“We can continually recall beauty through the practice of memory, through daily acts of imagination that seize the moments that once seized our hearts.” Phil Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage. With stomachs rumbling and lunch calling we wove our way through the streets of Reims to Anna S. la table amoureuse. Lavender hued walls with golden…
Tag: awareness
A day in Reims, France – Part One
Oprah Winfrey uses the word, “marvelism” and Phil Cousineau writes in The Art of Pilgrimage, “How will you remember to remember when you return home?” It’s been almost 3 months since I returned home from 3 weeks in Paris. Usually, my pen is quick to the page, eager to share the bounty from my travels….
Face Frolicking
The final day of March is drawing near, which means we’re closing in on the end of 31 Days of SoulStrolling prompts. Please let us know if you’ve been pondering and playing along with us! Here’s a poem for today’s prompt #smile: You are good for my soul, lingering about at the edge of my lips, occasionally…
Open your heart to the World
#open is our prompt of the day at 31 Days of SoulStrolling. I have a propensity toward opening my heart to inanimate objects, to see what they might have to say. Much like an artist paints still life, so I engage in conversation. When I open my heart to the world, even in the midst…
Dwelling in Possibility
“I dwell in possibility.” Emily Dickinson #possibility is our prompt today at 31 Days of SoulStrolling. A few weeks ago, with Julie Gardner, Writers Gathering in Seattle, our prompt was Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I dwell in possibility.” This is what flowed from pen to paper: I dwell in possibility – to dwell, to be. To practice presence wherever…
Instructions for Threshold and Portal Crossings
Threshold: doorsill, any doorway or entrance, the starting point of an experience, event or venture. While I grasp the basic definition, the part that intrigues me most is the “starting point of an experience, event or venture.” Perhaps this is because I love mystery and it speaks to a deeper longing and wonder in my soul. John…
The Dress-Up Box
What is it about getting older? Have I forgotten how to play? Libby, my lab, is a master with her, looks-like-I’ve-been-doing-something-mischievous-grin, as she returns from wandering outside. I played often as a child: hide and seek, kick the can, make believe. Dress-up clothes from the box kept for us in the basement – Peter Pan…
Laughing Ladies
Today’s prompt at 31 Days of SoulStrolling is laughter. My friend, co-conspirator and author Kayce S. Hughlett uncovered this quote by Anne Lamott, “Laughter is carbonated holiness.” Oh how I love this. It makes my heart sing. It reminded me of one of my experiences with laughter and art. My husband and I were strolling the grounds in the…
What does delicious spark in your soul?
Delicious. Slow the word down. Enunciate. Speak it – quietly, then at full volume. What does it evoke in your soul? My initial response – meals: glorious, tasty, tantalizing plates that arouse my taste buds, tingle my senses and satiate my belly. I’m fortunate to have enjoyed many such a meal: at home, abroad, with…
Inhale and Inhabit
A prompt, a word, it’s a curious thing where they might lead when you pay attention. I’m participating in 31 Days of SoulStrolling and today’s prompt is – inhale. My mind went on a meandering journey when I first read the prompt. My first association to the word was about the use of drugs. “Oh, I tried…
Hope
You welcomed me in like a new book, flipping the pages from left to right and back again. Inhaling deeply, your brilliant orange globe burst through the overhanging grey and pierced my heart with hope. Purple perforated white – landscape painting before my eyes. A moment of noticing, magic.
Stories from my childhood – Piano Lessons
Mrs. Carney’s house for piano lessons. I am eight years old and she, to me, is ancient. My bottom is sweaty from nervousness, and as I arise from the birch bench after my first half hour lesson – a stain. Mrs. Carney’s crinkly grey eyes open wide in shock, or wonder, I’m not sure. My…
Sharon Richards 