Well, that’s rather an odd title, and I didn’t know I was going to write it until it popped out. Seriously, I was just sitting here thinking that I should work a bit more on my Art Every Day Month project and of course, I’m in NaPoBloMo so I need to write a post today.

Here’s a serious aside that totally takes away from what I’m going to write about in this post but it’s buzzing in my head so if I don’t get it out, it’s going to buzz around more and throw a wrench into the whole post-writing works: I can’t help wondering, why is it I don’t GET NaPloBloMo as an “url acronym”. I mean, I can never remember it the way I remember NaNoWriMo. I always want to say, “NaBloMo … um something”. The only reason why I get it right is because I check out my own links first, each and every time. Sheesh. You’d think I’d know it by now.

Okay, now that I have that out of my system, back to Staying in Love with Life. What I really wanted to say is that I’m having one of those gloriously beautiful moments when I realize how wonderful this life I’ve created is.

I love moments like this, because the bliss factor is just brilliant. I also love that I’m having this moment, when just four hours ago I was tackling a deadline for an assignment that I really really didn’t like. I was emailing friends and telling my family, look, next time something like this comes up, please, please, please REMIND me how much I hated it the last time, so I won’t take it on again.

Yet still, now that it’s over and done with, I am touching that bliss. There’s a consistency to the practice of Being who you choose to be, and this, I think, is what happens when you do practice this Being consistently, as consistently as possible. I’ve been doing that, or being aware of wanting to do that (two different things but still close enough in some ways, I think).

Dylan is all better now, by the way. He insisted I take this picture of him “doing ballet”:

Yes, that’s my kid. He loves trains, cars and trucks, princesses, dragons, playing the Wii, jumping on the trampoline, going to IKEA just to have their mac n cheese, ballet, his Trainz game on the computer, Thomas the Tank Engine, chess, drawing, singing and giving lots of hugs and kisses. We’ve been trying to find a ballet or dance class that he can take that isn’t all girls. I figure one will show up when the timing is right.

And right now, it feels so easy staying in love with life.

Dagwa Rose. Credit: Michael Lorenzo

Two weeks ago, I went beyond my normal desires and decided on the kind of life I want to live: a magical, spontaneous life, filled to the brim with synchronicity and gorgeous surprises. In forming this intention, I began the process of letting go of a lot of old beliefs about who I am, beliefs which served me well way back when, but which are no longer in alignment with who I’m choosing to be.

This morning, as I sit here at my computer looking out the window, I am filled with such gratitude. As I open myself to the spontaneous life, my life has been unfolding in such a fluid and organic way. Each day comes with such beautiful surprises - in a Field training analogy, I’ve opened that window, and people walking by are throwing those roses to me.

I’ve fallen back into a fully creative life, one which I had let go of, for reasons I can’t fully remember: I vaguely recall feeling busy, the harried busy-ness of a new mother. And then life changed, shifted, and I began to find time, time to explore my inner life, to come to know my inner self and fall in love with her all over again. And now, the missing piece has come back to me - my creativity, a creativity that’s beyond my writing, and in going beyond my writing, it’s inspiring my writing to depths I have never before felt.

This gorgeous world of art and creativity, helped in no small part by my decision to blog here as authentically as I can … this gorgeous world inspires me on a daily basis, in ways I had never dreamed of before. And my outer world has been shifting, fluidly and gently, to come into alignment with who I am inside.

This morning, my heart spills over with gratitude for this spontaneous life.

Autumn Moon. Credit: Lynne Lancaster

This evening’s been one of those evenings where I’m finding grace everywhere. It’s funny how one doesn’t necessarily even get a hint of all of this wonder that’s to come. But grace did come, from all around me:

1. The beauty of the rain, drizzling down unusually, reminding me of Vancouver. Not at all like Toronto’s normal version of rain, which can really only be described as “downpour”.

2. The leaves caught beneath my windshield wipers, gloriously gorgeous and vibrant. I read somewhere that trees don’t have to give us the breathtaking colors of fall, that it takes a lot of their energy to present their dazzling show of reds and oranges - and they get nothing from it. They don’t need to do it. They could just cut off the chlorophyll and turn those green leaves brown. But they don’t, and instead choose to give us such beauty during this spectacular season.

Thank you, trees.

3. The candles nestled in the glass vases at the yoga studio. It made a lovely experience even more beautiful.

4. The sweetness and flow of my yoga instructor’s voice. We went into our poses while outside day turned into night.

5. The evening sky, not yet fully dark, gently colored a gorgeous orange by the street lights. I’d never noticed before that our street lights give off this beautiful orange-red color.

6. The feel of the drizzling rain on my face.

7. Coming home to laughter, Thomas train tracks laid out in the living room, Jamie Oliver’s cod and potato stew being prepared.

Tonight was a wonderful reminder to me that grace is everywhere. And I know I named this post “Finding Grace”, but grace is always here. What I really mean is, “opening my eyes to grace”.

It feels like Friday to me. Well, maybe not Friday - more like “the end of the week”, whatever flavor that is. And most of all, I am feeling inspired and moved and very much in alignment.

This week, I have come full circle. Unexpectedly, but then again, I started off the week with the decision that I am open to the magical, to those sparks of spontaneity and synchronicity, to the beauty of uncertainty. And now, here I am. I find myself settled in a place that I had only touched on briefly before. Paths I had previously taken are now all open before me, beautifully merged into one.

Art.

Writing.

Life.

Love.

Being.

It is the most incredible feeling. And making things even more gorgeous, I came across Karen’s post on her epiphany:

I need to just let the faces happen. I don’t have to be in charge.

I don’t have to be in charge.

Say it to yourself. “I don’t have to be in charge.”

Wow. That’s a biggie. All I have to do is pay attention to opening up to something bigger than myself.

As in art, so in life. If I needed a reminder, there it is. It’s Dreamwalking at its best.

And so I go to bed tonight, so inspired. I’m feeling this connection that’s just glorious - to my husband, who’s away at a seminar in New York, to my kids, each of them sleeping peacefully in their bed, and most of all, to the me I’m choosing to be. All of me: art, writing, life, love, being.