from the airplane, Virgin Islands Canon Rebel Xti

I had the pleasure last night of seeing two of my most favorite authors on one stage. If you are familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert and Anne Lamott you know what a thrill this was! I was first amazed at how big the theater was, packed to the gills with three thousand women. (A male friend of mine would remark, Dude, you could smell the estrogen!) But really, it was so wonderful to be in such a big room with so many women… sharing something so difficult to put into words, an invisible something that connected all of us about the experience of being women and human and wanting to be connected to something spiritual/creative/bigger than us.

Everything they said was wise, moving, funny and smart… and I devoured every single word, listening for that one thing that I came for, what I needed to hear.

And there were a few stories that stuck. One was a story that Elizabeth Gilbert paraphrased from a book she had read recently. The question posed was about living in the now and this writer responded that living in the now is overrated and unless you’re a yogi or a monk, pretty much impossible for us regular folk. He said that possibly, the key to a happy life is about having great memories to look back on and great things to look forward to. So take lots of pictures and make lots of plans!

This is how I’ve tried to live for some time, but hadn’t put it into words quite so well. I’ve always believed that we need beautiful images of our lives because it helps us to craft the story of our lives. When I look at my photos, I see that I have had amazing adventures, that I live in a world of color, that there is beauty everywhere, that my dreams are coming true, that I am loved. My photographs reflect back a story that inspires me.

Making plans for the future gives you a different quality of life in the present. When I know I am going on a trip next week or next month I feel so differently about today. Having something to look forward to gives you a giddiness about life, an excitement about what’s to come, and can shift our experience of the now. I have a few fun travel adventures planned for this year, and just knowing they are coming gives me a joy right now that is such a gift. (Hello Squam!)

Take lots of pictures and make lots of plans. This is so doable, right?

(As I type this I just saw that Tracey posted about exactly this on Shutter Sisters! Great minds… and by the way, the new Superhero Photo Challenge is up and don’t miss the beautiful photo and essay by Jen Lemen)

Matt and Andrea, field of yellow, Half Moon Bay, CA Canon Rebel Xti

Matt and I have been on a media cleanse for the last week. This means that we didn’t watch any television or movies and did minimal email checking, internet surfing and phone calls. The purpose of this experiment was simply to have a consciousness around our habits, to see what the impulse was to plug in, what drove the habitual (sometimes obsessive) behavior. What was the feeling that preceded the moment when I would reach for the tv, the internet, the phone? was it loneliness? boredom? What was so scary about simply being in the moment I was in? I was also really curious about what would show up in the space where those other things were.

Let me begin by saying that I am amazed at how much it changed our lives in only one week.

Matt and I have been complaining for the last two years (since we moved into our house) that there is no room for a dining table in our home. (We actually have a dining table but we use it as a work table in the office) We complain about this problem regularly and are a little embarrassed to have people over for dinner because it means we all have to sit on the carpet around the coffee table.

After a mere two days of no tv, we had a major revelation. It occurred to us for the very first time that if we got rid of our television we would have plenty of room for a dining table. How did this not even cross our minds before?! The matrix had us!

We sold the television yesterday to our neighbor. As radical as that would have sounded last week, it was the easiest choice in the world. We are giddy with the thought of our new living room and all of the beautiful meals we will have, the friends we will sit and drink wine with at our new table, and most importantly, the attention we will have again for each other. It’s a whole new life, truly.

Honestly, I didn’t think I was such a tv or internet junkie until I put in on pause for the week. I was amazed to see how much time I spend keeping up on things that aren’t ultimately very important. I am feeling cleaner somehow, more grounded, less cluttery in my mind, more together… like my life is more in line with who I want to be, and how I want to be living my life. There is more music and less noise. Both in my head and in my home.

This week I created more time to breathe, more room to think new thoughts and more space to be creative again. It turns out I am full of ideas, projects, paintings, poety. I am full of homecooked meals, homemade blankets and spontaneous dance parties. I am full of backgammon and scrabble, wine with good friends and hikes in the woods. I am full of dreams and travel and books I want to write.

Did any of you join me in this little experiment? What did you discover? Not to overstate this, but I discovered a whole new life that was right under my nose all this time. I am very excited about it.

Jonatha Brooke, Adagio Hotel, San Francisco, CA Canon Rebel Xti

My new Shutter Sisters photo challenge is up! Hope to see you over there.

Jonatha Brooke, Chrissy Field, San Francisco, CA Canon Rebel Xti

I am officially the queen of the girly getaways! and continue to be blessed with the sweetest invitations. My friend Jonatha flew in from nyc to do some recording and stole me away for a couple of days. It was so much fun to vacation in my own city, go out to a beautiful dinner and stay at a hotel, wake up and have the best cappuccino in town.

Jonatha Brooke, Chrissy Field, San Francisco, CA Canon Xti

Friendship has become a theme for me this year. It is something that is sustaining me at a time when I often feel depleted. I always get new breath and joy from my girlie tribe. Swirly and Denise pretty much sum it up here. Next time we’re totally lip-synching.

Ben, Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida, Canon Digital Rebel Xti

Just a quick transmission to let you guys know that Squam Art Workshops registration opens tomorrow, March 7th! I am getting more and more excited every day… and know that a lot of you want to be there, so get your forms in as soon as you can. (For those of you who haven’t heard about this, I will be teaching a class there and would love to meet you!)

And for those of you who really really want to be there, who know this will be a gift for your soul, and exactly what your creative heart needs, I encourage you to ask not, Can I do this? but How can I do this? How can I make this work? Sometimes our default is to put the kabosh on ideas and forget how possible they really are…