for:

• My dad – Happy Father’s Day!

• My Hubby – Happy Father’s Day to you too!

• Hummingbirds visiting our new feeder

• Afternoon naps

Linking up with Little Red House for Mosaic Monday!

Hiatus

hi·a·tus  (n) A gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break.

(photo source)

A lot has happened here at the sunflower patch.

First, there was this:

(photo source)

Then this:

(photo source)

And then this!

(photo source)

 

All of which make for a VERY busy few months…okay, several months…er…21 months to be exact.

Yikes –that’s nearly two years! How can this BE? How can two years of my life have gone by so quickly? Wasn’t it just yesterday I was blogging away about painting pottery with my gal pals, strolling through antique stores, and shopping at the local farmer’s market? 

I suppose it shouldn’t come as such a surprise to me.  My life DID take an unexpected and miraculous turn of events.  The world turned upside down on me, and while I was more than happy (thrilled, even!) to go along for the ride, I had to really hold on tight and stay present to appreciate all that was happening.

Of course, now as my beautiful baby boy approaches his first birthday and I’ve got a much sturdier grasp on this whole “motherhood” business (ha!), I’m ready to claim a little corner of sanity for myself again.

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.  ~Norbet Platt

Equilibrium.

Balance.

Stability.

Calmness.

Peace of mind.

Like any good exercise regimen, I think it best to start again slowly. I need to stretch. I need to breathe. There are knots in the words between my shoulder blades. The tendons are taut between my mind and the keys. It may take some time. It may ache.

But it must be done.  The hiatus is over. Welcome back, Me. It's good to be home.

Sunflower smiles,