My friend Wynia and I had breakfast at Fremont coffee last weekend  following up chai lattes and almond croissants with a gorgeous walk along the canal. On the way home we ran into Ben (Wynia’s wonderful, talented, fiddle playing boyfriend) and I shouted “don’t move!”, scooted back to the studio to get my camera and then snapped this portrait of the ‘family.’ Thank goodness they were patient and waited for me because I am so happy with this shot.  Rhuben cracks me up with his sweet face looking over at Wynia and Ben.  And see the brilliant hat Ben is wearing?  Wynia made it for him for his birthday.  She’s a talent, that girl:)

To be honest I am delightfully surprised just how fabulous this turned out. In fact, I think this deserves to be written in capitals. I LOVE THIS PORTRAIT!!! ALL THAT COLOR! ALL THAT MAGNIFICENT LOVE!!!

the end:)

xoxo

maddie

This morning I am a cafe gypsy writing at Fremont coffee tweaking tomorrow’s class for persisting soul. The day is in happy equilibrium, a half eaten chocolate croissant preens in front of me along with a deep cup of chai espresso, Ben Harper singing in the background with that smooth, unforgettable voice of his.

I love the solitude of this spiritual writing space even whilst I collect people and vibes as they chatter away in the background.

Blushing leaves flirt outside my perfect little window which looks out onto the saturday happiness abounding.

~ a man rakes leaves and then carries them (almost tenderly) in huge armfuls to a growing, fluttering pile teased by a roguish wind
~ another man cycles past on a green bicycle with a purple scarf and a cello on on his back
~on the wooden bench in front of the coffee shop a young woman wearing flip flops and a green kerchief wrapped around her blond tresses writes in her journal with a ‘little mermaid’ pencil ~ she doesn’t seem to mind the raindrops which linger from a night’s dalliance on the bench and the odd falling leaf that tumbles onto her page

This day has dazzle.

Come visit me if you are in the area! You can have the rest of my chocolate croissant.

xoxo

Maddie

polaroid sketchbook journal, October 16, 2011

‘this is the day that decides by itself to be beautiful’

~ henry shukman ~

Dear Diary

Beauty is so sacred.

As I sit here contemplating the marvel of the clouderpuffs I am filled with the echoic and thunderous beauty beneath our world.

I scan the horizon for a bold and daring sailor who will challenge me to some mythic task to prove my love for the great sigh of all things as old as love itself. This is my ‘craic’ (the real thing) and I lean into holy communion of all the unearthly, gossamer beauty.

This morning I am an augur, reading the signature of all things…the flight of flecked wing, the astonishment of the waves, the lustful bloom of where endings begin.

I can never be born enough when I drink in such haloed rosegold light of autumn’s pulse.

‘Miracles are to come.’ (ee cummings) The mystery of loving and growing, shining forth possessed by a blood surge for the poetry of life itself.

Once upon a time a worn, leatherbound book of travel poems was found at Ansel Adam’s cabin in Yosemite. I imagine a day such as this wanders lustfully betwixt painted words in those pages…

happy in the happiness

~ polaroid shot with my spectra camera, sofftone film for that lovely violet hue ~

so, this morning is playing my guitar and very strong coffee and humming away to myself.

this morning is golden autumnal colors that make me shake with joy, poppy red, foxglove blue, rose apple and smudges of yellow gold everywhere. it puts my soul in place I tell you. there is a stack of books and morning pages and my bicycle (waiting) not to mention a blackberry pear crumble in the oven.

holy dooles! there is such! gratitude for all your registrations for persisting soul! thank you for your leaping exuberance! 17 spots left, and my happy cup runneth over spilling into the sea and cavorting with the orca whales. speaking of ‘persisting soul’ i have been writing and tweaking and shooting films for this course ~ I am delighted to say there is so much to share that the class will now be six weeks long ~ i just can’t help myself:)   i need a song ~ does anyone have a song? i’ll be back with a song after i have some crumble with frozen vanilla yogurt.

xoxo maddie

Dear diary (polaroid sketchbook, Wednesday, September 21, 2011)

Inhale, exhale

Why does this happen every single time Autumn comes around? My creative being swells with a fecund movement of passion ribonning with ideas and projects, a tumble of words clamor towards a poem, any poem, my body races to the door to pedal my bicycle along the river…my appetite craves exotic tastes and so on and so forth. This week alone I have three photo shoots and hundreds of photo’s to process. I am moving websites, preparing to unveil the persisting soul photography course and trying to clear everything away so I can spend a weekend in Seattle with my friends.

and then…

In a fever of outpourings (poems and projects, recipes and bicycle rides along the river, hanging stars in the midnight sky with a glass of red wine waiting in the cool blue sand) suddenly I hit a wall. My oh so human body is tired and sore, my heart a tad weary and frustration seeps under the creative sanctuary door. Last night I was longing (such enthusiasm and longing!) to sit down and work on a project near completion so dear to my heart but I felt like weeping instead.

I – was – just – so – tired!

I have been pushing myself at time warp speed…creating, embracing, inventing, imagining with barely a glance at the clock. My body is crying out to me ~ ‘inhale, exhale pulleeeeeeze!’ There is such a delicate line between force and persistence aaaaaand longing with the natural ebb and flow of creativity. I am far happier when I create from a place of health and vitality, tapping into the full billowings of my imagination with a beautiful and organic rhythm.

and so

today as I write my morning pages I make this vow. I will take a long peaceful walk today and bear witness to the beauty of nature. Make a savory grilled vegetable homemade pizza for supper and enjoy it with my children and a glass of red wine. I will go to my yoga class and have a 20 minute savasna with mindful presence and quietude and release. I will make a batch of trail mix to keep in a jar in the studio for a little extra energy for the upcoming days. Elizabeth Barrett Browning said “Earth’s crammed with heaven’ ~ I want to inhale all that heaven! ( ALL of it in one breath!!!!)…but I have to honor my body and soul’s contented rhythms:)

I am listening to such insanely stunning music by that sensual man ‘Ben Harper.’ Particularly in love with ‘don’t give up on me now‘ which he sings acoustically , and oh! ‘high tide, low tide’ is truly exquisite. Here is a man so rare and out of the ordinary. When he sings I feel it is an act of worship straight from his soul to mine. I find myself harmonizing along when I play his music and I just…fill up!

This morning let me be reminded my life is a work of art. It is never finished, merely rests in interesting places. Today I rest in the ‘rest’ fully engaged and with whole heart:)

Maddie

I am having the dreamiest Sunday. Working. Listening to Jelly Roll Morton and Django too. (definitely in a gypsy jazz mood this morning) Wearing a cardigan. I might have said it before but I’ll say it again. I l o v e sweaters! They make me so happy, goodness knows why but they do so there you have it. Tomorrow I am going to a thrift shop to peruse the racks for some new cardigans. Hoping to find one in teal and fuschia and saffron.

Anyway, I forgot to mention I am am also drinking coffee and eating homemade buttermilk/cornmeal muffins with strawberry jam. The wind is rippling in gusts past my window beckoning me outside for a little cloud leaping while chestnuts and apples scatter from the treetops. The sky is so gorgeous ~ pearly grey mixed with lilac. Perhaps I will bring my polaroid sketchbook journal down to the beach and spill a little soulful ink onto the pages.

Speaking of soul…I finally chose ‘the’ image for my new photography course ‘Persisting Soul’ ~ I love this photo as it feels so on the cusp of new beginnings…perfect for a photography course that celebrates the essence of soul in life and art. Have a peek!…I am still working on the lettering…but in any case I am feeling quite happy with it.

I am in the midst of moving to a brand new website and hoping to debut ‘persisting soul’ in October ~ in the meantime registration is open for the original ‘persisting stars‘ photography course right here.

question!!!

I am so curious ~ what does living a soulFUL life mean to you ~ how do you bring a little ‘soul verve’ into your daily life?

Oh Django how I love you today ~ listen up ~ a song for you Sunday songbirds!

xoxo

~ Maddie ~

and woooooooot! thank you thank you thank YOU!! for all the sign ups for ‘Fireflies’ ~ get ready for a whole lot of joy in your inbox October 1st! I am genuinely thankful to all of you, so thankful:) muah!

~ my new nailpolish in very lovely mermaid/sea hue, a gift from my astonishingly beautiful friend Jillian ~

This morning is so magically beautiful already. My dog Roxy and I went for a walk along the beach and we returned home by way of the little park on Sullivan street where I discovered three trees spilling over with tiny, juicy, golden yellow plums. I picked a handful still warm from the sunshine and brought them home and promptly enjoyed the little beauties for breakfast with a bowl of Greek yogurt and cinnamon coffee on the porch off my studio.

listening to this..which has little whirring propellers spinning through my soulbones wanting to create something, anything most marvelous today

I love that creativity is making something from myself.

Perfect!!!

I think I am a ‘poesie~ologist’ ~ uncovering with a keen soul all all the poetry and wonder out there in the world, plump and juicy waiting to be picked just like those golden plums of my morning. (I hope I invented that word:)

This week I am feeling euphoric about kayaking ~ planning a trip to Douglas bay on Gambier Island, visiting a lovely friend in Seattle for coffee Friday morning and poking about second hand book shops looking for…well, books on poetry. I am adding wonderful new classes to my ‘photography and the wonder of seeing’ course and then to celebrate…making jam with those above mentioned plums ~ perhaps even plum~grapefruit marmalade.

Oh! and I was gifted a coupon for a 25.00 flying lesson ~ think I am going to go try this out ~ eeep!

What are you creating this week?

xoxo

Madddie

~ writing in my polaroid journal in the cabin on Vashon Island, morning coffee ~

roadtrippin’ (again!) new ‘old’ friends, Island parties, morning journaling in the cabin, poems that write themselves, waking up (dreaming) thrummings, happy vibes and Sunday conversations, a favorite song (singing), leaning into vulnerability, hummingbirds and swans and moon shells, another day, new beginnings, old maps

annual belly dancing party on Vashon Island…the house was on the ocean and exquisite beyond belief…

Wynia and I fell in love with henna ~

~ rehearsing before the party ~ there were carpets and tents scattered everywhere

~ a whole lotta love here…and Ben and Wynia share it gladly ~

~ I stayed in the Red room cabin at Ben’s parent’s home ~ this was my first cup of coffee in the morning of the infamous hangover ~

~ the boys ~ (ben, (on the right) his dad David, his brother in law Steve)

~ Jane (Ben’s mom) thought a Dr.Pepper would help my hangover ~

~ and Rhubin ~ because you have to have a picture of Rhubin ~

oh!

and i have lots of wonderful video’s coming shortly…but this one charmed me
because who can resist a pink lemonade fountain?

My girlfriend Catherine came over this weekend. I love this girl so much. She always brings gifts. Which is not why I love her but it certainly is delightful nonetheless. This time it is was a Trader Joe’s swiss chocolate bar and oatmeal/aniseed hand made soap. (my bathroom smells so wonderful!) We went for a walk on Crescent beach and chatted nonstop until we realized it was 1:30 in the morning and the wine was all gone. (and the chocolate too come to think about it)

My entire weekend was filled with exquisite moments and lots of laughter, little bees and sonnets.

Yesterday morning for example I got up very very (very!) early, slipped on sandals, a skirt, a pale pink sleeveless top and wandered down to the local coffee shop. It was a pretty ‘wander’…the lane was scattered with poppy petals and the fading scent of lilacs and even strawberries for some odd reason. One cottage had green shutters.

I ordered a double caffè macchiato and chocolate croissant and sat on the wooden steps out front in the sunshine scoping all the seapeople arriving with picnic baskets and yellow pails and paisley blankets. Little bees bumped against my bare knees and everyone said ‘good morning’ (still sleepy) as the deck filled up with newspapers and small dogs and beautiful exclamations for the perfect summer day (and all the while the sky kept opening up above, golden)

Oh, I must have been there for almost two hours! My skin has a soft caramel glow and the first constellation of freckles are appearing.

I love coffee shops.

They sing to my bones.

Later I sat out on the little balcony off of my studio penning hand written letters to friends….moving my chili pepper lights around and listening to this album and thinking. A lot of distance was covered in my heart and I practiced the guitar…tidal ebbs undulating through my voice as I sang like a passion flower unfurling.

I cannot remember ever being happier.

What are you up to this week dear hearts?

xoxo

Maddie

~ ‘singing happiness’ shot with my spectra polaroid camera and sofftone film for ‘words to shoot by’ this week ~

It is a funny thing, happiness. How surprisingly tender, unexpected and delightful it can be. Take this morning, for instance. My happiness is the breakfast that I am eating up in my studio ~ a jar of pistachio’s, a little yellow bowl of frozen organic vanilla yogurt, a cup of mexican coffee and a platter of blood oranges and ruby grapefruit. I have the door to my balcony opened wide off to the side of my studio and the birds are singing without breaking anything. I can tell they are completely in love with their life.

And I am completely in love with my weekend. Filled to the brim with joy I have to say. My daughter Tess and I went to such a beautiful film on Mother’s day ~ ‘water for elephants’...you simply must go see it as it is a feast for the eyes and the soul I tell you. Poetic cinematography! The enchanting allure of the circus! Elephants! The triumph of love over evil! What’s not to love about that? I would see it again in a heartbeat and if the sun wasn’t shining in such an irresistible way today I might have played hooky from work just to slip into that world once again. Later in the evening my son Noah asked if we could rent this film and we curled up with apple~blackberry pie and icecream and watched it cozily by the fire which obviously meant a double dose of happiness on Sunday.

This weekend I also shot some truly delightful polaroids with my spectra camera for ‘words to shoot by.‘ The word for this week is ‘tree” which greatly thrilled my tree hugging soul. Clearly, it appealed to everyone else’s soul as well because there are a record number of contributions ~ go see…and then run out and hug a favorite tree of your own. Your heart will leap with joy I promise you.

Oh! And can I tell you just one more thing? In my little corner of the world a sweet new cafe opened a few days ago. I was walking home with my dog Roxy and we popped by with my flip camera and caught the owner’s son a bit off guard but it was worth it ~ because Roxy got a free biscuit. Needless to say she will be insisting we walk that way home from the beach every day now, that is for sure:)

I have a thought running around in my head ~ I am hungry for some new mix cd’s and was wondering if any of you out there would like to trade a mix with me? I will send you one of my most fabulous compilations of lovely songs and you can send me one of yours. Yes? E~mail me at livingcheerfully@gmail.com if this sounds up your alley.

What music are you listening to lately? I want to know!

xoxo

Maddie

WAIT WAIT!!! Just in case you are interested…I have a facebook page for living cheerfully. Even on less than perfect days here….