Today I’m inspired by my new camera! I can’t wait to see the world through this new lens. Already I have ideas and am thinking in new ways about how to look at the world around me. Sharper close-ups and more saturated sunsets will all be possible now. I can’t wait to explore the features and learn how to use them. Growing and learning in my craft are the best inspiration.
Camera
25 04 2012Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: camera, create, inspiration, nature, photography
Categories : Uncategorized
Rainy Days
22 04 2012Staying home on a rainy day is all the inspiration I need, as long as it doesn’t happen too often! I love waking up to the sound of rain pattering on the roof, and swishing palm fronds outside my window. The fresh sweet-salty ocean air, refreshed by rain, cleanses me. It was a good day for cancellations and postponements. Perhaps on another day I will feel like venturing out into the world, but today was perfect for staying home. We cooked delicious vegetarian meals, arranged our living room into a more pleasing configuration, and did the usual cleaning, shopping and laundry that weekends require. As unusual as it is in the Sunshine State, tonight I will fall asleep to the sounds that awoke me; the pattering rain and swishing palm fronds, and maybe even rumbles of thunder. It could be worse.
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Home
16 04 2012We spent time today searching for a home; another home with more space for our growing family. We’ve seen many different possibilities, and compared them with our current home which has many features we love. When I think of home, it is more images and feelings that I experience, than a certain type of house. Tropical foliage, a wide porch, a cool, open interior, fans and comfy furniture, a spacious, well-designed kitchen and soothing bedroom spaces with spa-like bathrooms are what I dream of. A private backyard with a pool and hammock, a porch swing and perhaps a small waterfall which can be seen through double French doors from the living room. I imagine a quiet street, walking or bicycling to shops and restaurants, and entertaining family and friends. Some of these things we already have, but not enough bedrooms here. I also imagine wonderful meals with friends and drinks around the pool, all of which are possible now but we rarely actually accomplish them! I don’t really imagine who would cook the wonderful meals. Obviously someone who has more time than me. Still, dreams are what keep the world interesting!
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Tags: comfort, dreaming, family, friends, home, living, tropical
Categories : Friends, Inspiration
Friends
13 04 2012This week I’ve been inspired by friends. The joy of companionship with good friends is a daily blessing for me. Like many people, I’m lucky to work with some of my best friends. I appreciate shared interests, thoughtful gestures, laughter and professional discussions. Coming home to my number one best friend, my husband, is what I love best. And while friendship is very important to me, solitude is equally relished. I love to be alone sometimes, and am refreshed by silence and time to myself. Balance is not always easy to achieve.
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Tags: friendship, solitude
Categories : Friends, Inspiration
Time and Meaning
10 04 2012Am I giving time to what I really want to do with my life? I think so. There are so many things I want to do with my life. I don’t give equal time to them all, and sometimes they aren’t the priority I want them to be. Sometimes things I don’t want to do with my life press to the forefront! What do I want to do? Creating is what I love best, whether it is writing, photography or art, decorating, cooking, or thinking of new teaching methods, looking at the world in different ways, or understanding something clearly. To often mundane chores interfere. The dilemma is that I hate having a dirty house, or feeling disorganized, or not being prepared, so I forgo the creative activities; or perhaps I avoid them? Hmmm.
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Tags: art, avoid, cooking, create, dilemma, forgo, mundane, photography, teaching
Categories : Inspiration, Uncategorized
A Quotidian Inspiration
29 03 2012Children inspire me; their surprising and honest insights, their spontaneity, and their belief in themselves. Kids are proud of their work, love giving performances, and are brave in their willingness to wholeheartedly try something new. They’re so happy about themselves, and they rarely worry that maybe someone else is better, or maybe what they’ve done isn’t good enough. I want that joi de vivre again, that ability to be so happy with whatever I do, simply for the joy of having done it. The best lessons for a good life come from children!
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Tags: braveness, Children, insight, inspiration, joy, life, moments
Categories : Inspiration, Uncategorized
At Home on the Island
27 03 2012I love traveling, but even more, I love coming home! No matter how nice the inn, or how soft the bed, my own is the best. I am one of those people who would bring my own pillow everywhere I travel if I could. After the delicious restaurant meals we sampled on our trip, the simple food at home tastes so good. My body rebels at decadent travel meals, and despite their deliciousness I prefer the ease and freshness of a quiet meal in our kitchen. Being in my home inspires me today. Feeling comfortable, safe and cocooned is the best feeling, and frees my inner voice. Back in the routine at work, a productive day followed by a balmy doggy walk. Now, grilling salmon scents the room and crisp greens await dressing. I remind myself to live in the moment.
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Tags: dogs, food, home, travel
Categories : Inspiration
Coastal Maine
19 03 2012While walking along the shore of Camden Bay, I hear the call of the cardinal and think of another shore far to the south. The crisp, pine-scented air and boulder strewn shoreline are a stark contrast from white sand beaches of home, but a brisk and refreshing contrast; one that inspires mind and soul. The taste of fresh lobster melts over my taste buds, and the tangy sweetness of wild blueberries baked into a flaky crust are the perfect finish to a meal here in the wild and beautiful north. The inspiration of contrasts is one of the best. It shocks the system out of complacency and opens the boundaries of thought. Now I’m off to experience more of this beautiful place!
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Tags: food, inspiration, nature
Categories : Inspiration
Tropical Night
17 03 2012Heading out for a night walk with dog and hubby. The soft, tropical darkness and scent of night-blooming jasmine sends me to dreamland. Lucky to live where ocean sounds drift on the night air. Inspired already and the walk yet to come!
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Tags: inspiration, ocean, tropical, walking
Categories : Inspiration
Walking a Path
16 03 2012The Northern Cardinal’s pure trill danced around me, wrapping me in the streaky dawn mist. The authentic joy in the bird’s song stays with me, a peaceful place in my mind that I go to throughout the day. The memory brings me back to that moment, those seconds I walked down the path from home to car. Those seconds when I lived in the moment, when I focused on what is now instead of planning what is to come or rehashing what has passed. For some reason this is so hard to do. I’m too much in my mind, and not enough in the world. Being in the world inspires me. As an artist, a photographer and a writer, my greatest creative inspiration comes from nature and movement, long walks, floating in the warm surf, bicycling with the wind in my face. It is at these times that my mind makes connections, sees nuances, and is open to insight. When I’m too busy for time with nature, I find my creative well dry. Join me in tapping that inner voice!
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Tags: birds, creativity, insight, inspiration, moments
Categories : Inspiration