Outstanding in Her Field!!

The day was dismal - or it could have been but I strive to keep the sunshine in my heart!  As people always say, "Hey I woke up and put my feet on the ground - now isn't that a lot to be grateful for?!?  Today I had to go and select some of friend Pat's quilts - we are hanging an exhibit in her memory at Cold Spring Village quilt show last weekend in June.  She was a gentle spirit - always with the sunshine in her heart and up until her last days, we were talking about going to the new ice cream shop in Pitman when she came home!!  We shared optimism and belief that everything works out as it needs to.  I have such gratitude for having had Pat in my life for as long as I did!!

    When I left her husband, Jim, with bags of quilts and stories and photographs, the sky got darker and darker - I was anticipating the rain and actually excited about the possibililties of photographing the water coming down!!  I pulled over to the side of the road and was STILL - you know - BE STILL and SEE and that I did.  I was safer that way too because I doubted I could have seen through the torrents of rain.

   Arriving back in Pitman, I challenged myself to go and look for more Lillies - I challenged the BE STILL group to create an album of lillies with me on Facebook.  I was lucky!  I discovered a number of different colors and it was dry enough to see them all.  I also saw beautiful gardens and the echinacaea in the midst of it just reminded me to BE OUTSTANDING IN YOUR FIELD...never be concerned to stand alone and stand tall.  Never be afraid to be different - to be yourself.  Now didn't she complement the other flowers?  It's all about unity and diversity everywhere I look.  Later in another garden, there was yet another lone echinacaea and she too was proud of who she is!!WOO HOO!!  Maybe today this flower reminded me of Laughter, Song and Dance - and she is a healng herb too.  Brene Brown talks about Letting Go of  Being cool and always in control.  Ms. E has let it go - she is laughing with her friends and they are engaged in a dance of relationships that only they and their spirit devas of the garden can truly understand.

   We are quiet observers of the energies around us in the gardens and for this we truly just need to be still friends.  Or maybe the message is to Let Go of Anxiety and Be Calm and Still.  You choose - either one can work as long as we embrace who we truly are!

   Before we finish - meet Pat and Jim!!

 

Authenticity revisited!!

The other day we were early to have dinner in Philadelphia and decided to wander the Front Street neighborhood.  Little did we realize that it was Gay Pride Day.  We missed the parade, but were able to visit and photograph some of the individuals who were at the Riverfront to support the lifestyle and the day.  They often stopped me and asked to pose for a picture!  Proud of who they are!!

The afternoon gave me pause to reflect on Brene Brown's discussion of AUTHENTICITY.

          "Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are!"

She talks about 'nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can only happen when we believe that we are enough.

Some of us learn this at an early age - maybe through life's experiences - maybe through outstanding role models - or maybe just through opening ourselves up to just BE!!

For me, the authenticity has come in stages - itty bitty steps to a Wholehearted Life.  Letting my hair grow and letting the curls be has been FUN and meaningful to me.  Wearing flowes in my hair - wonderful!!  It's simply who I have become and who I enjoy being with!!  As I say WOO HOO!!!  Being colorful - a treat and an expression of self - and finding like minded spirits to hang out with.  Like seeks like.  Now don't get me wrong - I know lots of AUTHENTIC people who are not as colorful - more the beiges and browns...yet true to who they are~~  I love them ALL! 

We are all engaged in this RAINBOW COALITION and sharing the courage, compassion and connection of BEING!!

REAL friends are Precious!~!

Ever have an intuitive sense of something being 'right' and acted on it and it turned out to meet all expectations - maybe even exceed them?  I did!!  I have two dear friends - could also call them role models, maybe wise woman mentors and just genuine compassionate caring individuals.  One of them just moved back into our area(Lillian) - the other one has been in my life for about 35 years(Harlene).  I wanted them to meet!  As I love to say...WOO HOO!!!  It was a done deal...success rules!!
   We are all three of us conscious of our eating - predominantly vegetarian.  We met at the Blue Sage restaurant in Southampton,PA.  Outstanding -great food; great service and great company. It took awhile to make our choices, but once done, we were pleased!
    Our visit gave me pause to reflect on the book I am reading by Brene Brown - The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.    She talks about WHOLEHEARTED living - engaging in our lives from   a place of worthiness.'  It means cultivating the courage, compassion and connection to wake up in the morning and think, "No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough!!"  WOW!!
Brene talks about the power of LOVE BELONGING and BEING ENOUGH.  She shares guideposts  - ten of them. I will share them gradually.
   The first  CULTIVATING AUTHENTICITY is first in my heart as well and in my relationship with my friends, Harlene and Lillian.  Why I love them both and knew that they would connect easily with one another is that each of them is an authentic person.  What does that mean?  They are people who consciously practice being authentic.  They show up and are REAL..They are honest and let their true selves be seen.  They no longer embrace the need to think who they are supposed to be and instead just be who they are!   I strive to be an authentic person in my life in my transitions an aging.  Usually it works - for those who are genuine and caring.   Yesterday, someone left me a voice message that was less than authentic - less than caring or compassionate and quite mean spirited.  I had to give pause to who I really am - what I bring to the world - and how I am perceived by like minded people.  Go back to the Four Agreements - this call violated the first about using your words with care.  Then I had to again pay attention to the second about not taking it personally.
   Incidents like this phone call can bring out the ghosts - but as I become older and wiser and spend time with my genuine, authentic friends, reality and being who I am - being enough, it's  lots simpler.
   For this, I thank Lillian and Harlene for being in my life. The shoes   at the beginning of this post?  Well...I wish I could have posted a picture of the three of us but alas, I knew I had to respect my friends and their wishes of not liking their photographs taken.  Being peaceful with that.  So this picture was from three friends at the Gay Pride day yesterday in Philadelphia - I choose to be the one in the middle - Lillian and Harlene.  Makes me wonder which each would choose?!?  No matter - they show our individuality - our unity and our diversity.