May Flower Challenge - Day 4

I'm fascinated with flowers. 

They are all over my tiny apartment. I photograph them all the time.

I draw, paint, doodle them, create them out of paper...I also see them all over NYC. 

Each day during May I will post flowers and I hope that you will join in.

The only rule is that your blog post or flickr photo that you link much contain flowers.

Click above on the May Flower Challenge Page to learn more.

 I hope that you will play along.

What inspires you?

You've probably guessed that real flowers inspire me.

But, I love to find inspiration in stores.

Anthropologie is one of my favorite.

(All of the pictures today were taken there.)

Love these measuring cups - they are shaped like flowers!

Where do you find inspiration?

Soul Whispers - Choices

It is my belief that messages from the universe speak to me and remind me of something that is inside of me. When I first see them, I often don't even know what is really being advertised. Instead, the message conjures emotions or thoughts relating to something that is going on within me; in my heart, in my mind, in my soul. I see them on billboards, in magazines, store windows, church plaques...everywhere.

I secretly call them soul whispers.

The messages are all around us

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Choices

As a child we are taught the difference between right and wrong.

But, I believe that right and wrong aren't the ONLY choices.

 I believe that making choices is sometimes 

simply choosing which adventure to go on.

One is not right and the other wrong

- the choice you make is what speaks 

to your heart at that very moment in time.

Also, I believe that making choices ALWAYS means that you 

hold the power to make choices all along the journey.

Never feel stuck because of a choice you made.

You hold the power to change where you are.

You hold the power to choose.

Just because you chose to turn left 

doesn't mean that you can't turn around

and go right.

So, today, I want to encourage you to make a choice

based on what speaks to your heart.

Remember, that you can simply

make another choice 

(based on what speaks to your heart) 

along the journey

to change the path.

There are no right or wrong choices.

You aren't being graded.

No judgement.

Most importantly, this isn't about

what "others" think

or would choose

or think you should do

or shouldn't do.

This is about what speaks to your heart.

Only you hold the power to hear this voice.

Only you.

Listen and feel,

pause for what

 tugs at your heart

and choose.

It will be okay.

Remember, it is a journey,

and adventure.

At any time you have the power

to make another choice.

Are you ready to begin?

Choose.

Soul Whispers - Keep Tomorrow Wide Open

It is my belief that messages from the universe speak to me and remind me of something that is inside of me. When I first see them, I often don't even know what is really being advertised. Instead, the message conjures emotions or thoughts relating to something that is going on within me; in my heart, in my mind, in my soul. I see them on billboards, in magazines, store windows, church plaques...everywhere.

I secretly call them soul whispers.

The messages are all around us

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Are you a planner?

I'd like to think I'm not but I would be lying. 

I prefer to know what is about to come but I am learning

to not expect and just experience.

Don't expect - just experience.

(This may become my new mantra.)

Being present in the now 

instead of being one step ahead of myself isn't easy,

but I'm working on it.

Messages from the Universe are found in many places.

This one, in a magazine.

KEEP TOMORROW WIDE OPEN.

I'm ready for whatever comes next.

My arms are open to embrace the next steps on my journey.

I am trying not to plan the next "what" 

but instead be willing and ready

to just experience it.

Are you keeping tomorrow wide open?

If so, feel free to share how you are doing it in the comments.

Love Notes Postcard Project...

I'm participating in Jennifer Beltoff's Love Notes Postcard Project during three weeks in December.

As she so beautifully put it in a post on her blog:

"The Love Notes Post Card project invites you pause, sink into the moment, and write words from the heart ~ on an actual piece of paper.  Words that will brighten someones day and spread sunshine to all those hands it passes through." - Jennifer Beltoff

Her prompts are beautifully written and inviting. 

During the first week I sent off a postcard with the message.

This past week the prompt was a series of words and we were encouraged to pick the words that spoke to us. I decided to use a tag, stamp a few flowers, and this week mail it in an envelope. (I also sent one off to Jennifer to say thank you.  I might as well spread the love, right!) 

Specific words spoke to me, they whispered to my soul, as rewrote them in my journal and then I played. I put tracing paper over the words and rewrote the ones that spoke to me. When I pulled the tracing paper away I was left with just the words that I needed.  

I continued to play, wrote and rewrote, chose to keep the words I found in order, added little words like with, and, in, and finally settled on what is below:

travel openly

with grace

create willingly

with heart

find celebrations

with laughter

be blissfully in love

with gratefulness

feel alive

with a sense of being

be a knowing teacher

with magic

grow and shine

from the shadows

I do hope that it brings a smile and warms the heart of my love note participant.

I think I will work on creating it larger with fun handwritten fonts.

Be sure and pop over to Jennifer's blog and sign up for her love notes newsletter (there is a button on the right hand sidebar) so that you can play along next time.

As always, thanks for visiting.

Reverb12 . . . taking it all in

Reverb12 has started over at I Saw You Dancing and I am loving it, though I am not sharing much. I have honestly just been taking it all in and thinking, meditating, and dreaming. In a way this is what it is all about. I saw this sign yesterday when I was out walking at lunch and it describes where I am right now.

My days are filled with day job craziness so when I can I take a few moments of silence - I savor them.

Reverb12 - Each day there is a new question that is meant to allow us to reflect on 2012, soul search, and dream about 2013. The prompts are inspiring new ideas and dreaming – pure yumminess in my book.

Day 1:  How are you starting?

Day 2:  Your most significant spend?

Day 3:  What do you really wish for?

Day 4:  How will you celebrate you?

Day 5:  What was your dream destination?

How are you starting?

Slowly…I know, I know, but I just came off of Blogtoberfest and Art Every Day Month so I’ll be honest with myself blogging every day during December just isn’t my reality. I’m okay with this, I accept it, and instead, I will be journaling, writing, and dreaming. Blogging will be done by clumping a few days together, like today.

Your most significant spend?

Online class - Hello Soul Hello Business. This class was filled with dreaming and how to information. Honestly, too much information for me. I have a more than full time day job and am working on balancing all my creative endeavors outside my 9-6+.  I am creating a plan and will unveil new fun things in 2013. HSHB helped me figure out my priorities and my limitations. I cannot do it all and need to be patient. Slow and forward is always better than stuck and I am moving forward just slowly.

What do you really wish for?

Oh, there are so many things…but I wish for all my days to be filled with creativity, inspiration, travel, and art activities.  

How will you celebrate you?

Purely is the first word that came to mind. I believe that we all need a little “me” time and that when you do this it should be done with pureness, you must be present in the moment, and you need to do it alone.  For me, this means with my camera in my hand. An artist date with my camera and NYC is on the schedule for this coming weekend.

What was your dream destination?

I have longed to go to Italy. The color palette of the country speaks to my soul, the food, the history… one day I know that I will get there.

If you want to read how reverb12 is going for the other’s who are participating this year hop over to I Saw You Dancing, read the comments, and jump to a few blogs.