Connecting with My Own Sunshine

Posted by Barbara Techel

Connecting with My Own Sunshine

It’s been a cool and cloudy spring here. While I can usually flow through periods like this, I must confess, it has started to get to me.

And then this morning, with the clouds hanging low again, I remembered my walk out in nature on Monday, on a new trail I discovered. Well, not a new trail, but new to me.

When I was walking along the path I saw these pretty purple wild flowers and picked a few. As I did, my reason for doing so was to put them in a tiny vase on my kitchen windowsill so when I looked at them they would take me right back to that glorious, sunshine-y hour I had on that beautiful trail.

Talking with a friend yesterday I shared how I feel it’s so important to have something tangible we can see or hold to bring us back to those special moments.  Taking pictures does that for me. Writing about my experiences also does this for me. And making SoulCollage® cards and picking one each day as a ritual does this for me too.

And so today, I stood in silence for a few moments staring at these wee little flowers connecting to my own sunshine for the day from the memory of that delightful hour I had in nature.

So sometimes on days like today with no sunshine in the forecast, one has to be a little creative and go out of their way to make their own while holding in their heart that the glorious sun will find it’s way and light up the sky once again.

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Where the Wild Things Are and…Periwinkle Butterflies!

Posted by Barbara Techel

Where the Wild Things Are and...Periwinkle Butterflies!

Only five minutes from my home – a nature trail I’d never in all my almost thirty years of living here have I taken advantage of walking.

Well, that changed today!  I’ve decided to  take a break from facilitating SoulCollage workshops for the summer and take some time to renew and rejuvenate my energy.  Spending more time in nature is something I’ve been yearning to do. So I listened to the call of my heart and set out on the path of a nearby trail mid-day.

Years ago this isn’t something I’d have done on my own – afraid to set out on even a small adventure like this by myself, letting fear get in the way.

The minute my feet hit the trail, my spirit soared. The sound of the wind blowing through the trees better than any music on the radio.

Not having walked this trail before I had no idea how far it went or where it would take me. I just had to trust all would be fine. Well, ain’t that just like life – if we get out of the way – and just trust?

I came to this bridge and as I began to walk over it, I realized there must be a creek running beneath it. And there was – small, but sweet, as I stopped for a moment to take delight in nature’s best meditation of watching and listening to water flow.

As I continued a bit further down I caught the fragrance of a tree that I couldn’t identify because I was surrounded by so many. But it instantly took me back to being a little girl, playing in the backyard of my grandma and grandpa’s house when they lived in the country. Isn’t that amazing how a smell could bring that memory back in such a flash?

It wasn’t a memory with detail, but just a memory of that smell which reminded me of playing in their yard.

As I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, which I had on silent, to take this photo of a rock that looked in the shape of a heart, I saw I had a text from John. He wrote: “Hi Beautiful!” and behind the sentiment were three heart emoticons.  It didn’t register until I just placed this photo here on my blog post, and writing about it, that the synchronicity of it hit me…

Proof once again that the universe and nature is magical!

Just past this heart shaped rock I found more magic and what I have dubbed fairy butterflies. They were the daintiest, sweetest little butterflies that were periwinkle in color – and if you follow me here on my blog, you know that periwinkle is my favorite color. I’d never seen this color before in a butterfly!

I waited for a few moments hoping one would land. But they never did. They were almost as fast as fireflies and were busy, busy, busy. They had no time to rest.  And I just thought that they must be fairy butterflies because of their size. When I got home I typed in tiny periwinkle in Google search…and before I even typed butterfly, up it came as an option!

And so I share a photo of what I believe are the periwinkle butterflies I saw today.

After reluctantly tearing myself away from the tiny fairy butterflies, just a wee way down the path I spotted this tree stump with mushrooms growing on it. See?!  They really were fairy butterflies and this is their home where they sleep when they are done with their fairy chores for the day!

And so yes, perhaps my imagination ran a bit wild while I walked that nature trail. But isn’t that what it’s all about? To move out of your analytical mind for a bit and relish in the magical world of creativity?  A place I know so many yearn for but don’t always take the time to do. But how essential it is to our spirit and well-being.

Nature – where the wild things are and where your soul can find a soft place to land. I know mine is better for it having just taken an hour out of my day to do so.

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The Art of Puttsing

Posted by Barbara Techel

The Art of Puttsing

Puttsing for me always seems to include the art of creating. And I absolutely love to putts. It kind of goes along with grazing – when one eats little bits here and there. I absolutely love to graze, too.

The art of puttsing, I think, is having a list of things to do around the house, and following impulses to follow what feels right in any given moment.

This morning I began my puttsing by putting another coat of paint on some decorative birdhouses I decided to re-do. They bugged me for the longest time because they were such dark colors. Well, no longer!

While the chalk paint dried, I put on my rubber boots and walked our wet lawn and gardens pulling weeds that grew with the rain we had yesterday, picked up branches that fell from our branch tree, fed the birds and put out a corn cob for Mr. squirrel.  Who by the way, informed me last week while trying to disguise himself as tree bark told me his name is Hank. Then on an impulse I decided to plant some Morning Glory seeds to wind up the pole of the lantern in front of our house.

And then I made a crust for spinach quiche for dinner tonight. Then back to puttsing with another coat of chalk paint on the birdhouses.

Then a flash of impulse to come write a blog post about the art of puttsing. It’s such a grand way to be….following the art of puttsing!

And now I’m off again with more puttsing to do as the knot came loose on the bird feeder, which has fallen to the ground….and I must get to it before Hank discovers it!

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