December 19, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #51: Party

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

– ♥ –

Tis the season to be jolly! Right?

I know, sometimes you don’t feel so much jolly as tired or overwhelmed. We question the materialism, or we’re frustrated by the mountain of to-do’s tossed like tinsel on already burdened days. We may welcome the idea of a big holiday, but secretly feel ornery instead of joyful. Tempers can flare. Emotions grate.

Maybe it’s time to put on your party hat. Literally. Not a hat person? Wear one on your attitude. Shift your state of mind. Get silly. Be festive. Cut yourself some slack. Sprinkle some love around out there. (Oh, and that shopper that just cut in front of you? Wish them the best of the best! Really!)

Put celebration back into the season. Have a get-together, even if you don’t have time for one. Let go even just a little ~ loosen the grip of the daily grind, even if you have to use some extra elbow grease to break that hold. Wrap your gifts with crazy bows. Write notes from the heart. Share some goodness and light. Even if the weather outside is frightful.

Raise a glass, share a toast. Be merry. Bring some cookies to a neighbor. And don’t forget to have a few yourself … while wearing your hat … and singing your favorite holiday song, loudly.

0
0
December 15, 2011 In communication, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

Operation Spread Joy / Update

Last night I read 300 postcards. Some made me laugh, some made me tear up. All of them made me feel proud of the whole bunch of high school students who wrote them.

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that these cards were written to our Special Forces stationed somewhere in the remote regions of Afghanistan. I know that I personally feel an immense gratitude for the courage and skills of these men and women, and feel privileged to be able to reach out to them at Christmastime, to share some of that gratitude and spread a little cheer.

Reading the heartfelt words last night told me that the kids feel that way too.

Packages are also piling up, for both the soldiers and the local Afghan children, to be shipped out via military aircraft next week. What a thrill to have made this happen with the enthusiastic support of the high school, and the military transport thanks to the fantastic work of the  Silent Warrior Fund.

Most of all, I hope everyone’s efforts will make a difference overseas … so that while families gather here at home, and food is shared and gifts are unwrapped and lights are lit, these special heroes will know they’re not forgotten, know we care, and know we honor them.

Specially selected cards from Saxton's "52 Weeks of Peace" used for Operation Spread Joy


0
0
December 12, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #50: Presents

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

– ♥ –

It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding; And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving.  ~ Khalil Gibran

♦

Everyone likes presents. They feel good to get, they feel good to give. Large or small, maybe wrapped with shiny paper and a big fat bow, maybe not wrapped at all. Presents say “I’m thinking of you”.

And then, of course, are the presents which no packaging can hold ~ your talents, your thoughts, your care. Gifts of inspiration or hope or wonderment.

Children are gifts. Friends are gifts. You, who make people laugh and smile – you are a gift. You, who ease another’s load, are a gift. You who openly delight in another’s good fortune, are a gift.

There’s no doubt that thoughtful things are worthy ~ and tying them with fancy ribbons adds a joyful spirit. But the gifts you cannot wrap are those that often mean the most. So maybe we should all try sprinkling more of the unwrappable around this holiday season, and remember to top our presents with bows of kindness.

♦

And you receivers… and you are all receivers… assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives.

Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings; For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the freehearted earth for mother, and God for father. ~ Khalil Gibran

0
0
December 10, 2011 In art, books & stuff, branding, creativity, design, illustration, inspiration, photography By Patricia Saxton

“where in the world is peace?”… the emerald isle

Wishing Peace to the Irish. Many thank you’s for these shots of our Celtic Peace (week #29) bag in Dublin, Ireland!

Where to next…?

(ps:  all “where in the world is peace?” images are being compiled on a special “where in the world is peace?” page. Totes, mugs and things are available here. Send your own pictures to 52weeksofpeace@gmail.com or join our FaceBook page and post them there. Let’s see where peace goes!)

0
0
December 7, 2011 In appreciation, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

Who’s Fascinating?

Good grief. During my drive to the pool this morning, I switched on the news and caught a snippet about Barbara Walter’s list of 2011’s “Most Fascinating People”. With all due respect for a long and illustrious career, Ms. Walters’ bow to Celebrity Pop Culture is not so much surprising as it is inane.

I can accept that people are infatuated with celebrity. Beauty, fame, wealth, drama, have long held allure. But beyond the limelight, are these people, themselves, fascinating? (The Kardashians, Modern Family stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, Simon Cowell, New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter, Donald Trump, pop star Katy Perry and Pippa Middleton.)

I suppose it’s about ratings, the way sex sells cars and gossip sells magazines. But, in my humble opinion, celebrity in and of itself has become over-the-top grandiose. I don’t even see the luster of glamour; just pretentiousness.

Maybe I’m in the minority. Somehow I escaped the gene that lauds fame for fame’s sake. I’m not enamored, and frankly don’t care what the Kardashian sisters do, think, eat or wear.

So I turned off the radio. And I thought, alright, who really IS fascinating? Who do I find fascinating? Who do YOU find fascinating? There may be glitter involved, and (more likely) there may be none at all ~ as neither make the person. So what does make a person fascinating?

What made Grace Kelly fascinating, or Princess Diana? Einstein? Picasso? Or my friend’s father who rose to a high banking position but also raised bees, made homemade wine from backyard grapes and could name any bird by it’s whistle?

It’s their mystery…. their complexity, their multi-dimensionality, their intellect. And their very apparent human-ness despite their looks or talent or wealth or achievements or social stature or fate.

It’s a mind ticking with passion and ideas. Someone who inspires. Someone who you are sure holds much more than meets the eye. Someone you might like to have over for stimulating dinner conversation. Someone who may not even have the slightest idea that they are “fascinating”.

Some are regular people. Some have acquired some fame, perhaps celebrity ~ but they aren’t the ones on the magazines at the supermarket check-out, who by virtue of obsessive media coverage have been called “the most fascinating” by the likes of Barbara Walters.

(Now if she had Morgan Freeman on that list, I might listen in…)

0
0
December 5, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #49: Peppermint

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

– ♥ –

A refreshing herb that grows with wild abandon in almost any garden, peppermint cleanses the palette, soothes digestion, eases headaches and can help keep your memory nearly as sharp as an elephant’s.

Popular for providing a perky punch to the taste buds, it’s also packed with nutrients, making it one of nature’s “wonder herbs”. I like to toss a few fresh leaves in my tea, along with a pinch of parsley and chamomile. Yum!

For all of peppermint’s natural goodness, I have a sneaky suspicion that the nutritional value is lost in its processed, sugary form (alright, more than a suspicion), but I figure there’s still some sweet emotional value watching a young face light up when offered a candy cane. :  )

0
0
December 1, 2011 In art, communication, design, inspiration, leadership By Patricia Saxton

Mission: Holiday Cards to Soldiers in Afghanistan

Once in a while things just come together. The pieces fit. Maybe it’s because this is such a great cause, but whatever the reason, I’m feeling real good about this little project. And it has a name: Operation Spread Joy.

It started as an idea over breakfast with a friend. “52 Weeks of Peace” cards to our troops at holiday time. We were pumped about it.

Then months went by, life got hectic and the idea was all but passed over…. until another dear friend had a similar idea all on her own, which was just enough to spark that seed from a few months back and I thought, let’s just do it ourselves.

A couple of calls later, we have the public high school involved, and the card writing has been incorporated into a care package program run by the Silent Warrior Fund non-profit organization.

The whole effort will be delivered to our elite Special Forces men and women serving in the most remote regions of Afghanistan who normally don’t receive civilian packages from home. More icing on the cake? ~ care packages will also be provided to the local Afghan children.

With the help of my daughter (yet more icing on cake), the Silent Warrior Fund, the school administrators, the students and a few of my most supportive friends, we’re making Operation Spread Joy a reality.

Next year, we’ll plan farther ahead. But even in this time crunch, I couldn’t feel more pleased about sharing something from the heart with those who risk everything to keep us safe and free.

Bless them all.

0
0
November 29, 2011 In art, books, creativity, drawing, illustration, imagination, work and play By Patricia Saxton

When Characters Talk to You

Have any of you seen the movie about Beatrix Potter, “Miss Potter”, starring Renee Zellweger? It’s a sweet, undemanding movie that wants to be more than that, but is charmingly well-crafted just the same. And it offers a glimpse into one of the world’s most celebrated author/illustrators. Perhaps THE most celebrated female illustrator. That alone made it a must-see for me.

In any event, I was reminded of the movie this afternoon, as my mind attempted to fight off months of deadlines and too many plates in the air and pressures of all varieties, big and small, memorable and not, and I fell into this kind of playful mode with characters from a book I’ve not yet published. Sitting, alone, I had the sudden inspiration for a couple of my characters to make a cameo appearance with one of my 52 Weeks of Peace bags.

We had a fun time with that, the characters and myself. And I thought, is this strange? Probably. (And worse yet, should I be admitting this?)

So I found myself very relieved to have seen the movie, because in the film, Miss Potter’s characters talk to her. And of course, she talks back. So it’s okay. And even if it’s not, in lieu of a 3-week junket to Tuscany, it offered a refreshing moment of simple fancy in a sometimes overly serious world. (Not to mention it was good for my little friends to get out and make some mischief ….)

© Patricia Saxton

0
0
November 29, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #48: Pizza

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

– ♥ –

Because sometimes you just need to be mindless.

Pizza’s a happy, tasty, satisfying no-brainer made to order, with all kinds of goodness going on. It’s doughy and crusty and cheesy and saucy ~ and if you toss some veggies on, it’s a downright healthy meal! Not to mention it’s a very social food, built for sharing, bringing people together. And it makes us feel Italian. Pizza’s good stuff.

Versatile too. There’s thin and thick and deep-dish, white and red, chewy and crunchy. For artistic palettes, it’s a blank culinary canvas, a playground for all sorts of nifty gastronomical toppings. And how many foods are fun to watch being made?

There are lots of reasons to love pizza. But the truth of it is that we don’t have to think too much ~ we just enjoy it, in all its glorious, unsophisticated, delicious genuineness.

0
0