For You...

This inception was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend of mine. I initially called her to see how she was doing and (unknowingly) woke her up. She was not happy and proceeded to tell me all the woes and problems of her life. At first, I was hurt, confused and angry....but when I listened to what she was whispering underneath her bilious banter...I heard other things...felt other emotions and the empath in me instantly responded. So, I bought a card and wrote how much I appreciated her. How much she was loved...
and instead of feeding the rage and resentment...I fed it love...
and the reaction was of epic and amazing proportions.
The one thing I asked of her was to pass it on to others...
in the hopes of spreading the gift of love ..it truly was the perfect
epitome of a positive 'domino' effect.So, my friends and loved ones...
I share this special piece of me..in the hopes that it, too,
inspires you to share the love and pass it on....

Front cover of the card: Do what you love....be who you are

Inside inscription:
Sometimes, we are in need of reminders. Little messages full of hope, love and inspiration. There are no limitations. Only the ones you set yourself. The more guarded you are, the more you deprive yourself of THE possibilities..the opportunities to love, grow, evolve and share.
You are amazing, beautiful, intelligent, generous, kind, strong, inspiring, talented, creative and luminous!You can do anything! Magic is everywhere...feel it...believe it..and it will manifest.
In the times when you feel down and depressed, remember: it's okay to feel this way. Acknowledge it. Then, give it some love and send it on its way. Fill that space with good thoughts, intentions and goals. Embrace yourself. Love yourself. If you have to, make this your mantra until you feel warmth and light around your entire being.Expression is your greatest ally. There are various, creative ways you can utilize this..sing, dance, connect with nature, paint, listen to your favorite song/artist, watch a rom com (romantic comedy), call a friend for a re-connection, write, meditate, chant, spin, roll down a hill, sit in front of the heater and eat chocolate, LAUGH, hang upside down, do yoga or pilates or both!, play with your hula hoop or flute, bake!, cook your favorite dish, sport the pink afro wig and roller skates, light some candles and take a bubble bath, put on your favorite outfit/jasmine oil and glitter, kiss and hug yourself/a friend/total stranger, talk to the fairies, go on a road trip, READ, help someone in need, garden, plant a tree or some flowers, color, drink tea and stare out the window, pet a cat or dog or both, do martial arts, SSSSSCCCCRRRREEEEEAAAAMMMMMM!, speak french or italian, or spanish or tagalog or japanese or chinese or thai or portuguese or latin or any other language or pretend to or make your own, daydream, have a night picnic, work on a puzzle, play a game, hold a special crystal or stone in your hand, look at old photographs so you can take a stroll down memory lane, plan your next international trip, visit a museum, visit a body of water, go on a bike ride, hug a tree, pretend you're a bird or a butterfly or Bruce Lee, continue to add to this list and again.....love yourself....

So, that's my version...I like to read it every so often when I need to..and today....I definitely did..and you know...it's like the power of 'poop'! You can't help but smile every time you say it... :0)
Love to you all...-A

Understood

It began with the wind
and a blaze of fire
Fairy circles
Dream rocks
a need to savor and retreat
we hid ourselves
in a manner which
fooled those around
and he left without a word...
ran with the ocean breeze
leaving me to doubt
the nothingness that we had.
So he stayed away
and she sauntered on
but he came back...
he missed her warmth...
her arms open wide
smiling upon the sun
she welcomed him back
with an uneasiness
and a smile...
watching and waiting
for him to break her heart again
inevitable
impermanent
I live in the now, he says.
She says nothing...
sees through the selfishness
and callow behavior...
products of his fear
fully manifested
and unwarranted.
She was his trigger
He, the gun...
together they conjoined
into
her understanding everything...
taking her turn to silently walk away..
leaving him with nothing.
Understood, indeed.

CSing in Orland and meeting Cupid

I recently had my first Couch Surfing experience when I went up to
Orland (near Chico) to work on the Farm Sanctuary this past weekend.
It was a long, but drama free drive up the I-5 and I am eternally
grateful for my road tripping musical soundtrack consisting of:
Karsh Kale, DJ Cheb I Sabbah, Radiohead, Bjork...to name a few.

I arrived into Orland, CA Friday August 1st just past 7 pm. I didn't
know what to expect which makes the adventure more fun and
when I pulled into the farm community of Orland, I was reminded
of our own little quaint cities near Ventura such as Fillmore and Santa Paula. Here, the air is different.
Drier, hotter and unrelenting. The company? Warm, generous and comfortable...
Mason, Robin and their family pretty much treated me like one of their own. I couldn't have had
a better experience. The only drawback now is that how are all the rest of my couch surfing experiences going to compete to this?

For starters, I wasn't sleeping on a 'couch'. I had a sun room,
with a lovely day bed that over looked their backyard.
And when I say 'backyard', I mean 'mini farm/garden/lounge area'.
They had a tiki lounge area, a sand box for their kids, a tree house,
a growing garden, chickens and roosters......
and they fed me and fed me...it was truly paradise! :0)

The next day was the first time working at the Farm Sanctuary.
Well, working on any farm for that matter. I met with Kerrie who
showed me the ropes and we headed to the turkey barn where
the 'senior' turkey ladies were waiting for us. We cleaned and cooed
and I listened to Kerrie talk very soothingly to the ladies.
It made me smile. I felt like I was at home amongst my 'people'....

And that's what we did the rest of the day. Raked and shoveled
dirty hay, replaced it with clean hay. I saw turkeys, pigs, cows, ducks, chickens, roosters, cats, sheep, goats and
a very cute Vegan boy from Canada. :0)

The next day I worked with Jamie. She was funny and crazy.
With her daily dose of caffeine she attempted to relay what I had to do which was feed the animals. Needless to say, I just nodded and tried to keep up.

What was so interesting was hearing how the animals got there in the first place. The sheep which are nicknamed the Santa Cruz sheep were rescued from the Santa Cruz islands when the Nature Conservancy decided it didn't want non-native animals inhabiting the island.
So...a helicopter flew over the island gunning down the sheep and the ones that are at
The Sanctuary are all that are left.

Cupid, who was by far my favorite...is this black and white cow
with a white heart shape on his forehead. He fell from a transport truck onto a CA freeway and was later discovered in an orchard by animal control officers. From the tag on his ear, the officers determined that he was likely acquired at a nearby auction and would have been slaughtered
for veal-a fate common among male dairy calves of no use to the industry. Ironically, he was found on Valentine's Day...hence the name: Cupid.
He also likes to head butt humans. It's his way of being affectionate. He's amazing.....

There was one thing that Jamie said to me...that kind of hit home.
We were feeding the ducks and there's one little feisty one called Penny. She had a tendency to nip at your ankles and shoes...and I was a bit wary of being near her. I have to admit, I was a tad bit annoyed. Jamie just laughed and said to me, "I like when they fight
back and try to bite me! It's like they're trying to show us: you can't mess with me!".
It was a reminder of their journey, how they ended up at
the Sanctuary malnourished, abused and some times
too sick to fight back. Now, it's a completely different story...

As some of you know, I've been Vegan for about 6 years now.
I don't tout my lifestyle like some do, I just live by example.
Working at the Farm Sanctuary really impacted me in so many
ways and just confirmed why I do what I do.

Here's their website: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmZhcm1zYW5jdHVhcnkub3JnLw==
And if you want to put into action and help the farm animals.
Vote yes on Prop 2: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/actionalerts/alert_campaign07_2.htm

On the drive home, I started reading signs and making up
quarky poems...these are actual signs that I saw on the side of the road driving on I-5:

Speed enforced by aircraft
Dessert is not a treat its a necessity
Peace
Eat ripe fruit for goodness sake
Crows landing
Tom Mcleod slept here
70
Life is still good even if it flops
Choose Life
***********************************
What else is there to say? :0)
Love to you all....