sprout goodness

I am delighted to share that the incredible Amanda Fall, editor and creator of Sprout magazine, has interviewed me in her current issue. This issue is all about Serenity, which is something I think we really have to create space for instead of just closing our eyes and wishing it will appear. I loved answering Amanda's questions in this interview and really felt like we had a beautiful, important conversation that I hope you will join in and become part of. 

I have been a fan of Sprout for a while. It is a gorgeous online magazine that is simply, truly full of goodness. There is artwork + photography alongside wisdom and whispered truths from women who are on their own paths of seeking the beauty and trueness of being present in their lives. (I see why Amanda said this issue was the one for me!) And there are poems throughout the pages. Yes. Poetry. I read several of the poems in this issue aloud quietly while my family slept down the hall and the words were like the blessings and balm I most needed right now. (I. Love. Poetry.) 

Each page of this issue is simply a reminder to breathe deeply, listen, and trust. I am downloading it to my iPad as I think it will be perfect for those nights my mind is having trouble resting and I need these reminders from other women who know and get it. Yes.

Learn more about Sprout and Amanda's mission of Persistent Green over here.

are you in?

this morning, i keep thinking about these words. about this truth. about how the universe brought you, brought me, here to this day, this place, this moment.

so let's do this...this moment, this day, this life.

are you in?

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inspired

found heart along puget sound

a few people who have been inspiring me lately:

Jenna continues to share her stories about how roller derby makes her brave. This last one is so darn beautiful and true.

Andrea's words about how "we think we move through the world unseen" had me in tears of understanding. So thankful for this post.

Love how Effy came to realize that a small self-care move is enough. Yes, yes, yes! (And she shares a poem inspired by Poem It Out.)

Leonie's self-portraits are simply, profoundly taking my breath away each time I peek in to see what she has shared next.

Jen Louden's post about having lunch with your enemy is one I'm tucking away to read again and again throughout the next few months.

I'm seriously loving Gluten-Free Girl's first book right now. I love how this girl tells a story. And I have been reading her blog more often and am deeply inspired by her family. Here's a hint that you might want to know: It isn't just about being gluten-free. I'm not eating gluten-free right now, but the way she writes is infused with the senses in a way that pulls me in and invites me to want to get into the kitchen and then get out into the world and live.

As we get ready to "go back to school" around here in two weeks and find our way with a new schedule, I've been turning back to Amanda's ebook Zen & the Art of Being a Work-at-Home Mama. This book continues to remind me that I am not alone as I find my way with my family and my business. So thankful for the wisdom here.

What has you inspired over in your corner?

space between...

Tonight, I am reading from Mary Oliver's collection Thirst: Poems, and again, I am grateful for the way her poems just feel true. As though I am sitting beside a mentor who doesn't have to tell stories for hours but instead just says what she needs to say in a few lines. And then says, "Now go live."

Today was a long day. 

But I promised myself I would sit alone for a minute or two and just breathe deeply and try to find some softness in that space between the inhale and the exhale.

So I did that tonight while Jon gave Ellie her bath. 

And it did feel softer as I let a few pieces of the day slip off of me. 

And I had the thought that the softness feels a little quiet in that way one can feel when you just really need a good night's sleep and then someone who loves you to make pancakes in the morning.

Know what I mean?

In this moment, I wish for you a minute or two where you can close your eyes, let your shoulders drop away from your ears, your face relax, and then you can settle in to notice your breathing...to try to find the softness you need.

PS The photo at the top of this post arrived in the mail in the form of a postagram from my friend Donna. Seeing her tea beside my little book of poems made me simply happy. You can now order Five Days in April, a collection of poems, here.

gratitude.

 

a short poem note i uncovered in my studio yesterday

Thank you for your kind words and emails after you read my last post. Thank you for getting it. I am repeatedly reminded that letting people know you need support is such an important thing to do. My mom always says that "people don't know what they don't know." This simple truth applies to so many things, but it definitely applies to the idea that people often don't know you need support or a hug across the miles unless you let them know. (Remember this okay?)

Thank you for you...

Blessings,
Liz 

PS I've decided to keep the shop open through Saturday, so the sale will be extended until then. I continue to unearth more treasures in the studio that I'm adding as I find them. (Use coupon code AUGUST20 for 20% off.) 

courage = trust + fear

I’ve been thinking about words this week. I suppose this is because in Poem It Out, we are gathering lots of words to add to our creative toolbox to help us when we face the blank page. And there is nothing quite like a long list of gathered words to inspire some poetry. And then there are the words I hammer into metal, so those words, in the form of soul mantras, are often on my mind.

This week, as I gathered up an "I am Brave" locket to send out into the world, I started thinking about a conversation I had with a friend last month. She asked me to define brave. Because we were texting, I was pushed to get to the point, so I wrote:

Brave = faith + trust
Brave = holding hands with fear

I started tearing up after I pressed "send" because it felt like I had been waiting for those words for a long time, as though I needed permission to admit that I know being brave, standing tall in your courage, means standing side-by-side with fear and trusting anyway. It isn't about leaving fear behind. It is about knowing it is there and still choosing trust.

As I write this, I am sitting on my red couch in the middle of my little home while everyone is still asleep and the house has cooled off just enough to feel comfortable. And as I sit here, I literally feel as though I am sandwiched between “fear” and “trust,” and I'm wearing a t-shirt that says "courage" as I admit to myself that they wlll be house guests for a very long time. 

This week, we have been lowering the doses of Ellie’s medication and tomorrow she will have her last dose (at least for now). This is the medication she has been on three times a day for more than two years. The medication that regulates her heart rhythm. The medication that saved her life. The medication that has really driven the train that is our family’s daily world.

This is really good news.

This means that we are at the point where we think it is very possible that she has outgrown both of her heart rhythm “issues” and won’t need to be on the medication any more. 

The only way we can know this is to take her off of the medication and wait to see what happens.

Twice so far I’ve almost called her cardiologist to say, “I’m not ready.”

But of course, it isn’t about me. It isn’t about how ready I am. It is about a little girl. It is about letting go of knowing. It is about trust.

For several months we've been in a holding pattern with her weight. Wanting her to get bigger to literally grow out of this arrhythmia; speculating she isn’t getting much bigger because the medication affects her appetite. So this is the next step.

And we wait.

And while we wait, she just keeps teaching us as she dances and runs ahead of us and lives a life punctuated with yes.

And I tuck trust and fear into my pocket and take a breath and exhale a forcefield of courage around all of us.

a moving studio sale

Over here I am getting ready for a big move: we are converting the garage into my studio/office space this month. We begin this weekend and will be working on it for the rest of the month! Everything is going into boxes and will stay there for a while, which means my Etsy shop will be closed for a few weeks.

As I've been cleaning and organizing, I've uncovered a few Soul Mantra necklaces, lockets,bracelets, and earrings that are now in the shop. This week, I hope you will help me clear the way for new creations I'll be making in my new space, so I'm having a sale.

Use coupon code AUGUST20 for 20% off everything in the shop through midnight on Wednesday, 8/8.

To use the code, just click on "Apply coupon code" above the "item total" column when you check out and then enter the code.

And I look forward to sharing photos of our adventure into this new studio space over the next few weeks. (Something tells me it is going to get a bit crazy around here!)

full of ease

 

a reminder i needed today. maybe you need it too. 

xo,
liz

*****

For more little reminders and love notes like this one, sign up for my weekly newsletter (where I also share stories of my real, true adventures in self-care and living with my heart open).