a week ago, i had a beautiful moment of clarity, a moment in which everything i do here finally made perfect sense.

the journey to wholeness isn’t always easy & we need places of beauty where we can pause along the way.

places that water our soul.
places that nourish our spirit.
places that reflect the wonder of our own self back to us, in new & different ways.

my intention for this space is that it be one of those places for you, if and when you need it.

everything i do comes from that.

in an unexpected twist, i learned that my web hosting will expire soon & i do not have the money to continue.

for a moment, the thought made me sad. i love this space. it is full of love + care + beauty.

i am proud of the work i’ve done here, and it would be hard to say goodbye.

i was inquiring whether i would lose my years of work in the process when a friend asked whether i was accepting donations to continue.

in thinking about it, i realized something. i planned to tell you about my departure beforehand – because i didn’t want to simply disappear – but not in a way that invited you in.

i think that i should be able to do everything on my own. when i cannot, i don’t want to share. i see my not-knowing, my perceived failure, as a weakness.

the real weakness is that i am unwilling to allow myself to be vulnerable in that way, to ask for or receive help, to let people in.

when i ask for guidance lately, the answer is always: be still and know that all is well.

and so it is.

whatever life may look like on the outside, when i come home to my center, i know that all is well and everything is unfolding as it should.

there is a piece in a book called the holographic universe that i really like.

“In his general theory of relativity Einstein astounded the world when he said that space and time are not separate entities, but are smoothly linked and part of a larger whole he called the space-time continuum. Bohm takes this idea a giant step further. He says that everything in the universe is part of a continuum. Despite the apparent separateness of things at the explicate level, everything is a seamless extension of everything else, and ultimately even the implicate and explicate orders blend into each other.

Take a moment to consider this. Look at your hand. Now look at the light streaming from the lamp beside you. And at the dog resting at your feet. You are not merely made of the same things. You are the same thing. One thing. Unbroken. One enormous something that has extended its uncountable arms and appendages into all the apparent objects, atoms, restless oceans, and twinkling stars in the cosmos.”

one enormous something. yes.

you & me & atlas are each tiny pieces of the whole.

i don’t have to be here, in this place, to water your soul, to be connected.

in a way that i cannot describe or explain – but that i know deep down in my bones – we really are all one.

with that said, i would love to keep this garden in bloom & i could use your help.

here are three specific ways you can help. if you want to, of course! (i’m hoping you do.)

• pass my story club page along to anyone you know who appreciates stories of wonder + whimsy.
• share my etsy shoppe with someone who needs cards, or postcards, or creative + unique gift ideas.
• send prayers, well wishes, and love.

in case you’d like to make a donation toward my web hosting fees, here’s a handy dandy way to do so. (it’s $260 for two more years.)

your presence means the world to me.

i am so glad you are here.

i was walking on the frozen lake during golden hour when i had a vision.

i saw me: slipping something delightful, something hopeful, something wonderful into the mail for you.

i saw you: opening your mailbox and inhaling the scent of spring.

it’s true, you can find the magic in winter day after day after day.

but sometimes, you really just need a reminder that spring will always come.

won’t you let me be the one to remind you?

i love happy surprises, so that is all i am going to say.

i trust that you will know if this offer calls to you.

if it does, you know what to do!

the price: $6

i came out of my meditation feeling gleeful, and this was the result.

the shop includes prints, cards, postcards, the story club, mysterious love notes, and more. all full of cheer.

good through monday.

enjoy!

need the link to the shop? here ’tis.

as a side note, i turned this particular dandelion photo into a {be of good cheer} postcard set. now i might need to make another set, because i am so loving the photo with a yellow border. i feel a burst of delight and cheer every time i look at it.

hello, my dears!

if winter is hard on you (maybe it’s too long, too dark, too cold), i have a new offering ~ hope floats in winter ~ that i created just for someone like you.

it’s a twice-weekly note of inspiration, to help you find the beauty in the cold & the dark & the rain or the snow.

this is not going to be affirmations or forced positivity or “look on the bright side”.

this is just me, looking for the magic & wonder & blessing in the cold & the dark & the snow for myself, and sharing it with you, in the hope that it makes your winter easier and lighter.

details and registration are here.

and i would love love love for you (and your friends) to join me.

{consider this a preview of hope floats. you can sign up today and daily emails will begin in october.}

so!

atlas and i are moving to michigan.

(now there’s a thing i never thought i’d say. except for many reasons, it feels exactly right.)

the plan is to move at the end of the month, so if i am quieter than usual, you will know why. i am trying to remember that if there is anyone that can pull this off, it is insanely organized me. (i had the idea this afternoon and within an hour or two, the entire downstairs had been reviewed and filed into three categories: goodwill/give, storage, and car. maybe i should hire myself out.)

atlas looks a little woebegone – the act of packing is stressful for him – but when we arrive and he learns that there will be a kitty, he will be over-the-moon with glee.

the kitty is his cousin kia. she did not love him when they met in 2007, but now he is older and a little calmer, and he will have more than two weeks to win her over. i am confident that he will be able to pull it off.

i am a mixture of so many emotions.

but for now, i am sleepy, and so i will let this be the end.

(though i do want to say that i am so so so happy that atlas will get to spend quality time with a kitty. also, we will be closer to my east coast sister, who has three kitties, at least one of whom might actually like atlas, so there is the possibility of more kitty adventures! i have a huge smile on my face at the thought.)

if you have been wanting to buy something from me, but just haven’t gotten around to it, now would be a lovely time!

the story club is still pay-what-delights you. and if you wanted something from my etsy shop, you can enter MICHIGAN as the coupon code for 20% off your order.

i could write so much about this, and maybe someday i will, but today i simply want to tell you that the reason i am here, the reason i am really here, is to help you connect with hope & possibility & wonder, even when you are feeling overwhelmed, scared, lost, or alone.

(of course there is also a reason behind the reason, which is to reflect your beauty back to you, and there is also a reason behind the reason behind the reason, which is to share my vision of a world full of possibility & joy & wonder.)

i spend a lot of time thinking about the difference between our excellence and our genius.

i am still not entirely sure of the essence of my particular genius, but my sense is that it centers around this: the way i see the world, the way i can express my vision of the world in image and in word, and my ability to hold onto that vision no matter how hard it gets.

if there is one thing i am sure of, it is that i am not here to be a teacher or a healer.

there are so many amazing teachers and healers in this world.

because part of my work in this life is to learn to trust myself and my inherent wholeness, i am not here to be one of them.

it feels more like i am here to be a lighthouse.

i am here to shine a light of hope & possibility & wonder in a world that sometimes feels entirely too gloomy.

because even though there are moments when i cannot access hope & possibility & wonder for myself, i can always access them for you.

thinking about this reminded me of one of my ideas, which i shall playfully and temporarily title hope floats.

now seems like the perfect time to experiment with it.

this is your invitation to join me on a 30 day adventure.

hope floats is not an e-course.

i do not want to teach you anything.

i want to sit beside you while you take one breath. i want to sit beside you while you sink deeper into your body. i want to sit beside you while you feel more at home.

here is how it will work.

every day during the month of october, an image will arrive in your email.

i will invite you to look at the image while you take a single long breath.

along with the image, i will include a phrase or a quote or a question to consider. the words will be few, because i really want to take you out of language and into silence, the silence that feels like coming home.

a friend referred to this as energy prompts, a directional arrow for your mood, which i think is a lovely description.

you can think of hope floats as a compass. the arrow will always point you home.

if your heart is saying “yes”, i would love to have you along.

cost: $11

–>this offering is no longer available.

1

did you know that she used to have a twinkle in her eye? it ran away one day and got lost in a field of flowers. the twinkle wanted to come home, it really did, but it nestled underneath a daisy for a nap and was wooed on awakening by a passing moth who saw it and fell madly in love. they set up house together underneath an overgrown mushroom. when winter came, the twinkle grew tired of outdoor living, but it just couldn’t find its way back to its girl.

2

when i was little, i spent a long time in a burn unit in ann arbor. years later, do you know what i remember most? i remember that i got to ride in a helicopter. i remember that one of my very first meals consisted of a hamburger and strawberry shortcake – and my mom let me eat the shortcake even though i hadn’t finished all my dinner. i remember trick-or-treating. i remember the art & play room. i remember playing with water and fat syringes and a dinner tray; i used the syringes to move water from one compartment to another. the days in a hospital can be long, so when you join the story club, part of your payment will be used to help me gift stories to children in the hospital. (i was going to give the story club, but now i may buy books from my favorite local children’s bookstore and give them to hospitals instead.)

3

i had the most delicious idea earlier this week. there is still a suggested price for the story club, but i am now inviting you to pay what delights you, whether that is the suggested price or another one. the story club is – and is going to be – full of possibility & wonder & magic, and it seems a shame for money to be a reason to not be part of it. i am over-the-moon-delighted about this idea. i have been smiling ever since it came to me.

{remember when atlas was in a splint and we sat on the couch for two months? oh, sweet splinted atlas. i just love him.}

i am a treasure trove of information.

i read a lot. about everything. (to give you some random examples, i read about divorce & childbirth & recruiting talent, none of which apply to me at all.)

i am immensely curious. i love learning about things. i love trying things. i can make useful connections between things that seem completely unrelated.

i am also very good at explaining technical and abstract and confusing things in a way that is accessible.

if you have a question or a problem or an issue that is troubling you, there is probably something stored somewhere in my brain that can help.

whether it’s an idea, or a resource, or a place to look, or someone to talk to, or a different perspective.

in my quest to create a business that sustains me, i have tried to find a way to use this knowledge to create an offering that helps people with a particular problem and is of value.

i have the knowledge and the creativity to do this in a lot of areas. it is a beautiful way to be of service. and i cannot make myself do it. (for various reasons, none of which seem relevant.)

i’ve also tried to think of a way to share this information on my blog. the problem is that my knowledge is vast and is accessed best when someone or something draws it out.

so, i have all this useful information, and it is not often that it does anyone but me any good.

at the same time, one of the best things about me is atlas.

well, it is both atlas and my relationship with atlas.

atlas is wise & loving & much more succinct than i.

he is also one of my greatest teachers.

so together, we are starting an advice column: dear elizabeth & atlas.

it’s an advice column that’s gone to the dogs! (sorry, i couldn’t resist.)

think of us as your own personal version of dear abby.

if atlas doesn’t have an answer, i probably will.

(side note: advice might be the wrong word, but suggestion column just doesn’t have the same ring.)

here are the areas in which we can best be of service.

dogs. self-help. mindfulness. holistic wellness. photography. creativity. finding your style. communication. writing. relationships. inner work. books. dealing with stress & overwhelm & anxiety & body issues & self-hatred. healing. seeing things through new perspectives. accessing your inner wisdom. incorporating rest & play & pleasure. choosing joy. finding beauty in the ordinary. seeing yourself & others with love & compassion.

email us!

ask us a question. ask for our help. ask for ideas or suggestions.

we’re at: eahalt (at) mac (dot) com.

if it’s personal, we’ll answer you privately.

if it’s useful, and you don’t mind, we’ll share the question and answer on the blog. (once i decide on a day, that is.)

if we’re stumped, i’ll tell you, but i’m pretty good at research so i can probably point you in a general direction.

if you have questions about this service, please let me know.

we’re looking forward to your questions!

imagine if you lost the twinkle in your eye.

where do you think it would go and what do you think it would do? how would you find it again?

as you know, i am a storyteller.

if you love my stories –

if you want a touchstone for hope & joy & possibility & magic –

if you have children in your life and want a regular infusion of story –

i have a new offering – the story club – that just might be for you.

intrigued? delighted?

then you will want to read all about the story club.

(you can even listen to me read you a story.)

there are special bonuses if you join before july 15th.

and it is going to be full of magic.