Carmel By The Sea, Part 2

Here's a few more pictures of the way-too-many I took of the ocean in Carmel.

So beautiful.
Walking barefoot in the sand,
listening to the crash of the ocean,
smelling and tasting the salty air,
watching the seagulls soaring overhead
and the waves come in and out,
feeling my breath,
and I think:
this is the way the earth breathes.
And I feel at home, complete and whole.

Carmel By The Sea, Part 1

Carmel By The Sea (sometimes just referred to as Carmel) is a small town with lots of European inspired architecture. The top three photos are from Secret Garden, the most delightful little garden space designed in an alleyway next to Pilgrim's Way Bookstore. Carmel draws lots of tourism from around the world and it's easy to see why. The nature in Carmel and Monterey to the north and Big Sur to the south is just astounding. Relaxed and located in one of the prettiest places right by the ocean, Carmel is a city steeped in the arts. In the early 20th century, many artists, literary writers, poets, photographers and actors came to Carmel to help establish the Artists Colony (video). The ocean here makes my heart go pitter-patter and I think the beach in Carmel is one of the best.

Wildlife at the Park

There's a beautiful park near me that has an abundance of wildlife, especially birds and waterfowl. Although sometimes challenging and requiring lots of patience, there are plenty of opportunities to get some nice shots.  (And oh how I yearn for a nice DSLR camera...)

The Farmer's Market: A Festival of Color

I love shopping at our local farmer's market. Everything is organic and fresh. It's a feast for the eyes and soul as well as the body; a festival of color. Buckets abundantly filled with cut flowers; bins, boxes and baskets overflowing with luscious fruits and vegetables; and tables of fresh baked goods, fish, honey, sorbet and coffee. Tantalizing smells of fresh produce waft through the air, alive with the energy of those shopping and sampling. There's  a bit of an "old world" feel, similar to the feeling I had when I shopped the open air markets while visiting Paris and other European cities. It feels good to shop at the farmer's market. It feels good to buy fresh, local, organic food and support the farmer's who grow it and make it available. I know I'm getting quality, healthy, fresh, organic food and I love the eye candy; there's never a shortage for great photo taking. It's a highlight of my week. 

Summer Blooms

“Just living is not enough.. 

One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

Hans Christian Andersen

Textures by: Kim Klassen and Shadowhouse Creations.

Video Inspiration

This is a beautiful and inspiring video by Liz Song set to the song, Mile Marker by Amy Seeley.

Wednesday Gratitude

This week I have had gratitude for:

• warm apple crisp and a cup of tea
• the sweater that keeps me warm on chilly mornings
• the beautiful sunlight that reflects off of the bright yellow leaves of fall
• all of the stunning creativity I see on the blogs that I follow (you are all so amazing!!)

I would love to hear what you have gratitude for today.

Have a wonderful week!

Beauty

Embracing Grace

"Gracefulness has been defined as outward expression of inward harmony of the soul." 

William Hazlitt

The state of grace is a condition in which all growth is effortless. Embracing Grace means to be able to see, feel and appreciate the beauty and grace of any given moment no matter what is happening, no matter whether we judge a particular moment "good" or "bad", no matter what our personal preferences are. Each moment has a gift to offer. It is the skill of being able to see the gift that determines how we live and how we love.

Life is a series of choices that determine our experiences. A number of years ago, I had a sincere desire to not create pain in my life, but to develop the ability to create beauty and joy wherever I am and in the midst of whatever is happening. I chose to develop a practice over a long period of time, of "seeing" and "hearing". By seeing and hearing, I accept what is true, what is happening. I'm present in the moment. Acceptance turns into feeling: The feeling of grace is your emotional recognition of the necessity, purpose, freedom and the appreciation of your rightness and place in existence.

Here are the basics of that practice: No matter what is happening, whether you like it or not, whether it is what you want to be happening or not, turn your focus away from any judgments and place it on what is real and true about what is happening. Then find something to appreciate. This will fuel your energy. The practice is thus, really a practice of appreciation. What I found, was that as I practiced more and more, I became happier. I still experience things I don't like, they're all around me, (like the dreary, rainy day today) but I don't focus my attention on them (I accept the rainy day, because it is raining. Because of the rainy day, I can light some candles, drink a cup of tea and focus on some inside projects that need to get completed. A rainy day is a very simplistic example yet this process has proven to work even with more "serious" conditions). I understand that those things I don't like are simply my judgments or my preferences. They are not necessarily real or true in the larger sense. And they don't matter. They're not important nor are they worth taking seriously or getting upset over. Now I have a lot more time and energy to focus on what's important to me and to create. And what I want to create is beauty...and joy...and art. What do you want to create? And how do you want to express it?