Monday 5 October 2009

MONDAY PHOTO-A-WEEK & JOY DIET

MONDAY'S PHOTO-A-WEEK

i am back to feeling half-human again after a week of being miserable with sinus allergies and asthma congestion in my chest due to that horrible dust storm. the antihistimines helped but they also made me feel quite groggy and out of the loop.

anywhoo, i will be catching up on everyone's blogs over the coming days.....i've missed you all so much.

on friday, michelle, brad, aaron and i went over to visit my mum and dad. it seemed like ages since we'd seen them so it was really nice catching up. we went for a lovely walk around the retirement village they live in and i snapped some pics along the way.

it was a very hot day and these bougainvillea certainly made a spectacular and brilliant display in the sunlight


click on any image to enlarge


i've always loved hippeastrum which bloom here every october



a close up of some geranium flowers



one of the homes boasted a front garden amass with roses and the scent drifting through the air was mesmerising. i couldn't resist snapping a pic of this rose as we passed by



.....and this morning, i snapped this pic on the way home from dropping reece at the bus stop at 6:30AM. why a pic of a school info sign, you ask? because it was the only way i could convince my ten year old son, aaron, that school did indeed start back today after a two week spring holiday break. he was adamant that it was a public holiday today and that school didn't start back until tomorrow. the poor thing was even on the computer trying to google public holidays to back up his case. needless to say, he lost the argument though he was so desperate, i almost wished it was a public holiday for his sake.



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THE JOY DIET - WEEK/ITEM TWO - TRUTH


photo courtesy of jamie ridler

this week, martha beck asks us to create and absorb one moment of truth each day. after a life of mental overload and being conditioned to fit into society or a set belief system, is it any wonder that so many of us lose the connection we are born with to our true selves? it often feels like we've been moulded into being someone else. i have felt this way many times and it's probably the reason why i've read so many self-help books over the years. i have come to realise that i was on a quest to find me. the teachings of eckhart tolle and abraham-hicks over the past two years have been eye-openers for me and i can honestly say that i finally feel like i'm on the right track.

an excerpt from the joy diet by martha beck -

as you tell fewer fibs and keep fewer secrets in your inner world, you'll find that the energy you once spent on denial turns outward in a kind of creative bloom. fascinating ideas, compassionate actions, un-heard of adventures will bubble up from the inexhaustible well of your unique personality during your moments of truth.


so, this past week, i did my daily 15 minutes of nothing (meditation) and then asked myself the six questions that martha posed for our TRUTH menu item -

what am i feeling?
what hurts?
what is the painful story i'm telling?
can i be sure my painful story is true?
is my painful story working?
can i think of another story that might work better?

i truly feel like i have already let go of past burdens so that wasn't relevant for me. however, lately, i have been feeling blocked, frustrated, and pretty much useless when it's come down to my art. could the congestion i felt from the dust storm last week have been a manifestation of these inner feelings? one thing is for sure, i know that this too shall pass.....i know that my truth is that I AM a creative being.

this friday, i will blog about the next item on the joy menu - DESIRE


love, light and peace

19 comments:

  1. Serena, I have missed you! So happy to hear you are getting better. The photos of the flowers are all so lovely!

    Sending healing thoughts your way!

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  2. Bravo to you for seeing your truth through the struggle... I think that's what this is all about! Many blessings to you as we leap into desire... :)

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  3. Glad you're feeling better!

    I was answering Martha Becks questions you posted to myself and realize I have to do an attitude shift to get on with things!

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  4. I love the contrast. In Australia you are enjoying the abundance of bright, beautiful colors or new growth while in the U.S. we are beginning to experience bright colors in the form of leaves changing to red, orange, yellow, and brown. It is a beautiful time of year for us all.

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  5. Glad you're feeling better my friend! :) I missed you :)

    Those photos are absolutely luscious! My mouth watered. :)

    You are an amazingly artistic soul and this blockage will soon pass :)

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  6. Great photos from our walk Mum. I had a lovely day and it was so great catching up with Grandma and Grandad.

    Poor Aaron, I wish it had been a public holiday for him too.

    I don't know how you can do so many book clubs at once. I am strugling with one. Sounds like it is a good journey though.

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  7. Oh, what lovely blooms! I am afraid that I had a little laugh at Aaron's expense... I kind of wish he had gotten his one more day!

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  8. the photo of geranium is beautiful!!!

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  9. glad you are feeling better :) hose are gorgeous flowers. its so odd seeing blooming flowers when they are starting to die here

    hope Aaron has a good day back even if its reluctantly ;p

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  10. I'm savoring your flower photos, since ours are winding down for the season now. It'll be awhile before we have anything this lovely in our gardens again.
    Poor Aaron, I can just imagine his disappointment at losing that extra holiday he thought he was getting.
    Glad you're better!

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  11. The photos at the top of this post remind me that as each day passes I become more and more determined to visit Australia!

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  12. Hi Mum,

    This is a great post! I enjoy looking at the photos from our walk! I even liked reading the Joy Diet part!

    Love Brad!
    xoxox

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  13. Thanks everyone for all your wonderful comments. Hey Jason, if you ever get down to Australia, you must look me up ~ :)

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  14. wow your parents flowers are gorgeous!

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  15. The flowers are so pretty. I love the hippeastrum.

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  16. So glad you're feeling better.
    What beautiful flower photos.

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  17. It is getting cold here and fall is upon us, I love the autumn colors but after today, (30 degrees and frost this morning) it is nice to see the beautiful blooms, I can almost feel the sunshine

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  18. Well, I am way behind on blogs, I see. Lovely flowers! What a beautiful day for a walk. I love when you share your walks and outings. :)

    The part about telling the truth really rings true for me. Whenever I am not telling the truth it weighs me down. Sometimes it is because I am lying to myself! Being tactful with the truth helps with others--but I have to be really blunt with myself--hehe! The truth really does set you free. I wonder who it was who said that? :)

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  19. P.S.
    I looked it up online and it is apparently from the Bible--John 8:32. You can find all kinds of things by googling--hehe! :)

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