chop wood, carry water

For the first time I'm alone in the house. There's embers glowing in the fireplace. The mobile on the front porch is still. Coffee's brewed, and a raven flew past the window. I hear the humming of the refrigerator and the keys on the computer, and that's it. Silence otherwise. I've been chatting with a friend of mine who's in Aspen til Friday. I just saw a video on Facebook of Jimmy Stewart reading a poem he wrote about his dog named Beau. Back in 1975 I went to visit Aspen and stayed with a college friend who had a dog named Beau. I still have a picture of Beau. Got to love that dog for the weekend, and have gotten to love his owner for years.


I went to Aspen for many reasons that weekend, one of them was to see John Denver. I did see him, and then in 2006 I met and worked with someone who had been a very good friend of his, and he was the one I had been chatting with this morning.

I've always had a love relationship with Aspen, and to be able to hear about the goings-on this morning was priceless. I could see the mountains, the snow, the highway down the Roaring Fork Valley, the brick pedestrian mall...

Aspen, my dream winter wonderland. I used to go there when I couldn't take my life anymore. I would drive to Aspen/Snowmass for a reprieve, and then be able to go back to what I left behind until I could go back no longer. I thought I'd move to Snowmass after living so long in Boulder county, but instead ended up in the northwest part of the state. Interestingly enough, I did end up going to Aspen several times to work with my employer. I met new people and fell in love with it all over again.

Will I be going back again? Who knows? I never thought I'd end up in New Mexico either.

I chop wood, carry water now. I just be. This is home for now. This feels right, right now. The ability to chop wood and carry water is exhilarating really. It moves me, literally. I move, and I accept whatever's on my plate at the moment. I am so grateful for whatever shows up because whatever it is, I know it is more than I could've imagined.

Flying Lessons

Several years ago I took up flying. I flew a Cessna 152. I'm taking flying lessons again, but this time it's an ecourse for creative business soaring. Hm, does that make sense? Well, it does to me. It's by an artist for artists. She's made a very nice income from her art and now she's teaching those who want to learn from her. I'm one of them. I've been following Kelly Rae Roberts for years and now I'm a sponge soaking up her business techniques. First thing, I am to write a letter to my future self, throwing out into the universe what I intend in my life. Here goes...

Dear Jill,

I love what you're doing with your life. I remember a time when you spoke out loud at a sustainable living conference in Snowmass, Colorado that you wanted your life to matter. You thought it meant that you had to do something to make it come true. Even though you know that it matters just because it is, you have turned that into a lifetime of legacies that will last forever.

Everything you touch, you touch with the energy of that unconditional love that you truly are. You feel it deeply. You exude it. People around you experience it easily. This is who you are and you're able to incorporate it into everything you make in your studio and every word you write on your computer. This is who you are. You are love. People feel it when they wear one of your garments or view a piece of your artwork. They are changed by your words, altered for the better. You, my love, matter. You need nothing because you already have it all. You have the love you seek because you are it. Everyone you meet mirrors back to you your own magnificence. You are whole and complete just as you are. All is absolutely perfect.

My greatest love and gratitude to you,
Jill

I'm sure that's not what Kelly Rae was thinking of when asking us to write this. She was specifically talking about the things we want in our lives, how we want to live and how we desire to do our business. However, the more I thought about my future life, my future me, this is all I could say. It doesn't matter what I do because who I am right now is enough. Is perfect. Is everything. I need nothing. I have it all right here, right now. I couldn't possibly ask for more because I already have it. It's time now for me to open my eyes to my greatness so that I may see the greatness in everyone else. It's time now for me to feel the magnificent love for myself so that I may feel it for others.

This, my friends, is flying high.