Pathways Through Life

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again...
Henry David Thoreau

Conscious thought is the staring point of every new creation. Science of the Mind, page 400

"The path we take with each day's thinking becomes the world we see around us. Some people say we should live each day as if it were our last day on earth. Maybe we should live life as if this were our first day on earth: conscious, awake, aware of the beauty and bounty around, having childlike wonder, and generously sharing our resources." Science of Mind, May 2011, pg. 64

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

10K Walks with my daughter and a wise dog

Laura and Amina

I have been enjoying the summer with Laura and all the outdoor activities she encourages me with. We have been known to walk two 10k's each week (about 6 miles), without the need for an organized event, which allows us the opportunity to take her little dog Amina along with us. It is funny to watch Amina scamper under each passing tree, plopping down into the shaded grass, and look up at us like, "You're seriously going to keep walking in this heat?" Using dog logic, we would all plop down into the cool grass and catch our breath. Instead, I keep using my trainer's logic and try to walk faster and farther.

Laura and Me, 1990

I enjoy walking uphill much more than down...my knees hurt a lot going downhill. I am seeking out the perfect 6-mile walk that includes only flat surfaces and uphill climbs (and a bathroom with drinking fountain). Logically, this means I cannot walk any "out-and-backs", but instead need to find a circular path. Come to think of it, walking in circles doesn't sound logical, but maybe it mirrors life that way? Is it an illusion to think that life is a straight line beginning at birth and ending at one's final bow? In my way of thinking, life is more like a circular path where we keep getting the opportunity to revisit and revise our choices. And if we are lucky, that path includes a few shade trees to plop under along with our loved ones as we enjoy the scenery and catch our breath. I hope your path through life today is simply amazing!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Tuesday at the Botanic Gardens

Botanists tend to the water lilies.

I have begun a new ritual here at Nestle and Soar Studio...Tuesday morning is now my inspirational time at Denver's Botanic Gardens. Being one of the first people through the door at 9am is a true joy for me. The temperature is cool, the birds are singing up a storm, and the light for photography is ideal.

The photo I took this Tuesday is of the water lilies being tended to by 3 botanists, each with a plastic tub tied to their leg! As they walked around in their tall waders, the tub of debris would follow them around. They each carefully lifted a flower up off the surface of the pond and clipped or fluffed the foliage, and they moved methodically from plant to plant, so no flower was missed.

They were in the pond for the whole 3 hours I was at the Botanic Gardens and it was a lot of fun watching them work. I'll bet their skin is most from the humidity after a warm day working in the pond!

I hope to share a photo and my experience of the Gardens from each Tuesday visit. I am still going through all of my photos, which I will use as inspiration for a wall felt or a needle-felted pillow. I am so very grateful that spending time in this treasure of a garden is part of what I do for a living!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Studio Scene from Nestle and Soar

Folk Art Flowers on Linen Pillow

Photography and Me...

I am learning how to better use my camera this week and here is a practice shot of one of my folk art pillows. I am learning about controlling the light in a shot and how it is half the trick to good photos. I am also learning how to set the timer on my camera -- it seems that my hands are shaker than I realized -- even using a tripod!

My mom used to say that in her business life, she wore many hats. Entrepreneurs often do wear many hats...even all the hats! One task I must do for myself is photography and I am only now getting training. For folks who make handmade items and then sell them through their virtual boutique, as I do, having a photography set up that is convenient to use is a must. When it is too much trouble to get my folk art photographed and up on one of my websites, then business comes to a quick standstill. I would love to hear of ways you have made the photography part of your life easier and of better quality. I am a person who needs to take photos, but doesn't particularly like to take photos! I always seem to forget my camera at family functions, for instance.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

National Do-Over Day

I wouldn't turn clock back quite this far!

I have been reading an interesting book, What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty. In a nutshell, Alice hits her head while falling off of a spinning bike at the gym and forgets the past 10 years of her life. This is interesting because Moriarty does a good job writing about how people change/grow/live as seen through the opinions of others. "You always do such & such!" Or, perhaps, "You never seemed to like me." These are some of the revelations Alice is confronted with as she is introduced to her three children (whom she doesn't remember having, as well as her estranged husband, whom she thought was her newlywed perfect-match!) Yikes!

Reading this book has made me think about my life experiences and how others may have perceived them. This has not been a cheerful reverie! I could have definitely handled a number of things better. I plan to make a few adjustments with my coping style, that's for sure! I think one day next week should be declared National Do-Over Day, and everyone gets a chance to turn the clock back and redo something important. Are you in?

New Day...New Opportunity

"Reviewing our lives occasionally from different perspectives can be very useful. It will reveal the growth and evolution of awareness as well as give us more insight into living in the present moment. Reminiscing about our younger years is a very healing exercise if we let go and move on not becoming obsessed with the past at the expense for the future." Science of Mind, May 2011, pg. 48

I am hopeful that Alice and her amnesia work out well by the end of this story. It may be simply a cautionary tale about over exercising at spinning class! I've been suspicious of the folks in spinning class, to be truthful. It looks so painful! Or perhaps, the bigger observation is that in order to create a fulfilling life, we need to blend what we bring from the past and what we vision for our future into our actions in the present moment. Very well...off I go into a new day. Today is really the only day we get, after all. Best wishes on your new day!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Planting Seeds -- Within and Outside, too!

"Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." Alert Schweitzer

"When a seed is put into the ground, the law pertaining to growth operates and a plant is produced...unless a seed is planted, no plant will be produced." The Science of the Mind, page 206

There are flowers growing in my yard on this fine Spring day. The seeds that became these flowers laid dormant for weeks or even all winter long, until the conditions for their growth set them free. Within each of us are seeds as well...seeds of peace, joy, recovery, health, and abundance. The thoughts we choose to keep and nurture in our mind create the conditions for the blossoming of these internal seeds. It is our role to create the right conditions, through our mind and heart, for these seeds to bear fruit. I will begin by making sure my thoughts of constant kindness are directed toward myself.

How does your garden grow...well I hope. Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne