Flower Power: Glistening Gerbera

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"It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible."

–Samuel Johnson

Seeds of Inspiration: Mother's Day Gifts

My Mother's Day gift came a couple of days early and wrapped in tissue. The nose-blowing kind.

You see, my daughter Amanda awoke feeling less than rosy about her infected thumbnail which wasn't responding to peroxide and antibiotic cream. I didn't relish making her late for school, but I knew with the weekend upon us, it was time to act.

Throwing her lunch together and getting dressed in a mad minute, I scooted us out the door to beat the morning rush at the pediatrician's office.

We were seen by her doctor almost immediately, and the pressure-relieving incision he gave Amanda was mercifully quick if not painless. Hailing a cab also turned out to be a speedy endeavor, and somehow, even with an idle soda truck taking up half of Columbus Avenue, we arrived at school with a few minutes to spare.

Once Amanda headed down the hall with her class, I exhaled and spied the volunteer coordinator, who confirmed she still needed help with the book fair. I was sorry to give up a leisurely morning of clothes shopping I had planned for myself but also excited about being of service in a new way.

For the better part of the morning, I restocked and straightened books (a Type A bibliophile's dream come true) and rang up purchases for polite sixth graders with crumpled dollars and a hazy awareness of sales tax. At one point, the room was so packed, I could have sworn it was Christmas, and I was back at the record store I managed in college.

When I glanced at the clock, I was shocked to see it was already time to help supervise recess, where I got to be a maypole for Amanda and her friends and soak up some sunshine (try finding some of that in a windowless fitting room). Then it was cafeteria duty and the book fair for another 45 minutes, followed by a hot lunch at a favorite haunt down the block. Once home, I sank into a warm bath, did some work on the computer, and then headed back into the sunshine, refreshed and ready to meet Amanda at her bus stop.

We didn't go straight home as planned though. Instead, we opted for an impromptu play date by the river, where grown-ups and children alike feasted on juicy mango slices and cantaloupe chunks. Dinner, bath and a thumbnail soak could wait. This was life on life's rich terms, and I was intent on savoring every minute.

While the day didn't unfold as I'd planned or hoped, in many ways it was better than anything I'd envisioned, and I can say the same of my motherhood journey as well. When I think of all the life-altering lessons I've learned and the incomparable friends I've made through Amanda, my heart overflows with gratitude. I am also humbled by all that motherhood has asked of me and all that it has given to me in abundance. And it is in this state of gratitude and abundance that I send this gift, a loving- kindness blessing, to the mother in you:

May you have ample play and rest to balance your work in the home and beyond.

May you have the courage to ask for what you need and to imagine all that you desire.

May you have several loving and wise sources of support to sustain you and your family.

May your intuition and self-esteem be strong.

May you have many opportunities to create and serve in a way that makes your soul sing.

May you laugh out loud every day.

May you encounter beauty and harmony wherever you go.

May you be healthy and whole.

May your heart be glad and grateful.

May your home and community radiate peace and prosperity.

May you feel at one with your passion and purpose.

May you love yourself as generously as you love others.

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Growth Opportunities: Seeing Through Tourist Eyes

I recently took a family member around Manhattan and was delighted to discover a rose garden in Rock Center, complete with reflecting pools, foxgloves and wisteria.

I also learned that a B train could do a better job of getting me to Union Square than transferring from the A to the L. Once there, I realized that Washington Square Park was just a short walk away, and that it's way bigger and livelier than I remembered. And well worth another visit without "the excuse" of showing the sights to a tourist.

In other words, even though I've lived in or near the city for more than a decade, it still offers new pleasures and lessons for me. One of those lessons is to step back once in a while and look at my work, my home, and my whole life through a newcomer's eyes.

What ways can you approach familiar territory with a beginner's mind today?  

Cultivating my rosy outlook at Rock Center.

Yin balancing yang.

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Seeds of Inspiration: Raindrops on Tulips

I wasn't planning on pulling out my camera after I dropped my daughter off at school. I was just going to hit a store for a quick purchase and head home.

But then these darlings stopped me in my hurried tracks. With color more vibrant than any ink jet cartridge (the item on my shopping list), they said, "Come. Spend some time with us. These drops will soon evaporate, and soon enough we'll also be gone."

Not to get too existential on a Tuesday in April, but I'm just as temporary as the blossoms I've been photographing. Perhaps that's why I'm compelled to appreciate (and document) beauty whenever and wherever I see it. And in doing so, appreciate my own life that much more.

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Flower Power: Audible Pansies

"The temple bell stops
But I still hear the sound
Coming out of the flowers."
–Basho, Japanese Zen Poet

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Seeds of Inspiration: Spring Retreat

Can you feel the peace I'm transmitting from my spring break outpost on the Jersey Shore?

The main, if not only, thing on the agenda here is wandering tranquil streets, independently owned gift shops and a friend's treasure-filled bookshelves.

Oh, and squealing with delight at the site of The Twisted Tree Cafe with its cozy corners that invite me to write, read, and play with Inner Outings: Adventures in Journal Writing

If you scroll on, you can see my favorite card in the deck and a few other highlights from the iridescent town of Ocean Grove. And if you're on a creativity retreat yourself or need help planning one, please let me know!

Created by Charlene Geiss and Claudia Jessup

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Seeds of Inspiration: What Makes You Bloom?

Spring fling at the Hilton in the Fashion District.
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For me, it's obviously flowers. For you, it might be ladybugs, butterflies or golden retrievers. Whatever it is that plants you firmly in the moment, fills you with appreciation, and makes you happy to be alive, I hope you're making contact with it often, if not daily. And if you don't know what it is yet, what's keeping you from finding out?