YOU COUNT

There's a writing prompt in that magazine I like, Bella Grace.  You can word search Bella Grace in this blog--everything about the magazine is rewarding. The prompt is a bit different:  "What is your favorite spot in your house and why?"  @ dakota, @sweetgirl and @ophelia all answer.  I'm interested that @dakota's favorite spot is her window seat with the lambswool throw on it where she has seen the most falling stars.  Because I have a lambswool throw I brought back from Keswick, a town in the Lake District, UK where some friends live.  I love that throw!  And falling stars . . . who doesn't love those? 

Another prompt, your favorite book and why:  I'm interested that @rainmama's favorite book is This I Know by Susannah Conway because I too have waded through grief and sometimes need to reset. Perhaps that's a book for me to read too.

Readers are invited to respond to the query, "What might the world never understand about you?" This provokes wonderful introspection, doesn't it? Many of us with a bit of thought have a secret self at our core, a characteristic that is ours alone.  Maybe it's, "I'm truly myself when I'm singing."  Or dancing.  When I'm alone or praying.  Or I'm creating, writing or you fill-in-the-blank.  Or how about this:  

I'LL NEVER FIT IN.

THAT'S ONE OF MY BEST QUALITIES.

   Terri Willingham  

Isn't that nice?  I snipped it from Bella Grace to make this collage.  

Another Bella Grace prompt encourages readers to rethink gratitude by contemplating small things.  So many good responses.  Grateful for:

the chickadees who visit my feeder

sharing silence

watching my nephew play

seeing the sun catch the mirror on my mantle

the feel of my local bookstore

the group texts I share with my friends

the first brush of morning sunlight in my bedroom

holding hands with my husband

    . . . 

Yes me too for so many of these, especially holding hands after such a long marriage.  We do that a lot. 

So what is it about Bella Grace?  What is it about inspirational quotes?  Why do they sync with mindfulness and other good things that remind us who we want to be?  I think it's a simple two-word premise:  YOU COUNT.  It's what we need to remember.  What we like counts.  Who we are counts.  We count to our friends, to our families, to our colleagues,  and even to the strangers with whom we share a simple comment while walking the dog.  We count most of all to God.  A calming, peaceful thought that I am grateful for today.  Nina Naomi

 

SUMMER COZY COMIN' UP

When I was a child our local movie theatre had a sign that read "It's Cold Inside," snow-capped letters in icicle-blue.  This was the draw--keep the kids entertained in icy comfort with a candy bar and a movie.  Frozen Zero bars were a favorite.  By the time I had children those signs were gone.  Now every building I enter is cold, freezing sometimes.  Workers keep jackets, sweaters and even blankets at the office during the summer.  People eat al fresco at restaurants partly to avoid the air conditioning.  Without even getting into the waste of energy, not everyone enjoys recirculating air, winter or summer.  Some of us open our windows whenever the temperature allows. We work outdoors if we can.  We're not adverse to the heat, a good sweat followed by a warm shower.  Not bad.  What's best about summer seems to be the feeling of freedom.  Cooler clothes, ocean swimming, fruity drinks, casual get-togethers, more flexible schedules, vacations . . . lots of loose ends we make the most of.  

But summer is also a good time for cozy, that feeling of being hugged, being wrapped in comfort.  bella GRACE (BELLAGRACEMAGAZINE.COM), a magazine I tout from time to time (theme:  "Life's a Beautiful Journey"), loves lists.  The editors invite people to submit them for publication, lists like "My Flaws Worth Loving and Embracing" or "Small but Significant Reasons to be Grateful."  Nice prompts meant, I think, to help us with our fears, our dreams and our inspiration.  Because I don't want to give up the coziness of winter as spring blooms into the North Carolina summer, I've made my own list for Summer Cozy.  See what you'd add. 

• Picnics on blankets are cozy.
• Cotton sweaters are cozy.
• Late night walks (and cotton sweaters) are cozy.
• Sweatshirts after a swim are cozy.
• Anything after a swim--beach towels, pullovers, blanket-flopping. . . .
• The hot summer sun on our skin is cozy.
• Hot dogs over a fire, steamed clams, jacket potatoes, roasted corn, whatever we cook outdoors is cozy.
• S'mores are cozy, anything chocolate is cozy. 
• Crowding around an outdoor table.
• Porch-sleeping.
• Sleeping-bags are cozy, alone or together.
• Lolling in bed on a morning off is cozy.
• Eating pancakes.
• Snuggling on the couch with your children, or grandchildren.
• My maltipoo fresh from his bath is cozy, dry from rug-wiggling.

Isn't it funny how free and cozy can meld into one mood, one happy atmosphere, one lucky day? I'm not wishing away the spring.  It's too lovely and we've waited for it for months.  Just taking a minute to think about what's coming and how much there will be to enjoy.