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On purpose

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Naomi

“I chose the house for many reasons.

Because it seemed to have sprouted out of the earth like a tree, so deeply grooved it was within the old garden. It had no cellar and the rooms rested right on the ground. Below the rug, I felt, was the earth. I could take root here, feel at one with the house and the garden, take nourishment from them like plants.

The first thing I did was to have the basin and fountain unearthed and restored. Then it seemed to me that the house came alive. The fountain was gay and sprightly.

I had a sense of preparation for a love to come. Like the extension of canopies, the unrolling of ceremonial carpets, as if I must first create a marvelous world in which to house it, in which to receive adequately this guest of honor.

It is in this mood of preparation that I pass through the house, painting a wall through which stains of humidity show, hanging a lamp where it will throw Balinese shadow plays, draping a bed, placing logs in the fireplace.

Every room is painted a different colour. As if there were one room for every separate mood: lacquer red for vehemence, pale turquoise for reveries, peach color for gentleness, green for repose, grey for work at the typewriter.

Ordinary life does not interest me. I seek only the high moments. I am in accord with the surrealists, searching for the marvelous.

I want to be a writer who reminds others that these moments exist; I want to prove that there is infinite space, infinite meaning, infinite dimension.”

~ From “The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Volume One 1931-1934“

Quotation seen today on Chookoolooks.

Posted in Creativity, Writing | Tagged Anais Nin, artistic, home, writing | 2 Comments

Simple soulful photography workshop

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Naomi

This past week, I began a month-long photography workshop called Simple Soulful. It’s about taking care of yourself and building a more creative and fulfiling life. We are exploring the connection between creativity and self-care. It has definitely gotten me thinking and I’m sure I’ll be sharing more about it here.

This evocation of trust and safety that our instructor used to open our class set the mood for us all. In our three days of online discussion thus far, as well as in our Flickr pool and discussion there, we have been honest and creative, often sharing the most personal aspects of ourselves.

“When people aren’t pitted against each other, when they are not even mildly competing, when people aren’t vyiing for position (because all positions in this circle are equally important), they jump out of themselves and into their humanity. They fall so in love with each other they think they wrote each other’s pieces. They’re proud of each other and they root for each other. They cry for each other and they feel for each other. When people feel safe, they recognize themselves in others, and instead of being threatened by their differences, they are moved by them. When they are safe, they are moved by their own differences.” ~ Nancy Slonim Aronie, Writing from the Heart.

Posted in Creativity, Photography, Writing | Tagged authentic, class, creativity, Photography, simple soulful | 2 Comments

Ah, consumerism

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Naomi

In preparing to sell our home, we put 75% of our “stuff” in storage. It’s so enjoyable to have the open space and I want our new home to be just as open. Now that our house is under contract and we are looking for a new home (we are moving out of the suburbs and into the city, closer to my daughter’s school), I have been thinking about that dark storage container and what’s inside. Do I want any of it back?

I like the energy and creative space in our house now that most things are gone. We have room to open a huge roll of white paper and doodle away for an hour. I can let my daughter play with the pots and pans because we literally only have one of each. I am pulling out my camera more since there is less clutter to put away. I can breathe free.

I rather doubt that our wedding china, which we have used once in 9+ years of marriage, is adding value to our lives by sitting forgotten on a shelf in a closet. All the wrapping paper and gift bags I’ve accumulated since who knows when? Recycle those. Why am I keeping so many “just in case” items? Toiletries, linens, clothes hardly ever worn, kitchen appliances rarely used, cookbooks never consulted? Would I really ever start wearing that perfume, get dressed up to go to playgroup, and turn into a Martha Stewart-esqe baker or chef? Nope. And come on. Those binders from all the career development seminars I attended are going to be outdated by the time I return to work. The blanket sleeper of a coat that took up a box all by itself (along with all the other sweaters I didn’t even get to wear this winter) symbolizes wishful thinking that we lived somewhere that I could wear such a fashion no-no. No wonder it was so easy to pack it all so quickly. We don’t need most of it. (I DO NEED those books! Books are a huge exception.)

I don’t want to waste my time or our money on more stuff. I want a valuable, fulfilling life without all the clutter. I aquire new things that seem necessary upon every trip to Target… holiday decorations, kids’ clothing, and toys mostly. In my vision of our new home, I see neatly arranged cabinets and open space. It can’t be too far of a stretch because we already have neatly arranged cabinets in our current home. I just want fewer old coffee mugs in them.

Posted in Creativity | Tagged consumerism, moving, space, storage | 10 Comments

Mommy matters

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Naomi

My usual naptime mantra is “please don’t wake up yet, please don’t wake up yet.” On most days, it seems that as soon as I get my daughter settled for a nap and I eat lunch and check my e-mail, she’s awake again. Today, however, she is feeling crummy and I want to hold her and hug her and wipe her drippy nose. She has croup, accompanied by a fever. I have spent two and a half days carrying her 24-pound self just about everywhere with me (and two nights soaking away my own aches in a warm bath).

To me, the best part of being a mommy is being there when I’m needed. Of course I don’t celebrate her sickness, but I do like how flexible our schedule is when the only place we need to go is our pediatrician’s office. Instead of dressing and rushing to our parent/toddler class at school today, we spent this morning (after her doctor appointment) reading stacks of books and watching videos. She even let me read my own book while she watched a video. I don’t have to urge her to please eat something healthy because she literally has no appetite. We have cuddled all day. She is my little snuggle bunny.

Now she is napping and while I welcome the personal space, I miss her. I’m staring at her in the video monitor next to me, just waiting for her to wake so I can scoop her up again, check her temperature, and get her some watered-down juice. I wish I could take away all her aches and pains and put that usual spark of cleverness back in her eyes. She isn’t talking much, probably because her throat hurts, but by putting her hand in mine or laying her head on my chest, I know exactly what she is saying to me. My sweet girl feels awful, and yet I love taking care of her.

Posted in Motherhood | Tagged croup, sickness | Leave a comment

If not now, when?

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Naomi

A few days ago, I was walking out of an auto service station after getting my car’s annual inspection. I was struck by the fact that one year ago, as I was sitting on a bench in front of a gas station near my house, waiting for my car to be ready, I was texting my friend Zee to tell her that we got our first donation. The excitement was so palpable that I literally jumped up and down as I was typing. We had just commited to each other (and to ourselves) that we would raise enough money to be able to build a school in rural Cambodia.

“A girl who gets an education will have fewer children, earn more money, and be able to help her younger siblings. One excellent support program operates in Cambodia, where uneducated girls are at great risk of being trafficked into brothels. For $10 a month, you can keep a girl in school through American Assistance for Cambodia or for $13,000, you can build an entire school that will revolutionize life in a village forever.” (Read more from this article in O Magazine here.)

American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) established Rural Schools Project in 1999, with matching funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, to construct over 300 primary and lower secondary schools in rural villages that previously lacked a functional school. Each school is partnered with a donor to provide value-add features, which include: Computers powered by solar panels, Internet / satellite, an AAfC trained English and computer teacher, a school nurse, a vegetable garden, a well or water filter and a bookcase of books. There are over 50 press clippings here if you’d like to read more about others building schools in Cambodia.

We have collected $11,600. We are SO CLOSE!

I really want to make this happen. If you are among the 35 people who have donated to our school, THANK YOU. If you would like to help us get to the finish line, please let me know.