Everything moves. I move, I move the camera, the object moves, I move the objects on the page, the light moves, life moves. How does one ever take a still shot? The finger moves to the shutter button and the camera captures movement …
…but this is only the beginning, movement never ends.
There are so many ways to create…
… the possibilities are endless.
Yes, take a break now and then, a break from the hectic pace of life. I’m not talking about 
an all out vacation, that’s different because a lot of planning and activity usually goes into vacations. I also don’t mean a 15 minute coffee break at work. What I mean is to stop all activity and “must do’s” for long enough to give yourself space to breathe, to think, and to be yourself. How long? You decide.
Our culture is very demanding and it’s starts early on in life. You have to go to school, you have to get good grades, you have to dress like others, think like others, get a car, get a career, get the next latest technology, get a raise or a better job, get more, more, more, so you can go more and do more! It has been referred to as the “Rat Race” because if you’re not careful it can become a lot of mindless running around.
So I am advocating for occasional breaks; unplanned, spontaneous, at your discretion, and completely of your own free will – take a break. It doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do during your break, it doesn’t matter how long or short it is, as long as you are able to clear your mind and find peace, tranquility and personal power by valuing yourself. My husband does this through his daily walks, that works for him. I often read a book, play with my cats, or just lay in the grass on a sunny day with my eyes closed.
Sometimes I need to take a break from the computer and writing (that’s why this post is late). Sometimes it’s the housework or endless errands I need a break from. Sometimes I need a break from work, and sometimes (believe it or not) work is my break from other things. For me, the important thing is to not be driven by some system that was created by our collectively perceived needs and wants, but to live intentionally by my own design. Unfortunately, we all have to live in this society as it is and deal with the way it is on a daily basis, which makes it quite difficult to not be sucked into the “Rat Race” or get trampled on. So I pull myself aside now and then to reflect, refuel my energy and reaffirm my intention, and sometimes just to relax.
You can exercise, meditate, do breath-work, sing, dance, play or do nothing at all to take a break as long as it helps you feel your value as an individual apart from any needs or wants. Your personality will determine what type of break works best for you. In that moment aside from the hectic pace of life the only purpose is to experience the beauty, goodness and peace that exists beyond the craziness of this world, and to rediscover or reaffirm what you truly value in life, because that is what will give you the power to keep going, and to create a life of your own design.
Enjoy the breaks, enjoy the life you create.
And The Winner Is ………... Cheryl
Thanks so much to Candy at Finding Order in Chaos for having this contest, and thanks to those who voted for my title submission. (And thanks to whoever designed the image, it wasn’t me but I really like it!) To get organized this is what I have to do – Dive Right In!
This is the 6th week in my Create The Day series, and I totally forgot it was Tuesday today, all day. No I’m really not brainless, as a matter of fact I had my head stuck in bills, applications and filing all day, trying to inherit & reorganize the family bookkeeping system. This is not something I am really passionate about, but it must be done.
However, today I am meant to be writing about passion. What are you passionate about?
My husband is passionate about art & music, my daughter is passionate about theater and dance, and my younger son is passionate about becoming a great chef. I think it’s fortunate to have a single minded passion that you can direct all your energies toward and become the master of. I think perhaps I have too many passions, and therefor I spread myself too thin.
I am passionate about my family most of all I think, and then nature, and my spirituality. I also have a passion for photography and creativity. Travel and adventure are high on the list too, as well as my cats. Then there are all kinds of other things I enjoy or really like a lot, but I think of passions as the things I can not live without.
For me, a passion is something I want to actively invest in and I will never get tired of it. I long to interact with my passions and will miss them if I can’t. I think passion is the very thing that motivates us most to create the lifestyle we live. You could even say it is the most powerful force in the universe.
So then, it’s very important what people become passionate about. Passion directed wrongly or uncontrolled can be very destructive, as we have seen through out human history. However, a passionate person working toward world peace, and solutions for social ills, can create miracles.
Passion is like the engine that powers the vehicle of life, but the mind and spirit is the driver. The driver needs to be skilled, capable of making good decisions and staying in control, and know how to take good care of the engine so it will run well for a long time.
What are your passions, and how do you interact with them? Please leave a comment with your thoughts on this topic. I’m not going to use a linkey list this week but if you’d like to link up a post you are welcome to do that in the comments. Thanks for reading!
Of course, what else would you expect today?
Go ahead and link up your lovely Valentine posts, or anything that expresses love to you.
Here’s Mine For You
(It opens in a new page and Mr. Froggy doesn’t know how to count, so just click the froggy face & add your link. Thank You!)
“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be”
-Grandma Moses
With Joy
I love new beginnings, starting new projects, or creating something new. Since we are still in the early days of the Solar New Year and I made a resolution to write & post more, I thought this would be a good time to start a series.
When I thought about my goals I realized that every day is a new opportunity to create my life, to be the best I can be in that moment for whatever situation I am in. That doesn’t mean being perfect, it simply means I have the power to make positive choices that will enhance my life or the lives of others. Every day is an opportunity to creatively use my energy in a valuable way.
For this reason the initial themes of this series will focus on internal attitudes that allow creativity to flow, like joy, love & gratitude. Later the themes may be focused on more external expressions of creativity. Anyone can jump in at any time with this series and you’re not obligated to do it every week. However, I will be posting the linkey every week, along with my own post for that weeks theme.
This is how it works:
Your posts can be anything; photos, stories, poetry, crafts, music, art, or just your regular post, as long as it’s family friendly. That’s all there is to it. This is a 21 week series. The linky post will stay up Tue.-Wed. to give everyone time to link up and follow. So here is the theme for the first week:
marnie lyn adams : happy beautiful creative life.
Very creative person with an exciting blog. I wish I could be this prolific. Check it out.
Specks & Keepings | ministate of mind.
Thanks to Mini state of Mind for sharing this find. (That rhyme was not intended.) Love the rain coat and the handbag. Recycling makes a great fashion statement.
My daughter Jasmine likes to make jewelry. She has been selling it mostly to support causes she believes in. These are just a few items, more will come later. She sells the earrings for $15 per pair, the necklace is also $15, and these prices include shipping. You can order by leaving a comment. I always read the comments.
Women love earrings. I can never have too many earrings (especially with a daughter who borrows them). I can do without a necklace or bracelet, but I feel naked without my earrings. Why do we love earrings so much?
One funny thing she told me is that she enjoys creating new designs, so sometimes she makes one earring but loses interest in completing the set. I thought I might help her out with that by following her design to complete the second piece, that way I would also be learning. She liked that idea, but we haven’t started yet.
What piece of jewelry can you not do without?
Kalled Gallery Garden, painted metal
Wolfeboro, NH
In this garden all are welcome,
Growing plants through spring & summer,
Flowers bloom at random.
Standing tall above the rest
The metal art that some detest,
But I see colors bright & beautiful
That see us through the dreary winter
Reminding us of better days to come.
All are welcome in life’s garden,
See what you will, think what you like,
But I will make the best of what’s there
And make today a beautiful life.
CSR
This one did not make my portfolio but I like it anyway. For more abstract digital art check out my portfolio site: http://cherylroth.wordpress.com/
This was fun & easy, a site for creating banner ads. This is my mini ad.
Yes I’ve been dealing with the messiness of my life lately. Being creative is often very messy, but life is messy anyway. It’s okay as long as you’re getting somewhere, learning something, improving something, or at least making an effort to deal with the mess. But sometimes it’s overwhelming and seems to have a life of it’s own.
Like my daughter’s room, which doubles as my craft room when she’s away. 
I started some projects and then found I didn’t really have the time or sufficient materials to finish. So the mess sits there. Every time I go up there it looks worse, like it’s multiplying.
Then there’s the attic. Every time I get one corner cleaned up another corner gets more messy. Then it stays like that for months because the only time it’s tolerable to be up there is on cool days (not cold days) or rainy days. It’s summer right now.
I had to do something to deal with at least one mess in order to feel productive. 
So I made some earrings in my daughter’s room. Well, I didn’t really deal with the mess, but I sort of justified it by making earrings out of it. That was step one. Monday I’ll start trying to organize it.
Step one gave me some incentive. I decided to take on the long overdue task of cleaning & reorganizing my bedroom. I wanted to move the bed to a different wall and that involved moving my dresser & desk as well. In the process I had to make space in the closet to put some things, which meant cleaning out the closet first. So it turned into a whole day of reorganizing, cleaning (the dust bunnies had been multiplying all winter & spring too) moving, and disposing of unnecessary items. By the time hubby came home I felt I had accomplished a great deal.
The funny thing is, just as making the earrings gave me incentive to do a spring cleaning in my bedroom, the bedroom cleanup helped me figure out where to put the painting that no longer works in our living room (another story). Moving my bedroom desk made a big space on the wall where this treasured painting will fit perfectly. That also helped me solve another problem which was how to alter the color scheme in our bedroom without buying new bed coverings & curtains. Finally, after living in this house for 6 years I know what color to paint my bedroom walls.
One other little perk from this cleaning spree was
that I found a quilt I had stored in the closet and forgotten about.
It’s funny how one thing leads to another. You can feel overwhelmed and powerless but if you just take one step in a positive direction things begin to happen. One inspiration leads to another. Someday I may even get the attic clean.
Beautiful paper, practical use, fun to make, fun to share, a unique craft.
I think I drank too much coffee. Couldn’t sleep so I had to create. Watch out, I might do your face next!
This one is called “The Look”.
Who did your hair & make-up? Must have been a pro.
When I was a young child I was sick a lot so my mother kept finding craft projects for me to do while I was at home. I also learned to sew and design clothes. My mother was always making things, from the knitted Afghans on our couch to the carpet cut & glued from samples on our family room floor, to the stuffed animals on my bed and the scrap books in the closet, she made everything. Her nick name by my dad was “picky fingers”, because her fingers always had to be busy.
Although I’ve always enjoyed making things, I pursued a lot of other goals in life that left me with little time or money. I don’t regret that because I loved what I was doing, working to create a better world, and raising my kids. What I learned along the way is that all of life is creative and we are all co-creators. I enjoy appreciating and sharing the ways we all make effort to create a beautiful life.
Everyone wants the world to be a better place, full of peace, love and happiness; but how much influence over these things do you or I really have? We can each make a difference through our attitude, relationships & activities every day. Join us on our creation journey.
If you’ve seen this movie post a comment about it. Watch the trailer:
