Storytelling

One step at a time...

8/14/2021

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get overwhelmed by the responsibility shift that needs to happen to truly make efforts towards creating a sustainable way of living on our beautiful planet. I refuse to be a person who throws in the towel and says it doesn't matter. IT DOES MATTER! How do I do this effectively? I don't use all or nothing strategies. I recognize it will never be perfect and I stay committed to problem solving rather than commiserating. When I make it past that hurdle I see the little things I can do.

Usually this looks like small habits in daily life that add up to a lot over time. Most recently I started recycling stations at our dental office. Every week I bring home about 10lbs of recycling to recycle at home AND I wrote letters to several facilities who offer recycling of dental materials until one wrote me back. Oral B sent us a return label for all the dental recycling we collect in our office. So, if you are looking for a place to recycle your old tooth brush, toothpaste tube or floss container come see us at Detail Dental Kids!

PS. Please be a carer, the world desperately needs carers right now. What is a carer? I carer is a heart feeler combined with an action taker with a dash of problem solver. Be that. Not just about the planet but about so many of the vitally important things in life.

Dream Symbols and working with our subconscious...

2/23/2021

This weekend I had a sweet opportunity to reflect on the transformational power of personal symbolism in dreams and a piece of what it has done for my life. There is a particular repeating dream that would come to me starting in my early 20's. Through personal reflection, I was able to connect this dream symbol to a particular health issue I had been diagnosed with. My subconscious was communicating with me about it. Through the years this symbol comes up in my dreams always keying me into something about this diagnoses/part of my body. Through alternative paths I was able to move to a nearly symptom free state with this dis-ease. I had a dream of this particular symbol, an aquarium, recently. I was scared when I first saw where I was headed. I thought, oh no, I have been healthy so long, is something wrong??? But when I arrived to the room all of the aquariums were healthy and doing well. There was an aid there taking care of everything. What a relief! When I woke up I couldn't help but feel grateful for my brain sending these reassuring symbols. The very first time I dreamt of the aquarium it was haunted by dying fish and a snake like creature with a human face. Scary to say the least. Dream Sharing is such a unique and personal experience that can be deeply enriching. Truly infinite outcomes and expressions come from this space. The healing work we can do all the way into the subconscious spaces of ourselves amazes me!

The sun inside me...

2/2/2021

Today as I embrace the sun in this commissioned piece I am reminded of the sun inside me... I see this as my solar plexus. This is a chakra AND an actual nerve plexus called the celiac plexus. This is a complex network of nerves (a nerve plexus) located in the abdomen, near where the celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, and renal arteries branch from the abdominal aorta. When you feel something in your gut, this is where you feel it! As I dance with honoring my own sense of balanced, personal sunshine, I see healing in my body and life. Striving for balance has been a life long journey. I am grateful to say at this stage my sun is shining strong and healthy. Also feeling grateful for being alive in a time where we have access to so much information and the ability to find unity in the medical and spiritual knowledge available to us. It is a wonderful time to be alive!

Holiday Cheer!

12/17/2020

The Little Library is at it again spreading holiday cheer! If you find yourself in New Augusta please grab an ornament to decorate your tree or bring back for our Little Library tree. 2020 has been a year to remind us the little things are the things that keep us connected and smiling. Wishing all a
beauty-FULL Holiday Season!!

Little Libraries in Little Communities...

11/10/2020

I feel like a lot of these posts could use the phrase, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Seems to be a life theme here. This Little Library has had quite a journey from East 10th Street to Tim and Julie's Another Fine Mess and onward to our New Augusta proper. I like to imagine how many stories it has held and shared. How many more will it share? Do the books taste yummy as they wait there in the belly of the beast? Not unlike those stories, this one unfolds in a divinely orchestrated way.

As most adventures in current life and times, this one starts with answering a facebook ad. The FREE Little Library that no one wanted once they found out how heavy it really was! We were so far down on the list I never thought we would get the call. Several weeks later with one borrowed truck, one helpful husband, two additional handy men, three directors of location, an artist and some sweat equity, we were able to fix this guy up. Then we planted him right next to our new neighbors Autism Companion Services. Swing by and check it out! This generous community will always have plenty of books, art, music and movies to share.

Surrounded by creative process...

10/13/2020

Being an artist teaches me a lot about being okay with messes... AND creating beauty out of "mistakes." I had to realize this is my way, my Medicine. My house will always be decently clean but the truth is I LIVE here. REALLY LIVE here so there is a project going somewhere all the time (and two dogs, two guinea pigs and a kitty live here with us too.) I take up space and I no longer carry negative feelings about this. I hope when you visit you feel warm and embraced by a creative processes happening all around you. I am not even going to edit or stylize these photos. It is just like this - in some version - all the time. It makes me feel fully alive and present to the incredible and simple beauty all around us. The bowl pictured is a perfect example of all of this. This bowl was off centered, misshapen, probably many would have scrapped it. Sometimes I feel like this. In my heart, I knew it just needed a little nudge, a little direction and creative problem solving. Now I LOVE this piece!! It is okay to make space in your life for the artistic part of yourself... whatever that looks like. The world greatly needs it!

On that note, I feel like I don't get to say this enough... my life partner is AMAZING! He loves me just as I am and embraces our version of home fully despite his desire for minimalism. He says, at least my "look ats" are rocks and art, so, it's not so bad. I don't know what I did to call this guy into my life but I am a very LUCKY person!

Teaching Dad about throwing pots on the wheel. (Rental from Ripple Mobile Arts)

Let it flow...

9/1/2020

I have spent too much time in life trying to be perfect at something from the start. As adventurous exploratory beings we weren't meant for such controlled ways of being in this expansive world. Several years ago at my first solo art show I wondered... what will I call this show? What cohesive tie in do I have with all of these personal expressions? That was when I realized that each piece had been created in layers. Thus the name "Layers of Life." Each day coming back adding a little here, bringing out something more there and letting the piece come to life in it's own way. I have been carrying this one around for quite sometime unsure of what direction it wanted to go. This weekend, with much gratitude in my heart and a dear sistar friend in mind I was able to finish her... When I find myself missing something I can always return to a piece and see what is next... ever present... not too far ahead and not looking over my shoulder at what is behind. I hope, out there in the ether, that we are collectively creating peace in our hearts in what ever way that is for us. May we be open, may we be willing to learn, may we be willing to give and to receive.

Huitlacoche (wee-tlah-KOH-cheh)

8/22/2020

A gift this week from Mother Earth... Huitlacohe, Corn Smut, fungus Ustilago maydis... has enchanted our garden corn. Huitlacoche first caught my eye many moons ago when a friend who recently moved to South America shared of this rare find in their new garden. She mentioned the delicacy and rarity of this anomaly. I remember seeing the photo and thinking, she is so brave, I would not eat that!

Fast forward several months to now, during my garden walk. Imagine my surprise, when I see this very same anomaly growing amongst the corn! It feels in my heart like a blessing and a gift. So, being a curious human, I begin several google searches to learn more about this new to me being. I remember a teaching from my acupuncturist regarding plants that show up in your garden and how they are often volunteers to heal you. The ancient Aztecs also believed in the mystical effects of this spore.

The call on my heart to cook this being up with much gratitude and appreciation won over my fear of something new... and rather black... it was DELISH!!

Corn smut cooked w/butter, salt & eggs - served w/tomatoes & green onions on corn tortillas. (left) Garden tomatoes & pea seeds (right)

Just saving a barn...

7/22/2020

Sometimes we are blessed with an opportunity, a home, a responsibility... here is a piece of ours... This sweet home holds many stories and so much Magic! As time has gone on it has become clear that this sweet barn needs some help, the kind of help only a willing human can bring. These walls speak of times long before ours on this land. These walls also need a lot of support. There have been times the job assisting this barn has felt overwhelming. There have been times we have just wanted to ignore the ever growing need for attention. The funny thing about that path is, well... what needs attention can not be ignored for long.

We struggled to find viable solutions from online vendors and box stores... THEN we remembered! The Latina's Welding Guild!! While at RUCKUS Makerspace I was able to take a course with this guild and see the ripe talent of these women. So, we drew up some plans and the guild made it happen!

I continue to be amazed at what the Indianapolis Community has to offer. Every problem has a solution backed by a human following their passion. I don't know about you, but it makes my heart soar to see a person living out their passion and making a difference in their community. Read more about Consuelo's dream here:

Bracket in action (top)
My Guild Project (bottom)

Sometimes all you need is water...

7/13/2020

When my head is full or my patience is wearing out... I seek the Water. Mni Wiconi, truly our Earth life's blood, brings me back to my heart. Sometimes I even remember to go before I need it. Sometimes I find connection with the life force of water in the bath tub of my own home. What a gift! I hope I have passed this centering tool on to our son. Today we adventured to Cataract Falls.

On this venture I noticed how my body had trouble staying balanced as we crossed the river. My son even came and offered his hand. This warmed my heart and this also told me about how out of center I had allowed myself to get. Also, I really didn't wear the right shoes! On this adventure day we remembered how to laugh and find bugs and ask questions. I am grateful for these moments in life.

Behind the falls (left)
Bug of the day (above)
Authentic joy (right)