Flora Friday

Weekend Thought

This thought has been on my mind a lot lately.  It's so easy to allow negative thoughts and behaviors into our lives when stop paying attention.

I'm traveling this weekend and I hope to be blogging from the road.  I hope you have something enjoyable planned for your first official weekend of fall. 

Paws for A Moment

Road Trip: Phoenix

1. Sunrise over the mountains  2. Cactus  3. Palm Trees everywhere  4. Water feature at the resort  5. Flowers in bloom  6. Funky bike racks  7. Cacti at the resort  8. We walked everywhere  9. Starbucks in the hotel lobby!  10. The falls  11. The best Italian food ever  12. Salty's for margaritas  13. Beer at Darcy McGee's  14. The sub title says "for health reasons"  15. Buffalo Wild Wings  16. Sunset

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I recently returned from Phoenix, AZ.  I went to spend time with my sister, aunt, and cousin.  It was a full out girls weekend, and I didn't realize how much I needed to take the time to sit back and rest but also see my family.  I have been putting this trip off, telling myself I'm just too busy.  I enjoyed every minute of it with plenty of down time and laughs.  On the plane ride home, I went over the last few days I had spent away from home and a quote that Andrea from Superhero journal posted in July 2010 came to mind. 

"Our culture invariably supposes that action and accomplishment is better than rest, that doing something--anything--is better than doing nothing. Because of our desire to succeed, to meet these ever-growing expectations, we do not rest. Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that would show us where to go, we bypass the nourishment that would give us succor. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom. We miss the joy and love born of effortless delight. Poisoned by this hypnotic belief that good things come only through unceasing determination and tireless effort, we can never truly rest. And for want of rest, our lives are in danger."

-Wayne Muller, from his book Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives

How easy it is to get caught up in have-to's and to-do lists and feel guilty when we do sit down.  This trip was certainly a good reminder of how important it is to stop every now and then and just enjoy life, especially with those you love.  I don't ever want to wake up and say I wish I had spent more time with... 

There are certainly more things to share about Phoenix that I'll save for another post, but I wanted to share the most important thing I learned: appreciation for rest.  I'll be back soon with the review of the Badger sunscreen.

Metaphorically Speaking

When I first glanced at this quote I thought it was perfect for a photo of flowers.  It wasn't given much thought.  Today it seems to have taken on a new meaning as a metaphor for my life.  Lately I've felt like I'm just going through the motions of life and not really paying attention.  Well, maybe I'm paying attention, I'm just not trying.  Whatever it is, I feel like a faded flower slowly wilting away.  This is way more personal than you're used to on this blog, but maybe if I get it out of my system the sun will shine.  In a recent class I took on blogging there was a lesson about your life being the inspiration for your blog.  I'm operating the other way around.  It feels a lot like finding my way in the dark, unsure of where to go.  Any advice? 

On another note, I have a lot on my to-do list this weekend with the biggest event being the Wildflower festival.  Rumor has it there will be a Journey tribute band.  It should be interesting.  What are your plans?

In Need of Flower

Happy Friday!  I hope you have a moment to sit, relax and enjoy the day.  My mom is in town for a visit!  We have a weekend full of art, estate sale shopping, markets, and eating loads of delicious food.  I will see you all next week.  Hopefully with new finds.