flowers

so who doesn't like flowers? getting them, receiving them, picking them, looking at them, meditating on them. my darling friends gave me these last night after a performance - aren't they gorgeous?
i love that flowers are used by us humans as a form of emotional expression. they're part of weddings, funerals, parties, given as a healing gesture to the sick, a gift on a birthday, a congratulations for accomplishments, a sign of friendship or love. i have a favorite russian kids cartoon, where all the animals in the forest keep passing along a found bouquet of flowers to each other and when asked "za chem?"(what for?), the answer is always "prosta tak" (just because); my favorite reason for gifting.
always representative of life, beauty and the spectrum of color that illumines our world, flowers are some of the best teachers, if we take time to learn their lessons. i want so much to be a better student of nature.
my favorite flower is a gerbera daisy. i love its openness and bright color that seems to say, "look at me, look at me!" the epitome of an outgoing friend, without fear or hesitation. on the other hand, i love calla lilies, who are some of the most melancholy, mysterious flowers i've experienced. all curled up, they don't want to reveal their core too easily. you have to really look for what's inside if you wanna know. i can relate to both flowers at a life-level.
what's your favorite flower? ask it why. you'll love the answer you get, and i can pretty much bet that you'll never walk past one again without passing it a smile or knowing look.
stick some in your hair, make necklaces, tape one to your nose and breathe deeply. flower-power!

wholeness

probably as most humans have, i've been on a life-journey of finding wholeness. that integration of body, emotions, mind and spirit, which will produce a completely whole and functioning being. "holism", if you will. while healing is involved in that process, i've learned not to put too much focus on it, because focus on healing causes focus on pain and brokenness. i prefer to put my attention to the teacher that pain can be. (what can i learn? what is it trying to tell me about my thought/feeling-life?) and setting intentions toward wholeness. this kind of focus brings hope (and ultimately healing).
through my training in massage therapy, i'm having some very interesting experiences. i'm finding that there's emotional pain stored in my body that my mind is not even aware of. hear that? - body, emotions, mind, all functioning separately. as those things start to surface and release out, i'm one step closer to wholeness, where everything is inseparable in harmony. fascinating stuff. have to put in another plug for bodywork - get it! everyone needs it and it will amp up your journey to wholeness.
i'm reading a book that i highly recommend called, "You can heal your life" by Louise L. Hay. a little cheesemo at times, but overall very chewy stuff. profound but simple concepts.
so that's my preach for the day. i'll try to move on to something lighter next time. god knows i've got plenty of that material, too. :)
happy day!

aloneness

i dearly love to be alone. love it and need it. don't get me wrong, i adore me some people; but when it comes to recharging my energy battery, i have to do it with just me. when i'm in that space, only trees, oceans, flowers and birds are welcome.
so, the thing that i'm finding is that as i commune with myself and nature and the great love that's always swirling, i can bring what i've accumulated in aloneness and pour it into togetherness. i fully believe in love and loving relationships, friendships, families, etc., but i realize that for them to be at their full potential requires me being happy just being with me. this is a beautiful thing to embrace whenever your facebook status happens to be "single". welcome it, don't resent it; hug it, don't hate on it. it's not a curse - it's an opportunity.
a friend just commented the other day about how there are millions of "me and you goin' fishin' in the dark" songs in the universe, but no "i'm flying solo and lovin' it" songs out there. so, i decided to start writing one for her. i only had 5 minutes to commit to it, so don't judge. :)

surround me with love and songs and paint;
give me a brush and a quiet rendition.
i'll give it my all just for me and my shadow -
check the box if you've read the terms and conditions.
don't push me baby, cuz i ain't no saint;
i'll do what i want when i want to (yeah),
and this is love, too, of another dimension.
(do-wop-wop-do-wop)

ok, but seriously, i do realize that sometimes aloneness can cross the line into loneliness. or i can get disillusioned with people and want to just hole up away from them. (i recently thought about creating "hermit the blog", dedicated to the art of being alone, but since i can't even keep up with this one, 2 is probably a bit ambitious.) anyway, i believe that even the shadow side of aloneness has value. and i'm doing my best not to run away from it.
if you happen to be partnered in life, i encourage you to find that time to retreat off into your own body, soul and spirit; if you happen to be single, sing hallelujah for the opportunity you have with yourself. and make friends with lots of trees.