Hump Day

We saw Bob Dylan last night!

Wednesday is my day to re-group and re-define my week. First I make a plan for getting over the bump of the mid-week, then I re-envision my emotional tone and perspective.

Agenda today:

1. My bump plan

2. Read "The Book of Doing and Being"

3. Brainstorm for Nature-Culture

4. Writing themes and passion plan

May First Quarter Moon

Tonight is the First Quarter Moon; we are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle. The moon is waxing - getting larger - until it's full again. Now is the time to remain flexible, use my obstacles as fuel for growth, and show full effort for priorities.

I use this May quarter moon's energy to create strength. I will remember to exercise, eat well, rest, and get healthy, and also, keep up my mental strength for the things that matter. 

Agenda: 

1. Read "That Clear and Certain Sound":

2. Journal queries

3. Make a full effort plan

4. Writing themes and passion flow plan:

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day! The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970, and it still remains a big event in the environmental movement. Interest and participation in Earth Day has increased and spread around the world, with millions of people taking part. 

My plans for this week have taken a giant turn, so today I am regrouping and working to not let this turn derail me. I'll use my Mid-week Bump Plan to defeat the hump that often makes me feel stuck: A plan to help me build momentum and preserve the goodness of the week throughout each of the five days, so that I arrive at Saturday feeling fulfilled and content.

Agenda today:

1. My bump plan

2. Ongo journal

3. New narrative for worry

4. Writing themes and passion flow plan

Defeat the Hump

I've made a mid-week bump plan to defeat the hump that often makes me feel stuck: A plan to help me build momentum and preserve the goodness of the week throughout each of the five days, so that I arrive at Saturday feeling fulfilled and content.

Agenda:

1. My bump plan

2. Writing themes and passion flow plan

Mid-Week Bump

I've been pretty consistently having a mid-week dip in energy, and today I want to look at ways to build momentum for the end of the week. I think I can be proactive, and make a plan to preserve the goodness of the week throughout each of the five days, so that I arrive at Saturday feeling fulfilled and content.

Agenda:

1. My bump plan

2. Renewal brainstorm:

3. Writing themes and passion flow plan:

April Flow

April is spring; the yellows and violets of March explode into all the amazing colors of the rainbow: orange tulips, pink azaleas, red-flowering currant, fresh green, and the blue true dream of sky - that rich blue of patience, peace, and understanding.

During this middle month of spring, I celebrate the limitless energy of the maiden and the crazy wisdom of the fool. I turn everything upside down and inside out - anything is possible! April offers me happiness and wonder; maybe now I can say YES with vigor, enjoy the surprises, confusion, and chaos that life brings, and feel comfortable in the depths of my life.

Agenda: 

1. Read "The Book of Doing and Being"
2. Creative imagining for spring bliss
3. Bliss brainstorm
4. Projects for the week

5. Writing themes and passion flow plan

World Day of Prayer

The World Day of Prayer takes place every year on the first Friday in March. Women in the United States and Canada first formed this event after the devastation of World War I, when they were convinced that world peace was tied to world mission. Each year, Christian women from all over the world join together to plan and organize events, and suggest a theme and focus.

This year the theme was set by the women of Nigeria:

I Will Give You Rest: Come

Matthew 11:28-30

At a time when people worldwide are carrying heavy burdens, our Nigerian sisters offer profound insights into finding rest in God. Through their exploration of different kinds of burdens - shame, systemic oppression, religious persecution, poverty and despair - the writers help us understand both the weight of human suffering and the depths of divine rest. Their work shows us that true rest isn't just about physical relief, but about transformation through God's grace and community support.

Agenda:

1. Devotions
2. Beingness 

3. Earth Action

4. Read Matthew 11:28-30

5. Prayer for the Poor

6. Prayerful Action

7. Read "Perspective"

8. New narrative for building trust

9. Writing themes and passion flow plan

Days of Passion

I began a Slow Passion Project last July, working to SLOW DOWN and GO WITH the FLOW, and INVOLVE MY WHOLE SELF in my Nature-Culture project. It went pretty well for a while, and now I want to recommit and reignite!

Agenda:

1. Read "The Art of Simple Living"

2. Clarify my passion plan

3. Ongo journal

4. Four days of passion

5. Flow plan

Creative Flow

My creative energy is all going into our big home project these days, with only a little left over for making things. That will begin to transition soon, so today I will dream a bit about days of creative flow.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Creativity Book"

2. Evaluate my creativity habits

3. Craftivism plans

4. Preschool plans

5. Studio

6. Do the smallest thing

Days of Passion

On Fridays I make a plan for Nature-Culture flow and writing through the next week. My Nature-Culture theme this month is water, drought, plastic and pollution, and rain gardens, and I'm also working on the idea of the intersection of Nature and Culture: Is there a balance point, like a Yin yang, between the two? How can I better incorporate a sense of my wild animal instinctual being into my days, and thinking like an earth dweller rather than a person from mars?

• S: Write about awareness and eco-spiritual practices with bodies of water; how to understand local fishes.
• Listen and advise the EC group; discuss the theme "Our Garden, Our Earth" and bring ideas for ways to stretch ourselves with minimal effort.
• Weed and mulch new butterfly beds, build hugelkulture, plant clover?
• Paint a moon painting in the studio.
• M: Write about rethinking cleaning supplies (because of streams); plastics, oil, what else?
• Plan for my own cleaning supplies and plastics.
• T: Write about Autumn awareness ideas 
• W: Write about celestial viewing; get Moon books.
• Th: Write about plastics advocacy and education, trout-friendly education and craftivism; 
• Th: Plan fall themes, projects, and skills for teaching Nature-Culture to kids - Outdoor preschool!
• Design a new craftivism fish tag
• F: Write about how to be an ally for the water that flows through your land; also stormwater rain gardens and water-wise planting.

Doing Without Trying

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health and home, and prepare for Grandson fun.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Sweet Spot"

2. Home projects

3. Plan for Nature-Culture flow

4. Creative visualization

Happiness and Flow

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health and home, and prepare for Grandson fun.

Agenda:
1. Read "The Sweet Spot"

2. My exercise plan

3. Studio project

4. Plan for Nature-Culture flow

Week of Passion

On Sunday I began my Slow Passion Project, an extension of my Flow Project. I've been working to SLOW DOWN and GO WITH the FLOW, and this month I'm adding INVOLVE MY WHOLE SELF.

The parts of passion are drive, commitment, concentration, clarity, and flow.

Agenda:

1. Read "Brainstorm"

2. Clarify my passion plan
3. Four days of passion

Part 3: Passion

I'm continuing my big project to transform my life towards hope, resilience, and flow, because these will allow me to be a wise, flexible, creative, and positive leader for my family, community, and for the earth. 

The last part of the project (that I haven't touched on yet) is to be passionate and brave - let go of caution and involve myself wholeheartedly with what I love. Stretch beyond the way I’ve always done things.

Agenda:

1. Love Meditation

2. Read "First Things First"

3. Creative visioning

4. Make an inspirational postcard

Flow Project Review

In May I started a big project to transform my life towards hope, resilience, and flow, because these will allow me to be a wise, flexible, creative, and positive leader for my family, community, and for the earth. This project has three parts: 

• I intend to start with personal leadership, asking how can I improve the underlying system of my life?

• I intend to live in the flow, with immediacy – slow down and just BE, in this moment- aware and awake, listening to my intuition and messages from the Universe.

• I intend to be passionate and brave - let go of caution and involve myself wholeheartedly with what I love. Stretch beyond the way I’ve always done things.

I've done some great research and gone off on several tangents. Today I want to draw it all together and plan some next steps.

Agenda:

1. Read "Everyday Simplicity"

2. Systems review

3. Creative mindfulness ideas

First Quarter Moon of Early June

Tonight is the First Quarter Moon; we are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle. The moon is waxing - growing in light and energy, creating a time for decisive action. I use this early June quarter moon's energy to build my physical energy and discipline to consistently take creative action (and build my creative muscle through doing the reps). 

Agenda Today:

1. Read "A Book That Takes It's Time"

2. Journal queries
3. Make a full effort plan

New Dragon Moon

Tonight is the new moon; the Chinese call the fifth new moon the Dragon Moon. Chinese dragons are a symbol of cosmic Chi, good fortune, and new beginnings, but the time around the Dragon Moon is strongly yang, with bright sunlight and moist heat. The Chinese consider this to be a dangerous and unhealthy season and they have customs to protect against the excessive yang energy.

I feel strong and effective when I am able to harness my yang energy to get stuff done, but I like to remember that yang's best aim is to protect yin, and yin's best function is to nurture yang; life is good when I have each in a kind of dynamic balance.

This week I will make an effort to bring a balance of restorative yin energy to my life: Slow down, rest well, drink more water, and practice ‘discipline of purpose’.

Agenda:

1. Journal queries

2. Read "5 Resets"

3. Do Less plan

4. Simplify the kitchen

5. Choose a month theme

6. Set intentions

Retreat for Creative Risk

Saturdays are usually my day of retreat and contemplation, and on this late Saturday of May I'm contemplating a transformative shift towards hope, resilience, and flow. I've opened the door, done some planning, and the next step is to take a creative risk.

"Creativity is our greatest super-power, the rich resource that leads us towards transformation. ... Creativity is risky by nature, because it puts us on an uncertain path that we can only see by taking it. Your journey towards transforming your world will lead to more and more unpredictability - it's the nature of transformation. The trick is to learn how to be comfortable with uncertainty, and trust in the creative process. You have the map, and your Truth is a beacon of light shining the way; you just need to take the first step, and trust that your process has been good."  (Ducks in a Row)

Agenda:

1. Read "The Creativity Book"

2. Brainstorm some risks to take

3. Simple project list

Summer Nature-Culture Flow

Nature Culture is (perhaps) my final Flow Project component; my working definition of Nature-culture is "humans living in unity with nature: acting in ways that create shared spaces that mimic the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems."

To see a list of all the parts and principles of nature-culture see my Nature-Culture page. Today I will make a plan for how to interweaving nature and earthcare action gently into my daily flow. 

Agenda:

1.  Read "The Serviceberry"

2. Watering by hand

3. Care for native bees

4. Use my harvest

5. Pay it forward

Grandma Camp

My week has a flow that includes two energetic grandsons. I need a plan for my grandson days that helps me to flow from one activity to another with little effort, slow down and just BE, in the moment- aware and awake, listening to my intuition, calm and flexible and loving.

This plan needs to touch on all of their priorities: Biking/walking, playing, artwork, eating lunch together, adventures, and clean-up time.

These are the next steps I need to take for my big Flow Project:

Agenda:

1. Summer day flow routine

2. Grandma Camp plans