Book Love 7, originally uploaded by birdyonmywindow.

When times get rough, the weather gets cold, when my heart gets broken, when there isn’t enough money, when someone lets me down… all I need is a good book and I will lose myself within a literary world of wonder. I love reading and all that has meant to me my entire life. I am lucky to have found such a passion for something in this world… I am lucky to have many such passions.

What are yours?

“Books are becoming everything to me. If I had at this moment any choice in life, I would bury myself in one of those immense libraries…and never pass a waking hour without a book before me.”
~ Thomas B. Macaulay

December is a wonderful month…what is NOT to love about it?

Snow. Santa Claus. Holly. Mistletoe. Christmas trees, oh! I do so love the evergreens and pine trees. Cookies baked fresh. Sweaters. Scarves hand knitted by my very dearest friend. Mittens and hats, that I wear often. My birthday. Candy canes. Blankets of frost. Christmas carolers. Christmas music! I love love love Christmas music! =) Peppermint hot chocolate. Warm teas. Wrapping presents. Giving. Love. Family. Friends. Good cheer. Pies. Stories read to me or by me. I love Winter Soltice which falls on the 21st or 22nd of December, this year it is December 21st. Long lines where you can meet the most interesting people. The crunch of the ice under my boots, and the cold or wet excuse to wear them!

December is good.

Wave Goodbye by Sophie Madeleine

76/365, originally uploaded by vanessa.paxton.

Simply a beautiful picture worth sharing…

It makes me think of ‘home’ as if we will gather with everyone we ever loved right here in this field…muted, surreal. And then there is the bird, always… how lovely.

A couple songs to sit with…

The People That Come and Go by MyNameIsJohnMichael

Where No Endings End by Keren Ann

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ~Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles,” 1992 (commonly misattributed to Nelson Mandela, 1994 inauguration speech)

It is exactly in this spot that I struggle along with my fellow travelers in the journey of ours. I want to learn to love myself like I so easily love others. I want to help others love themselves as easily as they love me, easier even. If I wish to find a genuine reflection of self-love in the looking glass each day I must find myself worthy of it. I must be something, some one I can look in the eye with respect, with gratitude, with kindness. There are two sides of this and I intend on working on both. It is a balancing act, self-love, but I have my tights on and I am ready to walk the walk…no matter how narrow or windy the road, no matter the obstacles before me. It will be an adventure and I am so ready for one!

I Am Mine by Brooke Waggoner
Beautiful Flower by Indie Arie
Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

We choose what we feel, what we think, what we believe, what we do, what we see, how we interpret every single thing. And it is the power of choice that determines your experience in this life.

Choose well!

But if you don’t, then observe the path along the way… learn, grow, stretch yourself far outside your comfort zone. Every experience is a new one–good, bad or indifferent. Scratch that. Never choose indifference or apathy, they are too common…to pathetic. Love purposefully. Laugh loudly any time, any place. Be open to experiences of all kinds and tell regret it’s not welcome in your life. Sing off-key. Read the same book ten times in row.

Just don’t get stuck in a mistake. There is always a door to venture through, always a window to hop out of, a puddle to jump in…

A hand drawn message drawn for me a long time ago, I keep it near my computer and I know I am always loved!

I think it is important to love without abandon, to say what you think but make sure you really think it first. Laugh often, even at yourself but be kind and forgiving with everyone including yourself. Write notes to those around you. Texts. Leave voicemails. Write a note by hand on a shred of paper or on 32 pages front and back… and mail it even if you live in the same house. Everyone loves to get mail that isn’t a bill. Give yourself a pep talk. Use affirmations that are fun. Be nice, go the extra mile. This world needs a little extra dose of love and friendliness.

…a good pair of rainboots and stripey socks can’t handle…no road too broken, no hill too high, no sadness too deep, no situation too mussed.

© BeNonsensical.com / Crowgyrls.com

Oh, the road gets so bumpy and rain falls. Good thing I love rain, love, love, love it. And bumpy roads make for great photographs, don’t they? I will move forward through the muddy times, through the sadness, through the tears and find new photographs to take, new books to read, new friends to make, new adventures, new cubbies to explore.

Life is all about the cobblestone and rubber boots. It is all about the rain and the struggles and the unexpected connections. It is about the frailty and exposed state of being exactly who you are…

Passion burns down every branch of exhaustion;
Passion’s the Supreme Elixir and renews all things;
No one can grow exhausted when passion is born!
Don’t sigh heavily, your brow bleak with boredom;
Look for passion, passion, passion, passion!

- Jalal-ud-Din Rumi

Passion is important in life. In relationships with others and yourself, passion keeps things moving, keeps things interesting and oft times is the catalyst for positive change. How can we revive passion when it feels like an act of futility? I am not referring to romantic passion, I am referring to having a passion about the choices, the ideas, the activities, the people in our lives. I am talking about enjoying our lives for whatever they are, wherever we are, whatever we are doing.

How can we remind ourselves that life is finite and every minute is worth enjoying, savoring? I know it sounds hokey but really, what are you doing right now (besides reading this post)? It is not what you do as much as why you do it… and how you do it. If it is watching TV or reading this post, are you enjoying yourself? Is this what you want to be doing? Are you actively engaged in the present moment no matter what it is you choose to be doing?

For example, we all must work to pay the bills or most of us anyways, right? Well, most people do not ‘love’ their work but they do it anyways. Why shouldn’t we love what we do? Why shouldn’t we be in the moment, present, active and enjoying what we are doing? We have all seen trashmen who are singing whilst doing some of the dirtiest work. We have also seen movie stars or famous singers wallowing in their misery, loathing every minute of the job that was once a favorite hobby. It is all in perception, really. It is not about being inspired to be passionate by some one or some thing else. It is not about finding everything rosy and wonderful. It is about being present and bringing passion to everything you do. It is about being the change you want to see in the world.

Does this mean everything is wonderful and you should pretend as such? No! Passion does not claim any one emotion, it does not disqualify or negate any either. If you are hurting, allow yourself to do so. Do not deny yourself the right to feel whatever you are feeling. Do not be harsh on yourself for your feelings. Respect them! Passionately love yourself! Give yourself the right to feel or experience whatever is real. This is what I need to practice.

Today, I will try to be passionate about whatever I choose to do. I will try to be forgiving with myself. I will try to respect my emotions and others without losing myself.

I would love feedback on this topic. How do you think we can reintroduce passion back into our day to day lives?

Today, as I sat reading literature from women in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries—reading snippets of how our foremothers struggled before us—risking everything to find their voices—to free ours—to demand respect and equal rights—forging their way towards independence with a pen—some religious zealot, undoubtedly an Extreme Christian Terrorist, ECT, (aka conservative, Christian Anti-Choice Fanatic who believes violence is a necessary mean for whatever end their preacher or priest arbitrarily dictates is ordained by God) shot Dr. Tiller, an abortion provider, in his church in front of his family, friends and fellow church members.

I read this news and wept.

I am sad for his family, for his friends, for the poor people who were standing next to him. I am sad for the women who will be forced to continue a pregnancy they do not wish to continue. I am sad for those children who are thrust upon their mothers, shackled to their ankles like dead, unwanted weight. I am sad for the women who are imprisoned by their gender and by the male dominated society in which they are born. I am sad for the men who want to support women in their right to choose—who will now cower in fear of violence at the hands of some other ECT. I am sad for the women who still publish under male pseudonyms to gain equal recognition for their words and thoughts. I am sad for the women so lost in the land of men—they fail to see how their religion has tainted their minds against themselves, their bodies, their minds, their sisters, mothers and daughters.

I am outraged at the idiots who spew forth gleeful ignorant remarks chocked-full of misspellings and grammatical errors—using God as their shield—remarking how Dr. Tiller got what he deserved–filling up comment boards–raising ratings of hate-filled, idiotic talk show hosts like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly. Are you really that ignorant—that intolerant of women’s rights? Can you not see the paradox of your own hateful thoughts—the same derisive, unhealthy thoughts that drove this lunatic ECT to shoot Dr. Tiller?

I am inundated with thoughts to share, choking in a sea of emotion over the bigger picture here. For now, I will leave you with a quote from LeRoy Carhart, an American physican who worked with and respected Dr. Tiller:

“Men have had unlimited availability to ‘abortion’ since the beginning of time. Men can walk away from unwanted pregnancies with virtually no response from government. I believe that, unless women are given an equal right to determine whether or not they remain pregnant, they will not be considered equal. I think that’s what the anti’s are most afraid of-women becoming equal.”