Early dawn on a March morning, watching how the soft purple night sky changes into a swirl of fiery orange and glowing pink before the day really arrives. What a beautiful way to begin the day, gazing out of my windows with a warm cup of tea in my hands.
{ 0 comments }
The sun streaming in through the window.
A bowl filled with water on the table.
A magical dance of sparkles and shadows on the kitchen wall.
{ 2 comments }
I thought I knew what this dreamboard would look like. As spring is around the corner, I was sure it would be reflected with images of blossoms and spring colours. I went through a stack of magazines, tearing out tons of images, much more than normally. I felt especially drawn to animals: wolves, dolphins, an elephant, ostriches, penguins and even polar bears. Twothirds of the pictures I gathered didn’t make it to my dreamboard. I picked the ones that did purely intuitively, without thinking about it. They just had to feel right.
This board feels very primal and earthy to me, very grounded. I sense the strength and instinct of the wolf. I’m drawn in by the intelligence and playfulness of the dolphins. I’m inspired by the wisdom and compassion of the elephant. It’s about the sacredness of dreams and intuition. I’m filled with a sense of power, of confidence and trust. My birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I have a feeling magic is in the air!
{ 10 comments }
Do you ever look in the mirror and don’t like what you see? Do you ever feel that your tummy isn’t flat enough, your thighs not taut enough and your bum not firm enough? So do I and I’m sure most other women out there.
In How To Look Good Naked Gok Wan sets out to help women feel sexy and attractive, no matter what their body shape or size. It’s all about confidence, he says, and every woman is gorgeous. I love the way he supports the women on his show and challenges them a little bit more all the time. It’s heartwarming to see how these woman change from feeling like ugly ducklings into beautiful swans, who are proud of their bodies and not afraid to show it.
If you don’t have a personal Gok Wan to tell you you’re gorgeous, you’ll have to remind yourself. For those mornings that I wake up and don’t feel very confident, I’ve stuck this note on my mirror:
You can make your own reminder or you can download the real size image here, print it and put it up somewhere you’ll see it throughout the day. Just remember that you’re gorgeous!
{ 1 comment }
This slogan can be seen on billboards all over Dublin City at the moment. The organisation behind it is Ashoka.
We can’t all be major world leaders or Nobel Prize winners. And that’s allright, we don’t need to be. We don’t need to be famous in order to make a difference. We don’t need to be rich or donate tons of money. Changemaking isn’t about getting praise or being in the spotlight. And it’s not always about big issues either.
One of the easiest ways you can be a changemaker is connecting with others, even if it’s just for a short moment. It’s reading between the lines when a friend tells you how they’re doing. It can be as simple as opening the door for another person or wishing a stranger a beautiful day. Sometimes it’s just smiling at someone on the bus who looks sad. Give your colleague a compliment.
Have you ever ran to the supermarket for a missing ingredient, only to find out that you’re 50 cents short of cash and you left your bank card at home? Well, I have. And let me tell you, I felt so embarrassed and stupid. The fact that there was a long queue behind me didn’t help either. There I was, with just one item on the conveyor belt, and I didn’t even have enough change in my pocket to pay for that. If I could have disappeared right then and there, I would have. When the lady behind me noticed what was going on, she laughed at me kindly and said “That’s all, honey? There, 50 cents”. I profoundly thanked her, but she waved it away like it was no big deal. To me however, it was. I’ve never forgotten how her kindness influenced the way I felt when I left the store. Instead of embarrassed, I felt grateful.
One of the easiest ways you can be a changemaker is by connecting with others, even if it’s just for a short moment. It’s reading between the lines when a friend tells you how they’re doing. It can be as simple as opening the door for another person or wishing a stranger a beautiful day. Sometimes it’s just smiling at someone on the bus who looks sad. Or giving your colleague a compliment.
Never forget that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. The way we interact with people is one of the most powerful ways in which we can contribute to a better world. It’s that easy. Everybody can be a changemaker.
{ 0 comments }
I feel thrilled and honoured (and a little nervous too) to be appearing on Creative Living with Jamie today!
Jamie and I connected a few years ago in the blogosphere and she’s been an absolute inspiration ever since. She has made Jamie Ridler Studios into a safe haven for creative souls where you are encouraged to dream your biggest dreams. After years of emails and blog comments, talking to her on the phone was such a treat!
The topic of today’s podcast is about travelling as a form of creative living and how you don’t need to go far in order to travel. So head on over to Jamie Ridler Studios to hear my thoughts about travelling.
{ 1 comment }
As I’m preparing and gathering images for my Full Snow Moon dreamboard this Sunday, I keep looking at my previous two dreamboards and wondering what will turn up this time. What I like about dreamboarding it’s an intuitive process. I never know what it will be like until I’ve finished, until every last image has been glued fixed.
Sometimes I collect images that just don’t fit in or that don’t feel right together. Sometimes I feel attracted to a photo so strongly and know that it has to go on my board, even when I don’t actually like the picture. And I never see the connection between images that seem to have no coherence, no obvious theme or link to each other when they’re lying scattered on the floor, until I’ve put down the glue stick and take a step back. Often it takes a few days to read what it’s telling me, but the dots always get connected.
Winter is slowly starting to make room for spring. I wake up with birds singing outside my window and the tulips in my living room are adding a splash of colour that heralds a new season. Thick, hot soups will soon be replaced with tangy salads and soon I’ll be needing sunglasses again. The temperature is just above zero and there’s still the possibility of snow, but the promise of spring is unmistakenly there.
{ 0 comments }
Today The Next Chapter Book Blogging Group is starting on The Joy Diet: 10 steps to a happier life by Martha Beck. I’m thrilled to embark on this new adventure and to connect with old and new friends. Sharing this journey with a group makes it so much more powerful and inspiring.
Just by reading the back cover and the introduction, it’s clear to me that this is a wholesome book that nourishes the soul. The menu looks mouthwatering, with desire, creativity, risk, play, laughter and connection, and I can’t wait to tuck in.
Bon appétit!
{ 13 comments }
Meet Matt. Matt loves to travel. And he loves to dance. So he travelled around the world and danced. Fortytwo countries in fourteen months. This video is a summary of that trip. I love watching it. It’s uplifting and touching and colourful and it makes me want to go out and dance on the street. The world needs more people dancing in the streets.
The beautiful song accompanying the video is called Praan by Garry Schyman. It’s not only the music that stirs my soul, but also the lyrics, taken from a Bengali poem by Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali:
Bhulbona ar shohojete
Shei praan e mon uthbe mete
Mrittu majhe dhaka ache
je ontohin praan
Bojre tomar baje bashi
She ki shohoj gaan
Shei shurete jagbo ami
Shei jhor jeno shoi anonde
Chittobinar taare
Shotto-shundu dosh digonto
Nachao je jhonkare!
Here’s the translation:
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
It is the same life that is rocked
in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death,
in ebb and in flow.
I feel my limbs are made glorious
by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages
dancing in my blood this moment.
I hope it will put a smile on your face too.
{ 0 comments }
