Into Place

Like a bird, I'm slowly settling into the empty nest here.

For the past several weeks when I've walked past the kid's bedrooms, with the sheets stripped on their beds, it's made me miss them even more. So today I made their beds, which makes their rooms look nicer and it's no longer a stark visual reminder that they aren't here.


This week on Humans of New York, they posted a picture of an older man who is also a dwarf (small person).

Under his photo was this quote:

"My philosophy is: 'If you like yourself, everything around you will fall into place.' "

Clearly there is a connection between people liking themselves and their contentedness in life. As well as a connection between people who felt loved, and accepted by their parents, and their contentedness in life.

So if we can just love, support, and accept kids, just as they are, and let them know it, we've really helped in the process.

God I hope I've done this. I really do. For the most part I think I have. However, I am sure there are places and times I've fallen short unfortunately.


Also this week, I thought I'd post this video that I made for a friend who is suffering from "Text Neck", as I have been. Caused by texting, "Text Neck" has many symptoms, like headaches, but for me, my right hand goes numb during the night, and sometimes even during the day.

It is the new epidemic, that can easily be confused with carpel tunnel syndrome.

The good news is that I have been doing this quick exercise before bed, and when I get up in the morning, and I am doing so much better. Amen!

Have a nice weekend everyone,
Louise
 

Time-lapse

Filmmaker, Anthony Cerniello, went to a friend's family reunion, along with photographer, Keith Sirchio, and shot portraits of various cousins through to the oldest relatives. All with similar bone structure. The photos were then pasted together and the result is this wonderful, subtle piece, which I think so well illustrates the beauty of aging.

I love how faces soften over the years. Kind of like what happens with driftwood, sea glass, and pebbles on a beach. Kind of like what happens with our favorite clothes when we've worn them over and over again, well read hardcover books, and windblown sails.

Thank you to Caroline for sending this clip along to me.

Also this week I wanted to tell you about my new favorite thing, in case you haven't already heard about it: 

Humans of New York.

Twenty-nine year old photographer Brandon Stanton, takes photos of strangers on the streets of New York and asks them questions. I love the honesty in his project. He's just out with his first book.

I especially like looking at the photos, because of how they are formatted, on Facebook.

Photography is a such a wonderful thing.

The 7 Rules of Life

How sweet are these cement pots?

They are from a company called Terrain. My knitwear designer friend, Kristin, posted about them and I just had to repost. So yummy.

They also come in a short, squat variety.

They remind me of this small porcelain cup that I have on my dinner table that I put matches in by Alyssa Ettinger.

I glued a match striker on the bottom of it, for easy lighting. Being a knitter, I especially love these. My photo fails miserably however in showing how delicate the cup actually is.

Better photos on Ettinger's site.

Tonight I discovered former British fashion designer, turned potter, Annette Bugansky.

Her work is just H E A V E N L Y.

Check out her google images if you have a second.

As of this past Sunday, we are empty nesters again. Where as last fall it seemed like a lovely novelty, this time around it seems a little lonely.

Just a little.

Perhaps I just need to do something creative, instead of putting out logistical fires.

Time to knit again maybe.

Lastly, I like these 7 rules of life. One for each day of the week.

Happy weekend to you all. xo

Finding a Way

Being a competitive swimmer, I have been entranced this week with Diana Nyad's triumph of swimming 110 miles from Cuba to Key West, at the ripe age of 64. If you haven't heard, she swam for 53 hours straight. Yep. Unbelievable really. I can't think of an athletic endeavor more challenging than what she has done.

Diana has said that her mantra throughout the swim was "Find a way."  Find a way to deal with strong headwinds, incredible exhaustion, the threat of sharks, and enduring the chill of two long, dark nights.  Find a way to deal with an uncomfortable face mask to protect her from life threatening jelly fish, the inability to keep food down, the loneliness.

As she said, " It's so easy to talk ourselves out of things." 

Just as inspiring, in a totally different way, is the clip below of Arthur Boorman, who was told for 15 years that he would never walk unassisted again.

The power of yoga.

The power of deciding to find a way.

Thank you to Chrissy for finding this.

Switching to Love

Being in the middle of launching a food product is at times a consuming endeavor. Logistically, and emotionally. Sometimes I feel like a little cricket with either excitement or anxiety, depending on the day (or hour). It has really been a practice of being in the moment, and not worrying about all the what-ifs. Of just taking it one day at a time. Of putting one foot in front of the other, and living in a place of not knowing. Trusting the mystery. The process of it, of whatever it might be.

Of knowing that in any situation I will hopefully choose the best route or at least learn from my mistakes.

We can apply this to so many situations in life.

On another front, you know that feeling in your body when you are experiencing lack of ease? When you are worried or are being judgmental of those around you? Like when you just want to split and go read a book? I had this experience again recently of being in an uncomfortable situation. I decided in my head to just throw the love in my heart at it, without even saying anything-  instead of paying attention to all the mish-mash that was going on in my head and making me tense.

My dad use to say "just love people."

Dropping the ball worked like a dream. It was like I put down my emotional dukes and dropped the bone. Changed the channel- from one of judgment- to that of love.

It kind of felt like I had popped a pill. What were the pills stressed-out housewives use to take in the 50s? Just had to google it....oh yes: valium.

Switch to love.

It's kind of like taking a valium :-)

xo

On My Stairs

I am heading off on a road trip with my eldest daughter to take our youngest to her first year of college in Pennsylvania.

A 10 hour drive each way.

Goodness. ( but I say this in more than one way, I hope).

Happy that Jet Blue flies to Boston inexpensively the next four years,

to bring her home to me.


I miss her warmth already.


It was just yesterday that she was a content little baby sitting in her baby chair,

happily listening to classical music.

Parenthood really is an exercise in letting go. Over and over again.


Anyway,  I thought this is an appropriate time to post the message that has been living above our stairway the last few months.

A daughter fairy put it there.

Keeping the peace.


Peace be with you too.

12 + 8 = Heaven

A few weeks ago I set a bedtime for myself for first time ever. I read recently, once again, how important it is for our bodies, minds, and spirits to get a good night's sleep. Being the perennial night owl that I am however, this has always been a challenge for me. I love the quiet of the night. It feels so blissful.

So lately I've been getting into bed at 11:00'ish and giving myself an hour to read or whatever. Lights out at midnight. Eight hours of sleep. Heaven.

The old me might have been in bed by midnight but frequently it was 1AM or even later until I hit the hay.

It's strange, but I can't tell you what a relief it is to have a bedtime. Being better rested I feel better in numerous ways. I am sure the cool, dry nighttime air this past month has helped too.

For as long as I can remember my mom has taken a 20 minute nap in the middle of the day. She sets the timer on the stove for 20 minutes and stretches out on a couch. She has said it's the perfect amount of time to rejuvenate herself. I have always found it remarkable that she does this. To do it within the chaos of the day.

Also this week I wanted to share the id/ego chart that my friend Cindy sent me. I love this chart as it's such a great reminder what to focus on, and not focus on, for optimal happiness.

As I've said before, we are what we think about.

What we think about, we become.

Hope you're all enjoying the last weeks of summer. xoxo, Louise.

One Taste

"One taste" is a Buddhist expression. Just as the ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so does the taste of liberation. The taste of truth.

Early in June I posted about the Tantra workshop that Tom and I did for our 25th anniversary. My 91-year-old mom was recently reading Lines of Beauty and mentioned that she had read the post. She was curious if anyone had contacted me about it. I said that they had not. I said that I knew that I was sticking my neck out a little on the post, and perhaps I lost a few readers with my honesty. I also assured her that Tantra is an age old practice that originated in medieval India and reassured her that Tom and I have a committed relationship with each other.

I also explained that the topic of sex is no longer a taboo one. In fact it has sadly gone to another extreme I feel with the younger generation.

But at the heart of this subject is a very natural, healthy, wonderful thing, and as Nicole Daedone, founder of One Taste, says in the TEDx video below, many women are hungry for something they can't quite reach. They work too hard, eat too much, diet too much, drink too much, shop too much, and give too much. The western women's mantra she calls it.

A sense of hunger that can't seem to be touched.

Without explaining any more, have a listen to this when you are folding laundry, or driving in the car.

I doubt you will be bored or wish that you hadn't.

xo,
Louise

Faking It

I first heard about Dr. Brene Brown when I watched her powerful piece on shame on Ted Talks a few years ago. Recently my sister suggested a great book she was reading called The Gifts of Imperfection. It took me awhile to put two and two together that it was written by the same person.

Perfectionism permeates our culture. Brene Brown explains it has only worsened since 9/11 because everyone feels so vulnerable.

As she says, if we want to be happy we have to stop striving to be so perfect.

I think happiness comes from loving ourselves more. We love our self ( and others) more when we can embrace our imperfections.

Brene Brown is speaking at the Women and Power Retreat September 20-22 at Omega Institute.

I would love to go if I can swing it.

Heads-Up

I have been suffering from carpal tunnel'ish symptoms that I am pretty sure are being caused by looking down at my Iphone. They started around the holidays this past year and I didn't put two and two together, until recently, that just twelve weeks prior I had started using a smartphone. I've been waking in the middle of the night with a numb right hand, which is so damn annoying I can't tell you. My chiropractor thinks it's from a pinched nerve in my neck, not carpal tunnel issues, but either way I think it's caused by looking down at my Iphone.

 Grrrr.

Anyway, I thought I would post this smartphone ergonomics video for y'all so that you don't end up in the same boat as me, if you haven't already.

Yet another reason to leave our smartphones behind.

Do chime in if you've had similar issues. Readers have been emailing to say that it's hard to successfully leave comments on here. If you are having issues I think the best way around this is to leave comments anonymously (in the drop-down box) of the comments section below.

Thank you m'dears.
xo

All You Need

It's been a doozy of a week here. One of my daughters had surgery on her nose for a deviated septum, which compared to many surgeries is minor, but was still quite an ordeal none the less. Poor little critter. It's not helpful that I am a bit of a woos unfortunately in medical situations.

And the heat wave! Oh my gawd, the heat...

I have also come face to face with the issue of accountability as of late. It's not appropriate to go into details but I will say this:

I think the human default when we error in life is sometimes to get defensive about our actions and get into our "story". This can waste all sorts of extra energy and cause further conflict. I know I have certainly done this.

But the reality is all we really need to do is step back, and acknowledge that we screwed up, and apologize.

It's really so simple when we can just take our ego out of it.


I have also heard this week about something called the "release technique" for when we are confronted with negative thoughts or situations. For instance, we might say to our self, "I didn't get enough sleep last night!" but then you respond to yourself with "It's not so bad."

Oh my god it's so hot out!

It's not so bad :-)


Thank you to Sandi for sending in the above silent clip in response to last week's post.

And have a good week my friends.
xo

Take Me There

Mother's Day

Since my mom moved to the area a year ago we've been church hopping a few times each month. Having not ever been religious, and not having gone to church since I was young, it has been a nice change for me.

I especially like the hour spent alone with my thoughts in church.

And that I can spend time with her at the same time.

Alone, together.

Sometimes, a sermon will bring me to tears it's so relate-able.

Sometimes, I drift away, and hardly catch a word.

Anyway, I think we've finally discovered a church that suits us both. I knew it when the choir of mixed ages sang the Beatle's "All You Need Is Love."


Go out into the world in peace.
Have Courage.
Hold on to what is good.
Return to no person evil for evil.
Strengthen the fainthearted.
Support the weak.
Help the suffering.
Honor all beings.

~Adapted from Paul's letter to the Thessalonians

Hiatus

I took my mamacita to the countryside in eastern New York this past weekend to celebrate her youngest grand baby's graduation from high school. She brought her bathing suit along for the ride but decided later that she was content in the shade, under the big blue umbrella.

Too much work getting a bathing suit on and off, especially for a ninety-one year old.

"Been there, done that!" she exclaimed happily. We all chuckled.

I know what she means, in more ways than one, and I have a hunch that you do too.

I am on a lovely annual four-week hiatus from my not-full-time job. Some of you might not know that I've worked as a household manager/personal cook/real estate manager since the bottom fell out of the economy in 2008. I call it my mid-life crisis job. It's close-by, pays well, and it's fun. Kind of like playing Martha Stewart with someone else's credit card. I am living the life that I didn't get to live when my kids were young and I had to commute into Boston for work.

But here at home, with my real family (or my "first family" as I refer to them), I am still struggling to launch the natural food product with my business partner. The bad news is that we still haven't launched. The good news is that we're still optimistic. With four shelf- life evaluations, and a second round at trademarking, I've had moments though of wanting to throw the towel in.

No wonder people don't launch food products.

However, if we launch, it's going to be good.

And hopefully, in more ways than one.


I hope you're enjoying the summer.

Here in New England, they say that summer is to the rest of the year, like the weekend is to the week.

Or something like that.

Personally, the heat knocks almost all ambition out of me!

XO,
Louise

Having a Baby

I thought I'd celebrate our 25th anniversary and my 53rd year with a baby.


Just kidding!


The two GUYS in this video, however, signed up to see what labor is really like. Brave men that they are.

I thought maybe we could all use a good laugh to start the summer off.

Thank you to Chris for sending this in.


Happy almost summer solstice to you all,

Louise




Labor Pain Simulation from Kensington on Vimeo.

The Breath of Life

After last week's scare, I was grateful to be able to head off with Tom to celebrate our 25th anniversary with a weekend workshop at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY.  I have been drooling over their body, mind, and spirit course offerings for many years.

The course we took was essentially about love, intimacy, and tantra sex.

I don't think it was a coincidence that Tom's anaphylactic shock episode and this workshop came together within 3 days of each other.

Tantra originated in medieval India.

I first heard of tantra or tantric sex several years ago when HBO featured it on their show Real Sex.  While watching it I thought, "Wow. This really takes sex and intimacy (and energy) to whole new level." The show piqued my interest and I never forgot about it.

You might be wondering if last weekend was one big orgy. It was not. In fact it didn't involve anything too strange, although it did put me outside my comfort zone at times.

Which is good.

The workshop was basically about breathing, and creating an energy flow, in part by squeezing the PC muscle, and bearing down with the stomach muscles.

Tantra is about channeling sexual energy, that normally leaves during orgasm, back into the body.

Kind of like recycling :-)

When we focus on the "grand finale" we miss an amazing range of pleasure. So instead of having a relatively quick genital orgasm what happens is that you are able to have a full body orgasm that goes on and on.

I kid you not.

And the beauty of it is that you don't need to have a partner to garner this energy and pleasure.

I will say no more but to add that I highly recommend taking a tantra class. What a great way to usher in the second half of life, create greater intimacy, and deepen pleasure.

Dr. Christianne Northrup has said that "Sexual energy is one of our most powerful energies for creating health. Our stress hormones lower and serotonin shoots through the roof."


If you are still with me, and curious, below is a video made several years ago by Steve and Lokita Carter of Ecstatic Living Institute, who taught our class.

They journeyed all the way from California and were terrific teachers.



   

Fragility

We had the scare of our lives on Tuesday.

Mr. Fix-It was prepping for a colonoscopy.

He drank his first glass of the PEG solution and within 90 seconds he said he knew something wasn't right.

Luckily our younger daughter was here and called to tell me he had broken out in hives.

I told her what to look for and said if he went south to quickly call an ambulance.


In a short amount of time Tom's chest started to tighten, his lips and hands swelled, and he went into anaphylactic shock. 

His blood pressure began to plummet and he blacked out. 

Our daughter called 911, and while the paramedics were en route, he was able to make it from the rec room up to the first floor. 

When they arrived they gave him a EpiPen shot and he fainted.

In the ambulance the paramedics where saying "Tom stay with us buddy!" and things like that. He wasn't responding to questions.

I arrived at the hospital after the ambulance had arrived, as did our older daughter.

We ran into the emergency room but they said he was out in the ambulance because they were still working on him  (low blood pressure).


This is when I knew he was really in trouble.


The weird thing is that 5-6 hours later, after being stabilized, he was back on his feet like nothing had happened.

He feels fine now but is on a steroid to counteract the PEG solution in his system.

Tom has said more than once how amazingly calm and helpful our daughter remained.

He was able to remain calm as well.

She saved his life.

Left untreated anaphylaxus is deadly, because eventual swelling of the throat will cause suffocation.

It has taken time to put my arms around what happened, and didn't happen.

Even now I can't stop thinking about it. The reverberations are still washing over me. 

Still putting the pieces together.

Life is so fragile.

What happened was life altering for all of us, I think.

I'm just so happy to still have my sweetheart, who I married 25 years ago this month.

I hesitated posting this because I don't want to ever dissuade people from having a colonoscopy. The reaction that Tom had from PEG is HIGHLY unlikely- in fact, nearly impossible to find statistics of on the web.

The lesson we learned however is take the signs of allergic reaction seriously, and get help, immediately. 

Don't wait. 

As soon as the hives broke out he should have been on his way to the hospital.

We know this now. 

With love to all my readers,

Louise

At My Doorstep

Life really does go by faster the older we grow.

My mom use to say this but I didn't quite understand it until more recently. It kind of freaks me out now how fast the months come and go.

For instance, my dad died twelves years ago this past week.

Twelve years, just like that, come and gone, so easily.

I will feel very lucky if I get to live 3 more sets of twelve years, which will put me at age 88.

52 + 12 +12 +12 = 88...

Oh my.


Here is what I know of death- the pain of losing my Dad certainly lightened over time but I never stop missing him.

He was such a kind and loving soul. Full of goodness, through and through.

In celebration of him I took his ladylove on a short field trip to the Concord River on Friday, where we launched 6 paper boats in his honor. One for each of his five children, and her.


She was delighted.

As was I, to have had the moment.

To stop long enough in the whirlwind of life and not only remember the day, but to pause long enough to acknowledge him, and the hole his absence has left.

And to give my mom an extra squeeze.

To set a boat or two afloat.

But not adrift.

For the man who loved to sail.

Shades of Summer

The other day I was looking through old photos and came across this one. Several years ago a scout from Country Living magazine came into my booth at The SoWa Market in Boston. I was doing my felted wool line in full force back then and she said she might like to feature me in an upcoming issue.

After touching base later that week the scout said she was still considering me and asked if I could send her photos of our home.

"Sure!" I said.

But in my mind it was shear panic as our house was undergoing a major construction project. Most of our lawn was ripped out, we had temporary walls up, everything was in disarray. And there was dust everywhere.

So I spent the next two days in the summer heat taking photos, amidst the plaster and chaos. Vacuuming, dusting, primping, creating little visual vignettes. It was crazy. It was fun, but a lot of work.

I emailed her all the photos and a few days later she contacted me, apologizing, because she had lost her job. She said that all the info she had gathered on me would go into the "felted wool file" at the magazine but she couldn't make any promises about what would happen next.

Someone did eventually call me from the magazine to feature my line at the Country Living Fair but I never did make it into the magazine.

Maybe my house wasn't "country living" enough for them.

Oh well, I like the photos I took and I'll enjoy reminiscing with them again when I'm an old lady perhaps.

On a more inspiring note, Mr. Fix-it and my older daughter recently built five raised garden beds and she has been hard at work planting organic veggies and herbs that she raised from seed, which is exciting.

My hope is that her bounty will be big enough that we can set up a little self-serve farm stand and send the proceeds to Safe Passage, the school in Guatemala where our youngest interned this year.

This is jumping the gun, but maybe we'll even name the farm "Safe Passage Farm" partly because the produce will have had an organic, safe passage themselves. I feel the liberty to say this only because she is leaving me to babysit "the farm" while she does an internship this summer in California!

I'll keep you posted...

I hope you're all enjoying the spring.

XO,
Louise

Long Ago & Far Away

I've been taking a trip down memory line.

Long ago and far away.

But sometimes it feels like yesterday.

This song takes me back to my teenage bedroom with the blue, white and green daisy wallpaper, and the brown wood shutters that I stained myself with my father's encouragement.

I use to listen to it on my record player while lying on my bed, on my back, staring up at the ceiling.

I had taken my bed off its frame and put it flat on the floor, following in my four older, hippie sibling's footsteps.

No matter where teenagers were in their lives back then, listening to Seventeen helped to dull the pain of being one perhaps.

Janis Ian received 461 valentines the year it came out.


In my teenage bedroom, her album Between The Lines rivaled number of times played with Carole King's album Tapestry. There were so many songs on that album that I loved. Most notably Lover's Lullaby and When the Party's Over.


"In books and magazines of how to be
and what to see while you are being
Before and after photographs
teach how to pass from reaching to believing
We live beyond our means on other peoples' dreams
and that's succeeding."

Out of the mouth of a babe.
Between the Lines
Janis Ian, age 22.

The Find

Google image search for Kilim boots

The older I grow the less I like to go shopping. Number one, I am pretty frugal, and number two, I get bored quickly. If I am on a mission and shopping for something in particular, I enjoy shopping more-  but basically, I would rather be home making something than buying.

Then last summer, when I was the design coordinator on one of Tom's construction projects, I discovered a great way to find what I am looking for with Google Images. This might be old news to many of you but to me it was a fabulous discovery.  For instance, instead of googling the words "Mexican sinks", I hit the image tab on google for "Mexican Sinks" and there, in full color, was every sink of this type on the web, like magic. Viola!

Back in 1983, I bought a pair of Kilim boots that were made in Morocco. Over the years I have loved and worn these boots countess times and had them resoled at least 3 times. But there comes a time when 30 year old boots have to be put to rest. The problem was that I couldn't find a pair to replace them ANYWHERE. I searched high and low online. Then last fall, they finally hit the market again, and I found them with a Google image search. Score! This made me very happy.

Another great source for finding more of what we love is Ebay. It's a good place to find something we already have but has seen better days. For instance, pants I've bought and wish that I'd purchased two pairs of. Just look for the style number inside and chances are you can find the same beloved ones on Ebay.  Sometimes brand spanking new too.

Okay I'll shut up now.

I hope I haven't bored you to tears with this post!


One more thing before I go.....I am finally working on a Lines of Beauty Pinterest.

If you have a Pinterest, follow me if you would like, so I can follow you.

Thank you dear readers of mine.
XO

More Than We Think

Two weeks ago Dove's latest project, Real Beauty Sketches was launched on Youtube and already has had over 35 million hits. If you haven't yet seen it, I think you might find it interesting. In the experiment women were asked to describe themselves to a forensic artist who drew them without being able to see them. Each woman was then drawn again but this time with a stranger describing them to the artist instead.

The result:

How other people see us is quite often much more favorable then how we see ourselves.

We all spend time being self-conscious about certain things that other people aren't even paying attention to!

For instance, how many times have we all had a zit and thought that it's the only thing people can see when they look at us?

Ahhh, I guess it's just human nature. It's not always all about the media and what is fed to us through big business. I bet way back when, like in the pioneering days for instance, women were still self-conscious when they got a zit.

Anyway, I've been impressed with Dove over the years and the messages they're trying to instill, whilst making a buck at the same time. They always get their share of bad press, as this one did, but on the whole I like where their head is.

If you missed Dove's Evolution of Beauty you can catch it here.

Also if you've already seen Real Beauty Sketches and you're ready for the parody/ guy version, it can be found here :-)


Hope you are having a good week,

XO,
Louise

One Ringy Dingy

Ever since I got an Iphone last year I've been kind of consumed by it. There is hardly ever a dull moment anymore, such as waiting in line at the grocery store, or waiting for anything. I knew it would be this way and that is why I resisted. But then my camera broke and I was need of a new phone because mine was hanging literally by a thread. And I loved that handy wonderful little camera on the Iphone. Plus I blog and I need a smartphone. Right?

So I bought one.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

Kind of.

Truth be told, I am an information junky. Like so many people, I catch a buzz from the internet. It makes me happy. I like getting my questions answered in lightening speed. Smartphone makes me feel.....smarter.

Plus I am always entertained.

Until I am not.

Our blood pressure goes up every time we hear our phone ring, or hear the ding of an email arriving, or a text. It's like all day long we get these little presents in our phone. But these little presents are often problems that arrive. Emails that need to be addressed. Distractions that rob our time, and our soul, from doing what we really want or need to be doing.

Author Unknown

Sometimes by day's end I just want to throw the little fucker across the room.

It also makes me sad that the first thing people do when they come out of a class or a meeting is check their phone. It's the perfect escape for people who are afraid to be, or don't want to be, together.

Like me sometimes.

And then there is my aging mother who in reality I have PRECIOUS little time to spend with, even though she's just 3 miles from me now. When I am with her my phone exaggerates the tug of war of needing to take care of life's details and spending uninterrupted time with her.

I imagine you know what I mean.

And then there is my friend who found out recently that her twenty-six year old son has brain cancer. And the tumor is right where he has been holding his phone all these years (see video below).

Oh my dear,dear darlin'.


Maybe it's related to cell phones, maybe it isn't, but with all this said, I vow to leave my phone in the car much more often.

We don't need to be accessible 24/7. It's stressful to always be on call.

I also vow to not carry it around with me as many of us always do.

I vow to charge it, not next to my bed as I've been doing at night, but across the room.


Basically I vow to give myself the break,

and the peace of mind,

that I've been sorely missing.

Camino Seguro

Antiqua, Guatemala

After six days of having to watch our backs in Guatemala, it was a relief to get off the plane Monday night and be back on safer ground. The first thing we heard about however was the horrific Boston Marathon bombings. Such terribly sad news. It's hard to imagine any of it. It led me to think about the sheer panic many of the runners must have felt, after running almost 26 exhausting miles, to not know if their loved ones waiting at the finish line for them were okay, or not.


The trip down to Guatemala with my older daughter to visit my younger daughter, who has been interning at Safe Passage, was an experience to say the least. I don't think tears have filled my eyes as much as they did there since losing my Dad almost twelve years ago.  They were tears of sadness. Of gratitude. Of admiration, and even of joy. What the teachers, interns, and support staff are doing at Safe Passage is incredibly inspiring.

My girls going to catch the early morning bus to Safe Passage.

Safe Passage was started in 1999 by a 29 year-old-woman from Maine, named Hanley Denning, who went down to Guatemala to study Spanish. While there she saw such a need for help that she sold her car and belongings back home and started the school.

Many of the parents, of the now 500+ impoverished students who attend Safe Passage, work in the huge dump near the school in Guatemala City. They do not have jobs there but rather try to scrape together an existence by recycling and selling ( and eating) what they can scavenge from the dump.

While sipping a decaf on the 2nd day at the school it occurred to me that the cost of what filled my cup was more than the average person makes in a day. I couldn't get rid of it fast enough.

Hotel Aurora where we stayed for $85/day including taxes and breakfast :-)

On the flip side, our time in Antigua, where we stayed, was a tapestry of incredible beauty. Antigua was founded in 1543 and the cobblestone roads, ancient architecture, brilliant colors, textures, and amazing handwork were a constant delight to me. I knew that they would be but it all far exceeded my expectations.

Simply put, it was glorious.

And so was spending time with my two daughters. We had never been away alone together, and as I told them, I know it will forever be a highlight of my life.

Safe Passage

What day is it?

"Its today," squeaked Piglet.

"The perfect day," said Pooh.


Someone who I worked with at Susan Bristol for fifteen years passed away this week from cancer. For many years her office was next to mine. We were pregnant with our first children together and use to talk about, amongst other things, the trials of being working moms and commuting into Boston. She was also a runner, so we had a lot to discuss. She was warm and welcoming, and I liked her smiling eyes, and her spirit.

Then Susan Bristol closed their doors in '07 and I haven't seen her since. And I don't know if I ever would have, because that's how life is. If we aren't on the same axes as someone else, and don't make a point to be, then paths simply don't cross, unless it's a fluke.

It's interesting what compels us to go to a funerals.  I hemmed and hawed about going but what finally sent me on my way was the thought that if she and I were to accidentally cross paths I  know we both would be delighted to see each other.

I also like the life lessons you sometimes come across at funerals. Funerals are life up-close, and raw, and real.

She was the first peer of mine to die and it has had me rattled.

What exactly with, besides my own mortality, I haven't quite yet put my finger on.


I've been hemming and hawing about another plan for half a year and that is to go to Guatemala to see my youngest daughter who has been volunteering at a school program called Safe Passage during a gap year, before going off to college. This is her to the left with the two children she was able to raise enough money to sponsor for 3 years. I am so so proud of her. Something like this never crossed my mind at age nineteen and even if it had I wouldn't have been brave enough to go.

It seems crazy to go having just been to Portugal. Among other things, we have college bills and retirement looming....but I have always wanted to go to Guatemala AND now she is there to sweeten it.

In my heart it seems right.

My bags aren't packed, and I'm not ready to go, but I do have the tickets :-)


You know all those things you've always wanted to do?

Maybe it's time to do them.

At least one of them.

XO,
Louise

Incubation

I thought I'd get this post out today in case you might like to play an April Fool's joke on someone and you can plan appropriately :-)

Sometimes the success of a good joke is starting early- warming up the receiver of the joke and getting them "on board", so to speak. A good example of this is the April Fool's joke that Tom played on me several years ago. It went off without a hitch, partly because I am so gullible. It still makes me laugh.

On a less humorous note, I've been feeling creaky this week with a sore lower back from moving furniture around, a sore knee, and even some carpel tunnel symptoms again. My body has clearly been talking to me.

I was reminded at an entrepreneur's seminar recently that it takes 21 days to break a bad habit. I am now on day #6 of easing off on sugar consumption and feeling much better. Sugar is a prime culprit in causing inflammation, which in turn causes body aches among other nasty things. The more we eat sugar the more we crave it. The key with me is not to eliminate it entirely but to eat it in small amounts, as it is clearly one of the worst things we can put in our bodies.

I wrote about this in my post The Sweet Stuff .

I apologize if I sound like a broken record!

Also, I am half-thinking about changing my tagline for the blog to "Aging authentically....." instead of the current "Aging gracefully....." and would love any feedback on this should you like to share it.

Lastly, I haven't started doing Pinterest yet but I like the concept and especially what so many women are pinning on the beauty of aging.

It's one of those things I think I SHOULD do for Lines of Beauty, but haven't gotten around to yet, but it's on my list and I think will be easier and more fun now that I have the App.

With this I leave you with one of my favorites.

Oh yes, and one more thing from my ninety-one year old mother:

 "It's good to start each day with two glasses of water." :-)

Thank you cutie-pie.