7.30.2009

dreadies and love.

if you know me, or have been visiting this little space for a while now...perhaps you remember reading this post from over a year ago. in it i made the declaration that i was FINALLY going to start dreads after years of pining over and coveting them from others. well... as you can see, i don't have dreads in my hair. after or during the time when that post was created, i did a lot of researching and looking and thinking. i had loads of conversations with people. some very, beautiful, inspiring on-line women with dreads (like this one...and this one) shared e-mails of encouragement, some bits of advice on getting started, and support with me as I reached out to them concerning this new beginning. i joined this amazing and lovely flickr group. and would begin dread centered conversations with anyone that i came across in the real world who had dreads that i thought were beautiful and funky. i held it in my mind that i would begin just as soon as i felt my hair was long enough not to shrink up too much when the actual "locking" began. so...my hair grew longer, life began to take my mind away from my hair... and the dreads have yet to be put in. but it is near time. and it will be done. because it is one of those things on my life list. one of those things that i want to at least try, so that i am not old and longing and full of "oh i should have's!". the time is near! it has been a loooooooong time coming. it has been a desire of mine for years to have them and i have been admiring them since my early teen years. that crush hasn't gone away by now, so it speaks to me of destiny. hee hee! the wonderful thing about timing and the unfolding of the whens and hows of the way things work is that while i visited boho in early may...we both randomly and passionately recited our love for dreads to one another in unison after seeing a beautiful dread head walk past us. and we whispered our shared dream of wearing our own some day. shortly after that, we exchanged encouragement towards the making of that dream coming true. and so, as perfectly as the universe offers... i got to buy the dread kit that she no longer needed after making the decision to get her locks done professionally! how utterly serendipitous is that? i love. i see it as some fun bits of beauty added to my journey as i begin to walk into the land of dreadlocks. i still have not decided on the exact "when" but i trust that it will be within the month or two. and i envision it to be a combined effort of the loved women in my life gathering around me and locking my hair as we celebrate the beauty of transformation and the following of ones own bliss. there is so much more that goes into this. it is only the beginning, but i thought i would re-introduce my intention in this space...as it serves to be one chosen method of manifesting my hopes and dreams. i will come here to chart the journey in the only way i best know how...with courage and honesty and with my heart leading the way.

7.23.2009

she's crafty!

I have been meaning to share about the first sewing date I held for the Little Dresses for Africa project that I wrote about here. Last month I had several women over for a few hours of starting on our pillow case dresses. We cut, chatted, pinned, sewed, ironed, cut some more and finished the two hours with a lot done, but a lot more to go!
Since then, I have had a portable table set up in our reading room. It is the resting place for all materials involved in the making of these sweet little dresses. And it taunts me every day!
So, I plan to host another date. This time in the evening, without as many children among the bunch. Perhaps with some dessert and maybe some wine? Oh, and wider bias tape. Yes, I'll have that too!
If you are interested in joining in, let me know! It will be a yummy evening of sweets and drinks and the creative collaboration of fabulous women practicing a bit of craftivism. Just the kind of thing that makes this world a better place to be in.

7.22.2009

pixie*

just wanted to pop in this space for a visit. the words haven't been coming to me lately. not that there isn't a lot going on, because life has been full of lessons and processes and learning. some of which has been utterly challenging and has left me with some exhaustion. there has been some sickness and some healing. some bending and breaking. and among it all change. change of all forms. journey, for example...decided that she wanted her hair short, like daddy's. i was not one to object, since getting her to allow me near her tresses with a brush is no easy task. so, off we went!
it was our first time in a real "salon" and she handled it like a veteran client. she was so serious through the whole process. brother didn't want to even get near a barber shop...so his locks are still long and lovely. and this little pixie cut suits journey so well. she rocks it.
i love this little fairy.

7.10.2009

exactly.

exactly from mccabe russell on Vimeo.

a little something beautiful that i am taking time to watch each morning, before i start my day~ from the magical dancing mermaid music by amy steinburg Enjoy!

7.09.2009

tenderness*

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue center light pop and everybody goes "Awww!”

~Jack Kerouac

as the moon begins to wane, i am left with a wake of processing. it seems that a lot has begun to fill my heart, and honestly, sifting through it seems like no small task at the moment. so, instead, i breathe in and out, and sit with it all. there is no great effort in uncovering what life is speaking to me at the moment. i am just living it, and trusting the unfolding of all things. some of what sits inside is the cut of sadness over the loss of an american pop icon whose music i grew up dancing to as the lyrics spun round and round. it touches on this nostalgic place of realizing that he was my first iconic crush and that his music made this little 4 year old girl spin around in her living room...doing nothing else but living that moment. i remember how i grew, and he changed, but the memory of how i felt about him when i was so small is what kept me believing in him as a person...it is what kept me dancing to his songs. because somehow, in some distant way, his talent snuck into my life and sung to me of magic in human form. something otherworldly, something brilliant. something that didn't quite fit in this world in so many ways. and now, in his passing. i think of things like compassion and movement and being the change. i think of how we each have our own journeys, and that really what we need to focus on while we are walking (or dancing) is how we can offer compassion on the road. we each wrestle with our own restlessness. we each strive for our own star. we each sometimes wish, that our path might look a little different. when we come across weary travelers, when we become one ourselves... may we remember that we know nothing of what the terrain was like before this crossing. we know little of what type of storms have been endured. and we most likely can't see the inner landscape that is being traveled at the same time. we only see what is shown. but with compassion... with a little bit of tenderness, everything changes. we might get a peek into the truth that we are all human. and we are all walking (or dancing), and we are all doing the best with what we have. and... with that, i believe... the world can heal, because WE heal. i've been taking that sadness and looking into it for what the message is. does it have to do with encouragement to keep up with the compassion? is it telling me to dig deeper into my purpose? is it reminding me of how fragile we all are...and how quickly this life can pass? is it reminding me to live my life with everything i have? i'm not entirely sure. but i do know that i am being spoken to about starting where i am, again...even if it is the 1ooth reminder. and loving who i am, exactly WHERE i am. and reaching out to the world around me, in great compassion and love.

7.05.2009

overdue.

our library books are overdue. as is that one movie from the movie store that i keep forgetting to take back. it seems i'm conducting a sort of theme for life these days. i feel a bit overdue in many regards. e-mails, phone calls, shower taking, and the general bits and pieces of life that seem to be hanging up to dry for a while. mostly, it can be chalked up to celebration. we have been doing lots of that these days. june usually knocks the wind out of me with celebration. and this month, it just keeps on comin'! all that to say. i am quite overdue (nearly two weeks, to be exact) in honoring my boy's 5th birthday in this space. 5 years old? really? why, yes! and he wears it proud.
we had a couple of events in celebration of such a beautiful achievement. one on his actual birthday with his home school group, spending time doing something he loves more than most things...swimming! it was a really fun party and he was showered with love and celebration...just as a 5 year old should be. up next was a weekend camping trip to the woods for a family celebration... to romp, explore, observe and get good and dirty with mama earth. this is where asher feels most comfortable, i am convinced. right smack dab in the middle of nature...literally soaking her up in every pore of his body. several family members were able to join us and escape the heat of the valley for a day or two...and it was such a treat for this little boy to be surrounded by that endless circle of support. he is loved. truly and deeply.
opportunities are endless when it comes to what you can do with trees as far as you can see, a river of water running right alongside your camp site, bugs and birds all around, and a spirit as big as asher's. he amazed me the moment he was placed on my chest after birthing him. he brought out this primal courage in me that i had never yet experienced or embraced. and there he was, this tiny little human, staring up at me with a soul much bigger than the room we were in. and it has been that way ever since. there isn't a single person who has changed me the way that this person has. there isn't a day that goes by where i am not reminded of how beautiful and brilliant he really is. there is not a moment in time where i don't understand how very blessed i am to be touched by his life. five years old... and already he is changing the world.
and this mama got a few sweet escapes where she could rest in the breast of the earth with that very knowledge...and give thanks for the life around and within.
for a few more eye goodies of our trip~ check here!