What makes your heart sing?
Hello There!
Hope this note finds you well, or getting better as you peruse!
And happy Full Moon!
What if instead of, “How are you?”
We asked, “What makes your heart sing?”
What if we asked questions that gave us pause.
That brought a smile to the tips of our lips.
That brought tears to well in the corners of our eyes.
That reminded us of who we want to be.
That broke our hearts open to more love.
Here are a few of the moments that made my heart sing in the last few days:
The chickadee nest in my friend Sarah’s backyard, full of tiny pink newborns!
The spring rain that soaked the parched soils of Bend in the last few days.
Reading passages from Undrowned by Alexis Pauline Gumbs
And dancing with wild abandon at noon, in the greened up meadow, in the rain, with Casey and Luisa! (When was the last time you danced in the rain? Me--eons ago!)
The jib-jab laugh out loud all by myself, birthday card from my friend Mel!
The brilliant glow of the almost full moon beaming down at us last evening.
Being on the beach on Saturday with Mia (puppy) and watching her exuberant playful body run after the ball again and again, and how she would take turns dropping the ball behind whoever she wanted to throw it! Regardless of our skill. Hilarious.
Walking beside the ocean, feeling her power, her beauty, her strength, the sounds.
Hugs from my friend Casey, stellar hugger that she is!
Having five meals, in three days, deliciously and lovingly prepared by Jack and Phoebe (my adult children)
My first batch of homemade fresh mint tea, made from our peppermint garden.
The feel of my friend Victoria massaging aloe vera gel on my hair and scalp with gentle practiced hands.
Sitting by the window in the afternoon light, with two year old Cameron nestled on my lap, reading a book. Trucks and more trucks.
Photos of Ashley’s beautiful newborn, Ivy!
The dance playlist sent by my friend Laura.
My early morning meditation with whale sounds.
So----What makes your heart sing?
Pause to begin this practice right now.
Can you think of one?
Go for it.
Start a list.
Pay attention to the small moments.
Jot it down.
Speak it out loud.
Write a poem out of it! (I’ll do that next time)
Cull the beauty of the heart.
The more we pay attention to the singing heart,
the more we begin to hear what she has to say!
For your pleasure and perhaps will also make your heart sing:
Playlist of whale sounds in honor of the book Undrowned by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and here's a stellar book review about it.
Undrowned continues to rearrange my heart, my senses, and my brain.
I read a passage.
I recited it out loud.
I answer some of the questions she poses.
I let it linger.
I am changed by her writing.
It's a sensory experience of words I can't put a finger on.
I am moved by the relationship she has with the world and how she expresses it.
Please read the review for so much more.
Alexis is writing and creating beyond what is known by our rational minds!
And one of the savory delights that Jack and Phoebe made for me; blackened tofu and eggplant dish by Smitten Kitchen. Serve it with an arugula salad to get your greens!
May your heart sing new praises of, and to the world ---May Alexis and the whale songs inspire re-evolutionary growth as we collectively imagine a diversity of ways to create a world that works for all.
Hugs and love,
Carol