Happy Belated Easter

What can I say? I'm catching up again.

There was this:

and this:

There were Easter Egg hunts, yard cleanups, visits, and drives. There was more than time would allow me to write down.

Hope you all had a great holiday.

Love,

T

Clean Up for the Bunny

It all started with an ad on Instagram. It was for laundry detergent. It talked about the environment and how horrible the world is becoming with plastics and toxic horrors. I checked the comment section and while there was support, there was also a lot of criticism, so I Googled.

First of all, we have been doing our laundry ALL WRONG.

Click here for: Laundry Detergent: The 10 BEST All Natural, and Eco Friendly Options

Secondly, I don't know that much but I'm learning and I DO KNOW that I can do a whole lot better in this department. I'm starting here.

Ordered laundry detergent and cleaner from Pur Home:

Click here for shoppurhome.com

and ordered liquid hand soap from Cleancult:

Click here for cleancult.com

Hope the bunny was good to you. I'm going to be better for the bunny.

Hoppy Easter!

Love,

T

Embracing Change

Spring. Changes. Nature.

Passover.

Palm Sunday.

Sometimes it takes so much for us to change. Can't we do better? Change can be so beautiful. 

Let's do it. Let's change something - all on our own and just for the sake of improving ourselves. We don't have to wait until we are forced to. What if we found something - one little thing - that inspires us enough to step out of that comfort zone we love so much.

Blessed week...

Love,

T

Mom Magic

Well I survived this week - I mean, I'm here.

Another mom at church rushed in with her coffee and asked if I had slept at all (of course not). She assured me that she knew EXACTLY how exhausted I was and that we were in the same boat. (Yep, pretty much - except I didn't have a big cup of iced coffee with me. LOL.) Apparently, this is how the holidays go. Family comes, schedules get all out of whack, there are at least five hundred more tasks to be done in addition to the regular million, AND there's an Easter Bunny involved. I'm about to fall down and conk completely out, so this is going to be a short one.

A MILLION THANK YOUs to all moms everywhere who somehow magically make Easter happen. #outstanding

One memorable moment was at church when all of the candles were lit. There were hundreds of people each holding a small flame - and quiet reflections about how to spread light as it literally spread through a darkened church, as congregants lit each other's candles. It was beautiful when everyone raised their candles up.

Here's to a wonderful week in the light of Spring!

Namaste,
T

Hare's To It...

When I looked up “History of the Easter Bunny” I found a whole lot of information on the goddess Eostre or Ostara, but one article in particular jumped out. It said that there was only really one reference to Ostara by an 8^th century monk, Bede, and that he may have actually made her up (invented her). Interesting. This could be fake news from the year 725? Meanwhile, secular Easter traditions occur all over the world in 2017!

  

“Lore” of this ancient goddess includes her association with a hare and her banishment of said rabbit to the sky (where he exists as a constellation) and how she allowed the animal to come back once a year with eggs. Many articles indicate that early Christianity, while trying to compete with pagan traditions, set holy days to correspond with those traditions in order to gain more converts by easing the cultural transition in this manner.

In our family we usually go to an Easter morning Mass, but this year Russ had to travel that morning. We went to the Saturday evening Mass instead and I really had no idea that it would be two hours long and include a baptism and a confirmation, or that the baby would patiently and quietly sit through the ENTIRE MASS! #Amazing. The ladies behind us said I must have fed him holy water. 

The priest spoke (jokingly) about some people being anxious to resume the activities they gave up for Lent and that it might be better if we let go of things that weren’t good for us anyway (gossiping, too much sugar, etc.). I totally stressed out trying to accomplish all kinds of extra traditions – baskets from the Easter Bunny, egg coloring, family pictures, fresh flowers, and the meal after church. The stress of trying to get it all done brought me to tears and exhaustion. Why? What would be the big deal if we didn’t get to the eggs? Or the baskets? Or the fresh flowers on the table? Or anything?

I can see the significance of Spring and rebirth with the presence of bunnies and eggs. I appreciate the gratitude and newness that the season brings and the Easter traditions that support and reinforce those positive vibrations. So what of the origins if they create a positive experience? Right??? There can be great comfort and joy in continuing family traditions and creating happy memories. But then… what about the stress of them if it all gets to be too much? How about letting that part go? 

Hare’s to keeping all that serves us well, and allowing all that does not serve us anymore to fall away like dead leaves. Here’s to the rebirth. Here’s to the newness of spring and the clearing away of dust, clutter and that which weighs us down or stresses us out. Let every day be filled with new ideas, creativity, and new life. 

Namaste,

T

Here's to honoring our traditions. Whatever they might be. xo

"You may ask how did this tradition get started? I'll tell you. I don't know." 

- Fiddler on the Roof

Spring Me!

"Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! 

I must get out and breathe the air deeply again."

- Gustav Mahler

Here we are again! I am staying focused. I am methodically getting through paperwork. Soon, I will be released into the freshness of new ideas and creations. #KeepGoing! I am almost there. :)

"Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. 

Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall. 

Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands all alone. 

Earth teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring."

- William Alexander

I worked outside today - clearing out old leaves, brush and overgrown pricker bushes. I won't think of those old thorny things of the past. I'll focus on the new adventure that tomorrow promises - and I will smile.

 

Hope you had a great Easter!

Namaste,

T

Springtime Collage

An Academic Festival, Chuck D., a collage workshop, Passover, and Easter; somehow they all stick together in a way that works. Freedom (Passover) and renewal (Easter) were concepts present in both Friday's Seder and Sunday's church service, as well as two events that I attended at NCC's Academic Festival earlier last week.

Seder plate / alter at Easter Mass
(Seder plate photo courtesy of Danielle Graham)

Click here for npr.org's article: 

"In Freedom Seder, Jews and African-Americans Built A Tradition Together"

Click here for huffingtonpost.com's article: 

"Easter 2015 Celebrated By Christians Across The World"

Russ and I both attended a keynote address given by Chuck D., founder of rap group Public Enemy and social activist, titled “Rap, Race and Reality.” He was inspirational, sharing his experience and encouraging everyone to be students of the things about which we are passionate. He talked about the value of sharpening our talents into skills, love as power, collective voice and appreciation of artists that had to “say something.” (I gave him a copy of my CD – “Nothing to Prove, Something to Say.”) He spoke about not becoming a slave to corporate plantations ("CORPlantations") and told us to use the brain in our pocket (phones) as a tool instead of a toy. He asked that we not let “common nonsense” replace common sense; implored us all to be smarter than our smartphones and not be renters of our own mind. He pointed out that we can design ourselves from the inside, by developing our intellect and learning to define the things we love. He reinforced the idea that we can all have goals to provide a cultural service and can all be cultural-ists, "earthizens," and optimists. 

His message was delivered with sincerity, humor, down-to-earth style and a voice that combined experience, well-honed knowledge and purpose. More than an inspiration, Chuck D. was a shining star igniting us all. According to Connecticut newspaper The Hour, Chuck D. has delivered this lecture at over 600 colleges over the last 23 years and NCC President David Levinson described his presence at the Academic Festival as “phenomenal.” Thank you, Chuck D.!

with Russ and Public Enemy's Chuck D.
(Somebody could've told me to fix my hair - lol)

Chuck D. and me

Click here for thehour.com's article: 

"Chuck D. discusses 'Rap, Race and Reality' with NCC students

The next day I attended a workshop titled “If You Can Envision It, You Can Achieve It!" - described as "A collage workshop on making your own inspiration board.” I thought it would be a lecture/demonstration. It was not. There was a table set up with magazines, print designs, rubber stamps, markers, cardboard, scissors and glue; and a Professor of “Creative Voice” to guide the way. It was not what I expected at all, but I LOVED IT! Professor Melissa Slattery explained that the idea was to just pick out what seemed attractive to us, from the available materials, and our collages would naturally evolve themselves. Her handout instructed participants not to try to make it perfect or right, but to be playful and “JUST DO IT.” The idea was to create a talisman having something to do with “identity, hopes, goals, sense of humor, playfulness, resourcefulness, and commitment to your academic growth.”

with Nick and Paul

with Professor Slattery

What a great way to get in touch with what motivates us creatively! I picked a gray cardboard slate that said “Cloudy Bay,” but then proceeded to fill it with rainbows of color and words like “Make it Happ...” (which could stand for "Make it Happen" or "Make it Happy") and “Just Do It.” Every piece I glued on was something that I liked - for the color, the picture, or for the thought it provoked. I colored edges, and stamped and glittered sections. My collage represented the idea that we can make anything we desire out of our circumstance. 

As my “Cloudy Bay” transformed into “Colorful Delight,” the piece became a metaphor for life to me. It was all done by simply finding little pieces and scraps that I liked, and arranging them all together. By the end, the whole thing told a story. I truly enjoyed myself, made some new friends in the process, and watched images and ideas that I value, magically unfold in story form right before my eyes.

It seems we can nourish our mind, body and spirit in a natural order with freedom, creative expression, self-discovery, revival, and renewal; then take it all to the next level with education, action and purpose. We can redesign ourselves from the inside out with the proper nourishment. We can spring back to life (just like my kitchen plant) with the proper care.

Before and after watering...

This week, I'll be on the lookout for that which inspires me. I will carry the ideas of Chuck D. and Professor Slattery along with the traditions of Passover and Easter; and nourish my being with the things I love, learning about them and growing myself with purpose and direction.

Namaste,

T