the beauty in the breakdown

this evening, i chased the light until the sun sunk below the trees rooted in the distance as i danced in the beauty and the sadness of the last of the peonies. being a light hunter is pushing me to play and look closer and open up. yes.

(with a nod to frou frou and the song "let go" for the inspiration for the title of this post. as i took these photos, the song started playing in my mind, so i followed it here.)

this poppy

this poppy. oh my goodness this poppy. along the street in the fremont neighborhood, it stopped me in my tracks. it was watching me as i took photos on my sunday date for one. the first date for one in seattle i have had in more than a year. it stopped me, and we had a conversation as the sun was peeking through the clouds. i found myself asking if i could take its portrait because i never wanted to forget this moment where a poppy seemed to (or rather did) stare right through me. a moment where i practically leaned into traffic to snap this photo. later i wondered if she had been holding up a mirror. but now, yes, now i think she just wanted to be seen. i have been there...

(inspired by light hunters and all the gorgeous photos being taken by this month's group)

scenes from this day (july 2)

i want to remember her inquisitive nature and how she reaches for the camera whenever she sees me behind it

i want to remember choosing to be out in the world and exploring together even when it means taking turns holding her and dancing in doorways while the other eats alone at the table

i want to remember the brightness, the warmth, the moments that seemed to await our arrival

i want to remember how we settled into a rhythm of summer, of family, of being

i want to remember how we decided to push through all of it to choose love

i want to remember how she laughs all the time and finds joy is the simplest moments of together

i want to remember pushing through imperfections and deciding to just be right here capturing what it is to deeply live

*****

"Scenes from This Day" is a prompt in my book Inner Excavation. It's about taking your camera with you on your day-to-day moments and capturing what it is to be in your corner of the world. It's about letting go of the need for the perfect photo from the perfect day and instead using the camera to document the small moments that make up your life. It's about telling the story, your story, in the way that will help you to remember the textures and rhythms and sacredness.

be right here

(light hunters day 1)

as you sit over there, in your corner of the world, i hope you will remember to breathe deeply and trust yourself as you get ready to take the next step.

but before you begin,
just be right here
and breathe in all that you know.

the view from here

(taken with incredibooth ipad app)

emerge: an online course

joy and friendship on the oregon coast . february 2011

So excited to share this with you today!

This August brings Emerge, the premier online course from Live it to the Full, that I will be teaching alongside Vivienne McMaster and Jenna McGuiggan. Do you know Live it to the Full? Here's the scoop on this great new project:

Live it to the Full is a place of refuge for people seeking a new way of processing through a transitional period in their life. Our mission is to foster new ways of looking at age old dilemmas through art, photography and storytelling. We seek to provide quality material and qualified instructors at an affordable price and an accessible portal.

I am simply delighted to be teaching with Viv and Jenna. They are two women I am so blessed to call my friends, and they are two women who are sharing their stories with others in ways that are changing the world. (I know this to be true.) So working with them on a course all about emerging from the transitions in our lives? Yep. Sign me up. 

For four weeks this August, we'll play with words, photography, mindfulness practices, and other creative goodies to explore how we weather and emerge from transitions.

Here's the full course description:

How do we emerge from life's transitions and become more fully ourselves? Is it possible to be cracked open and made whole at the same time? Some transitions are big and bold life events, while others happen in the quiet moments of daily life. But each has the power to shape us and how we live in the world.

Come along as we share our personal stories of transition and provide you with creative tools to use as you face your own seasons of change. Through writing, photography, and mindfulness practices, we’ll explore the ebb and flow of happiness, the unique power of telling your story, and the beautiful yet precarious process of learning to trust yourself. See what happens when you allow your true self to emerge through creativity.

Registration for Emerge is now open, and the cost is totally at what I call a "happy price" of $49!

This experience will be full of juicy, bite-sized pieces to help you through whatever kind of transition (huge or tiny) that you're facing.

Viv, Jenna, and I would love to see you there.

joy seeker (june)

in this moment, you paused in the midst of your snack and looked up at the blue sky and took a breath. your big blue eyes taking in the birds flittering above us and the trees slightly swaying. we talked about how noticing the birds and the trees and the sky and feeling the breeze across our bodies was a way to just be right here sinking into the joy of being alive.

your superhero powers bloom more each day, and i am so glad one of them is that you are a seeker and bringer of joy. as we walk this part of your path together, i will take notes so we can both remember the beauty and joy that surrounds us.

*****

spending time with ali at the your story retreat has inspired me to think about how i can continue to gather words and photos together in more tangible ways. i recently created my first shutterfly book (more on that soon), and i love how simple (and rewarding) it is to pair photos and words together in this digital world. this series, "joy seeker," is going to be one way that i document the "joy" superhero power that ellie jane has. i hope to gather these glimpses here on the blog over the next year, and then around her second birthday, i will put them all together in a book.

a sunday evening deep breath...

gearhart self-portrait . june 20, 2011

in this moment,
find your breath
inhale
breathe in your life
exhale
and stand tall inside all that you know... 

*****

i am simply delighted to share that i am a guest on kimberly wilson's tranquility du jour podcast this evening. listening to it again tonight, i am remembering how comfortable i felt sharing so honestly about inner excavation and the path that brought me to here and how i am letting go of this need to find balance in my life. i hope you will head over to kimberly's site to listen to the interview and peek in on all the incredible things that she is up to over there. i am so glad our paths have crossed; she is a gem. 

*****

i am also happy to report that my first newsletter will be heading out into the world tomorrow. i will be sending one about once a month, and they will always include an invitation from me to pause where you are and be right here, along with little notes about the goings on in my corner of the world, including upcoming workshops, retreats, and other good things. the first newsletter will also include a special discount for my Etsy shop, so i hope you will sign up for it right here.

thank you for walking beside me on this journey...