“Look in the mirror. Appreciate yourself. Celebrate your capacity for simple acts of generosity and gentleness.” – Chogyam Trungpa Today I noticed this little yellow leaf had settled perfectly on my front porch’s potted plant when I got home from work. I was completely fascinated. It certainly didn’t look like this leaf had floated here randomly on some gust of…
Category: favorite things
Owls & Orchids
Made some new friends at the Butterfly House tonight at the Owls & Orchids event. First I met the owls that were feathered… Yes, these are alive…and yes, that is that owl’s real expression. Then I met the other winged owls…1,000 owl butterflies! Before I walked in, the guide told me that the butterflies were “just waking…
9 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude
So I found a new website that’s kind of fun. It’s called “unstuck” and you can find it here. It bills itself as A Practical Guide to Gratitude (so you can see and think differently). There’s some really great stuff in here. One thing I really loved was a graphic that included “9 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude.”…
Yes, Indeed. So Glad.
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – L.M. Montgomery For any number of reasons, I haven’t wanted to resume training since the Chicago Marathon nearly two weeks ago. A little tired…a little sore…a little burned out. I’ve needed a break. But at the same time, I cannot bear to…
Everywhere, Always
Around us, life bursts with miracles — a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear…
A Very Good Day
If you have to be up at oh-dark-o’clock in the morning, this isn’t a bad view. On a whim, I signed up this week to volunteer at the St. Louis Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon. For the first time in years, I didn’t have any family running and, after Chicago last weekend, no way was I doing it….
(More Than) a Few of My Favorite Things
For better or worse, when I become a fan of something, I’m all in. Cardinals baseball, Roger Federer, Hello Kitty, pugs, Minions…moderation just doesn’t seem to be in my makeup. Also among my favorite things: these cookies. And so it is, at least once a week, I have a ritual of visiting my neighborhood coffee shop…
What’s In This Season
Of all the seasons, fall feels like the time of greatest transformation to me. There’s nothing subtle or slow about the transitions of fall. New colors. Less light. Colder temperatures. Bare trees. It seems to happen just like that: Boom, fall presents itself. For whatever reason, fall also makes me turn inward more than the other…
The Space in Between
“Life is amazing. Then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the awful, it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” —…
Smile…
“Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment. I know it is a wonderful moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh Look what I discovered near our house today. And on World Smile Day, too!
Peace, Love, and Hello Kitty
The other day I noticed my neighbor’s little girl wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt as she skipped to her front door. Obviously I viewed this as a sign of very good character and I wanted to encourage her, as our next generation, to continue making such wonderful decisions. As such, I thought it only made sense to…
‘Make Something Beautiful’: A Father’s Business Lesson
“Our business philosophy is something like, ‘Every day we go to work, and we try to make something beautiful.” Please click on the photo for a link to this New York Times video about the store Miya Shoji and their life’s work. This. This is what I want out of my life. Somewhere. Somehow. Omigosh. This.
Goodness in the Garden
It’s amazing to me that no matter how many times I visit, our Botanical Garden manages to offer something new every single time. Naturally there are some favorites that never change, like the Japanese Garden. Click on pano below for detail. Fall Preview: Got to hear the crunch of leaves underfoot this morning. But I have…
Five Tips for a Healthy Spirit
Tiny Devotions, my favorite Instagram account and mala maker, posted these “five tips for being a Free Spirit” today. I think I would amend this title to read “five tips for a healthy spirit” to make it more relatable for everyone. “Free Spirit” implies hippy-dippy to some (although I’m totally good with it). This is…
Hey there…
Early morning bike ride took me by a big group of these beautiful fellas at Grant’s Farm. Have I mentioned lately how much I love St. Louis?
The Secret Lives of Squirrels
I don’t care how photographer Max Ellis gets these squirrels to do this, these are some of the funniest photos I’ve seen in ages. Check out his blog Squirrelisimo! Apparently his series began when he was looking for subjects for a daily photo blog and noticed squirrels playing with items his family had left in the…
The Big Question
“The big question is whether you are going to say a hearty yes to your adventure.” – Joseph Campbell
Going, But Not Arriving
“When you practice walking meditation, you go for a stroll. You have no purpose or direction in space or time. The purpose of walking meditation is walking meditation itself. Going is important, not arriving. Walking meditation is not a means to an end; it is an end. Each step is life; each step is peace…
10 Simple Daily Practices
This really great article from Elephant Journal is too good not to share. A list of 10 simple, transformative daily life practices. So simple, but such good reminders. Here’s a link to the article, but below is the free prize inside. 1.) Have good posture. Sit and stand up straight. Lengthen your spine. Lift the crown of…
Tiny Bite of the Big Apple
What an adventure. A few months ago, Tanner received an email letting him know that he’d won tickets to see U2 at Madison Square Garden. Obviously this was not a trip we’d planned to take this year, but wow, it turned out to be amazing. We spent three quick days in the Big Apple, but…
Hello, Lovely…
A little Sunday morning drive around my home town. Love.
Perfectly Flawed
Imperfect flowers. For whatever reason, this seems to be a trend over the past few days. I spotted the above FrankenConeflowers during my run this morning. Below is a photo I took as I watched in fascination as a man painstakingly worked his way through dozens of bundles of flowers trying to find the perfect…
Lots of Lanterns
Last night was a special showing of the Lantern Festival at the Garden, set aside just for photographers and photo hobbiests. Smaller crowds…respectful observers…quiet collective concentration and admiration…it was lovely. My gear (and resume) wasn’t as sophisticated as many (most) of the participants, but I enjoyed myself. And I am quite happy with the images and…
Delmar Sunflower Project
10,000 of these golden beauties right smack in the middle of the city. Like two blocks worth. So gorgeous and unexpected. For background on the project, click here.
Life Lately
I love weekends. Seriously LOVE weekends. This morning, Tanner and I went to the Peach Festival at our local Farmers Market. As you can see above, I scored lots of treasures…flowers, breads, fruits. What is it about Farmers Markets that make me want to bake? I’m really hoping my new peaches eventually become a pie……
hey there, friends 