Hydrangea Leaf

I have this photo above my work table, it’s one I took last fall. It was one of those perfect moments of being in the right place at the right time. The lighting was perfect. Believe it or not, I didn’t have to do any “post production” on this photo, this is how it appeared out of the camera. I enlarged the image to a 16” x 10” photo, which is about four times the size of the actual leaf.

Yesterday I was looking at this image. Really looking at it. After awhile, I became so entranced by its intricacy and the unbelievable variation in the colours, that I could hardly believe it was “just a dying leaf”. It is amazing is so many ways. It took me on one of those journeys through my own being, which is a pretty amazing experience. It became my meditation for the morning. Inside this image there is magic and wonder, miracles and joy. I experienced a calming power. This is what nature wants to offer us every day.

Unexpected Treasures …

I met my friend Jan this week, for a catch-up coffee. We always have such a great time together, talking about creativity and what we are working on. We also share our love of old things. Jan suggested that we wander over to a new second hand store, just around the corner from our coffee shop … and that is where these two treasures came from.

Admittedly, I could have spent much longer, and a lot more money there that day. There was lots that wanted to bring home with me. But I am glad I didn’t “overload” myself with new projects. It’s not something I want to do. I chose these two pieces, brought them home, and immediately started working on them. It felt perfect. I was right to bring home only what I am able to work on right away.

After months of having a studio full of stuff, and then clearing it all out and reorganizing it, I am loving the space, and the freedom that space gives me. This is a good lesson to learn, for sure! It makes working on these two pieces even sweeter!

Website Antics …

Working on my website is often not the easiest task I undertake in my studio. Sometimes is just plain old freaks me out. My technical skills in this area are nil. Zero. Don’t exist. The template that I work with allows me to work on the “front end”, where I see what I am doing. Sounds easy, but sometimes the technical gremlins play very nasty games on me. Like they did on Friday.

I was making some additions to the site, and all was going well, until it wasn’t. Suddenly all of the changes that I had spent an hour doing, disappeared. On the screen, it had all gone back to the way it was.

Now, years ago, I learned to SAVE every few minutes, if the program doesn’t do that automatically. But it looked like everything was just gone.

My trusty, wise and in the moment, very calm partner, Mary Ann, suggested I just go look at the site outside the editing program. I did, and the changes were all there. Whew … relief … frustration level dropped. Ahhh.

And of course in all of this, I must remember, Mercury is currently in retrograde, so anything to do with technology is susceptible to going a bit wonky. Breathe. Just breathe.

All at once …

This last week has brought news from all the corners of my world, about people who are experiencing health concerns. Each of them, although working through different issues, have a common thread. Breathing.

Of course I know well enough that when that many people “appear” in my sphere with the same need, this must also be a message for me. And so, I started to pay better/more attention to the act of breathing, and lo and behold, I wasn’t doing a very good job. I was doing what most of us have been doing for months, some for year, shallow breathing. Never really filling up our lungs.

Breathing is a simple thing. Sometimes I laugh at myself, recognizing that breathing is an involuntary muscle action, but without it, we are gone.

So, I am going to pay attention to all of these messages that have reached me, and actually practice my breathing each day, several times, and enjoy all the health benefits that will come from that simple act of self care.

Gift Giving Season is coming …

The pandemic has changed my buying patterns, dramatically. I have purchased far less over the past 7 months, but I have also been much more aware of where I choose to buy. Small, local shops are my top pick. Anything online is way down on the list. Online stores do absolutely nothing to support my local economy, and in some cases, don’t even support anything in Canada.

It is one thing this darned pandemic has crystallized for me, it’s that every dollar I spend is a vote for what I want my world to look like. When I take that to heart, it changes how I buy. I want to have my local merchants, and in order to do that, I have to support them. I don’t want ship-loads of cheap plastic stuff filling up my world, so I don’t shop in places that rely on that as their focus.

If shopping locally costs more, it doesn’t mean I don’t do it, it means that I buy less. This is a good thing. For me, this feels like a much needed change in my world, especially coming into the gift giving season!

P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna … THE BOOK … is out this week!

My friend and fellow cat lover, Sarah Chauncey’s new book, P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna is being released this week. I have had the honour of reading a review copy, and it is FABULOUS.

Sarah has written a book to help people who are grieving the loss of their companion felines. It came out of the loss of her own cat Hedda after 19 years, and the condolence card her friend and illustrator, Francis Tremblay sent her.

The card was the catalyst for creating a book to help other people through the terrible and sometimes excruciating lonely grieving process. Sarah and Francis combined their considerable talents to create this wonderful book. It is generous of heart, yet simple in design and message. Like a good friend who can just sit with you and know exactly what you are going through, without saying a word.

This is a wonderful gift for anyone who is grieving the loss of their cherished companion animal. Whether the loss is recent or not, P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna is a reminder that their furry bodies may be gone, but not in spirit, or from our hearts.

See it here .. and if you are able, buy it locally!!

P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna
©2020 Sarah Chauncey and Francis Tremblay
Published by Sounds True
ISBN 978-1-68364-697-6

coming to the end of a project means you need to switch energies … and
what that energy shift can mean

Riding the wave of excitement of a project like compendium 7, and then finally seeing the printed copies, sitting on the desk, ready to send out, is amazing. It’s also the place from which I want to harness all that energy and keep it going. Sometimes that is possible, sometimes it isn’t. The reason: because whatever is next, you are starting again, and sometimes beginnings aren’t that easy.

Almost the moment I finished compendium 7, I wanted to start on c8, because the ideas were flowing so nicely. And I will do this, start on c8 sooner than later, but there is one thing I need to keep in mind, (you might call this a character trait), is that I throw myself ALL into something, and other things get tossed aside. It is a very fast way to create burnout for me.

I don’t want to do that anymore, and I am learning not to. Every day I practice the beautiful balance of moving from one thing to another, to keep a bunch of things all going in the right direction. My body is also much happier with this plan. Never staying in one place long enough to create an uncomfortable outcome for me physically.

Ahhh, the continuing learning that happens in a life. I like it!

the changes in life can be challenging …

I am one of the millions of people in the world who have cataracts in their eyes. At the beginning, it was annoying, but now, as I await my turn to have surgery, it is truly bothersome. Fine work is hard. The computer work is harder … although I just made some adjustments to my screen via the Accessibility part of my system, and it is helping a bit.

It is another one of those reminders to keep moving between things, so as not to get too tired out by the strain that is caused by murky vision.

This week, I read an interesting article from Microsoft about their Chief Accessibility Officer, Jenny Lay-Flurrie. She has had a hearing loss since she was a child, and learned to work around it … no one knew she couldn’t hear properly. She would practice lip reading in front of the mirror to mask her hearing loss. This is what we know as an “invisible” disability. It is not obvious to anyone, so it is often not accommodated or recognized.

Then, not long ago, Jenny suffered a major blood clot in her leg, and suddenly had a visible disability. Her mobility was deeply affected, and there was no hiding it. She was shocked by the change in her world. Things she never knew were problematic suddenly were monumental. She discovered a new world …. one that is not all that accommodating to physical differences in ability to get from point a to point b.

Jenny also experienced the kindness of people. They were more eager to open doors and help her, making sure she was okay. They noticed her in a new way.

I am astounded that we don’t just make everything accessible to everyone. But we still don’t. The barriers are everywhere. What to me might be a half inch lip on a doorway, is a barrier to someone else. Cracks in sidewalks are a hazard to anyone with mobility issues. Vision and hearing issues are so often not taken into consideration when designing spaces.

I found the article very interesting, although long. There is some really good stuff there … and the recognition that huge corporations are trying to make the world a more accessible place for everyone made me hopeful that one day soon, everyone will be considered when designing places, spaces and services.

The Story of Jenny Lay-Flurrie

the season has officially changed … my cat tells me so!

This was the week of the official change of season at our house. Squeak, our wild-thing, outside guy, decided that it is now time to come in sometimes and sleep in the warmth and comfort of the house. I had to make him a nest in the studio, of course, and he seems pretty blissful about it. (He is currently curled up like a squirrel, which means a BIG sleep!)

And this is how seasonal change gets truly recognized and honoured in our house.

And so, that’s it for this week … as I head over to the other side of my studio and see what needs to move to the next step … but first, I must check on my Carrot Cake in the oven.

Always remember … whatever the problem, either tea or books will solve it!
Happy Week to you!

~sarah

this is the proof copy, that means we’re close to print!

After months and months and a few more months of not being in the mood to write compendium and feeling like there was no point in it, the mood shifted and the writing began. Of course, with all of the compendiums, number 7 didn’t “stay on track”, it started in one way and I thought it was heading in a certain direction, and then suddenly, it shifted gears and morphed into a different storyline.

I think that I took out more from this issue than I have in past issues, but I also know it will fit in somewhere in the future, so I have kept it all. It will appear randomly in coming issues no doubt.

A snapshot of c7: inner wisdom, watch & listen, the garden, vestiges, welcome to compendiumshop.ca, the shape of my life, the stuff in my head, rare moments, everyday stuff, curiosities, nourishments, spaces + places, font love and new loves.

some exclusive things in compendiumshop.ca

There are some things that I have made “exclusive” to the compendium shop … just because everywhere I sell my pieces should have something that no one else has.

For the shop, it’s the Daily Practice Pack, which includes all the pieces I use in my daily practice with mandalas. It includes: 36 mandalas to colour, with ample room to write thoughts on the back, a Mandala Meditation Deck, so you can choose your cards to ground the day, a cedar stand to display them smartly, and of course, a little instruction guide to help you along.

All you have to do is add your favourite colouring method and you are ready to go!

Also exclusive to the compendium shop are “word plaques”. These are each one-of-a-kind, hand painted and original designs, and the words that are inspired by them.

Of course, I also have many mandala plaques that do not have words on them too! I invite you to take a wander through the shop! HERE

another revamp of the studio … hopefully the last for awhile!

Yes, I knew I needed to shift things in the studio, to accommodate a changing landscape of work and stir up the energy, but I have to overcome the tendency to overthink it! This was a small revamp. A practical change to create some area to house “works-in-progress” and tools and supplies I use regularly. It was all designed around the little table you see. My friend Jane found me this table at a garage sale a few years ago, and she scooped it up, thinking I would paint it and sell it. I didn’t. I fell in love with it for some reason, and it has never left the studio. The drawer houses mandalas on paper … literally hundreds of pieces. It will house my paper cutter, which can be easily moved if I need the table top for something in the moment.

That’s the thing about my small space, it has to be able to be rearranged in small ways all the time, to accommodate the various things that I get up to! And who knows where the future will take me, it seems there are new things bubbling up. Stay tuned!

I have a rare cat breed … a Wetcoast Cat or is he a Rainforest Cat?

Just this morning, which is cold and rainy, I made a lovely, warm, comfy bed in my studio for my outside guy, Mr. Squeak. He tried to stay, he really did … but the sound of the rain outside seem to call him back … and off he went to sleep outside, on the chair we put on the porch. He will fall deep asleep, listening to the rain, and no one will bother him there.

A brilliant writing guide …

If you are looking for an inspiring guide to help you get writing about your life … may I suggest Writing to Map Your Spiritual Journey, a self-guided writing journey, by Mary Ann Moore … my brilliant partner in life!

This is the beautiful culmination of Mary Ann’s of pilgrimage into writing as a spiritual and healing practice.

Please check it out to read all about it: HERE

This might be just what you need to get you started on exploring your own writing practice and amazing story.

Nature in the fall … captures my imagination

It’s only in the last few years that I have discovered the pure magic of nature in the fall. It is entirely possible it has something to do with my stage in life, but who knows. I am just glad I now see and appreciate it the way I do.

The light, the colours, the richness of things that are at the end of their season. The webs … oh the webs. This year they aren’t like anything I have ever experienced. In one perfect moment on one day, I captured these images from the patio doors in the dining room. An hour later, the sun burst through and you couldn’t see them anymore. They were still there, but the circumstances had changed completely, and they disappeared from sight.

In moments like that, I feel I have been given a rare gift, and I am so very thankful to receive it!

May the week ahead be filled with
wonder and delight!

~sarah

November 2008, Bedwell Harbour, Pender Island, BC

A year like no other …

Strange/ironic that this year is 2020, a number, when stacked is an indicator of perfect vision. This is NOT lost on most people, I know! But here we are, being asked to look at everything around and inside us, yet right now, where I live, there is smoke from wildfires preventing visibility. 

I remember this happening (with fog), on a trip to Poet’s Cove, Bedwell Harbour, Pender Island, BC, in November 2008. At first I remember a sense of disappointment that the weather was “lousy”. Then Mary Ann and I quickly recognized the gifts. Unbelievable quiet. Seeing things in the water we certainly would have missed under sunny conditions. The moonjellies! The “shooting star” fish. The beautiful tones in the worn and damp wood on the docks. 

We might have missed the sea lions frolicking just off shore, highlighted by the dense grey behind them, and the flat calm waters. 

With no float planes or boats around, we could hear them diving and surfacing, and we were entranced. 

Left to observe only the world directly in front of us, we discovered a richness, lots of calm and a whole bunch of magic!

This is what I look for as we reside under similar conditions in the middle of September, a time when we would natually have sun and blue skies. 

Perhaps, more than ever before, I am aware of what nature is trying to show and tell us. PAY ATTENTION. STOP. LOOK. Take in what is happening and change the things you can. 

Sometimes I have really crazy expectations of myself …

The one that crops up most often lately is: I must do EVERYTHING I have to do, RIGHT NOW!

I am working on changing that … getting rid of my somewhat rigid and illogical attachment to time.

Stay tuned on my success story!

vestiges continue …

It’s that time thing again … everything is taking longer than my wee brain thinks it should. But I know if I just do a little bit at a time, I end up with a better outcome.

Sometimes this feels frustrating, but when I surrender to this being the natural rhythm of how I work best, it is the most enjoyable experience. Ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there. Noticing someting that will work really well on a piece that previously wasn’t “letting me in”.  It’s a dance, and I am still learning the steps.

photo by Wendy Morisseau

I write stuff to myself all the time

I am not sure if this is from years of doodling words, but I seem to write things now to remind myself of what is sometimes pretty obvious!

Words on paper have a definite impact on me, especially if I have written them with a nice pen. It’s a nice way to access my higher-self wisdom, which of course is right there … I just like to bring it out every once in awhile and see it on paper!

Seeing the garden through a my cat’s wonder

For the first time in 7 years, I am intentionally letting my younger cat outside to explore the garden. It’s fascinating. She moves so slowly and intentionally. She is in awe of ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! What a treat for me to witness.

I sit quietly on the porch step and watch her, and give her time and space to smell everything. Her sense of wonder is infectious. It makes me look at the garden in a whole new way.

I love how she goes from a timid being, tentatively moving through the plants, to stealthily stalking a tumbling leaf.

She will never be an “outside” cat … let out to wander on her own, we already have one of those, and one is enough. She will be escorted each time and supervised so that neither she nor any wildlife come to any harm!

compendium 7 is coming along … in its own time!

As with all previous issues of compendium, it is morphing and changing as I create it. Even the cover, which I quite liked, changed. It continues to be a most fascinating journey for me … a sort of wander though my world, through words and images. I can’t wait to see where it’s taking me next!

A renewed sense of wonder

For the past couple of weeks, I have been watching my seven year old cat explore the front garden for the first time. There are few words to describe the sense of wonder I feel in her. Silently, I hold the space, so that she can explore without too much worry, although she is super nervous about it all. The smells … there must be too many to take in all at once. The sights … seeing a hose for the first time and wondering if it is dangerous. The sounds … leaves crunching under her paws, tiny birds chirping at her, clearly questioning the reason for her presence.

Watching her is stirring all sorts of wonder in me. Seeing how she approaches something I might overlook … I look at it again, for the very first time. A very good practice for us humans, I think!

No, I don’t want her to become an outside cat, but I do want her to have the opportunity to connect with nature, to be connected to a larger world. I think it is filling her up in the most delightful ways!

A really good TED talk … Sir Ken Robinson on Creativity in Education

In his weekly newsletter/blog, Austin Kleon austinkleon.com, paid tribute to Sir Ken Robinson, who died recently. He shared this link, to Ken’s TED talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” I listened and laughed (he had quite the British wit), and loved his ideas of what education CAN be. This is a brilliant synopsis for educators and parents, on how we can and need to nurture the minds of the future.

I agree with Austin, this is an excellent talk!

Sir Ken Robinson on TED

What if we approach this time in humanity as a REBIRTH?

Imagining/remembering all the struggle and trauma of physical birth as our guide.

It is NOT easy.

It is often hard and very painful.

At times it is desperate and traumatic.

But in the end,

we hold in our hands

a miracle.

When the pandemic started, time stopped. REALLY.

My watch stopped and I haven’t worn it since the pandemic started. My relationship to time, literally and figuratively has changed completely.

It ’s been years since I haven’t worn a watch, so it’s interesting to note how I mark time now.

8:15 a.m. my neighbour leaves for work.

9:00 a.m. mail carrier arrives in a Prius Taxi … very quiet, but the dog next door immediately barks at the sign of the car. Mail’s here.

12:15 p.m., my neighbour comes home for lunch.

4:00 p.m. is still Tea Time … a ritual from my father that I have never stopped.

5:15 p.m. my neighbour comes home from his day at work

6:15 p.m. Dinner is served (only if I am not making it … my timing is not so precise)

7:30 p.m. Jeopardy (when it is not in reruns)

10:00 p.m. My bed calls me from down the hall … Sarah … oh Sarah … it’s bedtime. Call the cats. Turn off the lights. Batten down the hatches … zzzzzzz

Atmosphere is part of the experience!

On a recent trip to downtown, Mary Ann and I were looking for a place to have lunch. Not realizing that pandemic hours for most restaurants in the downtown seem to exclude Monday AND Tuesday. Naturally, any restaurant that was open, was busy. We were hungry, so we trudged on until we found somewhere that didn’t have a wait time.

We ended up at a newer restaurant and the food was perfectly acceptable, but the experience wasn’t what I would like. The place had absolutely NO atmosphere or personality of any kind. It reminded me, once again, how important ambience and enjoying an experience is when dining. Without it, even good food comes off as pale.

Now this photo by igor-starkov shows that it doesn’t take anything exotic to create atmosphere, it just takes attention. 

What’s new in the studio this week?

In the early stages of new vestiges pieces … 7 of them on the go at the same time! Now that I have done the first ones, and sold one immediately, I am feeling as though other people are going to like these crazy pieces too!

Right now, I have this one on my desk and it looks right at home. I just wanted to photograph it in use, and it turns out it is incredibly useful and makes me happy to glimpse throughout my work day.

In the day-to-day workings of my studio work, I find myself keeping better track of what my days consist of. I not only make a to-do list in my day-timer, but I note other things that have happened. I’ve never done much of that in the past, but it seems so important in these times … to see that I am actually doing stuff!! Because clearly linear time is messing with us, big time!