welcome to the end of week two of the december evening's project. it has been so magical to see into everyone's night lives. we are in celebration of our various weathers, moods, colors, and festivities.
here are a few of my favorites (click for credits):
(
see entire group pool here)
portrait of the nightself___________________________
can you believe it's only December 15? with the hustle and bustle, it feels like January is knocking hard, but in actuality we are only half way through advent. i often feel like december gets put on a conveyor belt and we are responsible to grab the moments - only there is no time to sit and examine our new gift - only a panic to grab as many meaningful moments as they pass by us with dizzying speed.
sigh.
deep breaths and eggnog swigs.
it will all get done.
homesick here and there, no matter the destination
someone will sew up the fractured called family.
choose wisely.
stop wildly grabbing everything.
one moment may be all....
yesterday I found the present.
A hot eucharist swallow of humility and mercy,
a blessing, a lifting of shamed chin, the gift of less of me.
"you are not alone."
Today my soul finds comfort in my God (a rare delight. Like Turkish deeeelight.)
~with gratitude.
crm
it always takes me until midnight to find my day.
with the dip of the sun below the sea, i finally find the appropriate use for the sand particles stuck in my shell from the previous night's extroversion.
emerge, pearl.
i beg you.
all day.
i beg.
weep,
and bitch like hell.
until then.
dark.
i stop laboring.
i bask instead in the knowledge of being known, and in the return of truly knowing.
nothing fake. nothing polite. nothing small.
instead, the talk is big.
the biggest it's been.
someday, i swear - god will appear and all of my internal dialogue will finally end for the glory of something other.
accuserbut until then, i bask in the history of repelling the small talk and embracing the big.
the history of our hugeness.
in this grandeur,
i stop trying.
and
just
be.
a profound friendship.
~crm
the temperature is plummeting.
my fingers are numb.
my body bundled in three layers.
my back is screaming.
my sinuses foggy.
will i really go to bed early?
despite feeling a bit under the weather, i have had a remarkably light-hearted week. i can recall several good moods! i have been wondering why this is? what the hell is mood, i ask you? the effect our mood can have on others is daunting, don't you think?
i honestly think this week's goodness (other than my desperate pleading to ____ for some ease) can be attributed to one annoying thing.
busy-ness.
i do not like this. it seems like it should be more lofty or complicated or something, but i kid you not, with the onset of the christmas season, my "to do" lists have increased, i have projects to entertain me, parties to plan, shopping to do, numbers to crunch, houses to decorate...it seems never ending. and i couldn't be happier!!! usually this time of year, i am a nervous wreck and this is the first year i have welcomed said yule-tide stress. unfortunately, i really think it's because i am bored.
if all of this existential journey has been due to boredom, i am going to barf.
how
u
n
i
n
t
e
r
e
s
t
i
n
g.
if i were to go back to a challenging career, would i seriously be more content with life? something about staying busy as a means of happiness does not sit well in my spiritual psyche. i should (the fucking bane of my existence) be able to go through an idle season of respite without falling into the darkest of internal shadows. perhaps i should, but at this stage, i simply cannot.
and i return to the mantra of my year.
must be kind to self.
i will see this as fluid, not judge myself too much for being addicted to busy-ness, and enjoy the work of this advent season.
without work, we cannot rest.
oh for a life's work...
~ pensively,
crm
last night, joel and i finally dug out some old christmas decor. just like last year, i hated everything i pulled out of the plastic storage bins. however, i applied my mother's insane ability to decorate with knick-knacks and busted out a cosy christmas reprieve (i am not usually allowed this privilege because of my minimalist and dominating husband. poor me. he is very scary).
but we made a night of it, a dinner of tomato soup and homemade husband focaccia bread, some lovely christmas music...and miracle of miracles...this foreign place feels slightly more like us - now that our christmas crap, ahem, decor is out and enjoying some breath.
the house was illuminated with warm cinnamon light.
joel fell asleep early on the couch, and i suddenly realized...
i was engrossed.
time passed and i didn't plan, calculate, keep track, or even notice.
a moment of relief for which i am deeply grateful.
i don't take light-heartedness well, lightly.
in other news, please do not buy me anything for christmas.
i mean it.
(but if you need a few ideas...click on pic for where to buy)
~ the duchess du whit
and we are off! the
december evenings project has almost 100 shots just from week one. wander over and take a gander.
i think all participants agree that yes this is about capturing your evening and learning about your creative eye via photography, but it is also very much about the collective comments and collaborative remarks of all involved.
here is a small sampling...
also, feel free to still join if you find yourself inspired...
~a kind curator
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