Where is your wealth?

I have been thinking lately...where is my wealth....???

In my relationships
In my family
In my characters
In my bank account
In my health
In my worldview
In my mental wellbeing
In my intellect
In my life roles
In my carerer

What is wealth anyway...a source of pride, sustinability, resources, options, means, strength, space, time, perseverance...

I think for me the answer is multifaceted, ever-evolving and a source of pause.  Happy March Break, I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy your 'wealth'.

Passion Rising

Hopefully, you have enjoyed the beautiful photography which has graced the blog posts of Three Sixty Five.  My dear, talented husband has been the man behind the lens who captures such great visuals.

He has recently started his own blog http://images720.blogspot.com/ to document his passion for photography.  He will not 'toot his own horn', but I will, he is an emerging talent with a great eye.  Check out his pictures for yourself.  Feel free to leave a post and share your appreciation!

Enjoy the day and today's picture - the metaphor needs no explanation.

Feed the Soul

Get comfortable

Get cozy

Get nourished

Here are some images which offer a glimpse into how I like to unwind, de-stress, let go and sink into a relaxed and (hopefully) blissful state.  A generous, warm and comfortable chair, in front of a cozy roaring fire, with nourishment to feed my body......more importantly my soul.  Arguable simple pleasures, yet so rewarding and rejuvenating! 

The simpler the better, in my humble opinion, great food, great comfort (maybe even great people or company...maybe not....) slow and restful.....feed your soul...

Nature

Naturewalking

Exploring our world

We have been experiencing an unusual amount of mild weather here.  Some have even referred to this as the season of 'non-winter'.  I am superstitious about such things and feel as soon as those words are voiced, the winter will come roaring in -  snow, sleet, biting cold, windchill and all. 

In an attempt to relish all these milder temps, we have been trying to get outdoors more and explore all the season has to offer and more importantly, teach us.  I do love what this season imparts, stillness, shedding, with the hope and anticipation of rebirth around the corner.  Recently, we have been exploring the various nature paths around us, the girls have been very interested in nature-walking (I term I made up!) and seeing what those previously unexplored pockets of our community have to offer.  We talked about what this patch of space would look like, and how different it would look in the summer, where the greenery would be, how tall and what our eyes would see.  My littlest one even choose a 'walking stick' which she quickly pronounced is magic and would go with her everywhere - I found it in the car as she said it needs to see the world!! So cute!

There is nothing like the feeling from a brisk (or not so brisk with little darlings!) walk in nature, with the wind on your face, the crunch beneath your feet, the sun (hopefully) at your face.  There is a stillness and openness that happens for me one that I wish for my darlings.  No to mention a hot drink of cocoa or coffee which can follow such exploring - so simple, yet so wonderful!

Today's pictures are courtesy of my wonderful husband - whose visual eye is magnificent.



Wherever...Whatever

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

 - Dalai Lama

The purpose of our lives is to be happy. 

-Dalai Lama

It is so easy to get caught up in it all - the negativity I mean.  To focus on all that could be...if only...why can't....I am just waiting for...

For me the path to gratitude is one of returning.  Returning to what is, what is already in my life and is beautiful.  Returning my mind to positivity, calmness and hopefully, peace.  Returning to the grateFULLness when it feels all I am surrounded by is stress and negativity, selfishness and personal motives.  Returning to what is beautiful, returning, returning, returning to being thankful.  Sometimes this means letting go and losing my grip on certain situations.  I have been thinking more mindully about how I return to the path of gratitude (and thus abundance) when my mind and feelings take me somewhere else, for me, reading something inspiring and genuine, listening to calming music, positive thoughts and statements are all helpful.  I have learned, there is no quick fix, and sometimes I don't get back on the path as quickly as I would like (and I try not to give myself a hard time about this!).  Each moment presents a new chance.



The present of being present

Hot and Fresh - mmmmm

Bright and Light

It is very easy to get caught up - in all of it - good, bad, and ugly - and to miss the beauty and gift of being present.  I call it - the present of being present.  There are many gifts that can open to us when we are grateful and attending to the world around us, the big moments, the small moments - all the moments.  Sounds easy - but in practice it can be very difficult.

For me, being present can be difficult for so many reasons, fear, stress, anxiety, discomfort. . . just to name a few.  When I am capable of being present, I recieve so much in return, some of it unexpected and beautiful.  Today's pictures represent the small graces, a great cup of coffee, maybe with a friend, maybe a moment with yourself and your thoughts, the twinkle of lights, bright and vivid, unexpected yet so pleasing.  Both giving so many reasons to smile, pause and be thankful.

Here is to the present of being present.

2012

Bringing in the New Year

Pleasing the palate...and the soul....yum...

Happy New Year....2012 is now upon us...personally I have always found the pressure to make some metamorphic change at this time of the year to be a little, well...forced....and doomed.  I find summer to be a good time for me to make some changes, whether it be healthwise or spiritwise or habitwise.  The summer is less pressure, better weather, slower pace, time to breathe. 

So I made no grand plans for change to mark the turning of the calendar, just asking myself to be more mindful, breathe more deeply, slow down, think and act in a peaceful way, with kindess to myself and others at the forefront.  I am thankful for another week of vacation and the chance to just be, and if I am lucky...to sleep in!

Here is to a year filled with happiness, health and lots of laugher - not to mention magic!