thought the first: are these not fantastic?! when i was in p-town, i found a shop with things that spun and danced and twirled. some of them were hanging outside where the wind could catch them. i was happier than happy and took photo after photo. they are some of my favorite images from my trip, never mind that you cannot tell where i took them.

thought the second: it turns out that the september collection is actually the september/october collection, so the prints will be available for another month. when i thought about finding a new set of images for october, it felt too rushed. i’ll introduce the new collection in november (think mystery and magic) and it will be available for two months as well.

thought the third: you can now purchase digital images from retinal perspectives! this is a giant experiment and i am very curious to see what happens. my vision is that people will take my images and make them their own, that they will each use the images in their own way, and i can feel so much magic and possibility and creativity in this.

thought the fourth: here’s a funny story for you. (apologies if i’ve already shared this.) i do not love the taste of coffee, but i love cafe culture. this means that i spend lots of time trying to order a coffee drink that does not taste like coffee. usually, i order a medium or large drink with whole milk and a single shot of decaf because it has the least coffee taste possible. one day, i even explained to the barista that if i didn’t feel like i would be banned from the cafe or laughed at, what i’d really want to do is order a mocha (or similar) with no espresso at all. eventually, i had an epiphany. there is such a thing as a mocha with no espresso; it’s called hot chocolate! i feel like i might be the only person in the world who took years to figure that one out.

it's the last week of 30 days of (something)! my, how this month has flown by.

i am so very glad i started this writing practice. i find it immensely helpful to type the gunk out of my head in the morning. it seems to leave my mind more clear as i start the day. additionally, writing every morning means that i am more likely to jot down bits of my dreams, which i like to analyze every so often. (i'd do it more often if it weren't so time-consuming.)

a funny side story .. apparently part of me is rather excited about the idea of signing up for nanowrimo because i had at least five ideas for novels last week. one of the ideas was a gift from a dream. in my dream, i was reading a story, and i skipped to the end because i had to find out what happened. (i do this in real life all the time, both for books and movies. it made me laugh when i did it in my dream too.) after i read the ending, i said, "hey! i should write this story down for nanowrimo!" and then i woke up.

i am still going in and out of flow, and i am becoming more and more convinced that it truly is my word for 2012. it reminds me of how i found this year's word. i focused on trust for a week, and then for a month. sometime during that month, i realized that what it really needed was an entire year.

if you are joining in and want to check in on this post, i would love love love to hear from you. regardless, know that i am happy that we're all in this together, and am cheering you on.

another week, another week of 30 days of (something).

i have to say, i am really enjoying this writing practice. (can i call it a writing practice if i'm typing?) in fact, i am enjoying it so much that i am even thinking about signing up for nanowrimo this november. i can't say i've ever wanted to write fiction. (well, except for the children's story i started years ago and still want to finish someday and my occasional dream of being a writer of fairy tales.) still, 50000 words is starting to seem doable. and, you know, why not.

i am feeling very resistant to checking in about flow. this makes sense to me because we seem to be on a break. (in case you don't know what i mean by flow, i generally mean that i am following my inspiration through the day. at least that's how i feel when i am in flow.) i spent most of my time noticing that i was not in flow and then refusing to do anything that might have been helpful. instead, i may or may not have watched a lot of bad hulu (bad tv, only on hulu).

if you are joining in and want to check in on this post, i would love love love to hear from you. regardless, know that i am happy that we're all in this together, and am cheering you on.

can i share a secret wish? if i could wish to do anything in the world, and have it come true, i would want to collaborate with mary oliver on a book of poetry and pictures – to pair my photos with her poems. i can see this book in my head and it makes me so very happy.

it turns out that my favorite summer fruit is blackberries. i used to think i preferred blueberries but this summer has shown me otherwise. blackberries taste like summer and sunshine in a way that blueberries do not.

there will be no trust photo this week. i have not taken any photos in the past week or two. this doesn't feel like a pause; this feels like something is blocking me. so, i am trusting that the right thing to do – instead of forcing a photo – is to spend some time journaling in order to find out what is behind this. there is some form of resistance here; i can feel it.

if you want to share a secret (or not-so-secret) wish, or your favorite summer fruit, or anything else, i would love to hear it!

for some reason, this series makes me think of madeline l'engle, in particular, the story titled a ring of endless light (which has always been my favorite of her books, probably because it includes dolphins).

it's monday! and so, i am continuing on with the 30 days of (something).

my morning pages are still going well. most days, i seem to write between four and seven pages, and my mind feels much less cluttered. i think that the clearing is helping new ideas and epiphanies flow in, and also releasing some of my anxiety.

this past week, i spent a lot of time noticing that i was not in flow. but i also spent some time in flow, especially as it related to my business.

for example, remember the postcards from heaven? i enjoyed that offering, as did the participants, but after the third session, i set it aside for a while.

well, i was inspired last week and the postcards are back. but this time, you'll be getting postcards from atlas! if you're interested, the session starts in october.

in another example, i added a {happy surprises} postcard set to the shop. i have a stack of brand new postcards to choose from and am so excited to send them out. a number of the images are extra-special; i have never shared them on my blog. (so many photos, so little time.)

plus, i made progress on a new project and worked through some fears and blocks.

i am definitely liking this focus on flow. i enjoy feeling like i've made progress.

if you are joining in and want to check in on this post, i would love love love to hear from you. regardless, know that i am happy that we're all in this together, and am cheering you on.

(and just for fun – because i do so love mondays – use the coupon code ilovemonday at checkout for free shipping on anything in my etsy shop today.)

it's the 30 days of (something)! oh, yay. i'm so glad for your company in this. you all are inspiring me.

i have to say, my morning pages are going well. i am not exactly rolling out of bed and writing, but i have written (i mean typed) every morning. there really is something about clearing the mind in the morning that lets more good stuff in. the thing i have noticed, however, is that i need to write more than three pages in order for my more unconscious thoughts to start bubbling up. around page four or so, if i write that much, something comes out that i didn't expect.

by the way, for those of you who are also doing morning pages, jamie ridler is hosting a regular check-in this month for people doing morning pages. serendipitous timing, i say!

i did finally decide on my intention (or theme) for the month. it's flow. i spent some time with flow earlier this year, but clearly it needs more time and focus. (actually, the sense i am getting right now is that flow needs to be my word for 2012.) right now, i am just trying to notice when i am not in it. this seems to be often.

if you are joining in and want to check in on this post, i would love love love to hear from you. regardless, know that i am happy that we're all in this together, and am cheering you on.

{my attempt to capture 52 photos that represent trust – my word for 2011}.

there was just something about the raindrops on the delicate tendrils that said trust to me.

"It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between."

– Diane Ackerman

{my attempt to capture 52 photos that represent trust – my word for 2011}.

today, in search of a thread to share in my musings on trust, i pull from my journal.

what if i were worthy?

huh. that would be a game-changer. the trouble is that it's hard to just think yourself worthy after years of hearing, learning, thinking, believing that you are not.

if i believed in miracles, i would believe that i could just flip a switch and transform this pattern. except even that is scary because it seems to make all the years of suffering unnecessary.

and yet, maybe everything happens the way it does in order to bring us to this moment.

everything certainly does happen the way it does in order to bring us to this moment. that is the truth of it. (the question is whether there is a plan or a point or a method to the madness. maybe it doesn't really matter – unless it brings me comfort.)

and so, this is where i am – still sitting with the question.

what if i am worthy?

i draw in my breath. the answer, it seems, could change everything.