for the love of a cat…

simone…

she usually prefers the high terrain of the perimeter of the living room. but last night she actually snuggled with me here on the sofa (allergies be damned). i guess she liked it enough to try again this morning…

i am surprised by how honored i am that simone has chosen to spend part of her time with us (we share her with my father-in-love, david, who lives two doors down). a wild thing, she’s a stray that wandered up on the porch one day this july and decided we were the right fit. she transitions between our homes easily…following me like a dog when i walk down to his place to bring her back here when he travels. she’s crepuscular – mostly awake at dawn and dusk and sleeping most of the day and night. she reminds me daily to live life out loud and to ask for what i need without hesitation. she is fearless, climbing trees, and up onto steep rooftops, walking along railings two stories up, and always looking up to figure out how she can get higher. i love to watch her in her element, hiding in the bushes stalking lizards or birds and bringing them home to remind us what terrible hunters we are.

for me she embodies magic and wildness, mystery and femininity…and i am ridiculously obsessed with taking her picture.

…

words to love by…

happy birthday bryan!

bryan isn’t going to like this…

he’s not going to like it because some of the pictures aren’t good quality. {he’s on a shoot and i. can’t. find. them!}

but more so because he doesn’t like being the center of attention. though those of us who know and love him put him there…

he doesn’t like birthdays, and makes me promise not to throw him a birthday party. he says he’s shy…

and he is…

he is also remarkably, freakishly fast. seriously. he’s the fastest person i’ve ever met. it is not humanly possible to move as fast as he does sometimes. and i’m not talking about running. i mean from sitting on the sofa to being in the kitchen. it’s like he teleports himself.

he is extremely innovative and creative…we designed our home together and he drew the plans, and built our house (with a crew), he created these amazing bookshelves for my obsessive, and ever-growing amazon-fueled (um, literally) book collection, he’s into art, and music. and is a highly regarded and talented filmmaker and photographer.

he loves cereal. especially cheerios. especially right before bed. preferably with bananas…

i recently realized after 8+ years of living together that every morning he wakes up with a different song in his head and sometime over the course of our morning ritual, i get to hear what it is.

and clearly, he likes to make funny faces. usually in the mirror while he’s brushing his teeth.

…

we have this game. the “why do you like me” game and it goes one way. i say “why do you like me?” and he says “because you’re sweet.” and i get frustrated. i learned early on that his shyness had made him really efficient with the words he chooses to use. when he’s called on to speak, he wants to get it done fast. i also know how hard it is to put into actual language all those little things that make up a life together…the why and what and how, the moments, the habits, the ongoing conversation. and maybe that’s why he’s found such expression in filmmaking…because maybe a picture, for him, really does it better?

so…

why do i like you bryan? because of all of that…

and this…

i hope you have the best birthday…

i miss you and i love you.

*m

a dose of color…

…the first of february…

a square format picture

hot light

pink blooms

&

a bit o’sunshine

for you.

xx

but wait, there’s more…

i am honored to tell you that there is even more…

if you are planning on coming to either the spring or fall sessions of the original squam art workshops in new hampshire then you can also find me there! i’ll be teaching three (yes 3!) classes at both sessions.

it has been such a joy to be involved in this process with elizabeth, and my experience at SAW last september really helped me to understand the journey we are all on to get there. it takes so much – commitment, energy, sacrifice and help from your families. for many of you this will be a brand new, thrilling experience. for others it may take every once of strength to show up and be brave.

but be brave. the universe needs you to be brave…you need you to be brave.

so, in creating these three unique classes, my intention is to meet you precisely where you are on your creative journey. if you want and need to feel grounded before you begin your SAW adventure, to let the stress of travel slide away and become fully present to the experience – please join me in Good Intentions.

Loosen Up! is for those of you with a bit of yoga experience who want to flow, breathe, play, explore, and shift perspective.

And when you’re ready to allow your experience to steep, to honor the love and nurturing your creative soul received, to appreciate the gift you’ve given yourself, to be thankful for your families and friends who helped you get here, then settle in to the restorative Savoring Gratitude.

if you have any questions, {i love questions!} please, please, please write me directly at michelle {at} outerbanksyoga {.com}.

i can’t wait to share this experience with you…

love.

p.s. registration opens monday! yay!

…

squam by the sea…

you know that big thing i’ve been telling you about? the one i was so excited about i was almost paralyzed with fear, the one that made me feel proud and humbled and honored all at the same time? and remember that really special road trip i took back in september that led me all the way to new hampshire and back? well, that big thing. it’s here. it’s happening…

squam by the sea

it’s the dream of art & yoga, here, at the beach, with elizabeth ~ oh if ever there was a fairy godmother she. is. it. ~ plus mccabe russell, jen lee, sarah ahearn (and me!) all wrapping our arms and hearts around you as you discover and express your beautiful, beautiful, creative soul though mixed media, writing, mermaid magic and yoga. in a word: divine.

registration opens on monday and is by mail. all the information you need is right here.

and here’s a little secret: dreams really do come true. i swear it…and f you come,  i bet some of yours will too.

be brave. i was…

love!

(p.s. happy birthday, richard! so much love you my friend!)

say yes…

are you listening? life is calling…

what are you waiting for?

love.

~

what if…

“ What if funky, confusing, gray, lonely days were just part of a “system” that, in turn, created bright, rich, happy, friendly days?

What if they were just meant to give deeper elements of your creativity a rest?

What if they were deliberately crafted holidays, of a sort, devised by your inner psyche to relieve you from the pressure of artificial expectations?

Would you still bemoan them, wonder what’s wrong with you, or fear that they’ll never end? Or, would they kind of tickle you pink?”

Love,

The Universe

…

it’s true…

believe it…

love.

~

she moves in mysterious ways…

elephants move me with their deeply soulful magic, their massive elephant hearts bursting with memory and emotion. a matriarchal society, an african elephant herd is usually an alpha female and her sisters and daughters caring for their young. males, once adolescent, are sent off on their walkabout to ultimately become lone bulls that roam the savannah looking for mates. elephants have sensitive feet, and are able to communicate through them, sending subsonic vibrations into the earth that can be picked up by other ele’s miles away. they cry. they mourn their dead, years later passing by the bones of lost family members and pausing to stand over them, touching them with their trunks. they remember.

we had duncan cremated and it was important to me that his ashes be a part of our home. there is such a void in this house now…his presence and sweet, loving energy was a palpable thing and it feels different here without him. i had placed some of duncan’s ashes in a small little silver elephant box a friend brought back from cambodia. it’s only about an inch long and i placed it on my altar, next to ganesha – the elephant god. i understood immediately that the perfect place for the remainder of duncan’s ashes would be a larger version of the little elephant. i looked online, found a few, wished i had a more personal connection to them and abandoned the search.

this weekend I traveled back to washington dc for a visit with old friends. dc was duncan’s hood. he so loved living in the city with all it’s smells and the attention he’d get as we walked. people loved him and often stopped to pet him or talk with me about him. This is where he got his moniker as the rastafarian pouncer, so often people would ask “what kind of dog is that?” that we began making up breeds for fun. he actually won the dupont dog show one year for having the ‘most mysterious heritage’ (a trophy & a ribbon!). we would joke about how he owned our neighborhood and he knew it. he always wanted to walk longer and farther in the city, pulling me across different streets if he wasn’t yet ready to go home. those memories of him were vibrant and alive with me as I wandered into a favorite vintage store on 14th street…and there she was right next to the door, exactly what i had wanted ~ a large silver elephant box nearly identical to the small one i had at home.

when we got home last night, this sacred ele found a home on top of the armoire in our bedroom – also next to ganesha. duncan loved bedtime, since that’s when the pack was all together. i filled the box with his ashes, some of his dreadlocks, a feather for safe passage, some lavender, rosemary, cedar and sage.

then last night for the first time since we let him go, i dreamt about him. we were hiking along the billy goat trail outside DC. it’s a rocky trail that often requires the use of your hands to navigate. we both loved this trail for the agility it required of you…and in my dream he was scurrying along behind, looking up at me as we climbed, both of us smiling and happy.

love.

~

PS thank you to all who came to and contributed to the haitian relief fund during karma yoga yesterday! we’ll do it again next week! lokah samastah sukino bavantu – may all being everywhere be happy and free.