tweeky little flowers, Canon 300D

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.”
– Rumi

I saw this on a bumper sticker yesterday and stopped to wonder… It made me think of all the sweet folks who email me and ask for advice and inspiration for starting their own businesses. I feel like I never truly have the answer and I am always left asking the same question: How can we create our lives so that we are spending more and more time doing things that move us, inspire us, serve others and bring us joy?

I have fantasies about how other people have it figured out. The chiropractor down the street, my friend who is a photographer, another who is a teacher. Somehow their lives seem more simple, grounded, less chaotic than my own. {Of course, each and every one of these people would probably argue that they are just as confused as I am}

A few years ago, I was riding a bus down Polk Street. I remember being worried about something embarrassing {like my thigh being way to plump as it peeked out of my skirt} and the familiar clenching of disapproval in my stomach.

Suddenly a man in a suit stepped onto the bus. You might not believe me when I tell you this, but he had a hole in his head. A real life hole! I don’t recall how I could tell because he was all bandaged up. There were layers of blood-soaked gauze wrapped around his forehead that contrasted sharply with his navy blue jacket and tie. I could only imagine that he had been shot or hit with something heavy… I could feel the tension in the bus, how everyone tried not to look, leaving only little kids to stare.

I felt so ashamed, so ridiculous, so ungracious to the blessings in my life. It sounds almost trite to say, but it amazes me how we often need these moments to wake up to the truth of our lives. The truth that most of what we worry about is such crap.

We waste so much time.

But it’s hard to love the parts we don’t like. I was at a dharma talk last week and my teacher said, “Love the parts that don’t work in your life.” He explained that this didn’t mean that we had to like them, but love them like a verb. Give them attention, invite them over, listen to them, care for them like a dear friend. Love those parts that aren’t working.

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One of the most awesome events I’ve been to in a long time was last Saturday night. It was a one-woman show by an “inspirational humorist” named Terri Tate.

From her website: “A nationally recognized speaker, successful therapist, hypnotherapist and consultant, Terri was silenced by oral cancer in 1991. Doctor?s said she had a 2% chance of surviving the disease that cost her more than half of her tongue and lower jaw, as well as a variety of significant body parts used in failed reconstructions attempts. Not only has she survived cancer and reclaimed her voice, Terri has honed her storytelling skills and brims with passion to inspire others with her stories. Her keynotes and performances offer profound wisdom packaged in warm wit. Audiences are moved to tears and laughter, hope and healing by her powerful presence.”

If you ever have the good fortune to see Terri perform {or you can order her Cd featuring her stories} you will know why I {and everyone else} falls in love with her. She is one of those truly alive souls. She has waken up to the beauty in her life and has learned to heal herself and others through humor and storytelling. That whole thing about letting the beauty we love be what we do? Terri has figured it out. And she is a gift to us all.

Boulet, Canon 300D

Photo Friday’s theme this week is “Furry.”

booz, Canon 300D

This gas station very suddenly was torn down a few weeks ago. Since then it has been covered in more and more graffiti art and taken over by renegade artists like Neck Face. I met a guy last night named Tony Dominguez who set up a huge paper mache sun in the gas station over the weekend and was transporting it back home to Los Angeles when I met him.

It makes me think of a tree growing over a sidewalk and the inevitability of nature. In this town, there is the inevitability of artists taking over a good canvas when they see it.

griddle, Canon 300D

Photo Friday’s theme this week is “Domestic.”

There is a fabulous web site called She 19 that is working hard to inspire women to vote in the upcoming election. {The 19 stands for the 19th amendment, granting the women the right to vote} 

Their t-shirt says:

“In 1920, women won the right to vote.
In 2000, 22 million single women chose to not use that right.
On November 2, 2004, we will reverse that trend, make our mark on history, and vote.”

If you haven’t already registered, please do! And please, please, no matter who you are interested in voting for, please exercise your right this time around.

Eric Davison, Canon 300D

This is my beautiful friend Eric Davison. The night before I met him I said to my roommate, “I’m going to meet someone new tomorrow!” and there he was…

I picked him up sitting outside of Starbuck’s in Santa Barbara. (Wouldn’t you have?!) He was reading a book and claims that I was very persistent {read: annoying} in getting his attention. I asked him questions until he had to pay attention to me {My husband and I call this the ‘pay me to stop’ method}. Nevertheless, it worked and we went to a play that night and have been friends ever since.

I may have mentioned before that I play a divination game sometimes with the dictionary. I concentrate on a question, close my eyes, point to a word, and wherever my finger lands is the answer. When I asked about Eric I got, “kinetic theory” which is basically electrons that collide and gather energy before they go their separate ways.

This describes our friendship so beautifully. I don’t get to see Eric often, but every time I do, I feel energized, inspired, and look at my life in a new way. He gives me courage because he believes in me so wholeheartedly & reminds me of the part of me that is fearless and confident, creative and superheroic. We seem to have an ongoing conversation about life, love, healing and what it means to live your life fully. We could talk for hours about the stuff…

Eric is a brilliant actor and the most lovely of humans. If you see him drinking a latte anywhere near you, give him your best pickup line.