Meri's Musings

Jack Benny stopped counting birthdays at 39. Saying he was 39 got laughs. Forty wasn't as funny. Age is a touchy subject. Now I'll only admit to being "of a certain age." People can interpret that however they want. But when I think back, 30 was magical, sensual, sultry, powerful. 40 entitled me to say, "I'm too old for this shit" so it wasn't as bad as I'd feared, anticipating the big 4-0. And I'd already had my 50th when I got carded by a wait person who was really amazed when she checked my ID and said, "No way!" THAT, my friends, was a great day. So yeah, I'm over 50 and still full of sass. What was your favorite age? What made that year so special? Tell me about it.

I've had lots to say lately but instead of using my words, I've taken that energy and worked on a series of images called Sea Glass . I gave you a sneak peek of one of the pieces on Saturday without mentioning that it was one of many images sharing a commonality but now that the series is taking shape, here's another. " Breathless in the Ether " copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian. All rights reserved. I'm exploring an opportunity to exhibit them at an Art Walk in Seattle's Fremont District in December. And I'm thinking of selling prints of the images online. I've always been reluctant to put my work "out there," worrying that it's not good enough. But having three pieces published and the recent sale of the piece I entered in the local art show has boosted my confidence. Anybody having good luck with Etsy shops? Any advice? And more to the point: Why is it so hard for us to claim our power?

Me (on writing in and out of "flow"): Sometimes, while writing in a kind of out of body experience, words come together in a magical way and when I come back into my self, I'm amazed at what formed in my absence. At other times, I feel like Hansel and Gretel, dropping words to mark my path and hoping I find my way back home someday. Do your spirit guides ever get so frustrated with you for not getting the message they're trying to impart that they speak out loud to you in a booming voice? Mine did once. In the middle of the night, when I was all alone. I don't know his name, but I call him "The Emphatic One." He pronounced: The ability to evoke emotion with the written word is a gift. Quit squandering it! I guess drafting legal pleadings didn't count. What gifts did you come in with that you aren't making full use of? Do you think you might be depriving the world of something special that you, and only you, might offer? Think about it. Figure ...

You know I love the interplay of light and shadow. Platform58 's theme for this month is Light . The issue just came out and is online. Here's my contribution (at page 9). "I Feel Like Dancin' " copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian. All rights reserved. Next month's theme is freedom . Hmm. That opens up a whole realm of possibilities.

To work magic is to weave the unseen forces into form; to soar beyond sight; to explore the uncharted dream realm of the hidden reality. - Starhawk ( Tango: Dance of Self-Discovery ) "Electrifying Possibility" copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian. All rights reserved. When we paint, assemble disparate bits into mixed media or assemblage, photograph things, write poetry or novels, design invitations or floral arrangements, create a new dish from items in the fridge and pantry, make up a story for a child, or any of a multitude of things, we truly weave unseen forces into form. Creative expression is your birthright. Claim it.

This morning I woke to find a message from a friend, sharing her family's heartbreak over the death of a beloved nephew by his own hand. They are devastated, reeling, full of questions, the kinds of questions that have no answers. Questions that begin with "Why, God?" and spread out from there in concentric circles of grief. My own dark nights never took me so close to the edge of the abyss that the leap into oblivion seemed the only answer. Somehow I held tightly enough onto hope in the midst of seeming hopelessness that I avoided being sucked into the vortex. By some measure of grace, I held onto the certainty that I'd find my way out of the darkness and back to the light. "Visitation" - copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian This poor soul must have been unable to absorb the love that his family and friends offered so abundantly. This lost soul must have believed there was no light to find his way back to, that oblivion was the answer. Why do some of us find...

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases from being shared. - Buddha I shared an hour or two of happiness today with my buddy Adrienne. Her dryer broke, so she brought wet clothes over in a garbage bag and dried them here. It gave us an opportunity to crack open a bottle of really yummy Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon and drink to her upcoming vacation, setting ourselves free creatively, and friendship. Did you get to share happiness with anyone today? If not, make up for it tomorrow.

I don't usually hang out in taverns and pubs, but if they've got great pub grub and fabulous entertainment, I'm there especially when I'm meeting up with Gregg & Adrienne, Lisa, Noreen, Paul & Melinda to hear The Kim Archer Band . Kim Archer - guitar and vocals. This girl has pipes! David McKibbin - lead guitar. Jerome Gates on bass guitar and Chris Tussing on drums. The Swiss in Tacoma was rockin' last night. I shot some video, too, but can't upload it because my hard drive's full, so this You-Tube will have to do for now. It's not quite the same sound, because Jerome's not there and I can't tell who's on drums.

Saturday evening was the International PhotoWalk dreamed up by Scott Kelby. I played along. I thought I'd share some of the pictures with you via a Flickr slideshow. Click on the picture if it doesn't start automatically. Then after it starts, if you click on the four-dot thingie at the bottom right, you'll see everything full screen. Took me a while to figure this out. There were lots of people there, but I wish you'd been able to play with me. You'd have had lots of fun.

Me: Introspective. Self-aware. Intuitive. Always in the mood for a little reflection. "Virgo, Aries Rising" copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian Sometimes I just get lucky. Here's the back story on this piece and this post. I took this photo Thursday night when a friend and I found most ArtWalk venues had closed early. Of course, I had to squeeze the lemons life had handed us and make lemonade so out came the trusty purse-sized Canon. "Let the snapping begin." There were the realistic pieces: the wild flowers in a vacant lot, the graffiti on a boxcar on the nearby train tracks, bits of architecture. Lots of pics to use on my Tacoma Photo blog. And there were some artsy images, like the one above. Friday I printed it and put it in a Target frame that came with glass and a mat. Took it down to the volunteers organizing the Peninsula Art League 's member show at Key Bank during PAL's annual arts & crafts fair. Because I hadn't paid for a pro ...

Today is a milestone. My "baby" Gavin that piece of my heart who walks around outside of my body turns 21. He's a bright, engaging, serious young man learning to make his way in the world. I have no doubt his path will be a special one. Happy 21st Birthday, Gavin. I love you, heart of my heart.

What song from your past makes you break out in a huge grin and makes you want to dance? Here's one that does it for me in a major way. Does Bryan Adams do the same for you? No? Who does? What songs took up residence in your smile zone, made you want to dance with somebody?

What I love best about the world of blog is knowing that we are all sowing seeds. Seeds of kindness. Seeds of compassion and connection. Taking a handful of wisdom seeds and throwing them out to see where they will take root. We just never know when something we say will be just what someone needed to hear that day the instrument of healing the only flash of joy and laughter in an otherwise lousy day a token of friendship to someone feeling lonely the turning point in someone's life path. We just never know. But what a powerful tool for affirming our connection as human beings, as entities hungering for belonging and affirmation. I'm awed that only 500 years (give or take a few) after the invention of the printing press, my words can bounce around the world - can be read by hundreds of strangers just by my choosing to click on the words PUBLISH POST. May wonders never cease.

Do you? Do you have what it takes to face the world and share your gifts with it? Makeup or no make up. Whether or not you have a friend who's always loyal and curious about what you're doing. Are you brave enough to bestow your gifts upon the world, saying, "Here I am World -- I'm good enough just as I am" and "I have something to offer" ? Or do you have still have work to do? Each of us is born to create. Every living being has some gift to express that will benefit the whole, and it is for each of us to discern what gifts we bring to the table. This indeed is the hardest work -- not the actual doing or being, but knowing what it is that we are called to be and do. - Jan Phillips Marry Your Muse Do you know what you're called to do?

Do you ever feel as if you're standing under a layer of clouds that are just dumping rain on your head, but know somewhere deep inside that if you just take the long view things will look a little brighter? Stand in the shadows, feel the rain and wait until you are bathed again in sunlight. Neither joy nor sorrow is permanent. Darkness is eventually crowded out by the encroaching dawn. The light of day gives way in a blaze of color as if to celebrate the coming of the night. Everything is as it should be right now. Shhh! Be still. Let us be silent that we may hear the whispers of the gods. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love is a gift. Give it. Take it. Make it yours. It is the true Season of love when we know that we alone can love that no one could ever have loved before us and that no one will ever love in the same way after us. - Goethe p.s. Happy Birthday Paramour NW

To create a culture that reflects a reverence for life, we need stories and symbols that heal and guide, that help us remember we are part of a whole. - Jan Phillips Fulfilling our purpose in life requires that we first know our truth and then speak it: in words, in poems, in song, through stories and works of art, in warm, fragrant loaves of bread & sumptuous soups, in the quest for justice, through the rocking of babies, via the bringing of peace one breath at a time. We are the Vision Holders. We are the Storytellers. We are seekers who know that there is something greater than ourselves and we are a part of everything that is. We are those who know we hold this planet in trust for our children and our children's children and all the children in every time and place. We must tell our children stories of possibilities and teach them to dream their dreams into wakefulness, to bring their visions to a world ready to see. We need to teach our children that if the people o...

My blog post yesterday reminded me that I had an interesting exchange recently with a young woman who loves teaching physical education at the high school level. She had been notified by her school district that she would have to teach math next year because of budget cuts, although she was able to keep her teaching contract. She was miserable, railing that math was irrelevant and that the kids she will be teaching have math phobias and a history of failure. She didn't see how she could deal with this situation that she mentally characterized as a calamity, especially since she was forced to do something she detested instead of being able to follow her passion, which is teaching kids to be embodied, the meaning of wellness, and how to reduce stress. After listening to her pour out her heart, telling several of us why this would never work, I had a chance to talk to her alone. Gently, I asked her a simple question. " Would it change the way you look at things if you thought of ...

when the pieces don't seem to fit together anymore when you're stuck in a dark place you fear you'll inhabit forever sometimes all it takes "A Fresh Perspective" - photo copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian to piece things back together to turn the key and set yourself free is to find a new way of looking at things p.s This shot wasn't layered or manipulated in Photoshop. This is as it came out of the camera. I just took the time to notice what was around me and found a new way to show things to you.

I found out by reading Liz Elayne 's blog that Christina had a challenge for yesterday. The challenge was to list simple things you love. Oops. I'm late. But I'll still play along. colorful horses running in a circle on carousels sipping chai while chatting with a friend sassy haircuts books so good you can't put them down laughing until tears run down my cheeks a fabulous photographic subject, perfect lighting & camera in hand the smell of books and popcorn fresh flowers in crystal vases hummingbirds at the feeder my new ballerina flats movies at Grand Cinema great produce departments in fancy grocery stores fluffy kittens logging on and finding email from friends remembering that this is the anniversary of one of my dearest friends early enough to call her Life's little pleasures.

I told you about my photo shoot in conjunction with advertising for a man. So here are the ad shots. Not a self portrait, strictly speaking. But portraits of my self. And here's the ad copy WHO I AM a spiritual being in a physical body * a chai baby * a girlie girl with a soft side * intelligent, capable, creative * analytical * intuitive* a writer * a voracious reader * a great friend * an adept problem solver * playful or serious, as called for * funny * someone who believes that perfume is an essential fashion accessory * a believer in casual chic * fanatical about comfortable shoes * sensual * supportive and nurturing * optimistic * a woman with a zest for life * politically moderate to liberal, with a touch of libertarian lurking inside * alternately chatty and quiet * love word play * enjoys my adult children * prefers cats to dogs, but lives with both * likes listening to music, seeing films * a blogger * a communicator * usually patient and tolerant * need priv...

What photographers are looking for is the life force, the heartbeat of what we encounter. - Jan Phillips "Pulsation" - copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian. All rights reserved. Happy birthday, Lise. Dance as if no one is watching!

This weekend I took a little trip to Whidbey Island for my cousin's wedding. She got married (for the second time) on Independence Day. How's that for irony? I stayed overnight in a little bed and breakfast in Coupeville, Washington called The Blue Goose Inn where I found a new friend. He's a little flashier than the guys I normally meet.

Each artist is a facet of God's unfolding infinite vision, refracting the light of awareness in his or her own particular way. - Alex Grey "Panels" -copyright 2009 Meri Arnett-Kremian. All rights reserved. Each of us has a unique take on what it means to be alive and living on this earth. Each and every one of us refracts the light of awareness in our own particular way, a unique expression shaped by culture, intelligence, curiosity, our degree of comfort in our skin, how we relate to the world creatively. We contribute by the words we add to the human discourse; the images we capture or create and share with others to inspire, challenge, educate; the tracks of kindness we leave as we negotiate our path through life. We refract the light of awareness by cultivating and demonstrating compassion, by growing in wisdom, by learning to continue questioning even when we think we know the answers. We add our light to the world by seeing miracles all around us and letting possibi...

It isn't just on the Fourth of July that boats in marinas all over Puget Sound hoist the Stars & Stripes. But today's a nice day for a reflection on freedom and constitutional rights separation of church and state and the liberty inherent in being able to express divergent views without being shot or "disappearing" or being tortured or having your blog shut down.

My book club met last night at Monica's house on Raft Island. As usual, there was great discussion about the current selection (Russo's Empire Falls ) and we made our choice of new selections for August and September and we had just the teensiest bit of conversation about marriages falling apart after years and years and how disorienting it is and how the wives keep hoping against hope it's just a phase he'll grow out of, that he'll see the error of his ways. But the most spectacular part of the evening (besides touring Monica's garden and viewing Miriam's husband's pottery yard art via the web) was the view from Monica's deck toward the west as the sun was setting a few minutes after nine. I just had to capture the color to share with you. The back of Monica and Pete's house faces west toward the Olympic Mountains. The body of water, for those of you not from around here, is Puget Sound. It's salt water ...

Sometimes things aren't what they seem. We settle in somewhere, thinking it's going to be safe and hospitable and just what we hoped for, a magical haven that provides us shelter from harm. Then reality sets in and we realize that we were mistaken. That soft place to land turns out to be quite a bit less soft than we'd anticipated. In fact sometimes things get downright hard and cold and unforgiving. Not at all what we expected. Do we stay and make the best of it or fly away to build a new nest somewhere else? Sometimes the most valuable lessons come from learning to see the beauty right in front of your eyes. Sometimes we bloom most gloriously when we learn to thrive just where we are and come to love just what we have. Maybe each of us is exactly where we need to be, learning lessons custom-made for us.