seeing things differently

what do you do with your day?
she asks herself bravely
knowing that just by the asking
everything must change

love.

love is generous and understanding
love is relentless and compassionate
love is as simple as a smile or a soft touch on the arm
love is salty tears of anguish and pain for those who can't cry for themselves
love is as profound as one kind word or taking a moment to listen, really listen
love is being here for another, in the moment, for a lifetime
love is everlasting and it may only last a moment
love cracks us open and breaks us apart
love is courageous and makes us weak in the knees
love is mysterious and full of unabashed wonderment and joy
love is what connects humanity. you, me, all of thee
love is what heals the seen and unseen scars
love is speaking up for those who can't say what needs to be said
love is the unspoken offerings of beauty that the universe bestows on us everyday

make room for beauty

we make room for so many "things", but do we make a space for beauty in our lives?
it's the everyday extraordinary things that feed our spirit and sooth our soul...

• the way the moon arcs over the skyline at dusk
• a rainy afternoon with no where to be
• the swirl of black ink on a blank page
• honeybees gathering for gold 
• the last bite
• the touch of my beloved wrapping an arm slowly around my waist
• a matinee movie, alone. with popcorn. and soda. 
• the feel of warm sand between my toes
• a furry child sleeping at my feet 
• an unexpected apology 
• the gift of a good day

give thanks to the gods. they bring you beauty everyday.
are you looking? do you see?

don't be afraid of who you are

true bravery is about being who you are. exactly as you are.
it's the beauty you bring to the world.
even with all of our afflictions and contradictions we have something to offer that is uniquely divine.

look at your experience to see how you serve yourself and others.
even in the midst of obstacles and adversity, we have something to share.

beauty & bravery.  kindness and compassion.
see how heroic you can be with small everyday actions?

NOTE TO SELF

  

{The true novelist, poet, musician, 

or artist is really a discoverer.}

- rosamund harding

Each one of us is a unique work of art, a divine expression of beauty.  

Sadly, most of us live our lives immersed in our daily to-do’s merely longing for experiences that awaken us from our auto pilot activities and promise to propel us into a place of discovery.  Although we can transport ourselves from time to time with an isolated experience, we find it difficult to sustain that kind of soulful sustenance in our everyday lives.

How can our everyday ordinary lives be a perpetual pilgrimage that inspires awe and aesthetic arrest?

Here are 10 ways that might inspire you to live life differently this year.  Create your own list of inspiration and let it take you to an outer edge of where you normally reside.   

No. 1   Say “YES” to one big thing you’d love to do but have been afraid to do. 

You’ll know what it is when it arrives, because it will make you want to run like hell in the other direction.  Not because you don’t want it, but because you do.  Allow your self the chance to explore and expand out of your usual comfortable cocoon.  The confidence and satisfaction you’ll feel for having done it, whatever the outcome, will be reason enough to be glad you did.

      No. 2  Take notice of nature. 

  How often do you ignore the sights and sounds of what is in front of you?  When you step outside your house today, open your eyes to the sky,  feel your feet on the earth, breathe in the  ethers of the air.

      No. 3   Get out of your head and  into your feet.   

Whether you’re dancing alone in your own room, in community or just enjoying a momentary abandonment of your self -conciousness in pure physical play, moving our bodies is a liberating way to let go of the habitual mind games we play with ourselves.   Freedom at its finest.

      No. 4  Give yourself permission to do something different.  

   We don’t always have to be and do what we and others expect of us.  Dare yourself to do something you haven’t done before. No need to make it an effort.  It’s often the simple things that surprise and satisfy us unexpectedly.

        No. 5  Go see some art.  

          The more unexpected and unusual the better.  
          When we can learn to be open to anything, our perspective changes about what we know our    
          world to be.

       No. 6 Eat good food.  

       Life is too short to eat crap.  You’ll look better, feel better for sure, but how about the enjoying the pure pleasure of eating a sensuous sumptious bite.        

  

                   No. 7  Less is more and enough is enough.

         Whether it’s the clothes you wear, the food you buy or the work you do, make it a question of     quality not quantity.  Over consumption and a plate too full to enjoy will only give you indigestion.

      No. 8   Lighten up! 

      How and when did we learn to be so hard on ourselves and others?  let go and learn how to enjoy.  

     No. 9   Love more.  

      Yes,  love is complicated and disappointing and heartbreaking. It’s also liberating and exhilarating and allows us to really feel our hearts in this heady world. Dare to love freely. Without expecting anything back.  That is all. That is everything.

    No. 10  Trust your intuition.  

       It is god acting on your best behalf.  So when you get that nudge, follow it home to where you need to go. Hesitate, and the moment is lost, the gift is gone. 

 Another year has already come and gone.  

                   What  are you waiting for?   

be - u - t - full

B E A U T Y    ain't always pretty.  
aesthetic arrest is what i want.




copyright 2012 Alisa Barry

state of grace

this sacred place you seek is right at your feet.
it is called "daily life".

take refuge in beauty.

allow yourself to be overwhelmed with aesthetic  awe.















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

Beauty and love

The path of life is paved with rosewater perfume and crimson jewels.
And, it is littered with detours and derailments that seem to take us off course when we least expect it. Shattered. Bewildered. Lost.

How do we find our way? There is rarely a clearly marked path that says, “this is the way, my friend.” Or, at least a path or message that we notice or hear. If you hear a dissonant cord in the not too far distance, it is most likely well-meaning friends or family members, or bosses, or anyone, pointing their fingers, commanding us to make up our minds and get on the way. Don’t listen. To them.

Stop. Wait. Rest. Resting turns into sleep. We awaken from a dream.
Did we even know we were this tired? So tired.
Lay down here, my precious one. Sleep, dream, rest.
But don’t stay asleep for too long, there is a life to be lived and nectar to be drunk.

What are you waiting for?


copyright 2009 Alisa Barry