Stephanie's Studio

 "Moonlight Beach with Gulls," pastel, Stephanie Rose Bird, 2015                                                                               Gathering with family, being with friends and loved ones--what could be better? My in-laws are getting on in age. My mother-in-law just turned 85. I had the pleasure of celebrating her birthday with her, a bit early but still, along with the rest of the family. There is a gentleness and knowing that comes with age, at least in her case. It's very touching. I hope to get there. In addition to celebrating with her, I also spent time with my husband's father, brothers and my sisters-in-law. His older brother and our sister-in-law came all the way over from England. We had fun reconnecting. All of my children, apart from one who is working on the...

All good things come to an end. I've survived the April 2015 A to Z Blogger's Challenge . I don't use a lot of "Z" words so no need to try to force any out now. One aspect of "Z" I thoroughly enjoy is catching my Zzz's and now is as good a time as any to catch them, regarding my blogging. Salvadore Dali, "Sleep" This challenge, with its request that you blog six days a week, with just one day off, is a blogging marathon alright. A marathon is set up to push you to your maximum. Maximum reached. I've never been shy about catching my Zzz's. I love a good rest, call it beauty sleep if you want. Whatever, I know my body and mind well and realize when the Zzz's are needed. My body and mind have requested a rest. Z Request noted. So listening to my body, mind and tapped spirit, I'm off for a bit, taking my blogging Zzz's. William Powell Frith, "Asleep while Reading" Nighty night.

Remember as a child, being told, “Now, just be still?” I do. Mother’s and caretakers are sages. They know things that we as a child couldn’t even imagine. Stilling your mind, can lead to a steely resolve needed to make critical changes in your life. Changes you may have lacked the focus to carry out because your mind was in such fast motion. Stillness can lead to greater creativity and even productivity. Are you wondering what this crazy post is about? I can just imagine that because everything in our 2014 world says to stay constantly in motion. There is the subliminal message that if you don’t keep moving you will die. No, I’m not being dramatic. That is the latest wisdom. Being sedentary, sitting around for hours on end can lead to an early death. Sitting around for hours isn’t what I’m advocating. We are all so accustomed now to sound bites. You hear a little something on the news or read it and then go with it. The kind of stillness I’m advocating is found through doing yoga ...

I’ve been suffering with a headache for over a week.  If you can believe it, I even went to the hospital yesterday and received a battery of tests plus a muscle relaxant and pain medication through an IV!   I’ve been completely overtaken by this headache.  I’ve missed work, important meetings and have been unable to write this past week.  I did a little Internet surfing and found some interesting things about holistic health and headache.   “Headache - What is the Mind-Body Connection? A headache is a sign that the mind has overrun the body through forceful thought and impatience. As a result, you are feeling pressure from yourself because your thoughts are not in alignment with how you feel. You need to change your approach by allowing yourself to feel first, then act with your heart and mind aligned. Though I don’t have a migraine, what is said about them makes even more sense: Migraine - What is the Mind-Body Connection? When your mi...