Kelly's Peaceful Spot:
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Shine On
Kelly's Peaceful Spot:
Monday, April 11, 2011
A Magical Spell of Creativity and Thought
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| She makes her own costumes too! |
Mary Lynn Maloney is a busy lady. She, her husband, and two furry feline kids, live in Port Townsend, Washington. Her wonderful collage/assemblage paintings are represented in a local gallery, she has her own online Etsy shop, she has been known to dabble in graphic design, event planning, and sewing and designing her own (and hubbies!) Ren Faire costumes. Mary Lynn has also written two craft books, Decorated Boxes and Memory Art . Oh, yea and she's my stepmom. I wondered how she found peace amongst all this creating!
Mary Lynn's words:
"I crave solitude. Always have. When I was little, I loved solitary activities the best. I enjoyed poring over books, especially those with great pictures (fairy tales, kids encyclopedia, lives of the saints....a favorite of mine in our catholic school library: some swell medieval garb sported by the saints). I loved playing paper dolls, or making stuff with glue, yarn and fabric. I liked playing with my siblings and friends alot, but I always sought out quiet time doing just what I wanted. It was peaceful and calm and a good time to ponder things.
This love of solitude has stayed with me and I have to say it remains my peaceful spot. I feel most centered and grounded when I just get to sit and do whatever creative thing I want, or nothing at all. It gets even better, though, when I'm way into a design or art project. I get immersed and caught up in the creative process and just flow. Some people call it being in the zone; I refer to it as going to level two. So, my peaceful spot isn't really a physical place, it's being caught up in that solitary, magical spell of creativity and thought."
This love of solitude has stayed with me and I have to say it remains my peaceful spot. I feel most centered and grounded when I just get to sit and do whatever creative thing I want, or nothing at all. It gets even better, though, when I'm way into a design or art project. I get immersed and caught up in the creative process and just flow. Some people call it being in the zone; I refer to it as going to level two. So, my peaceful spot isn't really a physical place, it's being caught up in that solitary, magical spell of creativity and thought."
To see the fruit of Mary Lynn's solitary pursuits visit http://www.topfloordesigns.net/ or http://www.celticbelle.etsy.com/
Monday, April 4, 2011
Chaotic little, tiny fingers and toes.
When my sister April (you know her as the one and only AJ of AJ's peaceful spot) asked me to contribute to her Peaceful Spot Project I said "sure, would love to, grand" and I thought I'd be able to type something out in no time but when I sat down to write I realized not only did I not have a peaceful spot, I had no peace, EVER! Or did I? Maybe there are things I do that unwittingly bring me, not 'peace', really, as much as a piece of calm.
Now, I never said they were deep. I have two young boys with lots of energy that require all my attention for most of the day. When you are a stay-at-home mom you must be constantly aware, awake, attentive, ever-mindful, clear. You have to be lest one of your children run into the street, pour orange juice into your cactus, hide a dried starfish in their underwear, you know, those kinds of things. So for me, zoning out is entirely peaceful and something I need and welcome very much after the boys go down for the night. I don't want to think or be spoken to. Enter US weekly. Give me pretty people in pretty dresses to look at. Also, Bones. I love the TV show Bones. (My husband keeps wondering when they are finally going to run out of episodes for me to watch). But it is fun fodder for me, (I am quite the detective), and plus, I have a girl-crush on Emily Deschanel. Mindless TV for me is simply not worrying about anything else in the world but catching the murderer who killed that young promising attorney with a stapler, and then left his body in toxins that soon will exude fumes, threatening everyone in the lab!
Something I've started to do recently when I wake up is stretch. At first I didn't think of this as peaceful or calming because it hurt too much! I used to be able to put my leg behind my head, now when I drop something I not only bend both knees to pick it up but usually let out some sort of 'uhhhhghrhgh' or 'owwwndhshalshd' noise on the way back up. However, in my attempt to loosen myself up and to keep my mind off the pain of touching my chin to my chest (seriously, does anyone else feel that shot of a stretch all the way down their neck?!) I talk to my body. In my head I have a very lovely voice of the yoga instructor and I say 'now slowly and gently roll your head to the left and feel the release of tightness on the other side of your body, feel your hair falling across your back as you roll your head to the right and release your other side'. Stuff like that. And it really helps me to feel my entire body, respect it's efforts, be proud of it's ability to feel and want to feel better. It gets easier everyday. And I feel looser within myself and I can't help but think this keeps me more easygoing during the day.
Finally, the most peaceful or calming thing I do is pray. We pray before meals and whatnot, but those are not the kind of prayers I mean. My favorite time of day is right before I go to bed, when my babies are warm and safe and sleeping and my husband is beside me snoring (more like a bear growling who is also using a jackhammer while starting a motorcycle that has a microphone attached to the engine....you've never heard anything like it) nonetheless, I know we are all home and safely together. Sometimes though when I lay down, I worry, my mind starts chasing itself all over the place. I worry about my boys and money and death and family and my boys and my jeans not wanting to button lately and whether or not Bones and Booth will ever admit they love each other and my boys and if my husband still thinks I'm sexy even tho my jeans won't button and Africa and Japan and finally, I stop myself and I just ask God to calm me. I say over and over, God bring me calm, God bring me calm, God bring me calm. And then I ask for the faith to trust that all will be OK. And then I talk to him about why I'm so upset, about things I don't understand, about anything really, like he's my friend and I usually fall asleep mid-conversation with him (and probably around the same time as my tylenol PM has kicked in). I don't know how people feel about God, but it doesn't have to be God. It can be anyone or anything you want it to be. Calm can be brought to you by your grandma who past away a long time ago or by God or by that big tree in your backyard. (We have such trees and I believe they are trained in calming techniques such as: making their leaves sound like you are at the ocean, blowing such organic smells into your nostrils and revitalizing air into your lungs that make you truly believe your cactus will survive....anyway, never underestimate nature. God is fine with being nature).
And so, while I don't have a true peaceful spot (yet) I do have glimpses of peace and moments of calm that get me through one day and into the next. What my sister has helped me learn most through this exercise (it must be said that my sister is usually helping me learn something,..... awwwwww) is that I thought my boys prevented me from having a peaceful spot, but really my boys are my most peaceful spot(s). Every chaotic little, tiny fingers and toes of them.
Now, I never said they were deep. I have two young boys with lots of energy that require all my attention for most of the day. When you are a stay-at-home mom you must be constantly aware, awake, attentive, ever-mindful, clear. You have to be lest one of your children run into the street, pour orange juice into your cactus, hide a dried starfish in their underwear, you know, those kinds of things. So for me, zoning out is entirely peaceful and something I need and welcome very much after the boys go down for the night. I don't want to think or be spoken to. Enter US weekly. Give me pretty people in pretty dresses to look at. Also, Bones. I love the TV show Bones. (My husband keeps wondering when they are finally going to run out of episodes for me to watch). But it is fun fodder for me, (I am quite the detective), and plus, I have a girl-crush on Emily Deschanel. Mindless TV for me is simply not worrying about anything else in the world but catching the murderer who killed that young promising attorney with a stapler, and then left his body in toxins that soon will exude fumes, threatening everyone in the lab!
Something I've started to do recently when I wake up is stretch. At first I didn't think of this as peaceful or calming because it hurt too much! I used to be able to put my leg behind my head, now when I drop something I not only bend both knees to pick it up but usually let out some sort of 'uhhhhghrhgh' or 'owwwndhshalshd' noise on the way back up. However, in my attempt to loosen myself up and to keep my mind off the pain of touching my chin to my chest (seriously, does anyone else feel that shot of a stretch all the way down their neck?!) I talk to my body. In my head I have a very lovely voice of the yoga instructor and I say 'now slowly and gently roll your head to the left and feel the release of tightness on the other side of your body, feel your hair falling across your back as you roll your head to the right and release your other side'. Stuff like that. And it really helps me to feel my entire body, respect it's efforts, be proud of it's ability to feel and want to feel better. It gets easier everyday. And I feel looser within myself and I can't help but think this keeps me more easygoing during the day.
Finally, the most peaceful or calming thing I do is pray. We pray before meals and whatnot, but those are not the kind of prayers I mean. My favorite time of day is right before I go to bed, when my babies are warm and safe and sleeping and my husband is beside me snoring (more like a bear growling who is also using a jackhammer while starting a motorcycle that has a microphone attached to the engine....you've never heard anything like it) nonetheless, I know we are all home and safely together. Sometimes though when I lay down, I worry, my mind starts chasing itself all over the place. I worry about my boys and money and death and family and my boys and my jeans not wanting to button lately and whether or not Bones and Booth will ever admit they love each other and my boys and if my husband still thinks I'm sexy even tho my jeans won't button and Africa and Japan and finally, I stop myself and I just ask God to calm me. I say over and over, God bring me calm, God bring me calm, God bring me calm. And then I ask for the faith to trust that all will be OK. And then I talk to him about why I'm so upset, about things I don't understand, about anything really, like he's my friend and I usually fall asleep mid-conversation with him (and probably around the same time as my tylenol PM has kicked in). I don't know how people feel about God, but it doesn't have to be God. It can be anyone or anything you want it to be. Calm can be brought to you by your grandma who past away a long time ago or by God or by that big tree in your backyard. (We have such trees and I believe they are trained in calming techniques such as: making their leaves sound like you are at the ocean, blowing such organic smells into your nostrils and revitalizing air into your lungs that make you truly believe your cactus will survive....anyway, never underestimate nature. God is fine with being nature).
And so, while I don't have a true peaceful spot (yet) I do have glimpses of peace and moments of calm that get me through one day and into the next. What my sister has helped me learn most through this exercise (it must be said that my sister is usually helping me learn something,..... awwwwww) is that I thought my boys prevented me from having a peaceful spot, but really my boys are my most peaceful spot(s). Every chaotic little, tiny fingers and toes of them.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
A Big Fat Goodbye
A friend of mine posted this quote on FaceBook, and it really struck me. It put words to a force I have been feeling lately. In my life long effort to be thin, I am finally learning that I have to say goodbye to the fat girl image I have of myself. My body carries the weight of these negative feelings, thoughts, and actions.
I have been reading a book called A Course in Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson. I adore her writing and she has been a conduit for a healthy percentage of my spiritual growth over the years. I was excited to see a book that took on weight loss from a spiritual perspective. Hell, I've tried everything else! Why not see if a Higher Power could help me out. Reading this book has been a life changing experience for me. It is happening, slowly and softly, day by day, that I am changing the way I feel about eating, weight loss, my dysfunctional and abusive relationship with food, and what I say to myself when I look in the mirror.
A Course in Weight Loss is made up of lessons and assignments geared to help you take a real look into yourself and find where the eating problem started in the first place. The one assignment that has been so helpful and revealing is one that asks Fat You to write a letter to Thin You. Fat me has to explain to Thin Me why I have been mistreating her, putting her down, and protecting her from pain by building a fat wall, all these years. The next part of the assignment is to have Thin Me write a letter back to Fat Me. Thin Me let Fat Me have it! In the process of this experience, I learned and realized so many things about myself and my past. I learned there were alot of sad reasons for my binge eating, that I have been much harder on myself than I wound ever be on someone else, and that the thin person I have always wanted to be is already there.
In the process of forgiveness, realizing that this task is bigger than I have been able to handle alone, slowly stopping all the negative speak in my head, and making healthier choices, I am healing myself, instead of dieting. Not to say there isn't some discipline I need to implement, like making not eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream every time I have a bad day, and getting my body active! But it's slowly soaking in that small changed will lead to bigger ones. As Thin Me asked of Fat Me, "You rest. Let me take charge for a while and see what happens."
We must die to one life before we can enter another. I look forward to my new life as Thin Me.
http://www.amazon.com/Course-Weight-Loss-Spiritual-Surrendering/dp/1401921523
Friday, April 1, 2011
10 & 10
Suzy Pfeiffer Tripodina is a mother to eight, yes 8, children. They range in age from 7 to 25 and there’s a set of twins in there too. On top of keeping up with the lives of all her kiddos, she is also a landlord, a Justice of the Peace, an avid summertime camper, and a Realtor. She also does any renovations to her home and rental property herself (enlisting help from kids and sweetie). With such a busy and hectic life, I was curious to see how she keeps her sanity and how, if at all, she finds her peaceful spot.
My Morning Centering~ by Suzy
“My morning ritual, I call it my 10 & 10, happens in the time between 5:00 am and 6:00am, after my sweetie has left for work and the kids aren’t up yet. I turn off all interruptions like the TV and my cell phone, drink a 10oz glass of tap water, sit with my eyes closed and meditate and pray for 10 minutes. I talk to my higher power about my stressors, worries and fears, and then give my gratitude. I also pray for those I know who are struggling or sick. I do this in my living room where my fountain runs 24/7. This fountain represents prosperity and wealth. The sound of the fountain is cleansing and tranquil. When I am done I feel energized and impenetrable, ready to conquer another crazy busy/hectic day.
When I am over tired and done being Mom for the day and overly achy due to my Crohn's, (which mimics rheumatoid arthritis) I run a hot bath with salts and an aroma therapy-stress relieving formula, light candles all around the tub, and I run it deep enough to sink down into the water, where all I hear is my breathing and my heart beating. I stay in the water until my fingers are like raisins... I love this!”
If you are in Connecticut and need a real estate agent look Suzy up:
Peaceful Spot Project
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| Vermont- Our Spot |
So I begin the Peaceful Spot Project. Check back in from time to time to read about ordinary people finding a little peace.
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