Today's Self-Discovery

Being able to admit I am wrong means I am teachable. I am open.

Instead of being rigid and inflexible and uptight, I instead become open, peaceful...and I gain greater understanding than I would have when before I strongly defended my position and therefore was closed off to a better way of seeing, knowing, and being.

Watermill at Onden

"If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Moving, be like water...

Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

~Bruce Lee

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa

Ukyio-e (pictures of the floating world) by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

Altered Vision

Cool vintage eyeglasses I found while out thrifting.

"To see a thing uncoloured by one's own personal preferences and desires is to see it in its own pristine simplicity." ~Bruce Lee


How do you view the world? Are your "glasses" rose-colored? Green? Brownish-gray? Perhaps a cheerful yellow, like sunshine? Do they make you see sharper or more fuzzy? Can you really be sure that that the glasses you view the world through make things more clear? Do you wear different glasses on different days? Sometimes seeing the world "this" way...and on another day seeing them like "that" instead.

But more importantly than all that...Maybe someday do you think you could discover that you don't need those glasses at all...and you can take them off and really see the world more clearly? Without artifice to tell you what it really is?

Journey Within

"The only journey is the journey within."
~ Rainer Maria Rilke

I love this photo that my dear friend, Kim Curtis, took of me. It reminds me of the peace I have found when I go within. Whether it's through writing my thoughts down in a notebook or journal, quietly sitting by myself (or with myself as Iyanla Vanzant might say) in quiet contemplation, doing The Work with myself or my friend Mike, or other methods like the Work, spending time with nature, praying, etc. All have resulted in amazing experiences, lessons, discoveries and so much more that have changed and transformed me, helped me to grow and become a better person. It's the best journey I have ever been on.

Beauty of Spirit in Clothing

If you like Christian clothing then you've got to check out the clothing company at www.C28.com. This is probably one of the coolest Christian clothing lines out there that doesn't end up being cheesy, dorky, too cutesy, etc. Their t-shirts and other products are Art (in my opinion) with a message.

I really love this t-shirt shown on the left, with this quote on it, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you..." - Psalm 42:5-6

And right now they are having a sale on select items (including the tee shown on the left...it's only $10) right now until Saturday. So this moment is one of the best times to check them out.

Now if there were only a Mormon t-shirt clothing that made stuff as great as this (or maybe there is and I just don't know about it).

Don't Believe Everything You Think

Okay so I'm posting three times in one evening...maybe it makes up for the times I didn't post...or maybe it's just annoying. But I forgot I was going to post this last night and so there you have it.

This was one of my latest projects I did yesterday...

I took one of my favorite quotes, "Don't Believe Everything You Think" ('cause sometimes we get caught in a rut of believing stuff that just isn't so and makes us stuck in our lives) and using this funky font that kinda reminds me of the steampunk style, made it into a graphic and applied it to apparel on CafePress.com.

Although it's just simple text I think it turned out pretty cool.

If you'd like to see the other products it's on (mostly other kinds of shirts) you can see them at
http://www.cafepress.com/QuestionThinker

Miracles of Transformation Do Occur

One of the books I've been reading is The Gift of Change by Marianne Williamson.
I came across this part here which I really felt summed up a lot of what I've discovered to be true.

"Miracles of transformation do occur, and they can occur in each of us.
Whenever our outer world remains stuck, it is incumbent upon us to look, not outward, but inward. It is a call to find the places in ourselves where we are holding on to old ways--where we blame others rather than taking personal responsibility for our woes: where we judge others instead of blessing them; where we are hard rather than vulnerable and open and kind. These issues hold the hidden keys to unlocking our unsolved personal mysteries. To achieve breakthroughs in the external world, we had best achieve internal ones. For the level of consciousness is the level of cause; addressing problems at their cause means addressing them inside our own selves. Addressing problems only on the level of their effects--in the outside world--is failing to address them deeply at all."

Book Finds! And Serene Photos.

Okay so over the weekend I probably got rid of at least fifty books (probably more) by donating them to the local Deseret Industries thrift store...only to today go there and end up buying some more. But only a few! And one of which I've been wanting a copy of forever! (It's the Shabby Chic book shown on the far right...it's been written in, but that only adds to it's charm...plus I only got it for $1.50...a steal. If I had got it from amazon.com I would have had to pay that plus shipping.)

I'm not as excited about the Martha Stewart book, but for $1.00 and the original price being $17.99 I decided not to pass it up. I know I'll get some Good Things out of (sorry, couldn't resist).

And the Williams-Sonoma Entertaining book had so many good recipes in it that I just really, really wanted it. I want to make the Tomato Tart on page 225 sometime soon. And there are some recipes I'd like to try out for Thanksgiving...but I'm not really sure that will happen.

A few weeks ago I went to the annual Presbyterian church rummage sale, and afterwards decided to go to the Canyon Park somewhat nearby and sat watching and listening to nature. While I may not be as gifted as my numerous photographer friends and family (how is it so many people I know are great photographers?) I thought these pics I took on the spur of the moment aren't half bad. (You can click on them to view them larger.) So I thought I'd get around to uploading them and sharing them. The usually small river is just a small stream at the moment. But I still think it looks very pretty, and very serene.

“There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations.” ~ Washington Irving

eclectic dreams

For those who really know me, they know I have eclectic tastes, styles, and...dreams. I dream of doing and being many things. I'm constantly daydreaming about new ideas, new wishes, new business/career ideas, things to make, home decor ideas, new ways of viewing the world, thoughts, life, etc, etc, etc.

So here for the first time I venture into putting all those thoughts, dreams, etc. into full public view. Get a peek into the chaotic mind/world of this daydreamer.

Explore my world, as I explore it myself as well. Learn about me as I learn about me. See what I think about, dream about, explore. From the mundane, to the philosophical, to the purely frivolous, and perhaps at times to the pure silliness as well.

“Writing, like dreams, confronts, pushes you up against the evasions, self-deceptions, investments in opinions and interpretations, the clutter that blinds, that disguises that underlying, all-encompassing design. . .”
Toni Cade Bambara