love list 2010

e x p a n s i o n.
CREATivity
co+labor...ation.
fearlessness.
beauty.

here's my top 10 love list for the new year:

1. purge my closet {sell, donate, give away to friends } to make way for my lovely new feel-good collection of urban zen objects of desire. beautiful clothes for a good cause. dreaming of opening a store in my 'hood.

2. ENSO art with master kaz tanahashi i've signed up {and canceled} his classes for 3 years. this is THE year. book. installation. art. 

3. grow the business by $1 Million in sales revenue at current rate of profitability {or more!}. karmic management: setting intentions and planting the seeds. for my business, for my life. sell, then sell.

4.  everyday life as art. study, practice, create.

5.  create a new job position for myself. from CEO to CWO: chief writing officer. out of the office and onto the page. from anywhere.  as i am inspired. to inspire. i am going to outsource myself to my company. 

6. more movement. 
mine is the art of inspiring people to turn themselves inside out, transform their suffering into art, their art into awareness, and their awareness into action. - gabrielle roth

7. create books and other works of art  that inspire others with beauty + words. art books, food books, ebooks for entrepreneurs. jamming on cool projects with creative strategists, designers, artists, writers + illuminated minds.

8. yoga. happiness is only a breathe away.

9. expand my horizon. morocco, copenhagen, abiuqui, new york, charleston, an apartment in paris to write for a month, italy- just for the love of it.

10. time with family + friends. pureunconditionallove. leisurely love. 

30/30

it's my birth day and it's time to birth a new being into a new year. same old, same old just doesn't cut it anymore.
i'm ready to risk being the fool, step out of my comfort zone, embrace more of the artist that often gets set aside for the pragmatic part of me. it's about letting go of being dutiful and allowing myself to slack off + show up in all the right ways. i'm creating my love list- what feels "good" vs. what feels like "should".

here we go......

7/30

today's focus of celebration: celebration!

the season is coming to a close and the last employee gift {almost} was given.
a sense of relief, a feeling of relaxation.
it's time to break out the prosecco {done!} and
CELEBRATE!

every year it is a right of passage....

this year, it's not only about survival, but surpassing into a field of something greater.
think big and beyond, in the midst of constraints

mindset + declaration.
at the very least, taking action when the world seem stagnant with strife.

celebrate, I say.
when I am down to my last dime, i want to be drinking something bubbly and eating a bite, if only, something de-li-cious.













copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

11/30

I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.
-- jack keroac

and there you have it. a year of writing practice coming to a close.
i've loved the journey ......

this next year is going to be great.
in all of its confusion, chaos and soul-searching goodness!

see you soon on the other side.







copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

12/30

today's focus of celebration: live the life you love

where and when did we forget that we are the authority of our own lives?
we've settled in and settled for

hey, stop that!
this is your wake-up call!

it's not about cappuccino and the next new thing.
this. is. about. YOUR LIFE.

give yourself permission to do what you love.

you deserve to live the life you long for.
you have everything you already need to make that happen
you are surrounded by people that will cheer you on {and, if not, go find them!}
you ARE the authority of your own life. really. i promise.

how do I know?
because it has happened to me.
I gave in and almost gave up.
but i didn't

I started making small changes that nurtured my heart and honored my soul
it didn't make me selfish
in fact, it made me more generous for others to do the same for themselves.
once i got a taste of what it felt like to start seeing the world in all of its spaciousness + allowing,
i cracked open
i slowed down
i started doing more of what i love
i saw myself surrounded by beauty
i realized i wasn't in a race and there was enough to go around- for everyone

god didn't put us on this planet to compete for food or fight for love
he gave us a gift so we could offer up ourselves in our own uniquely beautiful way.
imagine if every single one of us realized our gift and offered it to others.
magic. and beauty. and love

we would all explode. our hearts, that is.
and, we would be doing what we love.

no better time to start.
get crackin'!
















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

13/30

when that happens, this happens.
- buddha, 500 bc


today's focus of celebration: karma

cause and effect. seeds we've sown. this and that. such a very elementary and logical concept, and yet we all do things everyday that set in motion a set of circumstances. perhaps now, maybe later. but always. it's the law.

" it's the cause of causes", says geshe michael roach.

something below the surface, where the seeds are planted deep in the soil.
it begins with how we serve others, and how that serves our selves.
generosity. service. intention.

i can now more clearly see the same patterns that trip me
and, thankfully, the light emerging from the intentions i set on January 8, 2007.
step by step. either way. make it forward go.















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

17/30

i am just a reinvention of what has already come before me.

today's focus of celebration: authors and inspiration

i am perpetually and gratefully inspired by others.
i devour books like other devour food. Food for my soul.
sometimes, food for the spirit is more needed than for the body.

thanking those great masters of art + spirituality that have come before that continue to inspire me.
just a few to bow down in thanks.

rumi
anais nin
m.f.k. fisher
john o'donahue
david whyte
chogyum trungpa
goethe
carl jung




























copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

16/30

i've got nothing but emptiness today.

hoorah.














copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

15/30

today's focus of celebration: breaking bread

food is the great equalizer.
if one is hungry, there is almost no where to go, be or do until that is satisfied
how lucky i am to have enough bread to break.
whether i'm cooking at home or hanging out with Jean Georges in New York City, food is never far from my mind --or mouth!
it's something we all do everyday, maybe several times a day.
and, how do we eat?
in a rush, on the go, in the car....

or at the table, over a glass of wine, sitting with our lover tucked away in a corner savoring every. luscious. bite.

it's easy to be in a rush
it's hard to be thoughtful, to take time, to slow down
for me, it's my best investment of the day.
i don't always slow down as much as I would like,
but it is a daily ritual that I do my best to keep sacred.
and, delicious.
















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

18/30

today's focus of celebration: simplicity


sometimes it's the simple things that make life grand.
a cup of tea on a chilly winter morning
sunday breakfast made by the one I love, with love {with lots of applewood smoked bacon!}
sparkling water always at the ready
illumination of candles to light my day.
good pens and naked notebooks
manicured nails + toes
warm bathes with essential oil
hey, hot water for that matter!
watching my lovely jack asleep on the couch
early morning flames in the fire

just a few .....for this year.
and next year, i look to expand my world, but still keep it simple.















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

19/30

today's focus of celebration: radiance

i'm feeling kinda stuck today on what to write about so i went back to gwen bell for some prompting. one of the questions she asked was something like what word sums up 2009. well, i am sure i could write a book of words, but the word that just popped into my head was radiance. it' s about seeing light through the darkness.
holding the space open when claustrophobia is the only thing on your mind. it's about the great eastern sun- allowing the radiance of the world to shine even when the circumstances surrounding us seem otherwise.
















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

20/30

today's focus of celebration: friends

there's no greater gift than to give or get from your friends.
not gifs or stuff or money {tho' that sometimes can help!}
it's about simply showing up.
when they need you, when they want you- even if they don't know they need or want you.

it's about showing up for the daily menu of life as it is.
whatever it is.
with intention.
full attention.

there are so many things to keep us busy and forgetful of our friends.
i am always blessed back so much more than i can ever imagine when i give.
and, I get to laugh, cry, howl at the moon.....or just simply be me. and they them.
what greater gift is there than that?















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

21/30

today's focus of celebration: gratitude for solitude

i'm naturally wired to work behind the scenes, quietly crafting on my own.
and, i have discovered, there is one area of my life where even i am in need of others, I must do the work on my own.
it's in my daily meditation practice.

i've always sat on the cushion-on and off, here and there, now and again.
but i've never sat as i do now; with the understanding and effort that is essential for what it takes to settle in deeply and feel change profoundly. or feel, for that matter. down to the bones, hard in the gut.
in the past, it was always the next this workshop, or that book, or the next class.
sure, i got a moment of peace or bliss or motivation or quiet.

and then, it was back to my regular routine.
and, it wasn't pretty.

although no one can get me on the cushion besides myself, I couldn't do it the way i now do without the blessing of others who have walked this road before me. who are now walking the walk with me. who are there when i need them, and they now when i need to travel on my own.
so, even though i am sitting in solitude and silence, i hear the echo of others offering their service.
even if it is just holding the space.

and, I am grateful.














copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

22/30

today's focus of celebration: letting go and shedding some skin


it's time to bolt.
i'm not talking about what I used to do best- run!
i'm on a new path and it's time to start shedding.
out with the old, in with the center.
peeling back away the layers of decay, down to what really matters.
it's time to toss those things that no longer serve me well.

i'm clearing out the clutter.
i'm planning my purge.
i'm letting go................

emptiness feels good.
















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

23/30

today's focus of celebration: open to the unfolding


pushing, pulling, trying to make some sh+t happen.
and then there is allowing.
imagine: loosening your grip {and your jaw for that matter}.

it's a kind of allowing that isn't about giving in, but rather about showing up.
in the moment.

liberation! finally.















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

24/30

life is a series of experiences and circumstances.
we can get caught in the net, or we can swim off gracefully out into the deep blue sea

Today's focus of celebration: overcome hope and fear

my favorite book this year has been The Sacred Path of the Warrior. it has been both my bible and my best friend.
i remember the first time I read it- a flood of tearful recognition. it was awe-inspiring to recognize myself on the page, in all my habitual glory and goriness. that is where the path begins. being completely naked and honest about one's self.

and, not getting caught up in it. training the mind through meditation so that our everyday is not just a serious of ups and downs, excitement and disappointments. it is, as Chogyum Trunpa puts it, overcoming hope and fear.

it is equanimity.
it is enlightenment.

not there yet, but definitely on the path.















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

25/30

this has been an amazing year in so many ways.
ironically, it's been a very difficult year. for me. for many.
and yet, i have received so many gifts i could have never imagined.
there is no doubt i am a better person.
alchemy works its magic in many strange ways.
and, in spite of all and because of it all, I feel blessed.

focus of today's celebration: taking time for reflection

There have been both heartaches and heart-filled moments.
I've had ah-ha moments of clarity, and lingering days of chaos and confusion.
So many lessons I have learned.

I've traveled less, and discovered more.
I've surrendered gracefully and fought with fierce grace.
I've learned that perseverance does pay off.

I've been inspired by the beauty, brilliance and generosity of others.
It has left me speechless in awe and appreciation.

I've learned that self-sufficiency is not sufficient.
I've learned adversity is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
It's about living with a spirit of adventure and knowing that our circumstances do not define who we are.

I've been broken open with no where to hide.
I've learned how to stay with the discomfort during trying times.
I am learning to tell the truth- with compassion, kindness and confidence.

I've remembered how much I love to move.
It's a language that speaks my truth more than words I could ever say.
I am grateful for the music that echos through the house.
It's my medicine and my muse.

I've learned that sitting and doing nothing is some of my time best spent.
I am thankful to have a teacher to guide me on the path.

I've been surrounded by art and artists who create a bewilderment of beauty.
It's been hard to hear conversations about the survival of that beauty.
And yet, the spirit prevails.

There's been reorganizing and reigniting.
I've seen people leave and lose jobs, and then unexpectedly find their soul.
It's been about knowing that finding our calling trumps keeping a career.

I've had amazing meals shared with others around the table.
I've connected with so many people i didn't know before who share my passion.
I know I am blessed to be able to afford an abundance of good food.

I love my family.
unconditionallove.

grateful. gratitude. grace.

















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

diva, indeed

The Empress card affirms what my subconscious heart already claims for her kingdom : Domestic Diva. One whose superpower is to conceive, nurture or create potential by labors of love.

I'm mother to natural conditions, ideals or invention and when I hold court, I please or preserve by need or design, depending on my mood or hunger. I liberate dramatic results to inspire devotion, or make them over according to my own story. Today then, I shall indulge the pleasure and luxurious comfort of some romantic repose or pamper a delicious obsession with room to enhance my standard or vision of beauty.

I set aside trends or time to exhibit style and charm assigned by heartfelt passion or wild fantasy, but in true multi-task fashion, I also support the progress of other fertile interests now poised for payoff beyond reproach, so don't cross me in my enchanted garden or I'll let you have it -- that's a promise.


* this tarot card dropped into my email box. first time, not sure how it got there.




copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

28/30

Today's focus of celebration : creative collaboration

i got used to doing things on my own. as one of seven kids, there was no room for neediness or asking for help. self-sufficiency was the name of the game. as much as i still like my solitude, i am always learning , longing and loving how to work well with others. the ones who show up in the game, whatever it takes. ten yards or ten miles, they are in till the end. practice, performance, perfection. not perfect, but just right. it may take many detours to get there, but being here along the way is what it takes. perseverance is the mantra. 'cause, it's gonna get tough. pushing the envelope. pulling out all the stops. stopping to regroup and regress back to square one. again. deep breathe. deep breathe.

and, then, the magic happens.
it always does.

it may not be as you had originally envisioned, and hopefully it ends up better than you could have ever imagined.

i am in awe of all of the talent in the world. it humbles me. inspires. makes me bewildered.
i want to be a part of the conversation.
the part where we stop and stare at each other in an awe of exhaustion. we laugh, and cry at the beauty that has been born.

crossing my fingers and my heart that this one will be more of the same. eventually. finally. finale.
and, there is still a road to go.










copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

29/30

count down begins.


today's focus of celebration: healing and learning

this year has been a continued journey of healing and learning. healing habitual demons and learning life's lessons. a new perspective. softening up the "i'm right" attitude in exchange for creative collaboration and conversation. it's been tough and many times i've slipped back and fallen off. and, i know i am making progress. i stumble less and bruise even less and heal faster. fall down seven times, get up eight. this time, i'm not standing up with tightened fists and a grimaced growl, but softening my gaze and opening up my palms. there is a knowing that whatever is here if for healing and learning. and, i have a feeling that finally, if even only faintly, i am hearing the message and heeding it's lesson. staying with it all.

now, that's something to celebrate.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

30/30

december 30 is my birthday.

i am not one to make a big fuss of it. most of my life, i have seen the sacred date slip right by without much notice or fanfare.

it's an auspicious day. time to look back before the year is over, time to look ahead before a new year begins.

i am doing something new this year for the next 30 days until my birth day. Inspired by gwen bell, petite but powerful yogi master and unexpected techi titan. i am setting aside time each day to contemplate upon my life. a daily ritual to reflect upon what has been, and reimagine what may be. that is what this whole blog experiment was for me to begin with, so it is fitting as the year comes to a close, i create a ceremony of celebration. in community, in solitude. in love.

today's celebration: my sacred circle of women

full moon rising.
feminine spirt. a sacred circle of women warriors.
melissa and caryl and flo and merrilee and jenny and mimi and mati and andrea.
trusted tribe.
letting down the defenses, basking in the beauty, devouring the love.
a warm dose of gratitude for these amazing warrior women.
just like you. and me.


















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry