Dreamboard for the Full Worm Moon

I thought about not doing a new dreamboard for this full moon. I loved my last dreamboard so much and I felt there was unfinished business, so I was hesitant to move on. But also, I didn't know if it was a good idea to let energy stagnate. Jamie Ridler's helpful suggestions opened up possibilities for me, whether or not I decided to make a new board, and made me feel it was okay to trust my instincts. Upon further reflection, I decided that I might be chickening out of creating a new board, for fear that I wouldn't like it as much as my last. That in itself raised a red flag. The suggestion that I could "have my cake and eat it too" by keeping the old board in sight AND creating a new one appealed to me and gave me an opening. I'm planning to keep the old board as part of a screensaver slide show, which also includes my intentions for 2010, and a Soul Reflections board I did at the turn of the new year.

But now for the Full Worm Moon Dreamboard...

I struggled a bit with creating this one, but now I'm slowly getting more comfortable with it. The first thing I notice is the mouth. It makes me think of loud mouths, of people who won't shut up, brazen self-expression. The check marks also stand out. It's like a seal of approval, or a "done" on the to-do list. It is affirming that I want to get stuff done, to be more productive and disciplined. There's a more symbolic and iconic quality to this board than my previous ones, a boldness in the symbols and shapes. There are odd juxtapositions, the sleeping pig and its dream bubble. The cotton plants in an industrial and urban setting. The faucet and the yin-yang blueberry sphere. I'm also surprised by the images related to being on stage, of having the lights and cameras on me, of getting dressed for a gala honoring my achievements. I feel very far away from being out there and being recognized -- I still think of myself as being in the preparation stage. Perhaps it could be a yearning or a motivation? The winged warrior princess is here again -- I've included her now for the fourth full moon running. Recurring also are the seashell and the flower, perhaps symbols of a natural growing and unfolding process. And again I have included an image of dance.

The only words here are on the board the film crew assistant is holding up: Rituals, Casting process, What's next.

What's being produced? I'm intrigued.

If you're interested in making a dreamboard yourself and sharing it with others, check out Jamie Ridler's Full Moon Dreamboards Online. Check out what others are dreaming for themselves for this full moon here.

Happily there's no knead

One of my recent constants for happiness is homemade bread. If you've been anywhere near food websites in the past several years you have probably come across numerous discussions about the eye-opening, delicious and liberating technique for making bread. I tried it once, after seeing an article in the New York Times, and I've been hooked ever since. I'm hoping that the weather spends its nice, sweet time lingering in springtime before we're propelled into the it's-too-hot-to-turn-on-the-oven New York summer. It only means more loaves of delicious bread for us!

I had a rough day earlier this week, and you may guess what my honey suggested. He knows that making bread is good for my spirit. There is something simply calming and magical, and also deeply satisfying, about waiting for nature to do its thing. It soothes my mind to go to the kitchen and peer at the bowl to see how well the yeast is doing its work. And ah, the smell of that bread baking -- pure happiness that rivals cutting into that loaf and tasting the first slice.

If you're curious about it, just Google "Jim Lahey" and "No-knead bread." But be careful, you might become another among the legions of addicts.

Happy: lost and found

I feel like complaining about this week: about the nightmares that disturbed my sleep, about the travel problems that delayed my return home from a wonderful trip, about the travel that kept me away from home, about being in a van for seemingly endless hours, about a week that was uncomfortable and frustrating.

But this morning as I struggled to think about what happiness I could share from a difficult week, I realized that lacking the things that make one happy can help us see what those things are with greater clarity. My happy this week is a realization that the things that make me happy do follow a pattern. This week I missed:

1. the sounds, smells, tastes of the wonderful food my honey and I cook at home
2. the delicious sensation of dancing
3. the blissful freedom of improvising music
4. the warm comfort and happy silliness of being in my honey's presence
5. the feeling of connection and acceptance of being with cherished friends
6. the freedom of an unstructured day, making my own decisions about where I'm going to be and when

I think these things are the "staples" in my recipe for happiness. I might be reminded of more ingredients of happy as I think about it further, but I do believe these ingredients form the core of my happiness recipe. My relationships, food, dancing and art/creativity.

It's Friday, a rainy day in the city, the end of the week before I get to fully savor being back home and returning to the things I love. I began today with a rehearsal -- making music with my favorite trio mates. My mood instantly lifted in their companionship and our music-making. Lunch was a delicious homemade panini. My honey made a wonderful chai that filled our home with warming aromas. And this evening as I write, instead of traveling yet again to go to a birthday party, I'm staying home to savor some unstructured time for myself. I might even do a little dance.

Happily exploring a new town

My happy this week is a brief trip across the country to explore Boise, Idaho. Being a little whimsical while exploring public art, letting the kid in me express herself was a happy thing. The extra surprise was that my honey actually caught me in the act.

We also had a chance to do something new to both of us, snowshoeing. Being a city girl, I don't get to enjoy the great outdoors much. That desire made itself apparent in my most recent dreamboard, and wow, here I am with a few days to be in the great outdoors. With some borrowed gear, we headed to the mountains. Happy, happy!