Inspiration

Just Do it Anyway

/ Jodi / 37 Comments
Elvis the Penguin at the National Aviary, Pittsburgh, PA - September, 2017

Elvis the Penguin at the National Aviary, Pittsburgh, PA – September, 2017

Just Do it Anyway!

It might be scary.
It is probably risky.

What if someone is watching,
and it turns out to be a flop?

What if people laugh?
What if they say, “I told you so.”

There’s a pretty huge chance it won’t work out.
But guess what?  That’s the point!

Be brave!
Just Do it Anyway!

 

This is a mantra I am trying to reiterate to myself.  I am taking on new experiences, new challenges, new risks – with my art, writing, self-development….

It might turn out to be a great big flop, but I’ll never know if I don’t just do it anyway!

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do?  Pick up a paint brush?  Write a book?  Travel to a faraway place?  Learn a new skill?  Begin a new relationship?  Record a song?  Learn to fly?  Heck – maybe it’s even just a new hairdo?

It might not turn out……..

But then it might?

If you don’t just do it anyway, how will you ever know?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

A “Woohoo” Journey

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

A Woohoo Journey.

I was talking to a friend the other day
whose family just returned from their annual weekend amusement park vacation.

It made me think about how many “rides”…. how many difficult situations… how many journeys…
I closed my eyes and waited until it was over.

Instead of enjoying the ride… Instead of appreciating the journey,
and shouting “Woohoo!”

Roller Coasters…
literally and figuratively.

I think of all the things I missed….
just waiting to get to the end – the destination.

No more!
No more closing my eyes and waiting.

Eyes are now wide open.
I am watching.  I am appreciating.  I am enjoying the journey!

(Just please don’t hold me to this on the Thunderbolt at Kennywood!)

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

The Right Path

/ Jodi / 38 Comments
Backyard Path - Mars, PA August 2017

Backyard Path – Mars, PA August 2017

The Right Path.

If it was done with kindness,
It it was filled with love,
If it took humility and courage,
If it made you laugh,
If it made you jump out of bed in the morning,
If it brought tears of joy to your eyes,
If it caused a lump in your throat,
If it made you sweat,
If it required sacrifice…

You are likely on the right path.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Alive

/ Jodi / 41 Comments

Alive.

“She was
sweet chaos
hiding behind
a delicate soul
and a vulnerable smile.
She loved like
the rage of a storm,
the heat of a wildfire…
And looking into her eyes
she always
reminds you
what it’s like
to feel alive.”

-n.r. hart

Be delicate.
Be chaos.
Be vulnerable.
Love.
Feel alive.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

Rise and Shine

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

Rise
and
Shine.

Today
is a good
day
for a good
day!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

No Trespassing?

/ Jodi / 42 Comments
Private Property - No Trespassing Sign

No Trespassing…

I pass this sign, and many others like it,
on a daily walk with Charlie along the country road we live on.

The other day, in particular,
it struck me as being so sad.

What is so important that we must stop people,
that we must block them…. from entering what we feel is ours only?

I wish there were more "All are Welcome" signs along the road.
I wish there were more "C'mon in," "My House is Your House," "Peace to all who Enter."

Remember the song we sang as children?
"This land is your land.  This land is my land….  This land was made for you and me."

Let's open our hearts.
Let's open our arms.

Let's open our eyes.
Let's open our ears.

Let's open our homes.
Let's open our land.

And if you have time, I urge you to quietly listen to this deeply moving version of "This Land," by a young Bruce Springsteen from over 30 years ago.

Let's keep trying!
This land was made for you and me.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Let’s Face It

/ Jodi / 37 Comments
Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona - July, 2017 - Do you see the face?

Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona – July, 2017 – Do you see the face?

Let’s Face It…

We must
all face the choice
between
what is
Right
and
what is
Easy.

– Professor Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Do you see the face in the rock?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

PS  Seems Professor Dumbledore has some pretty profound things to say….  After all these years of my boys telling me I really should read the Harry Potter series, maybe I should……..

On Hospitality

/ Jodi / 54 Comments
Pineapple Watercolor 11x16 Artistico Fabriano 140lb

Pineapple Watercolor 11×16 Artistico Fabriano 140lb

On Hospitality…

“True Hospitality
is when people leave
feeling better about
themselves –
not better about
you.”
– – Shauna Niequist

My hope is that all who enter my home leave feeling better about themselves.
Better because they felt welcomed….. loved…….. and comfortable.
Better because their bellies were filled with yummy food.
Better because we shared good wine or good coffee.
Better because we laughed.
Better because we could be our authentic selves.
Better because we shared and created memories.
Better because they know they are always welcomed back.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Watercolor Pineapple – a sign of hospitality – using Daniel Smith Cadmium Yellow, Quinacridone Gold, Burnt Umber, Olive Green, Perylene Green on 11×16 Artistico Fabriano 140lb Cold Press.

 

Don’t Let the Grass Grow Under Your Feet

/ Jodi / 56 Comments

Grass Flip Flops – Don’t let the grass grow under your feet

Don’t Let the Grass Grow Under Your Feet.

After getting a total kick out of these grass flip flops I spotted in a gift shop in Sedona   and seeing where someone who lives in the desert southwest might enjoy these, they reminded me of this saying Grandma used to say.

“Don’t let the grass grow under your feet!”

Some of her other favorites included, “Make hay while the sun shines,” and “Work before pleasure.”

I can still hear her saying these in my head, and it makes me smile.

Grandma only went to school until fourth grade before she had to stay home and take care of her brothers after the passing of her mother.    At the age of nine, she also did the cooking and cleaning and laundry (long before automatic washers and dryers, microwaves, and vacuum cleaners) while her dad worked in the coal mine.

Can we even image any of our children at the age of 9 doing this today?  Not that I would recommend it!

Though she lacked formal education, she had more common sense and a stronger work ethic than anyone I’ve known.  There is nothing she wouldn’t try doing – including electrical work!

She taught me many things.  Things you don’t learn in school.

She taught me the important “stuff!”

But most of all she loved me with a love I still feel today.

My grandma has been gone for over 20 years, but she is still my guiding light in so many ways every day.  Now that I am a grandma, I can only hope that I will have the same impact on my grandchild(ren).

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Ethereal

/ Jodi / 53 Comments

Ethereal.

Everything changes
when you allow yourself
to be you.

Not the you
everyone
thinks you should be.

Not the you
you think
everyone wants you to be.

But when
you allow yourself
to be you…

You embody
the light
that is you

through the fog
that is
the world.

Be the light
that is you
to the world.

When you are real
you become
Ethereal.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi