Bullock Lake Farm, Salt Spring Island
van gogh quote / kate @ lofty mornings / 8 x 10 print
This week, I went on another secret mission and this time it involved flowers. My adventure was inspired by Dream Lab – a little summer project meant to encourage rest, play and the power of kindness.
My idea was simple, really. I bought a bundle of flowers from a local grocery store, attached notes to each of them and went for a walk early Sunday morning to deliver them randomly.
I felt sneaky when I placed this one in my neighbors newspaper…
…and giddy when I decorated a neighbor’s car.
By the time all of the flowers were delivered, I felt like I’d been on a joyous adventure. It was so much fun thinking about who would receive the flowers and how it would make them feel. Would it land on the doorstep of someone who really needed a bit of kindness today?, I wondered. And would they pass the kindness on in some way? I hope so.
What I learned from this secret mission is the same thing I learned from the last one. For me, the delight is in the delivery. I felt like I made an effort to put something good out into the world, and what I got back was tremendous joy.
That’s why random acts of kindness are this week’s one nice thing.
Do you have a similar story to share?
Well, I did it. I followed my very first Mondo Beyondo dream.
A Mondo Beyondo list is a list of outrageous dreams – the ones you would love to have happen if only they were possible. Dreams like, say, meeting the Queen or opening a B&B in Spain or kissing a crocodile. Crazy, wonderful, daring, lovely dreams.
For some reason, at the top of my list, I wrote the words VISIT A TROPICAL ISLAND. It didn’t surprise me that I wrote these words since I’d already been joking about it for about two years. (I want sun! beach! and papaya! was my usual refrain.) What surprised me was that I considered it a Mondo Beyondo dream.
The thing is, I sort of pride myself on having a spirit of adventure. I have lived in remote areas of the world, eaten new foods, spoken new languages. Wasn’t visiting a tropical island too…easy? Plus, wasn’t traveling somewhere for fun a silly thing to do now that I have a baby? Shouldn’t I be saving money for his college education or doing something…responsible?
In the end, after staring at the top of my Mondo Beyondo list for weeks, I did it anyway. I announced to all known faces that I was going to Hawaii.
And guess what happened? People started emailing me with great information about flight deals, places to stay and websites to visit. And even better, the people who I thought would be most resistant to the idea decided to join me. Suddenly, what I had considered a silly and impractical idea was turning out just fine.
Added to the fun was the fact that I got the chance to travel with my mom again. She is in her late 70s and for the last few years, has said that she would no longer travel. But when I mentioned this trip, she lit up and said YES immediately. A trip with my mom, which I thought was no longer possible, was a very special gift.
And the trip was fabulous.
What I learned from all this dreaming was that I have a little voice inside my head that often tells me what I should and shouldn’t do, and that this should-gal probably isn’t the best gauge of what I actually want and need. I also learned that it’s okay to think that dreams are silly, or even hilarious, and do them anyway.
My Mondo Beyondo list is several pages long, written at the top of my head over a 20-minute period. I will play with paint on canvas. I will cook with wild abandon. I will be kinder. I will be wiser. I will be proud of what I do professionally. I will have a dog. I am sure that some of the dreams on my list will resonate for a lifetime and others will fall away. I am also sure that following this one dream has opened the door – and my courage – to following the next one, and the next.
This week’s one nice thing is dedicated to dreaming impossible dreams.
(Even kissing a crocodile, which can be done here.)
Tell me, what are your Mondo Beyondo dreams?
Point-No-Point Resort on the Southwest coast of Vancouver Island.
A place where my sister, mom and their friends like to go painting.
The Opening of Eyes
by David Whyte
That day I saw beneath dark clouds
the passing light over the water
and I heard the voice of the world speak out,
I knew then, as I had before
life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.
It is the opening of eyes long closed.
It is the vision of far off things
seen for the silence they hold.
It is the heart after years
of secret conversing
speaking out loud in the clear air.
It is Moses in the desert
fallen to his knees before the lit bush.
It is the man throwing away his shoes
as if to enter heaven
and finding himself astonished,
opened at last,
fallen in love with solid ground.
from Songs for Coming Home
©1984 Many Rivers Press
helen acraman / we are strong / pen & ink on paper
This print caught my attention this morning in a WOW sort of way. For me, it is an image of a mama bear protecting and loving her sweet babe under a pale full moon. If I could have drawn something that expresses exactly how I feel today, this is what I would have liked to have drawn.
This week’s one nice thing is dedicated to artists who inspire me to think big thoughts about the ones I love.
Sunday was a great day.
For the first time in awhile, I took two hours for myself and went out to a cafe to do some thinking. Big thinking! Mondo Beyondo thinking! The kind of thinking that requires a sketchbook, pencil crayons and a good pen.
I chose Discovery Coffee on Oak Bay Ave for my project because I knew that this kind of morning required only the best coffee and liveliest music. When I arrived, I sat next to this beautiful painting, which served as my inspiration for the rest of the day:
selina jorgensen / tidepool series 2009 / acrylic + screen print on wood
Selina has a whole series of tidepool themed paintings on display at the cafe and I’d encourage you to stop by to take a look at them. (If you’re interested, her art is also available at Legacy, Polychrome and Etsy.)
After a beautiful morning, I decided to take my son to explore Mount Douglas Park beach in Cordova Bay. Max started walking on his own in December, and Sunday was the first time we had ever walked together along the beach. What a privilege.
It was amazing to watch him explore the rocks, shells, sand, sticks, driftwood and other treasures on his own. He found one rock, held it up in the air and yelled, “Daddeee!”, so I pocketed that one to give to my husband later on. He also pointed to anything round – clouds, rocks, leaves – and shouted, “Bubbles!”… because this week, of course, anything round is a bubble.
Two treasures found along the way:
I probably wouldn’t have noticed these rocks had I not taken a morning breather earlier in the day.
I also really noticed how much I appreciate living so close to the ocean. Sometimes, the salty air, blue light and sound of the waves is all I need to set things right again. Let me write in my little notebook today: “Always live near water.”
This week, one nice thing is ocean bubbles, in honour of my first walk on the beach with my son.
Our first home as a family.
“My life has become a collection of every good impulse I have ever had. I believe so strongly that those nagging ideas that won’t leave us alone, the places where we feel jealous, the urges we have to create something we have no business creating, they are all there to guide us, to take us somewhere interesting.”
