winter solstice

The city streets, lined with hundred year old trees, lights shining, freshly fallen snow on all of it. Everything is illuminated and so peaceful at the same time.

Driving to a friend's house where you know there is going to be warmth and laughter

Reaching the solstice, where the days start growing longer

The quiet and the still, outside, except the crisp, white crunch underneath your boot

That is what winter is all about

tree love

i was driving out of a ramp late this morning when i happened upon this scene.
for me, it was zen moment.
perhaps it doesn't do quite the same for you.
and maybe you had to be there.

i do wish i could have had a few more moments there. an hour would have been perfect.
to sit by my little piece of inspiration and enjoy life.
unfortunately, that time doesn't fit into the succinct rhythm that my day is structured around right now.
it really should be though.

and then i also realized that when the cars started whirring past me it wouldn't be quite as sublime. i wouldn't continue to have it all to myself if i stayed.

is my tree love silly?
forcing me to stop in parking ramps and open my eyes really wide with excitement

we all have to have our little quirks.
so, here is one of mine.
it started on my *first trip to france and has been here ever since.
tree love.

45 minutes?

Yes, that's my morning commute.

Mornings are undeniably beautiful, especially if the morning begins before the sun rises. It is perhaps the best time of day if your eyes want to stay open more than your brain wants to sleep, which is something I am working on. I would not have seen any of this loveliness if I did not make my morning commute. Make no mistake, it still isn't utopia waking up in the wee hours of the morning and weaving in and out of traffic, but my eyes are always open to new forms of inspiration.

one little tree

Awww...

Ain't he a beaut?! ; )

Not really. But he's mine and I love 'em all the same.

The lights go on and there's magic
The scent floats by and earth has been invited into my home

It's amazing the power of one little tree.

gratitude:

Today, I am grateful for art.

I am grateful for the the artist Stanislaw Zagajewski to be more specific.

On my last full day in Lausanne, Switzerland I visited L'Art Brut. It took me on quite a journey. If Lausanne doesn't take your breath away (which is half of a joke because of the 90 degree hills) then this museum will.

I stood before Zagajewski's sculpture of masked faces and heard people singing in all different tones.

I kid you not.

I was in awe, enthralled and all of the other words that a thesaurus can throw at you in that arena.

Each face sings a different note and as you look from person to person you hear the note that he or she is singing, along with all of the notes sung by the surrounding souls. It will captivate you too, to be sure.

I am still convinced that it is necessary for two people in this world to make it there at some point in their lives. BDP and Yuri, you must, if you haven't already.

sitting under a tree: eating a tangerine:

One of the books that I just began reading is about mindfulness, in fact it's call The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh. It's a small book, but I am trying to be as mindful as possible while I read it and savor every word. I have been meaning to read it since a friend loaned it to me a few weeks ago, but have not found the necessary brain power that I wanted to give to it until I decided that I was just going to take the time to start today.

Tonight, I wanted to stop and take a breath after work, before going home, so I took myself to a coffee shop first. I had started the book this afternoon while simultaneously giving a break to the person at the front desk of our office. As I would set the book down, along with the concentration of my breath, to answer the phone or greet someone, I chuckled a bit at how opposing I thought that these two activities were. Yet in actuality, this book seems to resonate in each area of life. It's about reminding yourself to be alive and be aware of what you are doing while you are doing it. Here is my favorite section so far, though I am really at the very beginning as I mentioned before.

"Eating a tangerine: I remember a number of years ago, when Jim and I were first traveling together in the United States, we sat under a tree and shared a tangerine. He began to talk about what we would be doing in the future. Whenever we thought about a project that seemed attractive or inspiring, Jim became so immersed in it that he literally forgot about what he was doing in the present. He popped a section of tangerine in his mouth and, before he had begun chewing it, had another slice ready to pop into his mouth again. He was hardly aware he was eating a tangerine. All I had to say was, "You ought to eat the tangerine section you've already taken." Jim was started into realizing what he was doing. It was as if he hadn't been eating the tangerine at all. If he had been eating anything, he was "eating" his future plans. A tangerine has sections. If you can eat just one section, you can probably eat the entire tangerine. But if you can't eat a single section you cannot eat the tangerine."

A. I want to be a in career that makes me just as excited as Jim! Oh wait, that's not the point to this? Not completely. And I have actually experienced that excitement when I prepare for an art show. That is very important to me and something I am working on achieving, but equally as important and more to the point, I want to apply that mindfulness.

Some of us do not even stop to take a breath and a break from our work to eat, to nourish our bodies and our minds. I do try and stop for my meals every day, though I'm not solely focused on sticking each morsel of food into my mouth. Sometimes I'm reading or in conversation. And sure, we are not all monks who clear our lives to gain peace and simplicity, which is not to say that that is not a life of rich complexity, and in fact is quite the contrary. But, most of us do lead complex and often times complicated lives.

I just want to know mindfulness and balance. In an evening where I had a strong call to just stop and breathe, this book was so good for me. Thought I'd share it with you as well, in case you're looking for a bit of the same in your life.

pommes frites

as with everything french, there's something a little bit better about ordering pommes frites as opposed to ordering french fries.

had a frenchie night.

drove around the block to try and get a good shot of the outside of my favorite restaurant. it was just sitting there asking for its photo to be taken when the light turned green. i had to turn back around and give it another go. the second time did not work either. alas, taking photos out of my car does not always produce stellar photos.

so, i ended up with this. that and trip down memory lane and a belly full of good food.