The Art of Being

Next Saturday I will be participating in a Vendor Show at St. Paul's Church (near the firehouse) on Herbertsville Road. I will be bringing sachets made from April Cornell fabric and lavender buds from this field. This picture was taken at Pleasant Valley Lavender in Morganville (north of Delicious Orchards off of rt 34). Little did I kno in June of last year, life would become a whirlwind of moving again. I am so glad I am still participating in the Rise and Write class. It is very inspiring and motivating. I talked about the book by Rick Rubins called "The Creative Act" and said that I would include the 10 Rules of Success for finding Purpose and Happiness. Here they are: 1. Do what makes you happy 2. Overcoming self doubt (dance with it) 3. Take charge of your life. Do what you love 4. Work with experts (have help) 5. Be Authentic 6. Learn to Express yourself 7. Unleash the Artist within you (we are all Artists) 8. Practice Meditation 9. Be Patient 10. Break the Patterns that hold you back and not have you move forward WOW!!! it is like I now have a field guide to my journey to joy. Because, I may do these things and start wondering why???? And the biggest is vulnerability??? And, he helps understand this part of ourselves. It had been a BIG push for me in the right direction. I hope you will come see me or look at my website: https://tradesofhope.com/geralyngray I love that is on March 4th (march forth). I am marching forward in life, and it feels good. Quote of the week: Rick Rubins: “Everything happens kind of the way it’s supposed to happen, and we just watch it unfold. And you can’t control it. Looking back, you can’t say, ‘I should’ve… ‘ You didn’t, and had you, the outcome would have been different.” Song of the Day: Carly Simon "Let the River Run"

Tout Est Possible

I guess I will be writing about once a month this year. My computer is acting up, and all my bookmarks with passwords are not set up, as usual. So, it messes with my morning routine of writing. I have been writing by hand a lot more. And, still attending my monthly "Rise and Write" class. This is the week after the class, so it inspires me the most, to catch up with writing on the computer. February has been awesome so far. I have a lot of changes at work, which has been challenging. But, I finally had a vacation and have spent time with my kids and grandson in the last few weeks. So, I am feeling more myself, again. So, what is with the title of this post? Tout Est Possible was printed on a clip board and I looked up the meaning yesterday. It is "the sky is the limit". I have been paying attention to my father's heritage this month, and it is fascinating. I am writing a book, and it is about this year. It is about how to stay calm in the storm. It will be artful activities to help along the way. It is sort of like writing a mystery for me. Because, who knows how this year will end up? But, January and February have not disappointed me so far! I have planned to do the 100 day project again, as I did in 2021. It begins February 22 this year. And, you should be able to see a post every day on facebook and instagram from me. They will be mostly about french inspiration and mostly about lavender. Because, these have helped me the most on my journey to joy. I hope to be more creative this year, and this will be the motivation I need. I also will be sharing pictures of the lavender fields I have visited in the last few years. The picture above is from 2017 taken at Happy Day Farm in Manalapan, NJ. I also will be doing a vendor show at St. Paul's Church on Herbertville Road in Brick on March 4th. I will be selling Trades of Hope, my handmade greeting cards and lavender sachets. I love that it is on 3/4 (march fourth). I have set my sights up high this year. And, I am also going through with the word this year: BE. To just BE. It seems to be working. I have had lots of signs and serendipity to show I am on the right path. Quote of the day: “Living life as an artist is a practice. You are either engaging in the practice or you’re not. It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it. It’s like saying, “I’m not good at being a monk.” You are either living as a monk or you’re not. We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output. The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world.” ― Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being