Hello everyone! In just a day or two, Suzee and I will FINALLY be on the road to publishing our first book, A Beautiful Rainbow World. Our Kickstarter campaign has been submitted for review and as soon as we get the okay, it’s a go! While this has been years in the making, for whatever reason, this last step has held us back. We’ve been waiting, waiting until our website was up, waiting until our lives are less crazy (that will never happen), waiting for the right season, waiting until Mercury was no longer in retrograde (it’s the truth!), but really all the waiting is a just a synonym for FEAR, except for maybe the Mercury in retrograde part. You never want to mess with the universe! While we are still a little anxious, Opening the Creative Channel allowed us to let go of the fear and embrace what we feel we need/are called, really, to share with the world. We can’t wait to announce our official launch of A Beautiful Rainbow World, so check Facebook for updates and if you feel called to help us, think you would love the book (we do!), want to return a favor, pay it forward in some way, you just really dig us, or perhaps we are related to you (hint mom and dad!) , we’d be forever grateful for your support in making one of our dreams a reality! Plus we think the perks for supporting our project are pretty neat, so check them out! 🙂
With that, I’d like to add to Suzee’s piece about our blissful trip to the bay area. She couldn’t have expressed my feelings about the trip more perfectly. Andrea, Laurie, our new friends/TRIBE!, San Francisco and Alameda all gave us more than we could have ever hoped. I’m continuing the story in images from this very special time, I hope I’ve done her wonderful words justice. So here’s my version of Opening the Creative Channel in the language I’m most comfortable speaking (for now), pictures. Cheers!
AND, after our awesomely perfect weekend, I came home to this.
My heart is full. Thank you, Andrea and Laurie. Thank you, Suzee. Thank you, tribe (you know who you are). Thank you, my sweet and perfectforme family. Love you all.
Lynne
“This place and what a world it was.”
~ from the Metaphysicians of South Jersey by Stephen Dunn
Walking through life, something most of us desire at a fundamental level is to be seen. Not physically seen, but seen through unfiltered lenses ~ for Who We Are at our core.
This past weekend Lynne and I had the immense privilege of spending the weekend at a retreat in Alameda, California with one of our superheroes, Andrea Scher, our new found writing mentor, Laurie Wagner, and 16 or so other creative seekers.
We spent our time speaking the language of poetry and paint. Opening to the possibility that our voice matters, and the whispers we hear are meant to be shared. Encouraged to divulge that thought that instantly wanted to protect itself in our scared little selves ~ and feeling bolder and braver by voicing what felt impossible (or even inappropriate!). Tears popping up from what another tender heart needed to birth… and knowing we were all so safe and held.
Ripping paper that “spoke to us” and gluing it down ~ all the while having conversations with near strangers that went to a level deeper than it ever does with most people we see on a daily basis. Getting ooey-gooey ~ paint oozing deep into our fingernails ~ not caring (so much) about the end-product, but realizing that during the process is where life itself occurs.
“This place and what a world it was.”
I truly did feel held ~ amongst members of a freshly formed tribe ~ where we saw art in the bark of trees, marveled in green lady bugs, shared recipes for granola (we were in Northern California – it makes sense!), and delighted in finding a “catch light” in Arleta’s big beautiful eyes. Names like Patti Digh (“Life is a Verb”) and Keri Smith (“Wreck This Journal”) were easily explained, if not already familiar. Doing a spontaneous hand stand against the tree in the park didn’t feel ridiculous, and stopping in the middle of the street because I had to take a photo of a man hole seemed so obvious ~ thank goodness the oncoming car decided my photo was important too!
After this lovely weekend, although I want the temporary “world” it became to feel special and sacred, I also want this to become more of my everyday… I want my tribe to be obvious to me ~ or more importantly, just BE my authentic self in every situation and my tribe will know me… If there were 20 lucky souls who convened and discovered we weren’t alone in our creative desires on October 11-13 in Alameda, there must be many more of you lurking out there. With practice I’m sure I will get better and better at feeling instant kinship, but in the meantime, can we come up with a secret tribal handshake, or nod, or symbol?
Namaste my friends. I see your light. Thank you for seeing mine.
:Suzee
October 4, 2013
I journal, do you? My routine is to wake up early, meditate for 15-20 minutes, then journal for 10-15. I don’t know if it is common or not (let me know!), but these early morning waking moments are usually when the most insightful messages come through me. Sometimes I’ll get them in my sleep, and try to write them down as soon as possible so that the message isn’t lost with my waking brain. I plan on sharing some of these with you here in this “journal gem” series.
(from 03.22.11)
This poem came rushing through me during my morning meditation. I heard the words ~ they quickly flooded my thoughts & I had to write them down.
—
Love Letter from God
I love you like the bird in the sky
The cloud floating
The sun warming
I love you like the seed sprouting
The flower growing
It’s fragrance not yet discovered
I love you ~ unborn babe
The Earth is your womb
Cuddle inside
Feed from it
Feel its protection
Stay connected
Be patient
You are not ready to be free from its care.
—
: Suzee
written on August 26, 2013 (posted on September 20 ~ ‘cuz that’s my life!)
So, I’m a dreamer. I have big dreams for my life – and I have literal nighttime dreams that leave me with important messages when I awake. I know I’m supposed to share these truths with people, so that’s what I’m doing.
I just got back from an amazing vacation to Kauai. So blessed. So, so blessed. However in my family (as I’m sure for most) – travel also brings stress. As does returning from travel – especially returning to “real life” (prepping for school, figuring out what the heck I’m doing with my life/career) coming from vacation-time decisions like, “should we hike to a waterfall, go to the beach, or hang by the pool today?”
In a bit of a funk ~ low energy, negative thoughts, closed ~ I missed the play mode of vacation. Then, I had an awesome dream. It was a dream where my mom was telling me that one time when she was a mom with young kids, life sometimes overwhelmed her and didn’t feel fun or happy. She said that she realized, if she wanted to smile, she just needed to do it. Just that simple. Smile. Then, in my dream, a group of kids walked by singing a little diddy, “laugh if you want to laugh, smile if you want to smile, and play if you want to play…” The melody was so catchy — I wish I was a song-writer, because I can’t even sing it properly even though I can still hear it so clearly in my mind.
So, that next day I decided to do just that. I went for a walk in nature. I smiled while I washed dishes (it was forced at first – but then I felt the ease it brought to my mood). I painted my arms with water colors and then ran and hula hooped with my daughter in the sprinklers. So fun ~ I highly recommend doing this! I lightened up – on purpose – with purpose. I chose (and created the setting for) a better outlook.
It really works. Laugh if you want to laugh, smile if you want to smile, and play if you want to play ~ give it a try!
Peace today my friends!
: Suzee
Hello, welcome to our new home, this little big piece of us. We almost named this new venture “Bridges & Pearls” (instead of “Two Poppies”). All of our lives, Lynne and I have felt as if we were not on the inside looking out, but also not on the outside looking in ~ we see ourselves as standing on the bridge in between. In between cool & un-cool, trendy & quirky, nerdy & popular, safe & adventurous, religious & spiritual, confident & self-conscious, progressive & traditional… Being a bridge person can sometimes feel uncomfortable, not quite fitting in, however we feel it helps us relate to and understand more. We can see a piece of ourselves in everyone.
We are preparing our hearts to open ~ and come to this place to share our truths, our “pearls”, with you. There are a lot of locked up pieces of ourselves that are waiting to be revealed. Some we are ready to share, some might take us a little while, and some have yet to reveal themselves to us. We plan to be honest, risky, and authentic in our art and our stories that we share with you on Two Poppies. Welcome to our journey. And thank you for visiting, we hope you come back…
:Suzee
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twopoppies2012 - breathe in … breathe out… & sigh… remembering the absolute comfort I felt during that whole weekend. Your words and photos are perfect Lynne. Love, Suzee
Nina - Oh Lynne
These are just beautiful and do so capture the magic and fairy dust in that weekend (the colors the joy).
Just what I needed after this rough day!
Thanks for sharing