Source of my Inspiration

Image of reassembled swift feathers from CommonSwift.org
This is the left wing.

A feather is growing.  I've known this for almost a year.  It may have been growing longer than this, but due to my myopia and daily rush, it's only recently come to my attention. The feather sprout is on my temple near my left eye.  I like to think it's evidence of my wildish nature.  Like others, I have long felt that I am not of this world.  My feather is proof positive I am not entirely human.

From Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "From Feathers, a Violin"
The male Club-winged Manakin make "an extraordinary sound" with its wings to attract a mate.

The feather itself is an unexpected revelation.  Birds fascinate me, but I adore wolves, whales, the big cats, Sumatran rhinoceros, giraffes - mammals.  Creatures of this shared plane, this common space (and only one that dives deep into the unconscious).  Birds offer something not of this world, they have magical qualities, totemic under and overtones, hints of the betwixt and between places.  Birds soar in the stuff we breathe.  Take a deep breath* and hold it in {delivering the wing dust to your blood}.  My feather whispers and urges me to create the things in my heart.  I, like birds, must travel between the known world and the 98% of the unknown universe and bring back hints of the other side.

You see, as the part of me that is human, I believe it is my responsibility to raise us up collectively, inspire, make us reach deeper, dream bigger, hope more and in general, to leave this place better than I found it.  The how, the means, the vehicle has always eluded me.  Art is my way, and suddenly, I feel like Atlas.  But the odd part is, the universe I hold is ether-light.  Odder still is my sprouting inspiration is more related to Hermes, the messenger. My project or projects at hand are exciting.  They keep me up at night, plotting the physics of them, the mechanics, the wonder, the beauty.  I'm telling you, so I don't lose my thread, my feather, my way.  I'm sharing the edge of this dream so I might be held accountable, so I might be asked just what I started when I started in the middle.

via Free People's "Love is the Law" http://freepeople.tumblr.com/post/36069102597/gold-dipped-feathers

*Side note:  I read completely new to me advice that holding one's breath is effective exercise for your lungs and helps all the pockets in your lungs take in oxygen.  http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/10-simple-habits-could-help-you-live-100  If Dr. Oz advises something, I believe it.  He could tell me the pennon of my heart would beat forever if I ate moon rocks every day and I'd find a way to incorporate them into my Greek yogurt.  

Let's Drink Chocolate

Hello World!

I'm starting this blog after switching from another blog service.  Bear with me as I learn all the functions and am able to shape it into the blog of my dreams.  Consider it much like myself, under construction. 

You see, this gift has been bestowed on me and I'm thinking about how to make the most of it.  The trouble with me is that my best thinking comes from action, and I'm feeling a bit stuck.  How does one follow their heart and carve out a living at the same time?  I know, books have been dedicated to this subject since the beginning of the modern world.  I've watched my friends struggle with this issue.  We throw energy, school, passion and time at the question and hope an answer will appear.  We also hope for happiness to be delivered in the middle of the process, like the pizza we just ordered.  Sometimes, happiness is the pizza and sometimes it's the process.  At any rate, I'm trying to find where I begin and it looks like I start in the middle, as usual.

Having subscribed to some blogs, I know what I like to read and I know what frustrates me.  What I've noticed though is each blogger presses on, regardless.  This amazes me.  It inspires me and pushes me forward to join the voices on the web.  My current favorite is: www.theselby.com/ as I love lush visuals.  (Note to self, more visuals.)

The image above is from http://www.foodstylistlucy.com/InTheKitchen/2010/01/03/liquid-golddrinking-chocolate/ who's own recipe is quite rich and delicious and inspired me to write this post.

And so I begin with chocolate.  When I'm not sure where to start and the confusion and pressure feel ready to overwhelm and stop forward progress, I resort to a restorative habit of drinking chocolate.  It soothes, it calms, it tastes great, feels better than great and can be construed as healthy.  The antioxidant quotient for chocolate is off the charts in my mind, as the delivery method is divine, upping the health benefits by a factor of 25 for me.  It's new math.

This recipe has been inspired by years of chocolate drinking experience, fondue recipes, other blogs and a strong need to center myself.

Drinking Chocolate Recipe:

• 2 cups milk (I prefer skim, but use what suits you, be it raw milk, soy, rice or almond milk.)
• 3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa (I love Hershey's...it's yum, inexpensive and easily had at the local grocery store.)
• 1 teaspoon of sugar (you can add more, but I prefer a bittersweet drinking chocolate.)
• 1/2  teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (it tastes of orchids.)
• pinch of sea salt (Fleur De Sel is my mainstay sea salt, both briny and bright in flavor.)
• pinch of cayenne pepper (use more if you're feeling particularly stuck.)
• generous pinch of cinnamon

Heat milk on the stove top (low flame) or microwave (half power) until it's warm, just before it simmers.  Stir in cocoa.  Once completely mixed, add all the remaining ingredients.  Pour into a beautiful cup and enjoy while warm.  Be sure to breathe deeply.  Scent is curative and so are deep breaths.

Drinking chocolate makes me feel connected to the past.  I feel the Aztec, Maya and Inca rising up in me with the wafting scent of chocolate and spice.  My spirit is revived and refreshed.  I feel clear minded and poetic in a woozy, cozy sort of way.  Suddenly at one with the past and the present, I am ready to begin working in circles, starting in the middle.

Another image from a blog who's writer is in my hometown, Tasty Touring from Austin, TX.  This picture was snapped in Santa Fe.  Those amazing folks have created "Santa Fe's Chocolate Trail" and I'm putting it on the travel list.

Enjoy!  I think this may be at the heart of all things good...enjoyment.

xo,

Jen