I want to ask you …

I want to ask you …

What makes your heart skip a beat?
What memories cause goosebumps on every inch of your skin?

I want to ask you …

Who has hurt you so deeply that you have lost all confidence in who you really are?
What loss has caused bitterness in your soul?

I want to ask you …

If you could be anywhere right now, doing anything you wanted to..
where would you be, and what would you be doing?

I want to ask you …

When you take a deep breath and close your eyes, what is the first thing you think about?
Does it make you happy, or does it make you sad?

I want to ask you …

What makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning?
What makes you smile when you go to sleep at night?

I want to ask you …

What do you think life is really about?
What is our purpose?

I want to ask you …
but is it okay?

Maybe I should just ask you …
How was your day?

Isn’t that
the polite thing to say?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Just Do it Anyway

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

 

 

This Past Week

This past week I received a surprise bouquet of flowers
from a generous friend named Gary
who grows the most beautiful dahlias.

This past week I also learned I lost a dear blogging friend
whose name was Terry from his beautiful husband named Gary
after I spoke to him just the day before sharing my love and admiration.

This past week I worked and I played and I laughed and I cried
in determination and freedom and joy and in sorrow
for family and friends both cherished in my life and those I have lost.

Tomorrow is Labor Day in the United States.
A day set aside to honor the American labor movement and the contributions
workers have made towards the strength, prosperity, laws and well-being of our country.

I think about Gary laboring over the beautiful flowers he planted.
I think about Terry laboring to breathe when I spoke to him the day before he died.
I think about Gary laboring to get through the days following the death of his love.

I think about those who labor to provide comforting care to hospice patients.
I think about those who labor in hospitals and emergency rooms and trauma centers.
I think about those who labor to protect our country’s freedom.

I am grateful for a weekend of respite
and the opportunity to work
this past week.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

On Being an Uncle: A Charlie Guest Post

On Being an Uncle:  A Charlie Guest Post.

As many of you may recall, I became an uncle about nine months ago.

I gotta tell you, this job just gets better and better every week.

“We” are now eating some “solid” foods by “our self” sitting in the “high” chair.

It is very important for me to stay close by during mealtime to catch anything that hits the floor…  or happens to be shared by a swinging hand.  (And I must say, blueberry puffs with purple sweet potato are quite scrumptious.)

“We” are also now getting much more mobile, and “somebody” likes my squeaky toys, my ears, my tongue, my paws, and my nose.  “She” even takes my bones right out of my mouth.

But that’s okay.  It’s all in a day’s work of being an uncle.  And as long as she tosses me a blueberry puff or two, I’m totally fine with the rest of the havoc!

Mom says I am a really good uncle.  I like when she tells me that.  It is usually accompanied by a chin scratch or an ear rub or possibly a treat!  She really, really likes being a grandma, so I guess its a good thing I like being an uncle…

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

Charlie is an adopted dog with brown eyes and a white-tipped tail who brings joy and laughter to his family and friends.  Charlie is a gifted writer, raving food critic, cat, chipmunk, and donut lover, and exceptionally photogenic model.  Some of his best friends are Mike the UPS Man, Cliff the Mailman, Jaeger the neighbor dog, and ANYONE who delivers pizza to the house.   If you would like to read more guest posts by Charlie, simply type “Charlie” into the Search box at the top right hand corner of this link: thecreativelifeinbetween.com.   If you would enjoy a companion like Charlie, please consider pet adoption.

Be Soft

The Softness of Early Morning - Mars, PA August, 2017

The Softness of Early Morning – Mars, PA August, 2017

Be Soft.

Don’t let the havoc
make you hard.

Don’t let the hurt
make you hate.

Don’t let the struggles
steal your joy.

Don’t let the bitterness
steal your sweetness.

Be kind.
Give love freely.

Be soft.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Lately…

Mars, PA - Late Summer Sunrise - August 20, 2017

Mars, PA – Late Summer Sunrise – August 20, 2017

Lately…

Lately, I’ve been reading
“The Storyteller”
by Jodi Picoult.

It has touched my heart deeply,
profoundly moved my soul,
and makes my hands
want to bake Chocolate Babka.

It’s made me consider,
Inside each of us is a monster.
Inside each of us is a saint.
The real question
is which one of them will
we nurture the most?
Which one will smite the other?”

Lately, I’ve been binge-watching
Bloodline
on Netflix.

It’s made me realize
how past family secrets
and hurtful lies
can cause lasting scars
and shatter lives.

Lately, Hubby was out of town
on a business trip.
Not far. Not long. But not here.

It’s made me realize
how much I truly miss
the little things
I too often
complain about.

Lately…
I’ve been thinking about
a new perspective.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

No Trespassing?

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

Mariposa

Mariposa Latin Inspired Grille, Sedona, Arizona - July 2017

Mariposa Latin Inspired Grille, Sedona, Arizona – July 2017

Mariposa (the Spanish word for butterfly).

Being
Becoming
Blooming
Creating
Discovering
Embracing
Evolving
Flowing
Fluttering
Forgetting
Forgiving
Growing
Inspiring
Learning
Living
Loving
Overcoming
Reflecting
Remembering
Soul Searching
Surviving.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

How do you say “Thank You?”

Crooked Creek, Ford City, PA - June, 2017

Crooked Creek, Ford City, PA – June, 2017

How do you say “Thank You”
for sunshine or health…
for clear days or gentle rains…
for happiness, joy or love?

You say it by sharing
what you have.
You say it by making
the world a better place in which to live.

-Thomas D. Willhite

How do YOU say “Thank You?”

I say it by trying to share something small every day
in this tiny little platform that is mine
to give to the world
a little bit of happiness…
a little bit of joy…
a little bit of love.

My “Thank You” might be
a photograph,
or a painting,
or a craft or DIY idea.

It might be a favorite cherished
or newly discovered recipe.
It might be a verse
or a quote or a story.

But it is my “Thank You”
for sunshine and health…
for clear days and gentle rains…
for happiness, joy, and love.

It is my gift.
It is my little life.
It is my creative journey…
at life in between.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Focus

Caught in the Net

Caught in the Net - Fishing Net in Black & White - Lake Arthur - May 2017

Caught in the Net – Fishing Net in Black & White – Lake Arthur – May 2017

Caught in the Net.

I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . . Humans are caught—in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too—in a net of good and evil. . . . There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill?

― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

 

A good question to ask ourselves at the end of each day … “Have I done well?”

And if not…  tomorrow is  another day.

Keep on trying.

Be caught in the net of good.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi