Today is the first day of spring - it's a little earlier than usual. In fact, it's the earliest it's been in more than a century! Two weeks ago, I would have thought that I'd write about blooming azaleas and garden plans; maybe a restful meditation on self-care spent in the sunshine at a sidewalk … Continue reading Roses, Spring, and Forced Change
My conference has concluded and I'm in the hotel room packing up for a day of travel. (No, the world renown Balloon Fiesta wasn't going on while I was here; I just really liked the picture!) While part of me wishes I'd done some sightseeing, I'm at peace with that. I'll be back here and … Continue reading Roses and Clearing the Brush
As you know, this is my "year of roses" - a time devoted to me figuring out how to live my values on an everyday, practical level. Life is so much more than a paycheck (quite an important part of this Diva's life, to be sure, but quite far from being the only thing that … Continue reading Roses and the Value of “Packing Heavy”
As a reminder - my intention this year is to bring more roses into my life. You can see details about that means over on this earlier post, but the short version is that "roses" is my catchphrase for me to double-check whether I am being true to the causes and attitudes that are central … Continue reading Roses and the Power of “Yes”
For the New Year, I'd been looking for a quick, shorthand way to identify all the various bits of my Diva philosophy in order to have a one-word intention to keep me focused; sort of a personal "code word." Much like "River of Cream," the solution was staring me in the face, patiently waiting for … Continue reading Roses
Please note that this Essential is not referencing a day spent in your pajamas because you've pushed yourself too far for too long and wound up suffering from one of those "opportunistic bugs" that tends to go around at this time of year. We're not talking about a day spent on the couch surrounded by half … Continue reading The Essentials – Pajama Day!
I hope you've enjoyed this "Advent Adventure" - I know that it's been a joy for me! Over these last few weeks, I've done a number of things to help me stay focused on the Really Important Things instead of getting distracted by the shiny tinsel and surface "stuff." I've very much enjoyed trying out … Continue reading Advent 24 – Jólabókaflóð
Along with our pre-Christmas trip to Asheville, we here at Splendor have another tradition that we've fine-tuned over the years - we have an early day of Christmas celebration that's just the two of us. (Well, and the Furs, of course. They have quite enjoyed their toys and plushy new beds.) It's not a big, splashy … Continue reading Advent 23 – The Quiet
We're drawing close to the end of our Advent Adventure. I've learned a lot along the way and I saw those lessons in action in the last few days. Today, for example, I needed to run a few errands today (we're spending the next few days hunkered down at home, so I wanted to have … Continue reading Advent – Catch Up 3!
I came home today from spending a few days with my parents - it was a good visit and one that allowed me some time for reflection. It's very easy to get caught up in the hullabaloo of the holidays, especially the way Americans have "done" Christmas since WW2. (This article does a lovely job of … Continue reading Advent 19 – Working on Waiting