I am okay being unperfect.

The night was golden.

I love Oscar Sunday. I love the arts in all of its many and varied forms. Tonight, however, the Oscars were the backdrop for an even better production unfolding in my living room. A fire roared in the fire place. The living room had been given a good vacuuming. The kitchen was clean and the dishwasher was humming. Company was coming. C&C Martineau Factory brought young master C over for a play date. When the rest of the Martineau Factory returned, we had a great time laughing, sharing opinions and jokes, and recharging our social batteries. The C&C Martineau Factory remind me that I do have a social life and friends...or at least the potential for a social life. So while many worthy performers and performances took away golden statues to symbolize their accomplishments in the arts, I took away something more valuable than gold. I have good friends. And the memories we made tonight were priceless.

Me. Myself. I.

It's Valentine's Day. So much love going around. The floral designers are working like Santa's elves at 11:59 pm on the 23rd of December. The cashiers at Hallmark haven't had a coffee break since midnight last night. Hustle and bustle galore to find the perfect something to show that someone that you care. Which brings me to this question:

WHAT ABOUT ME?

Selfish? I think not. When was the last time I told myself that I loved me? When was the last time that I showed myself that I love me? Shouldn't Valentine's Day be as much about telling ourselves and showing ourselves that we love US ("us" meaning, "I love Me, Myself, and I"!) as it is about telling and showing others that we love them?

I say hell to the yes!

I have this book that sits on a shelf in my office. When I Loved Myself Enough, by Kim McMillen. I open it's pages at random times on different days. I wondered what today's random message to my soul would be. It was:

When I loved myself enough I began feeling a community within.

This inner team with diverse talents

and idiosyncrasies

is my strength and my potential.

We hold team meetings.

Coincidence? I think not. Everything happens for a reason.

So I say to myself, unabashedly and without hesitation: I LOVE ME! I LOVE MYSELF!! and I LOVE I!!!

This is my Valentine's gift to myself not only today, but ANY day!

Now, give the same gift to YOU...

The Buddhists call this mindfulness.

Though in many ways it's like un-mindfulness because it is all about entering into an empty-mind state, void of worries and fears and insecurities...a state that can be best achieved through regular meditation.

Which brings you to...

LIFE LESSON #23

When you practice regular meditation, you find you are able to see so much more.

Meditation works like one of those shake-up-snow-dome thingies - it helps the flaky stuff in your mind settle down, so you can see more clearly what you truly need and want.

So once a day you just sit. Stop. Become a human still life.

Except.

Do nothing.

Be nothing.

Except breathe. You become one with your breath. You breathe. In and out. In and out. You shhhhhhhh and ignore the shhhhhhhhhh*t.

Gently borrowed from, "how to be HAPPY, dammit: a cynic's guide to spiritual happiness", by Karen Salmansohn.

Mesmerized by Maya.

stretch. STRETCH. S T R E T C H yourself.

You say 'goodbye'. I say 'hello'.

You say 'goodbye' (2010), I say 'hello' (2011)!

With the smell of bleach and other cleaning products on my hands, I have rolled up my sleeves and set about the work of clearing the way for a new chapter to unfold in my life. Inspired by one of the wonder women in my justice league whose super powers happen to be in the art and mastery of feng shui, I find myself bustling around my house gently and thankfully ushering out the Old so that the New feels welcomed by a warm and comforting environment.

There are two words that seem to be finding themselves perfectly snuggled in to conversations of late. AUTHENTIC and ORGANIC. Being authentic is honoring the true ME. Doing what feels right for me right now. It means being present. Authenticity recognizes the magic of simple things. Authenticity is simple. It is true. Humbly seeking to remain in my authentic self lends itself to embracing life as a LIVING, breathing, ORGANIC process. The mixture of the elements of life are all here. Some ingredients need a bit of shaking and stirring to be primed for success. Other ingredients need a little heat; maybe some spice. But eventually, by trusting the natural flow of the grace around me, organically, the balance of my life is as it should be.

May health, happiness, and prosperity be yours as you say 'hello' to 2011.

Adventure awaits...

Let your heart be light.

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

Dr. Seuss

What is "a little bit more" for me? A roof over my head. A soft bed. People I love. Food to eat. Love in my life. Peace in my heart. The smile of a stranger. Re-connecting with an old friend. Making new friends. Embracing challenges. Gaining strength from challenges. A job I love. Doing what I love. A husband whom I adore. A daughter that is a miracle. Love in my life. Peace in my heart. In my minds eye, the prettiest bow would pale in comparison to the gifts I already have in my life.