WRITING OUT LOUD // Life with gramps.

day after day

letting time go by

a new routine

a transition phase

not in a rush

following through

life has changed

life is change

day after day

I'm learning to enjoy this 'down-time', this time of no official employment, this time of being available to help those around me, including my grandpa. For the last 8 months I've been living with and caring for my grandpa as he's recovered from a car accident and hip surgery. It's been a new experience, and I always seem to have something going on. And I always have an excuse to not put much effort into creating a new job proposal and developing some new Art Therapy contracts... It's one of the things that requires a little more balancing in my life. Something that will continue to change. It's important not to get caught up in trying to figure out the big picture but to take one day at a time. 

CELEBRATING LIFE

March is a month full of birthdays, including this little munchkin's and my own. Every time I see her she gets all excited and gives me a big hug--nothing uplifts the soul more than the love of a child. 

Where does all this childhood wonder and joy go? Why is it so hard to love so freely and openly, to be our authentic selves? Without concern for how others view us?   

"Our original shimmering self gets buried so deep we hardly live out of it at all... rather, we learn to live out of all the other selves which we are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world's weather."  

~ FREDERICK BUECHNER ~

I think March is a great month to have a birthday (I'm not biased at all...). It coincides nicely with spring and new growth, where the earth gets a fresh start of sorts. A time where we welcome the change (which is certainly the case this year -- it's been a long enough winter). Let's use this metaphor of spring to inspire us to take off some of those layers, to enjoy the sunshine and warmth that is arriving!

Here's a link to a song about seasons that I have enjoyed for many years. Especially the spring part :)

IT'S COMING...

A year and a half has gone by since I've posted anything here... but I'm feeling ready to continue this journey. I think. 

I'm currently living 'up north' -- a place where it is rather cold, but you get used to it -- something that surprised me. It's been a long winter, and things started to warm up earlier this week, which means we actually had some snowfall on Monday. Because having a cold Canadian winter doesn't necessarily mean it's storming all the time, I can still appreciate the big fluffy snowflakes when it's almost the middle of March... 

That being said, I'm about ready for the signs of spring to come along. I hear the birds getting excited, and we see the snow that comes with milder temperatures and the ice that forms as the snow melts then freezes again. I'm just waiting to start seeing new growth spring out of these barren branches, filling out their organic forms with delicate leaves. Everything smells so good! I'm thankful we know that spring will always come...

THE WORLD AT NIGHT

I often think that the night is more alive 

and more richly colored than the day.
~ VINCENT VAN GOGH ~

I'm not sure that I see Vincent's 'more richly coloured' perspective of night, but it definitely feels like a new world as you see things in a different light - or more correctly, in the absence of daylight. Editing night photos can be difficult, especially when you're determining the best way to depict the white balance and how the colours are represented. It's a whole new ballgame, but one I find challenging and am inspired to keep on exploring. 

A SENSE OF LIFE

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, 

and to have my senses put in order.

~ JOHN BURROUGHS ~

Though I went and explored our bush with the intent of scoping out potential engagement photo locations, I found places that were simply soothing to see, smell, touch, and listen to. Walking around alone (besides the sporadic & curious presence of our dog) it was relaxing to find spots like this one, where I was surrounded by massive ferns, which felt like a little shelter beneath the tall trees. This is a place I want to return to, to spend more time simply sitting and being a part of the world where you can hear the trees whispering to each other, and experience life all around you.

NOT SO UGLY

To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature.

~ AUGUSTE RODIN ~

I'm a country girl to the core, enjoying my space and being surrounded by more nature than not. So living in a city is sometimes a bit tiring. Taking a walk through the streets and along the bayfront on a sunny day helps me to find things that aren't so ugly. They may not be nature itself, but are perhaps inspired by nature.

JOY

Joy does not simply happen to us. 
We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. 

~ HENRI NOUWEN ~

Seeing the smile on a kid's face helps me to choose joy - so living with a toddler in the house is a continual reminder of this. May you experience a little joy today seeing the glimmer of mischief and pure pleasure in these beautiful faces.