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January 3, 2015 In art, creativity, design, life and the universe By Patricia Saxton

Thought Collisions

Maybe it’s the barometric pressure? The way it can bring out aches and pains; for example, how, according to my chiropractor, a change in barometric pressure often makes the place hurt where I fractured my spine a year ago? Does this also potentially cause our thoughts to collide, bringing them all out at once so create frustration? I’m looking for a scientific answer here, and not being all that scientific, this is the best I can do.

So, it’s a snowy, gray, January day. I decide to join the masses for a grocery run, in case the snow amounts to anything must-stay-in-worthy. While my daughter unloads groceries, I bring the firewood in. Then laundry. While I’m there, in the laundry room, the place that also serves as office supply room as well as a catch-all for stuff-that-might-be-useful-some day (am I turning into my father?), which also desperately needs to be purged (so I can put other things in there) but is mostly out of sight and out of mind and when it comes to mind (the purging process) it’s overwhelming to think about (who has time?) so has remained largely un-purged since rearranging my studio a year and a half ago after The Flood happened, and anyway, (breathe) I see it and think, heck, just get rid of some boxes. That’s not such a big deal. Just do it. Now. Then I think, but of course! ~ just do a little bit each day, rather than feeling like you have to do the whole thing at once. (I knew that). So I pile up the boxes, empty boxes that I-thought-would-be-useful, and take them to the dump. Before I do that, I mention to my daughter how some of them are very nice boxes, in case she wants them…. this way I wouldn’t feel guilty about being wasteful. But alas, she says she’s pretty good on her box needs, and to the dump I go. On the way back, a car in front of me does a crazy-eight on a straight road. “Slow down” comes to mind. I check my speed, and despite traveling at a snail’s pace, make a wide and slippery slide around a corner heading home. Then, I remember I forgot to get milk. Shoot. So I carry on, crawling to a stop sign, and turn another corner with no trouble. Get the milk, get home. And somewhere in the midst of all this, my mind starts filling up with all the projects I want to do; things I’ve started and not finished but want to finish, or haven’t started but really want to, and they all circle round and round my head, vying for attention. “Me first!” “No, me! I should have been done ages ago, but you keep getting new ideas and I’m left undone.” “You should focus on me, over here, because I’m the one you want most”. (Mostly books and paintings, by the way; all the pieces that typically scream at me when I’m otherwise detained on things like, say, keeping a roof overhead.) And on and on… a creative traffic jam ensues. Inspiration overload. And also somewhere in the midst of all this muse-like bantering, I briefly wonder where my patrons are, so I can get to this stuff in earnest without so much energy needed for the mundane. However, realizing this is a fruitless thought at the moment, I allow the banter to continue, which it does annoyingly well.

Einstein was right. I don’t know what we’d do without the concept of time, because whether it’s real or not, it gives us a chance for a little order in what could otherwise be all out chaos.

And I still don’t know which muse will win out today, but maybe it’ll sort itself out when the barometric pressure switches again. Stay tuned. 🙂

January 1, 2015 In appreciation, creativity, inspiration, life and the universe, philosophy, words and language By Patricia Saxton

Outrageous Happiness #14: Declare it

It’s a new day. Heck, it’s a brand new year. And I challenge you. I challenge you for the next 5 days to declare each day a good day. First thing upon waking, place the thought before you: “Today’s a good day.” (…“by golly” is optional) No ifs ands or buts, just “this is a good day”. Conviction helps, but even if you’re not feeling it, just say it like you might actually mean it. This is your job for the next 5 mornings. That’s it. Pretty simple.

If you want to be a little more outrageous and bold, you can add a few bonus plusses. This takes a little more practice, but it also reaps more rewards.

It’s a good day. It’s a great day! This is one of the best days of my life. The sun is up. Even if I can’t see the sun, I know it’s there, and that’s kinda cool, knowing that that big ball of fire warms our planet every day. And that the moon lights the night and makes waves in the great oceans, and that grass grows every spring, and birds sing and fly. Birds fly over rainbows, did you know? Rainbows are great, aren’t they? Just think of all the beautiful things in this world. Colors and sounds and textures. Art and music and dance. Mountains and trees, lakes and rivers and little trickling streams, all teaming with life! And I’m part of all that. This day, today, I’m part of all that is good. The sky, the earth, the heavens and all its stars, and all the kind and loving souls that share this time and space. There are smart people, helpful people, sincere and positive people all around. I’m smart, helpful, sincere and positive, too ~ and this is a good day! Today, I’m seeing all that is good. I’m attracting all that is good. I am part of all that is good. Angels watch over me and guide my way. Today is a good day.

But if that’s over the top for you, just do the simple version. See how it affects your day. See how it affects your week. See how it changes your attitude. We are what we think. Attitude really does matter.

We may not have control of events and circumstances, but we do have a say in how and what we choose to think. Thoughts are powerful. Consciously or unconsciously, thoughts precede our words and our actions. They define our reality. And over time, they become habitual, for better or worse. The good news is, they’re not fixed ~ we can change out thought patterns, and change the day. And the next, and the next.

Who’s up for the challenge? Ready, set …….. go. Just do it! Declare it so.

How’s your Outrageous Happiness going?

December 24, 2014 In art, creativity, design, fine art, illustration, imagination, inspiration, life and the universe, peace, philosophy By Patricia Saxton

Week 17 : 52 Weeks of Peace / "Peace on Earth"

During this season of hustling and bustling, of bright red bows and snowmen, when angels sing and church bells ring and children listen for reindeer on the roof, I also like to remember what it’s fundamentally about – which, to me, is love, and joy, and peace. And when you find a moment to be still (in my experience, the magic usually takes hold sometime in the evening of December 24), you may actually feel what this holiday yearns for, sings to and praises … Peace on earth; good will towards men.

And wouldn’t it be wonderful if peace could stretch itself across the land beneath our stormy, hopeful skies… and for all of us to feel that peace, in heart and mind and deed. Wouldn’t it be lovely.

December 7, 2014 In appreciation, art, creativity, inspiration, intelligence, life and the universe, peace, philosophy By Patricia Saxton

Outrageous Happiness #13: Bless Everything!

That’s right. Bless everything. Every beautiful, craggy, uplifting, hurtful, thoughtful, ugly, sweet or sour thing. All of it.

What I’m saying is, don’t bless just the warm, fuzzy stuff and the openly good-hearted souls. Don’t reserve blessings only for the downtrodden. Shower them with blessings, yes! ~ but also send blessings to the grouchy, the crotchety, the rude, the ignorant. Don’t hold back.

Send a silent blessing to everyone you meet and every experience you encounter. Bless your broken down car. Bless your burnt toast. Bless your ex. Bless the ornery waitress, the loud neighbor, the nasty driver. Bless the hole in your socks. Bless the rainy day. Bless the mess. Bless each one.

Sure, sure, you may need to let off steam, (putting it mildly?) but don’t stoke the flames of anger with more anger. Remove yourself, become the observer and fuel the situation with blessings. Pour ’em on. Like a heavy rain. Like a rushing stream to thirsty horses. Like syrup on your pancakes or milk on your cereal. Shoot those invisible waves of light right out like arrows from a tight bow. Like a lighthouse beacon. Like pie in your face. Hammer to a nail. Straight on.

Just bless it.

You’ll feel better, and you never know…. they might too. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. It’s potent stuff.

“A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal and strengthen.” – John O’Donohue

How’s your Outrageous Happiness going?

December 3, 2014 In appreciation, inspiration, life and the universe, photography, poetry By Patricia Saxton

The Last Leaf

I’d meant to post something fun today, but then this happened, impressing itself with some odd sense of urgency on my over-scheduled brain of late, and so, I’m going as the spirit moves. (The fun one will come later ~ promise!)

“Falling Leaf” photo by Eirik Adan

Soon the last leaf will fall ~

I may see it from my window,
I might watch its descent,
Its elegant tumble,
Its demure, soundless slip
From a crisp gray sky.
Its color dim,
Its softness
now a crunch underfoot ~
A piece of dust, a memory,
An unceremonious gesture of time
In the waltz of life giving life,
and giving life again,
on and ever on.

– P. Saxton

November 26, 2014 In appreciation, art, fine art, life and the universe, poetry By Patricia Saxton

Grateful

saxton_gratitude1

They say the only two things you can count on in life are death and taxes. And I suppose there’s some truth to that. But there are other things; things that cost nothing, take nothing, and give much; things deserving of steady gratitude. They’re simple, and yet somehow grand in how they make life more bearable; they make life sweeter. Here are some of those things for me:

The sunrise
that never fails,
And evening skies
with orange trails,
Moss beneath a tree, and
Cathedrals made of leaves.

Children laughing,
Lovers dancing,
Birds announcing dawn.

Poetry and paint,
Seasons and songs, and
Boundless African skies.

Breezes made of lilac,
And honeysuckle,
And great rolling seas,
And angels’ whispers,
And dragons’ wings
That flap against the clouds.

Kind familiar friends,
And hands that hold,
Bodies that heal,
Minds that imagine,
Spirits that soar,
And the grace
Of hearts that love.

– P.Saxton

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought;
and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

November 23, 2014 In appreciation, creativity, inspiration, life and the universe, philosophy, words and language By Patricia Saxton

Outrageous Happiness #12: Love What You Do

Do what you love. Every day.

Sure, we’re all up to our eyeballs in to-do’s. I know I am. But try. Whether it’s half an hour or two full hours, give it your best shot each day, wherever you are, to do something that you love.

If you really truly can not do that something each and every day, make it once a week. But that’s as much rope as I’ll give you. It’s critical for a healthy spirit, and a healthy spirit is critical for a healthy everything else.

It doesn’t have to be “the big thing”. You don’t have to compose the next Big Symphony or write the Great American Novel or paint the masterpiece that’ll get you a show at the MOMA. It doesn’t have to be the discovery of little orange beings on Mars. But while waiting for that bigger chunk of time, or the financial backing, or this or that issue to resolve, you can be taking steps in the directions that feed your spirit. Even teeny ones. Bits and pieces. Forward momentum.

Whatever it is that your mind, body and spirit say a big unified “yes!” to, whatever makes hours pass like minutes, whatever makes your heart sing ~ do something about it. Do what you love and love what you do. Give it a nod. Bring it into the light. Make yourself happy. And guess what? Happiness is a little bit contagious, so if you’re happy, there’s that much more happiness in the world to ignite a potential blaze of happiness worldwide. An avalanche of joy. A cosmic reaction. Into the universe. And beyond!

Alright, got a tad carried away. But still. Do. What. You. Love.

(I mean look at these guys. Loving what they do. That’s what I’m talking’ about. More like these at distractify.)

Hunter S. Thompson, writing at Big Sur, California

Jim Henson and crew working on Sesame Street

Nat King Cole and his piano

Monty Python crew partaking in tomfoolery

Johnny Cash performing at Folsom Prison

How’s your Outrageous Happiness going?

November 15, 2014 In appreciation, life and the universe By Patricia Saxton

What Are We Teaching Our Children?

Risking sounding like an old worry-wart, I do sometimes wonder what we, as a society, are teaching our children. That said, my faith is not lost on the youth – not yet – as I know many who are not only bright and beautiful but resilient and strong thinkers. And isn’t it the task of every generation to worry about the next? Our parents surely did at some point, and theirs before them. “What is the world coming to?” and “How will these kids become our great leaders, our future?” are probably timeless questions.

In fact, it’s not the kids themselves I worry about. It’s what they see, hear, and ultimately experience on a daily basis. What they’re “fed”. In near gluttonous levels.

Is it that any problem can be medicated away? Is it that violence is commonplace? Is it that hard work is for someone else? What examples do they have, within their families, within their communities, and within that great machine of celebrity? Are they examples with solid values at their core, or examples of shrewdness, coolness, false fronts?

I wonder. In lots of ways these are exciting times to be alive. But there’s so much coming at them, so much! ~ so much accessibility to just about anything and everything, so much information to filter and absorb and sort.

To be fair, within the “so much” is an abundance of good, right alongside the not so good and even the atrocious. And maybe because they grow up with it, their brains may adapt in ways we ~ who did not have so much-so much-so much coming at us in one continual thread of bundled energy sprouting a thousand tendrils ~ perhaps do not so easily adapt ~ or maybe we have more built-in resistors.

We remember what is was like to be bored without incessant distractions. Yet they are there, smack dab, and they are oh so attractive, these distractions.

Still, if you take that child to a farm for a week, or take them to the mountains where there’s no electronic reception, a marvelous thing happens: they do just fine. They don’t think they will. But they do. And that has to be good. Because there has to be room for the spirit to breathe some of the time. Just to “be”, to discover or just sense what’s driving the wondrously distinctive ship called you.

In any event, what are we teaching… ? Is it to be a good person, strive to do your best, have a sense of humor, care for others, build dreams? The art of communication? Or is it wanting what someone else has; their look, their money, their life. Glamour. Intrigue. Drama.

So you just hope you set a good example. A strong, good one. (And that more are setting that example than what we hear about.) You hope you provide enough stimulation and opportunity to get through the onslaught of stuff. Trusting and hoping that at the end of the day doing the right thing will win.

Okay, worry session over. Although I do wonder what they’ll say in 20 or 30 years. Maybe it’ll sound something like “Kids these days…. ”

November 9, 2014 In appreciation, creativity, inspiration, life and the universe, philosophy, words and language By Patricia Saxton

Outrageous Happiness #11: The Goofy Quotient

I was recently marveling at the architecture in an old city in northern New York. “Oooooh! Look at that one! Just look, oh, the detail! And that one, oh my goodness, it looks like something from Harry Potter. And that one. And over there, that’s a beauty! And just imagine, people built these! Who were they? What were their lives like? How long did it take? Did they take pride in their work? They must have. And who designed them? Aren’t they amazing?”

With a knowing smile in her voice, my daughter says,”Mom, you’re such a nerd.”

“Yes, I am,” I reply. “And I embrace that!”

…………….

So, yep, I enjoy old architecture. But in truth, I’m mostly a word nerd. Granted, I suppose it’s not so “inner” since it doesn’t take long before people know this about me. Like how much I like Scrabble. Or how almost any word game will do ~ on a board, on paper, in the car, at the table. “Twenty Questions” anyone? Maybe a good round of the Geography game to pass the time on a long drive?

Yes, I love words. How they sound, how they form sentences, the infinite varieties of written expression. Some people like old comic books, or maybe they’re all about shoes. Maybe they’re into astronomy or Egyptian hieroglyphics. Maybe football and nachos. I like words and tea. (And hot fudge sauce.) A bit geeky, but being cool is not the goal, being happy is. (And, true, a nice pair of boots doesn’t hurt…)

Goofy is also good. Not all the time – but the well-placed goofy quotient can really turn things around; in fact, my first love may have stolen my heart that way. He was a pretty big deal, handsome, smart, athletic. And on one of our first few tennis-playing dates, I wore these silly flag socks. Not sure why; it could have been that’s all that was clean, but more likely because they were fun, and somewhat out of character. In any event, my boyfriend seemed to mock me. I acted like it didn’t matter, but it felt hurtful, like an “oh brother, what a weirdo” sort of vibe. So the next time we played tennis, I was sure to wear the plain variety ~ and he showed up in the same flag socks as mine, grinning from ear to ear. Strangely unromantic as it sounds, I do believe that was that was the tipping point for me.

The moral of the story being that your inner nerd likes to be heard. It wants to play. And I for one think it’s a necessary ingredient to personal happiness, worthy of indulgence now and then!

How’s your Outrageous Happiness going?

October 21, 2014 In communication, intelligence, life and the universe, philosophy By Patricia Saxton

A Few Words on Compassion

You may have seen Monica Lewinsky’s speech by now, recently presented at the Forbes Under 30 Summit. I remember well her being a target of some pretty vicious emotional attack. Depending on your age you will too. It was The Big Scandalous News. Can’t imagine the road she’s traveled back to some degree of “normalcy”, but I’m happy to see her turn it around, use her high profile to aim that experience towards something potentially good. And she does so very genuinely. My applause, Monica; big and loud applause.

And I hope she strikes a chord. She struck a chord with me ~ which is, quite frankly, what the hell is wrong with people? I’ve never understood “meanness”. I understand anger, and I understand wrongful things said and done, I even understand rage. I understand people have this incredibly wide range of emotions that run the gamut from joy to grief, love to hate, forgiveness to resentment, appreciation to bitterness, pride to shame. But unless you’ve got a mental illness as the root cause, being outright rude, being thoughtlessly and openly mean is incomprehensible to me.

I also understand that for some reason, kids in particular can be very mean to one another. There’ve always been mean kids, mean people, mean situations. Not that that’s “okay”, it just “is”. But the continuing rise in cyber-bullying brings all this to a whole new and deeply disturbing level, because it can be anonymous or feel “safely barricaded”. The culprits hawk their slurs behind the closed doors of digital gadgets and screen names – like a video game, it’s almost like it’s not real. But it’s real, alright, and I simply can’t get my head around this growing culture of “mean.” This sort of human indifference. The opposite of compassion.

(And it’s not just kids. Hello grown-ups. Hello news outlets. What’s wrong here? A need to be right? Feel powerful? Be the first to know? A mass gossip gene?)

In the old days it hurt well enough if someone picked on the fat kid, or the slow kid, or the geeky boy the clumsy girl. I’m not sure it if was a good or a bad thing to know who your taunter was, but maybe you had it out in the playground, or maybe you grew up to be a wild success and it no longer mattered. But you knew who to steer clear of. And more than likely, the person doing the damage knew it was wrong. I have to wonder, are we cultivating a society where right and wrong aren’t recognized? Who’s teaching what to whom these days?

Sticks and stones may hurt my bones but names will never hurt me. We were taught this growing up, and there’s truth there. But it can hurt, some people more than others, and while I think we need to develop self-esteem and thicker skins and not shrivel into a ball when someone is less than kind, those tools aren’t always built-in, they take time.

Think before you speak. Think before you act. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Pretty darn simple.

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