Just because my childhood was hard at the time doesn’t mean it always has to be hard. Now that I see the value of my childhood, every aspect of it, I feel differently than I did then.

Green beans steamed, green beans sautéed, green beans stewed or in vinaigrette. I believed these to be the all the contents in the bag of green bean options.

I wonder why I tried this berry twice. I think it was the voluptuous beauty and rosy hue. Aren’t they pretty?

All of this is outside of my comfort zone. But the lake now has my full attention. How often do we zero in on discomfort as opportunity?

One place you can find me is at the creek outside of town. Reading, taking notes, asking crayfish for a download.

Can you step outside of your lifebubble that far? Can you pan out to see summer fruit, all the gifts of today, with eyes that fresh?

The ecstasy of a Saturday truly off did not come easily. I bucked against it for some time, sure I had “too much to do” in my business and garden. But I had read the statistics. I get that our productivity goes up when we have a little time off.

At the end of July, who is thinking of winter? The baby kale. It’s not easy to take root in the heat of summer. All respect to these youngsters.

The Unknown often brings the unavoidable, doesn’t it? After my bout of resistance and allowing emotions safe passage I primed for what I wanted.

The Earth carries me. It took months back then to learn to walk with naked feet on the sidewalk. My brain sorted through information from my eyes and touch, sensing whether danger was afoot.

What bliss will you create in the heat of the moment today?

It’s the hottest day of summer. A breeze begins to stir. My fancy horse trough, surrounded by flowers, is ready for a cool dip.

Sometimes I wonder if blue sky gave birth to sunflowers. Their colors sound a vibration I can nearly hear as harmonious. A bee in the center of a sunflower gathers pollen and nectar from the fulcrum of the universe, don’t you think?

Grief is a bedfellow to love. Some days, I think I know a better ending for each and every one of them. Some days, I want to rewrite history so they are with me still. But my arms are “too short to box with God.”

My leafy co-workers have been yearning for fresh soil and room to grow for months. It’s been my joy to repot them all afternoon. Proudly, I carry them back to the office, one by one.

Tools that help us find effectiveness and grace. Tools that form a safety net to fall back on when we wugg it up and wish we’d done better. We practice aligning with our best selves, day by day. In community.

We’ve always embraced education as a family. We committed, as individuals and as a group, to following our passions, to supporting one another, and to lifelong learning. It’s been fun and productive. And it’s never too late to jump on the bandwagon! You can free yourself to pursue the education most joyful to you at any age.

I’d always thought that Sam and Trin’s young adult years would be calmer than their toddler years, but it doesn’t feel that way now. Our roles are reversed. I’m learning from them more than they’re learning from me these days.

Change can be hard. We can feel like outsiders in our new homes for some time, if not forever. I am a transplant, generations later, adapting to a continent, embracing the region of my “new” home of almost twenty years here in Oregon.

This outer manifestation matches my inner experience. I welcome the opportunity to allow all of my emotions, even the deeply uncomfortable ones, safe passage through by body-being.