Life Well Lived #7: Change
To change is to be vulnerable. And to be vulnerable is to be alive. –Alexis De Veaux A phrase that makes me smile [sometimes grimace] are Seneca’s words about how those who go willingly are guided by The Fates while those who resist are dragged. I smile thinking of times I’ve resisted changes of habits, work and associations and had to be dragged in new directions. Change can be difficult. It means stepping away from the familiar and into the unknown. It can also be vital. In researching good reasons for change, I found a list of ten reasons, including new opportunities for happiness and the fresh starts that add excitement to life. Read more. Another list offers twelve benefits, such as the increased resilience, versatility and confidence that build strength. Read more. Change. Hmmm. Now I’m thinking: What must be modified before The Fates drag me again? What door must close so that new ones open? How can I feel more alive? The answers are challenging. How about you? When has a change helped? Why not share a few words? Comment on this post [Leave A Reply below]. * Fireballs & Star Showers Social distancing and quarantining has definitely limited entertainment options. Next week, the heavens offer two marvelous and free shows. With a waning, quarter moon, they will be easy to see. Here’s how to find the celestial star shows. [Fortunately, as Earth spins, Pittsburgh will turn toward those constellations at night, rather than during daytime,] For summer’s best and brightest, see the Perseids Also view The Delta –Aquariids and alpha Capricornids Comment. Leave A Reply [below] if and where you see the star shows. Enjoy. * This Week’s Special Offer Each week, my Featured Art is offered at 25% off [plus any discounts offered by my Galleries]. Shop here. Thank you for visiting my galleries and for your purchases. They support Succeed and Soar.
Life Well Lived #6: Selecting Memory
What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us. – Helen Keller Every time folks new to Pittsburgh visit, I offer tours. They always include Mount Washington [see gorgeous picture] then the dancing fountains below. One night as Ron from Georgia watched the leaping sprays, he asked why I was smiling, for no apparent reason. My answer: I was remembering a fun visit with my grandson and his cousin. In Jim Rohn’s must-read The Art of Exceptional Living, this guide for making your life a masterpiece reminds to take tons of pictures, especially of uplifting experiences. They’re memory prompts, which are important because … Sometimes my brain produces parades of could’a, should’a done regrets. Ugh! After enough brow beatings, I’ve learned to ask for feel-good memories which is why creating Paths to Joy helps. Once such places are found, they’re easier to visit again. As stated by Becky Aligata in the “Autumn Treasures” post “Memories are like treasures locked deep within the storehouse of our souls; to keep our hearts warm.” Keep good ones. Beat The Heat! 15 Ways to Stay Cool in Hot Weather as well as how to handle emergencies like heat stroke, heat edema and more. This Week’s Special Offer This week’s Featured Art is offered at 25% off [plus any discounts offered by my Galleries]. Shop here. Thank you for visiting my galleries and for your purchases. They support Succeed and Soar.
Life Well Lived #5: The Power and Delights of Three
The best things in life come in threes. Friends, dreams, and memories. Mencius Because the number three was also the foundation of last week’s post [the three steps to paradise] and because a friend mentioned “three” is a special number, I investigated and found these beliefs: If you keep seeing the number 3, it means a guardian angel is telling you to expect good luck. Read more. Biblically, three is the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, which signifies growth. Read more. Three also indicates that the combination of mind, body and spirit are elevated. Read more. Astrologically, three is associated with the planet Jupiter [abundance, knowledge, wisdom] and Sagittarius, the sign associated with Jupiter. Read more. Last on this list [though there is much more], three indicates versatility and the pure joy of creativity. Three also represents past, present and future. Read more. I had no idea numbers could mean far more than what they add up to. So, enjoy friends, dreams, memories and all good things that come in threes. Live well, stay safe and enjoy this week’s featured video. Keep A Diary This pandemic period is an extraordinary time. Because it seems pivotal and is changing us, why not keep a photo-journal. Memories of how we shop, shelter in place, communicate, observe social distancing and our evolving views of life could be precious in years to come. Here are tools and resources: Importance of Keeping a Pandemic Diary How to Start & Keep a Pandemic Diary * This Week’s Special Offer: Lilies Each week, the featured art is offered at 25% off [plus any discounts offered by my Galleries]. Shop here. Thank you to everyone who visits the galleries and for your purchases. They support Succeed and Soar. NOTE The original image was shot with a Nikon Coolpix camera. The jpg was “developed” using Microsoft Digital Suite [kept on an old computer].
Life Well Lived #4: Three Steps to Paradise
I took three steps and found myself in Paradise. The first step was a good thought, the second, a good word, and the third, a good deed. – Friedrich Nietzsche This week’s plant is Echinacea, also called purple cone flowers, known for boosting the immune system, especially in helping to heal the common cold, and other wellness benefits. Echinacea is a perennial. Once planted, it returns every year. Thinking of health, for the past twenty years, I’ve intended to improve mine by trimming and toning my body. Alas, perhaps you’ve heard the saying: Repeating the same behaviors and expecting different results is, ummm, unrealistic. In my journey to a life well lived and physical fitness, Nietzsche’s three steps would be a good start, especially the third which would involve turning off my television and getting off the chaise lounge [smile]. Join me! Continuing on last week’s love note about drive-in theaters, just found this list of the Parade’s top picks from each state. I hope you’re soon enjoying movies under the stars. NOTE: The videos offered with each post are chosen for visual interest, inspiration, ideas and brevity. This week’s pick will definitely make you smile Ice Cream This Sunday, July 19th is National Ice Cream Day. Even better, all of July is National Ice Cream Month. Here are eight easy, breezy recipes for making your own fabulous ice cream at home. One is a three-ingredients, chocolate delight [no ice cream freezer needed]. There’s also a dairy-free coconut caramel treat. Yum! This Week’s Special Offer: Rocket Echinacea Each week, a featured item is offered at 25% off [plus any discounts offered by my Galleries] which can save an additional 30% savings. Shop here. Thank you to everyone who visits the galleries and for your purchases. They support Succeed and Soar. NOTE The original was shot with a Nikon Coolpix camera. The jpg was “developed” in Microsoft Digital Suite. [I like this software and keep it on an older computer.]
Two Short Videos: Mark Twain Wit & a Parable
The right word may be effective, but never as effective as a rightly timed pause. — Mark Twain One of my greatest joys is discovering great, little videos and sharing them. Allow yourself a couple special minutes, relax and enjoy. Write and let me know what inspired and uplifted you. Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford Presenting art to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thing and inspire. Sage, life-enriching observations. Click on Image or view here: https://youtu.be/RmEY88jfPMc A marvelous, 3-minute parable. Click on image or here to view: https://youtu.be/7ll7vrGHV2s Life Well Lived offers floral photographs, wise words and invitations to see life as a garden of possibilities. This 60-page book offers lots of space for personal notes, sketches and meditations. Here are opportunities to both enjoy life’s seasons and find enrichment. A great gift. * 5×8 $14.50 Preview and Purchase. * 8×10 $19.00 Preview and Purchase. Thanks for shopping! While a How-To Illustrated Wisdom video is developed for Life Well Lived, here’s a helpful companion, Self Care through Visual Journaling: 5 Easy Steps.
Life Well Lived #3: Tough As Nails
If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud. -Emile Zola Might the one place on Earth with more human diversity than the United States – races, religions, ethnicities, etc. – be the planet itself? Because of all these differences, the U.S. has extraordinary potential. A personal goal for a Life Well Lived could be to ‘live out loud,’ vibrant and enthused as Zola said. Along the way, that individual energy could make the world great [in addition to America]. On Wednesday night, in the first episodes of the CBS TV show Tough As Nails, I saw two challenges which seem like metaphors for how wealth is achieved. One trial was of individuals seeking to win ahead of everyone else. The other test involved people working together to reach First Place as a team. Most heartwarming was how opponents encouraged other’s efforts best efforts. Thank you, Phil Keoghan [also the host], Louise Keoghan and Anthony Carbone for producing a program that reminds what makes human beings everywhere Great. Check out Tough As Nails. NOTE: The videos offered with each post are chosen for visual interest, inspiration, ideas and brevity. This week, enjoy an uplifting and lovely moment from the movie Akeelah and The Bee. Outdoor Movie Theaters A favorite summer memory from childhood was watching movies under the stars. Thank goodness, drive-in movies remain. During these social distancing times, here are ways to find them: 18 Best Drive-in Theaters 7 Drive-in’s [relatively] close to Pittsburgh Create your own theater under the stars An added, special feature: The first time I saw shooting stars was when they kept zoom-zoom-zooming over a drive-in movie screen. Each week, a featured item is offered at 25% off [plus any discounts offered by my Galleries]. This week, “Shasta Daisies” is on sale. Shop here. Thank you to everyone who visits the galleries and for your purchases. They support Succeed and Soar. NOTE The original image was shot with a Nikon Coolpix camera. The jpg was “developed” in Adobe Photoshop Elements 14. In addition to enriching the color saturation and vibrance, the image was processed through a filter that gives the Watercolor effect.
Life Well Lived #2: Independence
Too much of a good thing can be wonderful. —Mae West On a Wise Walk as part of the Cooper Siegel’s exercise program, I spotted Mae West’s [bio] words among many quotes printed throughout the Pittsburgh Mills Mall. Her thoughts about good things were always planned as the second ‘Life Well Lived’ post, which happens to coincide with Independence Day. In researching West, I learned that fashion icon Andre Leon Talley said she was the pioneering “sexual gangster” who blazed trails for Cher, Madonna, Rihanna and Beyonce. Among Mae West’s many, most quoted quips are: A hard man is good to find. Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me? I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it and three times to make sure. She began making movies in her forties. One year, her earnings came in second, a bit behind fabulously rich William Randolph Hearst. This wealth let West buy a building and remove the ban that denied entrance to a black friend. In the United States, July 4 celebrates this country’s Declaration of Independence from British rule. This day can also spark individual declarations of independence from inhibiting beliefs so that lives well lived can be built on more personally healthy and pleasing foundations. NOTE: The videos offered with each post are chosen for visual interest, inspiration, ideas and brevity. This week, enjoy Mae West. These financial resources are offered in my region. Check for similar support in your area. Small Business Assistance Pennsylvania grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 are available to qualifying enterprises that have suffered financially due to COVID-19. The first of several rounds opened June 30 and runs for ten days. Information & Application. Emergency Funding for Artists of Color. $500 grants are offered to artists living in Southwestern Pennsylvania’s nine counties. Funds can be used for rent, groceries, childcare, bills, etc. Apply here. Please share with those who could benefit. Each week, a featured item is offered at 25% off [plus any discounts offered by my Galleries]. This week, “Lacy Purple” is on sale. Also “Baby Grapes” from last week. Shop here. Thank you to everyone who visits the galleries and for your purchases. They support Succeed and Soar. NOTE The original image was shot with a Nikon Coolpix camera. The jpg was “developed” in Adobe Photoshop Elements 14. In addition to enriching the color saturation and vibrance, the image was processed through a filter that gives the Watercolor effect.
Life Well Lived #1: Baby Grapes
Attend to and nourish the garden of your becoming. -Jean Houston This post begins the new Succeed and Soar theme: Life Well Lived. Each week, you’ll receive a wisdom to consider. Because the first quote mentions garden, my floral photographs will illustrate this theme. I was going to take a summer break to focus on my own gardens and my novel. Last night, I decided to stay in touch and hope you’ll take a moment to meditate on the featured picture and quote. What fruits do you want to grow in your garden? Share your thought here. In the meantime, live well. Stay safe. The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug. — Mark Twain One of my EMail joys is the The New York Times “Word A Day “. It’s called, “The most welcomed, most enduring piece of daily mass e-mail in cyberspace.” In this one-minute read, I gain a word’s: definition origin and usage Author Hart Crane said, “One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper patterns at the right moment.” Word A Day is a quick and delightful, daily shower. Learn more. This Week’s Special Offer Each week, a featured item is offered at 25% off [plus any discounts offered by my Galleries]. This week, my ethereal photograph “Baby Grapes” is selected. Shop here. Thank you for your purchases. They help support Succeed and Soar. NOTE The original image was shot with a Nikon Coolpix camera. The jpg was “developed” in Adobe Photoshop Elements 14. Along with enriching color and enhancing the lighting, a primary adjustment was use of the Accented Edges filter.
Path to Joy: 12th of 12 – Your Magnificence
Let us remember that within us there is a palace of immense magnificence. Teresa of Avila The last of these Twelve Paths to Joy is: Allowing Our Magnificence. This concept aligns with the United States’ founding belief, written by Thomas Jefferson:We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Now, add these uplifting thoughts: Limitless is your potential. Magnificent is your future. Gordon B. Hinckley Be magnificent. Life’s short. Get out there. You can do it. Everyone can do it. Everyone. -Andy Serkis When we focus on special gifts that allow happiness, what wonderful lives become possible. What joys can bloom in the world. Read the entire Declaration of Independence that begins: When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for a people to dissolve political bands which have connected them with another … I hope you enjoy this “Paths to Joy” series. I’m working on a beautiful little book. When it’s finished, Join My Mail List and you’ll be the first to know. Each “Path to Joy” and its art is in this special section here at Succeed and Soar. Stop by for refreshments, and be sure to view The Right Cut [Kut Kings] video. This true story about a barber shop on wheels will warm your heart, make you smile and shed a tear of joy. A Path to Joy Arts Meditation: Your Magnificence What I like best about the picture The glowing flowers. Why They’re like a meadow of Independence Day fireworks, seeds grown into fields of bright possibilities. What does this picture teach? I understand each Illustrated Wisdom is a symbol-rich reminder from my heart and soul to my mind. This one teaches that I exist in a field of many who glow with magnificent talents. How can these insights lead to joy? Marianne Williamson gives a great answer, We are all meant to shine, As children do. We were born to make manifest The glory of God that is within us. Read entire poem Seek joy! NOTE: These ‘Paths to Joy’ are adapted from The Treasure Chest, an old book I found years ago. Page 117 contained “The Twelve Rules of Happiness.” Of special delight is using paints markers and ink to illustrate meditations inspired by this wisdom. The technique is adapted from the book Visual Journaling, Going Deeper Than Words, by Barbara Ganim and Susan Fox. For information about and to purchase the art, visit Sandra’s Galleries.
Path to Joy: 11th of 12 – Follow Your Bliss
If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are — if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time. – Joseph Campbell What is bliss? Answer: Perfect happiness. Gladness. Pleasure. Delight. Joy. I first heard “follow your bliss” on the eve before traveling to the Dow Creativity Center in Midland, Michigan. That charming town’s library had a whole section of Joseph Campbell interviews and lectures. After watching one every morning, I realized that life could be understood as an amazing and magical journey. In myths, heros encounter dragons and shape-shifters, unicorns and gryphons, basilisks and phoenix birds. I’ve found those traits in people. Against obstacles built by trolls and opportunities opened by fairy godparents, one goal is clear: Maintain personal truth, grace and internal harmony. As Abraham Lincoln said of the 11th Path to Joy: I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have. In that light, happiness is possible. How? Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. – Mahatma Gandhi A Path to Joy Arts Meditation: Grace & Harmony The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become. – Heraclitus What I like best about the picture: The flowing, multi-colored lines. Why I like the image: The lines suggest the graceful, harmonious, effortless dance that life can be. What the picture teaches: To me, this picture suggests letting my life flow toward beauty, grace and harmony. The insights gained: Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. — Henry David Thoreau I gain the belief that living in my best and brightest truth [despite the price], in finding and following my unique way through life as best I can is a Path to Joy. Seek joy and stay safe! NOTE: These ‘Paths to Joy’ are adapted from The Treasure Chest, an old book I found years ago. Page 117 contained “The Twelve Rules of Happiness.” Of special delight is using paints markers and ink to illustrate meditations inspired by this wisdom. The technique is adapted from the book Visual Journaling, Going Deeper Than Words, by Barbara Ganim and Susan Fox. For information about and to purchase the art, visit Sandra’s Galleries.