I Feel a Dare Coming On

This afternoon on my way out to buy packing peanuts, I stopped to play underneath my backyard maple tree. These are busy days at zena moon! Nights, too. It's nearly 9 pm and Kaitlyn's down in the studio, working late. I take good care of my workerbees -- I fixed us bacon, lettuce, tomato and cream cheese sandwiches for dinner with soft ripe pear slices on the side. She's a college student who doesn't get many home-cooked meals so I feed her sometimes. Send leftovers home with her.

I don't always take good care of myself.

Last night I broke a promise by reading a blog I've sworn off many times because it irritates the living hell out of me. Without going into details, I cannot stomach façades, and it baffles and frustrates me that I sometimes 100% consciously choose to fly into this flame knowing I'm going to get riled up. There are a handful of sites I need to stop reading, forever, period. One friend suggested blocking the URLs from my browser and I think that's what I'll have to do. Self-control has never been my strong suit, even when I know the outcome is gonna feel bad!

On the flipside, I just discovered Frida's Notebook and her Portraits of Afghanistan photoblog. I'm hooked, having nearly finished reading (and soooooooo loving) A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini who also wrote The Kite Runner. Many years ago I had a brief love affair with a Kurd and ever since I've wanted to visit Turkey and Afghanistan. Also on my wish list: Africa, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Nova Scotia.

Also on the flipside of façades, Sister Kathryn and I are gonna swap photos of our real artist selves getting down and dirty at work -- she as mudwoman, me as waxwoman. Then Eileen mentioned her typical artist garb of a baggy paint-splattered housedress and wild bedhead . . . and it got me thinking . . . what if we have a special day where we all post photos of our REAL selves looking like we look doing what we do? No special dressing up or primping allowed! Just splendid women au natural.

I will bet anyone $100 right here and now that no one -- no one -- will look more alarming than me. :)

Comments

[Bob]

You look like a woodnymph waiting for her satyr.

Thanks for reading me and leaving a comment yesterday. Wait. Oh.My.God.

[Carla]

Cool -- I like that!

And you're not the forbidden blog. No one I link to (or even reads my blog) is.

[Julie]

I am SO taking you on in that bet-:)

Funny you should mention irritating blogs, I did the same thing this week. In the past, I wouldnt have dreamt of having a blog because of the ones I was reading and the subsequent comments. So glad to have (mostly) walked away from the self induced stressed.

[Lori-Lyn]

I don't know...I think I look pretty alarming.
I love this photo of you!

[Kathryn Knoll]

Wow! I love the sound of your BLTs. I've never tried cream cheese on them, but I have had ripe avacado slices added. We should all see how many different ways we do BLTs! Did you get the mudwoman pics I sent? I'm going at the wheel today to throw some heart-shaped blessings bowls in between customers. Let's see what other kinds of pictures I can get. More will be revealed. I Like the challenge! Halloween is coming, you know, hee, hee, we won't have to figure out our scariest costume, that's for sure!

[Julie K. Rose]

Oh yeah, I'll take you up on that bet! Me, half-asleep at the kitchen table at 5 a.m., trying to bully my brain into writing? Not. Pretty.

[yolanda]

I too enjoy Frida's blog and I just finished the same book isn't it so good?

[Peanut]

LOL

I thought, when I read your post, that I'd take you up on that bet too! And I'll even up you 3 teabags on it.. lol

Computer here is up and running again now, which makes me a happy camper.. although, at the same time it was refreshing to have time with no cyber-input.. I'm going to do doing the sacred life sunday posts.. looking forward to it, and already know what I shall show and tell about this week! :o)

[Lisa]

This is such a great photo! It's not great at convincing me that you could look alarming. :)

I bet I'm pretty alarming wearing my sweetie's flannel pj's and my hair all over the place.

[Jenn]

Well, I won't take you up on the bet because I usually just work in jeans and some sort of comfy shirt.

I've started an Authentic Self project over at my blog for the sake of showing women entrepreneurs what being authentic in your business means - because like you - I hate the facade. Business and life isn't always smooth sailing - and even though I coach and teach - I don't always have all the answers. So I thought it would be fun to let people peek into my world for 30 days. Nothing Earth shattering has happened so far - but it's been Authentic!

Thanks for the inspiration!

[DebR]

If I was still doing oil painting, I would SO take you up on that bet! But I'm not and my current artistic expressions are much less messy, so I'll just look forward to seeing your self-portrait. :-)

[Deb]

No fair! My chosen medium is beads. How messy do they ever get? Does a cluttered workspace count??

[inlandempiregirl]

I came across your blog through another blogger doing the sacred life. I was happy to find another inland empire blog and one so inspirational. I am eager to come back and also can't wait to purchase some candles! I must have been living under a rock because I hadn't heard of your products and I live for this kind of stuff, especially when shopping in Spokane!!

[Annie]

:) Ah, now THAT would be a brave thing to do!
A
xxx

[Annie]

PS. LOVE the photo!

[Kikipotamus the Hobo]

Very true how important it is to guard our environment and keep in free of toxic stuff. There are blogs I won't read due to the unnecessary negativity and now I think I'm going to try a year without any movies that "feed the pain body," as Tolle puts it.

[EarthmamagoddessDeb]

I could TOTALLY take you on the freaky pictures, my dear!!!

I live in fear of my van breaking down someday with me driving a kid to school in the wee hours in my crazy cut off plaid pj pants, my "girls" hanging free and easy, no hiding them!( if you know what I mean and I think you do)huge mens henley shirt, crazy sticky up bed head, bleary eyed, socks and birks.

beauty full pic, you look like a wood nymph

[Storyteller]

You look LOVELY and relaxed! Good thing there are no cameras around here at the moment with me in sweats and stacks of paper and books everywhere. I can relate to BLTs ...(though like Lori-Lyn, I prefer them with avocado so they become BLATs). They've been a "staple" in my diet for decades, but maybe I'll try one with creamed cheese just for variety.

I'm new to the world of Blogs and am glad to have found yours. I love the idea of the My Sacred Life challenge and Sacred Life Sundays. I may join in once I start my own Blog. Kara, from the Taos Writers Retreat has been giving me help and encouragement.

THE KITE RUNNER was a wonderful read, but haven't started A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS because I'm too busy with other things at the moment. I'm sure I'll want to settle back and savor it all at once.

[eileen (the dream)]

TERRIFYING! This dare could possibly be best done on Halloween ...

Forbidden blogs ... why do we even GO there?! I haven't done it recently, because it does me absolutely no good - the character defects get rowdy and I have to fight the compulsion to slice and dice via comments. I'm such a whack that I want to know which ones you're referring to - hahaha!

Cool pic of you with the leaves!

[dandelionseeds]

wow-just discovered frida too!! isn't she wonderful??

[liz elayne]

love this photo of you...

oh i so have this same problem with a couple of blogs. why oh why do i go visit them some days? i have at least taken them off my bloglines...but still...it happens. i can relate.

and love this idea of the photos! fantastic!!!

[Goddess of Leonie]

i'm the same with some blogs... it's a little bit like an addiction - one that i've happily steared clear of for going on a couple of months. it makes me feel GOOD to do that, so good.

and i am so grateful to hear your honest words about it.
yes, we need to be aware of how other's words and energy may affect our energy. if it doesn't affect us well, we need to protect, care, nourish and love ourselves by choosing the good things, always.

love and light to you
xoxo

[daisies]

i have some forbidden blogs of my own and why do i feel compelled to keep going back, sigh ... i really need to stop the self destruction ...

i love the natural photo, the real, the beautiful and i love the idea of a special photo day : ) i am thinking of picking up the 365 day challenge again in november and seeing if i can actually get through it this year ...

and i adore this photo of you!!

[Dawn]

Some days I look good, and so I wouldn't be frightened by the photo dare. However, today, it's not a pretty picture. I haven't showered in more than a day, and I'm in sweats.

For the girly-girl that I am, that's pretty bad. So I might take you up on your dare another day.

You, on the other hand, look gorgeous. We should all use leaves as accessories (and that's not facetious - I'm so happy to be on the east coast and experience fall after living years in dry, barren Texas).

Dawn