simmering a rew part 4 ~ salt and pepper to taste

continued from simmering a rew part 3

<3 <3 <3

then i drew some cards about me (focusing on my work, friendships, and family)…

“soul knows the way,” a seabird soaring just outside a city tells the story of tuning in to the intuitive whispers even when there is a lot of loud distraction at hand.

and

“potential,” the acorn, in possession of all it needs to become an oak tree, if the right nutrients, climate, soil, circumstances are present. “we can also open to, and seek, community. actualizing potential relies on interdependency.” yes we can. i am so thankful for the friends i know i can lean on, and who can lean on me, in a beautiful dance of giving and receiving. a tree cannot thrive, nor even begin to grow, without its community.

isn’t it funny how clearly we can perceive the messages when they are about other people? i am not really sure what to make of these mb cards this round, not sure if i am actualizing my potential, not sure if my soul knows the way to doing so. there is loud distraction and yet it’s possible to stay pointed true to one’s course. i am succeeding at staying the course in the important ways (keeping the heart-shaped lens in focus), and maybe, one day, my work will truly line up with all of the curled potential within me. i think there’s more to me than skilled labor in exchange for a paycheck, however big a relief it is to me in this current life season to have gainful employment.

at the time i drew the cards, i had been seeing owls a lot. one was actually right by the vacation house, and another one was along the highway coming back from a friend’s house. i was almost surprised not to draw any owl cards, though the cards i did draw made sense. then i picked out one more card, just last week, with my writing in mind. this time i drew the barn owl; heart-shaped face, mascot for this lighthearted year i’m embarking on. i have quite a few future post ideas (and even some post series) a-brewing and a-simmering, but they are coming along like molasses in january, so it almost feels to me like i’m not producing any results at all. here’s what the spirit owl card had to say about that:

this peaceful creature is wintering away in a calm trance, a sitting prayer of silence and deep connection. owl wakes us up to the truth, and then cuddles us in his downy feathers to enjoy the dreamlike nature of quiet honesty. open your heart wide, as barn owl’s heart-shaped face invites and discover yourself without limits. then sleep on it.

myself without limits… the curled potential within, discovering itself without limits. i’m not there yet, but i do like the idea that i’m in a sitting prayer of silence (sort of, except for this verbosity), while these ideas steep and await their season of waking and unfolding.

<3 <3 <3

while i didn’t make an actual list of new years’ resolutions, i did settle on a few intentions that kept popping into my mind. in no particular order, i intend to see some live music with my man this year, shave my legs at least a few times, go to a doctor, a dentist, and get a new pair of glasses for myself, and administer regular self care with special emphasis on my top three high-octane practices: baths, writing and taking pictures.

taking pictures outside, to be exact.

i muddled my way through my new health insurance plan, chose a dentist (the one rich sees), a doctor (a holistic-sounding osteopath/acupuncturist who is incredibly “in network” on my plan; rich thinks he should go see her, too, why not share all of our health care providers? in sickness and in health, as the saying goes. or is it, what’s mine is his?) and the eye exam can wait a few months, since i did actually attend to that in 2015 (all three of us see the same optometrist).

during the first leg shave of 2016 i was overcome by a wave of apathy and almost didn’t do the second leg, but somehow stuck it out and finished the job. it’s really not important to me either way, but a certain someone appreciates this detail. like rinsing eggs before i crack them, i will happily do it forever because it matters to that sweet someone.

we’re working on being proactive on the health part, and the “in sickness” has been a doozy this season for us as well. being sick in tandem is part of the journey. we’ve reached a new level of our relationship now that we’ve heard each other puke. then we got sick again; this time the eye-burning, hair-hurting fever/chill variety of ouch, which we seem to be laden with again just two weeks later (now). yes, i’ll take sickness and health with this guy. he lets me brew up hippie concoctions of garlic, ginger, cayenne, honey and lemon to soothe his throat, and smiles even bigger if i add a splash of whiskey before handing it to him. and in the healthy times, i send him vague texts about photographing at the beach as he finishes his work day, knowing he will come take a walk with me to make sure i’m not being swallowed by any sneaker waves while i’m holding my camera up to my face. we take care of each other like that.

alright, i’ve written enough. it’s your turn. what are you simmering? what’s on your back burner? how are the winter months treating you? what do you add to your best cold-fighting concoction? tell me about ways you find inspiration and affirmation. what are your top three high-octane self care practices? what do you see, right now, if you look through a heart-shaped lens? share in the comments!