Day 16,675: Beyond Words

I keep coming to this page
Hoping that I'm finally ready
To put the New Mexico experience into words
I could try to tell it like a story
But it's really stories within stories
And I'm not sure which of them are mine to tell
Or that any of them happened anywhere other
Than inside my own high desert drunken imagination
Magical, powerful, transformative
Some places have a way of redefining
Who we thought ourselves to be
Things happen there that defy explanation
Not one thing or three things
But the whole, holy experience
That's how this adventure unfolded for me
From the moment of departure
Until we landed, blinking and bewildered, back home
I thought I'd signed up for an art workshop
And got so much more than I had bargained for
My grateful heart has been broken open
And I have no idea what to do from here

Day 16,672: AAC Taos 2011 Photos

Day 16,671: How to Avoid Burnout Upon Re-Entry

Part of me landed in CVG on Friday night around 8:30. My husband drove that weary part of me home. Another part of me stayed behind in Taos. Amy forewarned me repeatedly that New Mexico is a powerful place. That it is. And then some. Once Taos Mountain welcomed us, I had no idea it would be so difficult to leave. I have so many stories and photos to share from our travels, the workshop, the field trips and adventures. All in due time. For the time being, I need to ease into full and complete re-entry ... staying fully present to the gifts of the in-between.

Day 16,660: Test Follow-up

***Learned after the fact that I can post a photo or write but, sadly, not both at the same time***

Blogger promises to make it easy to blog via e-mail.  I'm giving it a go before I hit the road on Friday.  Hoping it works!

The photo above (below-in the previous post) was taken with my Photojojo macro lens.  It had me frustrated and befuddled until I discovered that it needs to be VERY close to the subject before it comes into focus.  The wide angle and fish eye lenses are fun despite the photos capturing the edge of the lens due to the curvature of the iPhone GS3.  Sometimes I'm too lazy to edit.

Today I am grateful that my to do list is getting shorter and almost all I need to do at this point is pack.  I'm grateful that texting is the new walkie-talkie.  And I'm grateful for the juicy anticipation that precedes a great adventure!

Day 16,660: Testing Mobile Blogging

Day 16,659: Something New

It felt like it was time for something new
A new template really freshens up the place
Blogger makes it easy because, left to my own devices
I know only enough HTML to be dangerous
I have Taos on my mind this week
Only three more sleeps and the journey begins
There is something magical about knowing that
You're going somewhere you've never been before
It's probably something that I need to do more often
I've closed the Etsy shop until June 20
Not long after I return from the high desert
I will make my annual pilgrimage to sea level
I am antipating a full and complete upgrade of my wiring
And then shortly thereafter I will be resitting
Shinpiden training with Frans Stiene here in town
This is the Reiki training that I took in California
In April of 2009 that turned my practice rightside up
I have been thinking about the fact that we're
Almost halfway through this year already
Summer Solstice will soon be upon us
And then the days will grow shorter again
Not a bad thing, of course ... it's how the wheel works
There are things to appreciate in every cycle
Right now, I am appreciating the moistness of spring
Everything here is cool, wet and green
The sky is still light after nine o'clock at night
I am daydreaming about the New Mexico night sky
While making lists and checking them twice
Haven't even left yet and there's already
So much that I can't wait to share!

Day 16,656 Gratitude

Today I am so grateful ...

For this frog and its decision to live by our front porch. Frogs are the totem of metamorphisis. Glad tidings, indeed!

For Day 1 of teaching my very first Level 2 Reiki/Reiki for Animals class. So honored and excited that one of my Level 1 students decided to take this next level with me!

For a break in the rain long enough for Dan and I to go to Maifest. Spring isn't spring if we don't get there. Like Oktoberfest, we have been attending this local festival for decades. There are yummies there that we only get to enjoy twice each year. The music ... the artisans ... the charm of Mainstrasse ... love it all!

Only 5 more days until I leave for Taos. Can't believe it, but so ready. I don't think that I will be able to post photos here while I am away, but I can upload directly from my iPhone to Flickr. So if you are inclined to keep track of my adventure, you can do so there. I love technology!

What are you grateful for right now?

Day 16,644 Gratitude

It seems as though I have been on a constant quest for balance since the start of this year. I open my eyes each morning so grateful (and relieved) for a clean slate ... another opportunity to do a little better from knowing a little better. When my expectations exceed my resources, as they often do, I stop, breathe, and appreciate that I have so many options available to me. What an incredible world we live in and at such an incredible time! As much as I want to say yes to having, doing, and being it all, I am grateful to have a pretty good sense of what is and isn't feasible for me right now. I can savor what's on my plate in the moment without worrying about what's not there to go with it. Plenty of time. Plenty of patience. Plenty of peace. This is my mantra as everything around me beckons my participation in its frenzy of wild growth. Although my attendance here is among the things that have suffered, be assured that my gratitude abounds ...

Prom weekend. So much fun to watch the kids get dressed up and mug for the camera (whether they wanted to or not). So grateful for the beautiful weather that day.

The privilege of crocheting a Reiki blanket for a baby boy whose entry into this world came with complications. Holding him and those who love him in my thoughts and prayers.

Kate's Taos blog. Her magical photos. Fodder for dreaming my way West. Soon. Very soon.

Getting to know my new iPhone. Over the moon at the prospect of getting wee lenses for it.

Another Mandala Monday. A fresh, new mandala to share ... ready to download here.

As always, so grateful for YOU and your companionship here. Share with me what you've been giving thanks for this spring.