Take Your Time by Aimee Cavenecia

Life can be so simple & so amazing. I started a new practice lately, I try to get to work at least 30 - 45 minutes early. Sometimes I slowly walk around the neighborhood; sometimes I sit & people watch outside; sometimes I have lunch nearby; sometimes I do absolutely nothing. It feels so good. I just use the 30 minutes as a bit of meditative time: time to get present -- time to get real.

Not rushing, just enjoying the moment; the many moments that make up each day. In the past I would always be in a rush to get somewhere or do something. The present moment never seemed as good as the next. My whole day, everyday, was either about maximizing my time, or feeling guilty for not maximizing my time. And I have to honestly say, a lot of that was a waste of time & a waste of life. It truly did not make a difference in my level of happiness or satisfaction. Everything seemed difficult or challenging. Like I had to fight to accommodate things, or fight to make things happen. Not an all-out fight, just push myself a bit, struggle a little, & over-think a lot (a lot, a lot). A struggle to make things the way I wanted them to be, versus seeing how they are. Simply seeing the beauty in life without having to make it a story about me. The story of what I want (or what I think I need) & how everyone & everything fits into that story.

The value & satisfaction in enjoying the elements, the route, the people, the process of each day, as it is -- is tremendous! Its worth is more than most can imagine. But just imagine missing it, not being present to any of it. Imagine living day-to-day without moments of beingness; without a moment to reflect; without a moment to take your time; without a moment to see the perfection & the beauty that is always there; without a moment to have some meaningless fun; without a moment to truly relax; without a moment to simply be yourself. This is the reality that many of us live, not just for a day, but for years, or for a lifetime. Life can be effortless & enjoyable with only a shift in perspective: seeing that outcome is not more remarkable than the process; seeing that the destination is not more gratifying than the journey; seeing that the future is not more important than this moment.

All it really takes is just being simple; recognizing that everyday is an opportunity to do something ordinary -- that feels absolutely extraordinary. When one is present & appreciative, there is an aliveness. This aliveness is what life is all about. This is the simplicity, the satisfaction, the happiness that is always at our fingertips. How ironic that there is nothing to do, nothing to rush to in order to receive it. It's right here, right now. It's hidden in plain sight. It's right under our nose.

Aimee Cavenecia (also known as AimeeLovesYou) is an author & activist who is currently igniting a Bliss & Self-Mastery revolution through her weekly blog Sunday Is For Lovers. Aimee's life-work is to share her insights on Seeing, Loving & Being (SLB), as well teaching meditation to people globally via the internet.

Risky Anticipation: A Tree Climber’s Journey By Valarie Budayr

It was a beautifully hot end of summer sort of Saturday. The sort where I go to my favorite indy bookstore looking for something out of the ordinary to read. Little did I know that the book I was about to pick up would change my life forever and lead it down a path I didn’t know existed.

The back of the book cited The Christian Science Monitor:

“This secret, dreamy world has the power to fascinate....Anyone who has ever climbed a tree eager to experience the magic of the world seen from its heights will be grabbed by the story Preston presents.”

What is this secret dreamy world ?

They are the largest organisms the world has ever sustained. The coast redwood trees have trunks up to thirty feet wide and rise more than thirty-five stories into the sky.

As I opened Richard Preston’s book ‘The Wild Trees’, I discovered a world I had only seen from the ground up. The tallest trees that continue to exist in my 7 year old mind. My father took me to the Red Forest when I was 7 years old providing proof to a bet he had made with me at the dinner table a few weeks before that he could drive a car through the trunk of a tree.

My 7 year old mind couldn’t imagine a tree so big that one could drive through the middle of it. Imagine my surprise that July morning as I started my 7th time around the sun to drive thru the middle of a tree. It was completely epic.

The Wild Trees brought me back to that place where majesty, awe, wonder and adventure prevail. The Wild Trees is a story about Steve Sillett, Marie Antoine, and a small group of naturalist who discovered a lost world above California’s forest floor which is in their words “hauntingly beautiful, and largely unexplored.” Up in the tops of those trees are complete eco-systems, forests such as trees growing out of branches, fruit bushes, birds, salamanders, mushrooms, and a vast array of life that only lives up in the canopy.

With each ascend they enter what they call “tree-time”. Time stands still in the redwood forest. Many of these trees are over 1000 years old. It was this thought of tree-time that I realized I need a dose myself.

Over the summer all I had listened to was the various ideas and plans of how I should celebrate my very special birthday. I know that I don’t want to have a lavish event filled with fancy clothes and expensive dinners. I don’t want an event where people make  “old” jokes because I’m not old nor will I ever be “old”. I knew the answer the minute I read it. Yep, for my 50th birthday I need to go to tree-time. I need to see this magical world which only exist there. To a 1000 yr old tree what’s 50 years? I bet I wouldn’t even have my own tree-ring because I just haven’t lived long enough. Imagine. I’m not the sort of person who is an adventure seeker. I’m even afraid of heights. Even with both of these attributes, I simply must see what it looks like from above.

So like with all creative endeavors, it begins with one little thought and from there everything else blossoms. Now I begin the step by step process of getting ready for tree -time. So from where I stand I see where I’m going one little step at a time.


Valarie Budayr is the founder of Audrey Press and author of the book The Fox Diaries: The Year the Foxes Came to our Garden and The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She is passionate about making kid’s books come alive and you can find her doing that on her popular blog and website, Jump into a Book. When she isn’t being bookie, she is very happily the mother of three uber creative children, married to a wonderfully patient man who has come to love yarn, and caretaker of one adored cat. Other creative interests are music, travel, knitting (a bonafide yarn harlot), and gardening. She loves living a daily creative practice, where even a good cup of coffee is art.

Life is a Great Big Canvas by Ginny Lennox

  “Life is a great big painting and you should throw all of the paint on it you can.”  --Danny Kaye

The above painting is something I did with watercolors years ago. I have been going back over some of my paintings just to remember how it felt to be a beginner and to see just what kind of progress I have made.  It has been fun because when I started painting I used to be so critical of my work.  I always felt like an imposter and could see all of the mistakes and flaws in what I was creating.  Now, I realize there are lots of mistakes and flaws but I don't care anymore.  I realize that my paintings aren't about being artistically correct but about evoking memories for me and hopefully for someone else.

The painting above represents how much time and love my husband put into teaching me how to ski.  At 50 I decided I was going to learn to do something I couldn't do at 21.  Every year we would fly out to Keystone and spend an incredible week on the slopes.  It took three years before I could ski but I finally did it.  So when I look at the painting above I see a special time in my life.  I see snow, and gondolas, and snow mobile rides.  I see them slowing down the ski lifts because everyone knew if I was getting on it wouldn't be pretty.  I see lots of smiles and hugs and of course a few tears after falling down 100 times.

I agree with Danny Kaye - life is a great big canvas.  Some days the canvas is filled with bright colors and lots of movement.  Other days it is covered in soft pastels and quiet moments.  There may be times when my canvas has a cloud or two covering it.  For me, the key is to realize that each day is different.  Each day brings with it opportunities to create and enjoy something new.  Each day is a blank canvas just ready, for as Danny Kaye would say, "to throw all the paint on it I can."   So I hope you will join me this year in creating one big, beautiful and memorable canvas after another. Let's throw some paint and make some memories!

Ginny, a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, believes that each and every day is filled with special moments to be enjoyed and treasured.  On her blog, Special Moments in Time, she encourages everyone to recognize and celebrate their own special moments each day.

When there is so much in your way you can't even start by Andrea Schroeder

When you're in this situation, the first thing to know is that obstacles are good! Obstacles are the means through which your dream comes true. I do mean that literally, you can watch this video for more on that. So having a lot of obstacles doesn't mean you can't move forward and make your dream real. Even when you have so many obstacles that are blocking you from even being able to see your dream.
 

When you're in this situation, the energy dynamic you're in is like a pinball game - you're the ball.

Thinking about your dream just gets you pinging between the different obstacles. I can't do it now because of this. Oh but I also can't do it now because of this. And if I do get started, well then I'll hit this. Ouch! Everywhere you turn there is another obstacle - another reason why your dream can not and will not come true. Not a fun place to be. And it can feel like the only way out is to just give up on the dream and declare it impossible. That gets you out of the pinball game. But then you're just living in this world where your dreams are impossible and that's no fun either.

 

What you have to do is remember that the obstacle is the way through.

The pinball effect stops when you stop running away from the obstacles. When you sit down with them, get out your journal and start exploring. MAKE A LIST. Make a list of all the reasons why your dream is impossible right now, all the things holding you back. Just creating this list shifts the energy around your dream. You're not bouncing around anymore you're staying with it. You're bringing yourself into the inner process of bringing a dream to life.

As a side note: The reason why you're bouncing around is because you're looking for an external process for bringing your dream to life. This does not exist. Bringing a dream to life is an internal process.

SIT WITH YOUR LIST. You've been spending a lot of time bouncing up against these things, and trying to run away from them, or maybe even trying to blow them up. It can take some time to un-plug from that energy dynamic and come to a place of stillness and being able to just sit with the obstacle. This is important! If you can't stay present with the obstacle, you can't work with it as your means of bringing your dream to life. It might feel like nothing is happening but actually everything is happening. It's totally like this scene from my favourite movie:



The most magical and amazing things cannot be experienced until you're willing to open your mind and really be with them.

Here's the secret:

As you're sitting with your list of reasons why you can't have what you want right now eventually you discover a truth: these things aren't actually what's stopping you. It's your attitude towards and beliefs about these things that is stopping you. Your attitude and beliefs are things that you can change. And when you start to work on that - congratulations. You are now on the path of making your dreams real.
 

I tried this myself yesterday.

I was a little stuck with something and made a list of why I couldn't have I wanted right then. And hot damn if that list of things that felt like real and insurmountable obstacles wasn't anything more than a list of sad excuses. Making the list forced me to face my own bullshit. And then get over it. And then do something about it. I know it can be very uncomfortable to do this - especially if you haven't done this kind of inner work before. But it's not like being in the pinball game is comfortable either, just give it a try.




xo Andrea


With a paintbrush in one hand & a glitter-gun in the other, Andrea lovingly mentors men & women who want to lead creatively abundant lives — and do ‘impossible’ things, with ease & joy. Your dream is important.  Let's make it real at www.CreativeDreamIncubator.com.

Recipe for a Great Year by Kim LeClair

Ingredients
Heaping cups of Big Dreams
Spoonfuls of Great Friends
A bag of gratitude
A full serving of Good Health
Equal parts Determination and Inspiration
A dash of luck
A pinch of daring
Prayer to taste


Mix all of the ingredients fully, being sure to taste as you go. The measurements listed are guidelines only and you may find that you prefer things in different proportion - find your own personal favorite combinations. I highly recommend baking on the LOVE setting.

Would love to hear how you have adjusted the recipe for yourself....comment below!

Diving Into Your Deepest Self by Aimee Cavenecia

I came across two quotes that I really liked yesterday & wanted to share. I think it might be a good time for them, because I have been receiving emails about the mass killing that happened in Connecticut, & also, emails about major changes for people personally (death, illness, needing new homes or jobs, money concerns, relationship issues, etc.) as the year comes to a close. My immediate thought, is that nothing can make us happy. When I say happy, I mean totally content, without disharmony, in total peace of mind.

Try this list on for size: someone being alive, or someone being well, losing weight, gaining muscle, finding a great home, finding a great job, meeting the ideal partner, bonding with a best friend, having lots of money, having lots of love, getting rid of someone, getting rid of something, being free everyday to do what you want, absolutely no violence in the world, the perfect family, being a mom or dad, growing your own food in abundance, buying the ultimate summer home, losing all bad habits, being super prolific & productive, radiating flawless health, looking absolutely gorgeous, having no debt at all, blessed with amazing talent, owning acres of land, feeling totally secure & safe, ...the list goes on & on, & you can put any words you like into this long list of "I can't wait for this to happen" or "If I had this, then everything would be much much better." Ask yourself, would it be? Have you not said this before about other things? Other things that happened for you, changed you for a little while, then the 'missing' came back? Also, look at all the people that might already have what you are missing, are they happy or content?

I think we need to go deeper. I think our lives serve as our mirrors: we see a 'missing' or something that is eating away at us; a person or situation is causing us stress or disharmony that we can't wait to change; we think life would be suddenly better if our idea or desire finally happened; etc.. What is beyond all of these things that must happen in order for us to be happy, content, at peace, or feel secure?

Ask the ocean if it would be happier without any waves. It might very well say, yes. But is there a way that the ocean can find peace within a deeper part of itself? A part that is unmoving, unshakable? Is there a place within itself that is relaxed & grounded? Can it not identify with that part of itself more than the surface waves that are only transitory? The ocean is deep, very deep. So are we. If we want stillness, if we want peace, we must learn to dive deep -- to anchor in the deepest part of ourselves.

Below are the quotes I promised. Let them sink in, then take responsibility for them. Be fearless. Relax into your deepest self -- your unlimited, unconditional, universal self.

"You are who you allow yourself to become. The self is what it allows itself to be. [...] The fundamental issue is getting past fears, getting past limiting beliefs, getting beyond habits, and getting to a blossoming of oneself -- an allowing." - R. Waggoner

"Whatever your passion is, it is also your path. And you have to go deeper. It's not enough just to save the world, you have to also look at what is creating the disharmony in the world within yourself. That is what a death-rebirth experience is. The death is basically the death of what the ego or the mind believes to be important. The rebirth is, being born again into the wider perspective of reality; what it is to be a human being, but not focused on yourself. Focused as part of nature, as part of the wholeness that is nature. [...] The longest journey we have to make is from our head to our heart." - T. Samara

Aimee Cavenecia (also known as AimeeLovesYou) is an author & activist who is currently igniting a Bliss & Self-Mastery revolution through her weekly blog Sunday Is For Lovers. Aimee's life-work is to share her insights on Seeing, Loving & Being (SLB), as well teaching meditation to people globally via the internet.

Start Moving by Valarie Budayr

Hello Creative Friends !!!

It’s January again. Our theme for this month is Start. So let’s begin shall we ?

Please take a moment to watch the video below. Truly it takes literally one
minute and is the inspiration for today’s post.
MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

How awesome was that??

Did you notice that the walking gent in the video is taking only a couple
of steps in each frame? And that these two little steps in each frame took
him to 11 countries, countless modes of transportation, and a myriad of
experiences…and all in 44 days?

So how exactly did this inspire me as a writer? Do I want to hit the road and
write about each destination?

 

Maybe..

…but that is something all together different than creating a writer’s life. It
doesn’t matter if you’re a writer or not, I’m just using that as my example to
creating the artistic life I love living. If you follow these easy steps and apply
them to your own artistic endeavors you’ll see wonderful movement in your
creative life.

Daily, I get hundreds of emails , as well as meeting people, who all share
with me that “one day they want to write a book”.

I don’t know when “one day “ is arriving, but I can promise you that “one
day” doesn’t arrive with a fan fare. It just sort of sneaks in. Before “one day”
sneaks in, there are a couple of things that need to happen.

First....

You need to begin writing.

We are all waiting for the day when everything will be “perfect.”  The day
that is pleasantly mild enough for us to be outside, is also the day that is
just cloudy enough to make us want to stay indoors.

On our Perfect Day we’ll wake-up inspired with a total book in our heads,
completed with plot, dialogs, and setting intact. Also on that Perfect Day
there won’t be any interruptions, we won’t be tired, and our stamina for our
writing endeavor will be endless. There is always the “one day” when the
“Perfect Day” will arrive.

BUT..if you wait for “perfect, it will never, ever, happen. The “perfect” story,
book, or magazine article coming out of you on the first go around will not
happen. Writing isn’t about being perfect, it’s about enjoying the creative
process. There is a lot of honing that goes on in that process as well. It’s
not judgement , it’s honing.  Writers need to show up daily to their writing
practice and it only takes 10 to 15 minutes a day.

Though I don’t have the specifics on when “one day” is , I do know that you
and I only have today. So today let’s start a writing practice.

1. Remove all distractions- It’s time to disconnect everything i.e. phones,
email notifications, and Skype or IM’s. Also when it’s your designated
writing time, this is not the moment to order a pizza delivery! Don’t answer
the door. Don’t answer the phone. This is your time. Your business, life,
and the world can go away for 15 whole minutes. I promise you , all will be
well.

2. Schedule It!- Take out your calendar or cell phone. Schedule your 15
minute writing practice, every single live long day on that calendar for the
next month. For me I’ve found it helpful to do the same time everyday. This
point doesn’t matter. The point that does matter is that every single day you
are going to write something.  iPhone apps like Evernote or even Cozi work
well for this process.

3. Sit Down!- At the appointed time, sit down in a chair at a table, or desk or
curled up on the sofa, but please have a seat.

4. Set Your Timer- Use your phone, oven timer, any type of timer. Set it for
10 or 15 minutes.

5. Take your Implement!-Put your pen or pencil in your hand if you’re
writing long hand. Or place your fingers on the keys.

6. Start writing!-Do not put down your pen or pencil. Make your little fingers
weary with typing. Do not stop for any reason. Even if the phone rings, the
UPS man comes, the pizza boy is delivering. Do not stop. In fact,..

7. Don’t Get Up Until You’ve Written Something!- Just jot down any
thoughts you have about any topic. It doesn’t have to be a novel, even a
simple paragraph is a great story starter.

From My Desk: There were a couple of things which led to my daily writing
practice. The first was that I started a journaling program created by Julia
Cameron called The Artist's Way.

Valarie Budayr is the founder of Audrey Press and author of the book The Fox Diaries: The Year the Foxes Came to our Garden and The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She is passionate about making kid’s books come alive and you can find her doing that on her popular blog and website, Jump into a Book. When she isn’t being bookie, she is very happily the mother of three uber creative children, married to a wonderfully patient man who has come to love yarn, and caretaker of one adored cat. Other creative interests are music, travel, knitting (a bonafide yarn harlot), and gardening. She loves living a daily creative practice, where even a good cup of coffee is art.