Oooooooo I can smell those flowers from here! Earthy and transcendent at the same time.
What a fantastic list! Kathleen is right! It reads like a poem. And it feels like a gift. All your writing does.
I knew I needed a dose of Barbara today. I have a few posts to catch up on. This was splendid. And I wanted to add something to the notion of finding beautiful everywhere if you’re looking for it: when I was going through some tough times, I’d take really long walks and keep my eyes open for wonder: find unusual things, things out of place. And you know what? I found them everywhere! I’d notice new and surprising things even on the same beaten path around my neighborhood.
Since I just closed a clown show, clowning has been on my mind and one of the main guide points for a successful clown is to remember that a clown sees the world and discovers it as a child does. It’s naïveté is what makes clown endearing. (This is also the reason I don’t jive wine with political figures being called clowns. Trump, Biden, Obama… whoever- they’re not clowns! Let’s not debase the clowns with applying their attributes to that warmongering lot!)
I had been wishing that I could have made it to see your show, Tonika. I loved reading about it, and that Mary came to see you. I hope she delivered my hug to you.
When I was little, I was terrified of clowns, Santa, you-name-it. I often ponder what the source of my extreme shyness/fear/anxiety was. I have a few ideas. I can see why you would bristle at the political clown references. :( In my world, I bristle at them being called Snakes. Or Dragons. Both helping spirits of mine! The political buffoons need their own word...
Much love to you, friend, and thanks for taking the time to catch up on my posts! Much appreciated. XOXO
I definitely received a much appreciated Barbara hug via Mary! I get being shy and distrustful of clowns, santa, Easter bunny, etc. all of them entities that hide behind a mask/costume. someone like you is drawn to authenticity and vulnerability. People who don on a guise can fool and manipulate.
Your posts are a balm. Of course I try and catch up!
I love your list, Barbara. The dragon, the winged serpent, is the symbol of the Goddess. And music, always with lyrics! I'm such a word junkie. Music without lyrics seems a waste. And colors! I'm looking at some blue delphinium--I think it is?--that my son-in-law left for my birthday, and my eyes just drink it in.
Thanks, Tereza! Glad I have a fellow lover of Dragons, not painting them as evil creatures. I found out that there were Dragons in Game of Thrones when the series had ended, and so I had to watch it, although I fast-forwarded through at least half of it! Way too violent for me. 🐉
And, I'm not surprised you're a fellow word junkie. :) I was always a little embarrassed that I was so lukewarm on jazz and classical music.
Happy Belated Birthday! With a sun in Taurus, you must love beauty, and home, and our beloved Earth with a passion. It makes perfect sense to me now why spring happens during Taurus season, or vice versa! 🌸💚
I had a lovely little response, and my EVIL laptop just... erased it! Magically! POOF! Look at that! :(
This makes me sooooo frustrated and furious. It must be Bill Effing Gates His Own Foul Self inside this damned thing. grrrrrrr.... I will read it again to recover...
Okay, sorry. My life is sooooo not Yours. Wahhhhhhhhh. I might be healed. Or... Heeled. Tom Petty, too. I'm a big fan... Got my guitar out of storage a few days ago, and trying to get my callouses back! I know a bunch of TP songs. ^_^
And I can't even put a sad dog photo on here, either. I LOVED your post. FYI
And I may have found a really great place to live! And I'm looking at another great possibility tomorrow. Send some good Barbara JuJu, k? xo xo
I donut know!!! This evil machine (laptop) does evil things. I had a whole little paragraph of loving response, and it was GONE, and left me that “fSe.” And I always love to read your posts! Even if it takes me several days to get TO them! But I feel the Pink Barbara JuJu right now! ^_^ mmmmwah!
I want to add something to your list of loves. I love your voice! It's a thing of beauty in itself, so kind and gentle. I listened to this post and it had such a calming effect on me. Please don't change the way you write. I told Mary I loved her voice too, and I love Kathleen's voice that comes through her writing. I don't know what it is about the female voice that touches me so. Thank you!
Ronnie, thank you for sharing that! I have to tell you something. I used to despise my voice, and one day, I had to interview my energy healing teacher, and I was terrified. After it was over, I had to listen to it to send it on to the person who was putting it on his website. I needed to make sure it was ok. I cringed. But I noticed that my voice seemed lighter and brighter, and I was shocked. At that point, I had done a lot of work on myself—six years of studying energy healing, Ayurveda, and shamanic practices, among other things. I realized that all that work had freed up the energy of my fifth (throat) chakra. The chakra that expresses our creativity.
Fast forward to 2022, when I started this Substack, and I noticed that there was a voice recording option. Again, I was not sure if I could do that. But, I did it, :) And so many people have told me they love listening to me reading my posts. It's so funny to me now, because I actually enjoy recording them. Who knows, maybe one of these days, you'll open my email and see a video! 😳
Thanks for always taking the time to leave me such wonderful comments, Ronnie! I'm so happy to have you here in this space. XOXO
And thank you! Barbara, for sharing this story. Who would have guessed it? You sure have done a great deal of work on yourself. I give you credit for your willingness and determination to heal yourself into the beautiful woman you are today.
I've made some efforts along those lines too, to the point at which I felt ready enough to write an essay or two for Substack, and I'm sure you remember how terrified I was to take that step. Now I'm at another one of those points where I need to take another step and I'm a little shaky about it. Your story is comforting and encouraging so thanks again for telling me. I look forward to seeing that video. xoxo
Don't hold your breath on the video :) But I'm glad my story may have given you a little courage to take the next step, whatever that might be, Ronnie. XXOO
Barbara, thank you for reminding me, reminding all of us, to seek the Shri. It's always there. You in particular seem perfectly attuned to finding it in everything you see, then scooping it up and into your art -- for the benefit of us all.
Thank you, Mary! At this moment, I'm trying to find it in the black fly(s) who have made their entrance into "my" Nature Sanctuary. 😐
So blessed to have met you here, Mary. As frenetic as Substack has become, I still love interacting with you and others and reading your fine writing. XOXO
What a beautiful list of loves, that reads like the gentlest of poems:
...coconut
peach yogurt
and spaghetti
not together
of course
Feeding the birds
especially the
little sparrows
sleeping and dreaming
naps
in hammocks
are the best
dogs
and turtles...
Now new - thanks to you - on my always morphing, never finished To-Do list, I'm adding, 'Write up a list of things I love'. It will require a new journal! (Shopping for new journals - will be on that list.)
You make the world better, Barbara. This is know.
Everything that ripples out from you arrives with its own beauty, natural wisdom and gentle humility. It always feels like a gift.
I couldn't agree more, Kathleen. You said it perfectly: "Everything that ripples out from you arrives with its own beauty, natural wisdom and gentle humility."
Your comment means the world to me, Kathleen. Thank you! I had a paragraph saying how simple my writing is and how I sometimes wish it were a little more "poetic." But, I've been working on not criticizing myself (imagine STILL doing this at 71!) and so I deleted it.
I look forward to reading YOUR list. Pretty sure I'll love it. And, lol, the journal or notebook thing. 🤭 It's definitely a thing, isn't it? I have stacks that are filled, have only a few written pages, and blank ones galore! I always say that there could be worse addictions. I do miss an office supply store on 6th Avenue in NYC that had an entire aisle of notebooks and another wall filled with pens and pencils. Oh, and then there was New York Central for art supplies!!!!!!! Big city nostalgia hits me once in a blue moon. :)
Much love to you, my friend. The black flies have arrived here..... :( XOXO
You won't be shocked to know I have a similar thing going on with my journals. :-)
And yes, far worse addictions!
I have to travel for a good notebook store now - closest is the Barnes & Noble, a couple towns over. Not the selection they used to have though. Oh well. (And sometimes I get lucky at a TJ Max.)
Oooooooo I can smell those flowers from here! Earthy and transcendent at the same time.
What a fantastic list! Kathleen is right! It reads like a poem. And it feels like a gift. All your writing does.
I knew I needed a dose of Barbara today. I have a few posts to catch up on. This was splendid. And I wanted to add something to the notion of finding beautiful everywhere if you’re looking for it: when I was going through some tough times, I’d take really long walks and keep my eyes open for wonder: find unusual things, things out of place. And you know what? I found them everywhere! I’d notice new and surprising things even on the same beaten path around my neighborhood.
Since I just closed a clown show, clowning has been on my mind and one of the main guide points for a successful clown is to remember that a clown sees the world and discovers it as a child does. It’s naïveté is what makes clown endearing. (This is also the reason I don’t jive wine with political figures being called clowns. Trump, Biden, Obama… whoever- they’re not clowns! Let’s not debase the clowns with applying their attributes to that warmongering lot!)
I had been wishing that I could have made it to see your show, Tonika. I loved reading about it, and that Mary came to see you. I hope she delivered my hug to you.
When I was little, I was terrified of clowns, Santa, you-name-it. I often ponder what the source of my extreme shyness/fear/anxiety was. I have a few ideas. I can see why you would bristle at the political clown references. :( In my world, I bristle at them being called Snakes. Or Dragons. Both helping spirits of mine! The political buffoons need their own word...
Much love to you, friend, and thanks for taking the time to catch up on my posts! Much appreciated. XOXO
I definitely received a much appreciated Barbara hug via Mary! I get being shy and distrustful of clowns, santa, Easter bunny, etc. all of them entities that hide behind a mask/costume. someone like you is drawn to authenticity and vulnerability. People who don on a guise can fool and manipulate.
Your posts are a balm. Of course I try and catch up!
Isn't it remarkable how we can recall these traumas from our childhood? I have very vivid memories - esp of Santa visits... :( XOXO
Just received a bottle of your Forest Oil, and I love it! Thank you. Wrote a little review on my page at Elizabeth Lamont.
Oh! I'm so happy you're pleased with it, Elizabeth! And thank you so much for the review! I'll check it out now! 🌲🌲🌲 XO
I love your list, Barbara. The dragon, the winged serpent, is the symbol of the Goddess. And music, always with lyrics! I'm such a word junkie. Music without lyrics seems a waste. And colors! I'm looking at some blue delphinium--I think it is?--that my son-in-law left for my birthday, and my eyes just drink it in.
You give me new appreciation for being a Taurus.
Thanks, Tereza! Glad I have a fellow lover of Dragons, not painting them as evil creatures. I found out that there were Dragons in Game of Thrones when the series had ended, and so I had to watch it, although I fast-forwarded through at least half of it! Way too violent for me. 🐉
And, I'm not surprised you're a fellow word junkie. :) I was always a little embarrassed that I was so lukewarm on jazz and classical music.
Happy Belated Birthday! With a sun in Taurus, you must love beauty, and home, and our beloved Earth with a passion. It makes perfect sense to me now why spring happens during Taurus season, or vice versa! 🌸💚
That Tom Petty song was “Learning to Fly”. Glad it inspired pulling up your list.
Thanks, Mike (and Mike's granddaughter!)
Beautiful and inspiring Barbara 🌹
Thank you, Linda! XO
Oh this is Soooooooooo gooooood!!!!!!! 🤎💗🤎💗🤎💗🤎....... so pleasant. Like a short retreat 💞💞💞💞
Reading while under dumb florescent lights at work😝... took me on a little magical stroll! Xo!!! Xo, Jamie Lynn
So glad I could help, Jamie Lynn! :) Can you wear blockers for those lights?? XOXO
Sigh. A sigh of contentment and the fSe
I had a lovely little response, and my EVIL laptop just... erased it! Magically! POOF! Look at that! :(
This makes me sooooo frustrated and furious. It must be Bill Effing Gates His Own Foul Self inside this damned thing. grrrrrrr.... I will read it again to recover...
Okay, sorry. My life is sooooo not Yours. Wahhhhhhhhh. I might be healed. Or... Heeled. Tom Petty, too. I'm a big fan... Got my guitar out of storage a few days ago, and trying to get my callouses back! I know a bunch of TP songs. ^_^
And I can't even put a sad dog photo on here, either. I LOVED your post. FYI
And I may have found a really great place to live! And I'm looking at another great possibility tomorrow. Send some good Barbara JuJu, k? xo xo
What is fSe??? :)
I have a post brewing in my head after an experience this morning. I think it will resonate with you, Jaan.
I will most definitely send some Pink Barbara JuJu your way! :) 🩷🩷🩷
Just PM'd you...
PS… Looks like I may have a good place to move into… And there’s WELL WATER!!! A very very good thing!
I donut know!!! This evil machine (laptop) does evil things. I had a whole little paragraph of loving response, and it was GONE, and left me that “fSe.” And I always love to read your posts! Even if it takes me several days to get TO them! But I feel the Pink Barbara JuJu right now! ^_^ mmmmwah!
Barbara,
I want to add something to your list of loves. I love your voice! It's a thing of beauty in itself, so kind and gentle. I listened to this post and it had such a calming effect on me. Please don't change the way you write. I told Mary I loved her voice too, and I love Kathleen's voice that comes through her writing. I don't know what it is about the female voice that touches me so. Thank you!
Thank you one and all!
Ronnie, thank you for sharing that! I have to tell you something. I used to despise my voice, and one day, I had to interview my energy healing teacher, and I was terrified. After it was over, I had to listen to it to send it on to the person who was putting it on his website. I needed to make sure it was ok. I cringed. But I noticed that my voice seemed lighter and brighter, and I was shocked. At that point, I had done a lot of work on myself—six years of studying energy healing, Ayurveda, and shamanic practices, among other things. I realized that all that work had freed up the energy of my fifth (throat) chakra. The chakra that expresses our creativity.
Fast forward to 2022, when I started this Substack, and I noticed that there was a voice recording option. Again, I was not sure if I could do that. But, I did it, :) And so many people have told me they love listening to me reading my posts. It's so funny to me now, because I actually enjoy recording them. Who knows, maybe one of these days, you'll open my email and see a video! 😳
Thanks for always taking the time to leave me such wonderful comments, Ronnie! I'm so happy to have you here in this space. XOXO
And thank you! Barbara, for sharing this story. Who would have guessed it? You sure have done a great deal of work on yourself. I give you credit for your willingness and determination to heal yourself into the beautiful woman you are today.
I've made some efforts along those lines too, to the point at which I felt ready enough to write an essay or two for Substack, and I'm sure you remember how terrified I was to take that step. Now I'm at another one of those points where I need to take another step and I'm a little shaky about it. Your story is comforting and encouraging so thanks again for telling me. I look forward to seeing that video. xoxo
Don't hold your breath on the video :) But I'm glad my story may have given you a little courage to take the next step, whatever that might be, Ronnie. XXOO
PS.
And I'm so happy to be here in your space.
Same!
What a list Barbara! It reminds me very much of my deceased Dad's saying, ' a thing of beauty is a joy forever' His birthday was the 4th May.
I also cannot stand primary colours; I absolutely hated going in toy shops with my children when they were younger, it made me feel nauseous!
I tend to wear a lot of green these days, olive, chartreuse, lime, khaki....
Aww, your dear dad! :) A Taurean!
I felt the same way about the toys! Yuck!
And me too...lots of earth tones.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a comment, Ingrid! XOXO
Barbara, thank you for reminding me, reminding all of us, to seek the Shri. It's always there. You in particular seem perfectly attuned to finding it in everything you see, then scooping it up and into your art -- for the benefit of us all.
Oh! And that Margaret Renkl quote! Perfection!
I'm so blessed to know you.
Thank you, Mary! At this moment, I'm trying to find it in the black fly(s) who have made their entrance into "my" Nature Sanctuary. 😐
So blessed to have met you here, Mary. As frenetic as Substack has become, I still love interacting with you and others and reading your fine writing. XOXO
I feel just the same.
Good luck with the flies...😱
What a beautiful list of loves, that reads like the gentlest of poems:
...coconut
peach yogurt
and spaghetti
not together
of course
Feeding the birds
especially the
little sparrows
sleeping and dreaming
naps
in hammocks
are the best
dogs
and turtles...
Now new - thanks to you - on my always morphing, never finished To-Do list, I'm adding, 'Write up a list of things I love'. It will require a new journal! (Shopping for new journals - will be on that list.)
You make the world better, Barbara. This is know.
Everything that ripples out from you arrives with its own beauty, natural wisdom and gentle humility. It always feels like a gift.
I love
this list
typing it
makes me
smile
and
I remember
the dozens
of things I can
do today
that will bring me
Joy
👏🙏💕🌲🌲🌲
I couldn't agree more, Kathleen. You said it perfectly: "Everything that ripples out from you arrives with its own beauty, natural wisdom and gentle humility."
Thank you, dear Mary. XOXO
Your comment means the world to me, Kathleen. Thank you! I had a paragraph saying how simple my writing is and how I sometimes wish it were a little more "poetic." But, I've been working on not criticizing myself (imagine STILL doing this at 71!) and so I deleted it.
I look forward to reading YOUR list. Pretty sure I'll love it. And, lol, the journal or notebook thing. 🤭 It's definitely a thing, isn't it? I have stacks that are filled, have only a few written pages, and blank ones galore! I always say that there could be worse addictions. I do miss an office supply store on 6th Avenue in NYC that had an entire aisle of notebooks and another wall filled with pens and pencils. Oh, and then there was New York Central for art supplies!!!!!!! Big city nostalgia hits me once in a blue moon. :)
Much love to you, my friend. The black flies have arrived here..... :( XOXO
You won't be shocked to know I have a similar thing going on with my journals. :-)
And yes, far worse addictions!
I have to travel for a good notebook store now - closest is the Barnes & Noble, a couple towns over. Not the selection they used to have though. Oh well. (And sometimes I get lucky at a TJ Max.)
Love back to you.
Oh those black flies.. not here just yet.... XOX
Love this one, too! Thank you for seeing beauty all over the world near and far and for sharing it so well.
Thank you, Amanda! XOXOXO