meditation for sanity

ten minutes of stillness each day makes all the difference in the world.  to keep me from killing my family - just kidding :)     but really, life is stressful, especially when you're trying to balance so many roles and responsibilities.  now, generally speaking, i'm not an angry person, or one to just fly off the handle.  in fact, i have been told in the past that i have the patience of a saint.  but lately, it seems i've been losing my ground.  there has been a lot of yelling going on in the house.  this is hard to admit publicly, but i know most families probably have those moments.  it doesn't feel good.  when i can see myself from the outside, i think "whoa, who is that?!"  and i've heard myself saying way too often "aaaah, you guys are driving me crazy!"  the forces of evil are trying to infiltrate our (mostly) peaceful and lovely home.  we are all fire-y in this family.  i have been praying for help to use my fire to warm people, not hurt them.  so much of it lies in how you say something to someone.  this is very important to remember, whenever possible.  you can say the exact same thing two totally different ways, and it will be received quite differently depending on how it is delivered.

so, my routine has been to make a fire in the morning after atom leaves for work (i get up with him at 4:45 a.m.!) and meditate, sit quietly, whatever you wish to call it for a good ten minutes or so.  and i finish with a wish or two, or a few...  if i don't do it first thing, i try to make sure it happens fairly early in the day.  i haven't done this regularly for a few years now, sad to say.  i've been back at it for 3 weeks or so, and it really does make all the difference in the world.  when a stressful situation arises, i stay calm; even if the impulse arises in me to fly off the handle, i usually catch it before i blow.  and there is a difference in my way, my tone of voice, my body language.  i am the peacekeeper, the mediator.  i can help those around me to stay calm & see their way through conflict to resolve.  i love it.  i love my family.

have you had any experience with this?

check out groovy nate

after much anticipation, the "Meet Groovy Nate" CD has launched!  you can buy it on the
Groovy Nate site.  support a local artist!

for those of you who don't know, Groovy Nate is an awesome children's entertainer who performs regularly around arlington, alexandria, and the d.c. metropolitan area.  he and his family happen to be good friends of ours.  a papa of two, he and his wife kisha have been developing the groovy nate thang for the past several years, and now, the release of his first CD!  kisha writes a majority of the material and has done alot more behind-the-scenes work than i initially realized, as the director and vocal coach, among other things.

nate puts on a highly engaging show - if you have young ones and haven't had the pleasure to see a Groovy Nate show yet, go to his site, and find one!  and grab a CD while you're at it. you're in for a real treat.  he incorporates puppetry, beat-boxing, and other sound effects, as well as guitar & vocals.  his show is very interactive, & he has the kids movin' & groovin', callin' out, & crackin' up.  nate also offers workshops & birthday parties, and performances can be tailored to a specific theme upon request - see his site for more info.

now, one of the coolest things about his CD for me, besides it being fabulous, is that this is my daughter adobe's vocal debut!  she is featured in several of the tracks, along with nate's two children & another friend, and she has a solo on the track "Inside Beauty".  another thing that i really love about this CD is the quality musicianship & variety of music styles from track to track - blues, hip-hop, reggae vibes & more.

if you've already checked it out, or once you do, i'd love it if you'd leave a comment!  thanks.

(photo: © artis mooney.  groovy nate leads a princess parade through the woods at a birth day party.)

for solstice: snow, glorious snow

what glorious fun, to get dumped on.  we really got a good heaping of snow, and we had a blast with it.  it's a bit surreal, days later, to still see these piles of white stuff obstructing paths & parking spots, and turned into sculpture, all around the neighborhood.  i think that's what i like the most, the temporary transformation of our surroundings.  it was so beautiful, snowing non-stop for almost two full days; and you just stay inside, mostly, and watch it fall.   it inspires awe & stillness. we had tea and hot chocolate, baked & ate special treats, sat by the fire, and made paper snowflakes.  to honor solstice and the spirit of renewal, we did some cleaning & began a decor overhaul - clearing the tops of shelves and the mantle and arranging our treasures and trinkets again, and changing up the wall art (especially because we just got our beautiful new canvases!).

then when the snows stops coming down, it calls for our action, in one way or another, whether it's work or silliness.  on sunday we shoveled, alot, so atom could venture out for his mandatory midst-of-snowstorm-excursion.  then, we got out with the kids on monday and played, running around, having snowball fights, making snow angels and a family of snow people. 

i LOVE canvas prints

just got my first canvas prints in last night, & i am so excited, i can't even tell you!  i waited anxiously all day yesterday for the fedex guy to arrive, and of course, they didn't come until i was away last night teaching.  which is good, because i very well may have tackled him/her before they got off the truck.  by the time i came home, atom had unwrapped them, & they are so beautiful.  one is for a client, one for atom for an anniversary present, & the other 3 just for all of us to enjoy.  everybody should own at least one of these.  i've been gaga-ing over them all day.  especially as a fine artist, it is so exciting to see these gorgeous photographic works of art adorning our walls.  especially since they're our photographs.   thanks simply canvas!

new traditions

it's been awhile since i've posted, but as we approach the season of rebirth, i feel inspired, and i guess it is a good time to begin again.  this is a great time of year, when everyone gets in the giving spirit, but it's always felt a bit fictitious to me, a bit suspicious, a bit random.  i mean, even if you're christian, & you're ostensibly celebrating the birth of jesus christ, it has been shown that in all likelihood, his birth was not on december 25, and perhaps not in this month, or even in this season.  i figure that this holiday was created to give the economy a little end-of-year stimulation.  i believe most of the other american holidays were created for a similar reason, and thus, i have always felt a there is a lack of connection on these holidays with anything much more than consumerism.  the associated sentiments are nice, but i don't really need an excuse to show love or gratitude to those close to me.  and i certainly don't need to stress about how much i can afford to spend and who i need to get presents for.  what about random acts of kindness?  it was different when i was a teenager and my dad would just hand me the credit card to shop for our family and friends, and i didn't really have to think about the bill on the other side.  as an adult faced with the reality of living check to check, the whole scenario didn't quite make sense.  so for years, i simply declined to participate. 

well, of course, when you have children, that's a bit harder to do.  we've struggled with how to deal with this. we talk about what's really worth celebrating at this time of year, and have avoided stressing out and spending frivolously just 'because' that's what other folks do at this time of year.  at the same time, we don't want to be scrooges, and we do want to take advantage of extra time spent together during this time.  and of course, giving and receiving gifts is fun.

so this year, we're starting a new tradition.  rebirth & the return of light - solstice to new years'.  we will recognize the solstice in some way - perhaps a nice dinner or a small party.  it may not be on the solstice since that's a monday, not sure yet.  solstice is worth celebrating because it signals the beginning of winter - a time of rest & renewal for all life - when everything goes dormant & prepares to spring forth in the warmer weather.  this is a time that's great for hibernating indoors, going for invigorating walks through the woods when your favorite spots look so different, having warm tea, and snuggling together by the fire.  even more cause for celebration is the fact that  little by little,  daylight returns & the days begin to get longer. 

then, to continue the celebration, in honor of reflection & renewal, we look forward to another year together as a family, & we will show our love for one another through gift-giving on new years' eve.  that way, we get more time to make gifts if we like during winter break when everything slows down, and shop for gifts after christmas, when everything's on sale.  then everyone can get a little more of what they want, & we can spend a little less.  brilliant, right?

the other component is the tree.  it is sad to me how many large, beautiful trees are cut down every year just to be enjoyed for a couple weeks in someone's home, then to be discarded onto the curb for trash pickup.  (i'm not bashing you if you do this, but just think about it...) we plan to buy & decorate a live tree, which we can keep  inside until spring if we like, and then plant it in our yard.  we can enjoy it year-round, and watch it grow (for as long as we live here), and let it serve as a reminder of the fun times we had in 2009.

we'll see how it goes this year, and maybe this will be our family tradition for years to come.  whatever you do, think about what it really means to you.  and if you're able, donate something to those in need, in whatever way that makes sense to you.  i am donating a bit of the money i would spend elsewhere during the holiday season to charities that support  causes that touch my heart.  more on that in another post...

happy holidays everyone!

(the image above was taken at alexandria's annual scottish christmas parade in 2006.  the gentleman was a bagpiper and epitome of what i think the real santa would look like.  © artis mooney 2006)