tea time

Now that it really feels like fall, my tea consumption is up.  My absolute most favorite tea in the world is Mariage Freres Eros tea.  I hear it's finally available in the US at Dean & Deluca.  I myself was fortunate enough to stock up in Paris at one of their glorious and whimsical tea shops on a trip there this past year.

Enjoy some of my other favorites!

 (Trader Joe's Chai tea bags)

 (PG Tips - a classic breakfast tea some Brits got me into when I was working on a movie)

(Rooibos from Tealuxe for us lucky Bostonians, or for those that want to order online)

wise words.

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others." 

 --Martha Graham to Agnes de Mille

My aunt gave this quote to me framed for high school graduation.  It used to go with me to work, but it now it hangs on my wall and I can see if every night before I go to bed.  

Keep yourself open.

*Images courtesy of Jenna Is Having Trouble Breathing, A Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes & Bippity Boppity Boo

ashes and snow.

I believe in the power of awe and the simple act of marveling.  In unsteady times, I try to remain focused, stay balanced and keep it simple.  My contract for my job ends in less than 4 weeks and whenever it's time for me to find my next contract, I start to get that unsteady feeling and don't want to lose my footing when it comes to joy and passion - I must stay focused.  My successes and gifts are not measured by what I do and I am always on the hunt for something that excites me.  I have people who love me, a trip to always look forward to and prayer to comfort, help and remind me.  That's a lot more than most people can say.

I also believe in the power of inspiration and what it can do to change your world and view of it.  Four years ago, I went to an exhibit by artist Gregory Colbert at the Santa Monica Pier when I was living in Los Angeles.  The exhibit was called Ashes and Snow and was in a "nomadic museum," which would travel to different ports all over the world - Venice, New York, Tokyo, Mexico City.  The actual space was fantastic, but oh, the work.  Photos that would stop you in your tracks and films that would draw you in.  The work was all about the relationship humans have to animals and it was profound and moving.  Enough talking - just look:

Four years later, I still think about that exhibit and how moving I thought it was.  The space was made of shipping cargo and had wooden walkways.  You would walk along one row where the photos were suspended and lit.  And at the end of each one, was one of Mr. Colbert's films.

 

I must remember to take those moments to stop and wonder at the world around me and give thanks to live in beauty, whether it be my actual surroundings or the people in my life that make it so.