You are currently browsing the Expatriate living category.
Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational word of the week, but instead of posting that, I’ve decided to focus on writing about the 9 Basic Human Needs, according this article by Barbara Taylor.
Last week, I talked about my top 3 needs here, and although I didn’t link to it in the first post, I also wrote about one of my basic needs, Acceptance, in the Inspirational word of the week here.
In no particular order, the 9 Basic Human Needs are
- Security = Asks lots of questions and demands more information.
- Adventure = Always looking for a new way of doing things.
- Freedom = Needs to make their own choices. Resists rules.
- Exchange = Works well with others to share values.
- Power = Strong leadership tendencies. Good organizers and accept responsibility.
- Expansion = Needs to build and grow. Recognizes value.
- Acceptance = Friendly and tolerant. Smiling and whistling is normal.
- Community = Likes to be around other people. Nurturing and helpful.
- Expression = Creative with words, art, or even computer stuff.
Last Friday night at the Beets, Beats & Eats Farmers market, with a great deal of help from my friends, we held the very first Enjoy the Process Coloring Contest! Wweeeeeeee!!!! It went so well!! Our winner is a lady named Gayle Dodds, a new artist, and vendor at the BB&E. Out of the 26 entries, her piece received the most votes from all of the people in the park. The prize was a collection of all of the entry fees, which totaled $26. (My prize was seeing her beautiful smile light up the park! ) She had never won anything before, and she was absolutely tickled pink! She happily floated around for the rest of the night and promised to enter into next years contest as well! I couldn’t be happier for her and I’m completely thrilled with the excitement and enthusiasm of all of the people who participated!
So next year I’m planning on adding categories for different ages as well as mediums, including glitter & glue, beads, seeds, stones, fabrics and mosaic tiles! It’s great to have something fun to look forward to!!!
“It’s good to be doing what I’m supposed to be doing with the people I’m doing it with”
When I first read through the 9 Basic Human Needs, I first thought I needed Community because I like to be around people, (which is one of the requirements), but later, as I continued reading, I realized that I have more of a need for Exchange because, according to Barbara Taylor’s article “People with a need for exchange are concerned about the flow of energy in all types of relationships. They like to see things “moving” in some way that expresses balanced equality, integrity and an equal exchange.”
When I decided last November to put together this coloring contest, I had no idea that this was because of my need for Exchange. It just seemed like something I’m supposed to be doing. I needed to give people something special to do in a fun atmosphere. Ever since I had my epiphany in Mexico, I’ve hosted art classes for kids and grown-ups, as well as English and cooking classes while I was living in Brasil. That was when I started writing this blog.
Which leads me to my 3rd basic need, Expression. My need of Expression first manifested itself when I started making my burlap art in Mexico. I took a simple project I had first done in the fourth grade and expanded on it by making and adding beads, fur, flowers, leather strap, hand-made paper and lace.
I use art and writing as therapy to help me get through the really tough parts of life. And unlike pharmaceuticals, art therapy works most of the time with very mild side-effects. For instance now I have a dresser full of scrap material, my friends always give me cool stuff they’ve found, and my art cabinet is stuffed with beads, pine-cones, seeds, stones and other found items! Those are way better side-effects than dry-mouth, sleepiness or oily discharge!! :)
“Art builds community and the community creates value for all.” Seth Godin
Art and writing have given me something beautiful to focus on as well as a chance to express myself and make friends. 
So there it is, my friendly blog reader, my top 3 basic needs and how I figured them out.
What do you think? Do you know what your top 3 basic needs are?
I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments!
Have a wonderful week and I’ll be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.
xoxo Pam
Share on Facebook
Posted 3 weeks, 1 day ago. Add a comment
So before I tell you more about Israel, I have to tell you this story……….Way back when Garrett had just turned 4 months old, we were driving back to Michigan from Pennsylvania. We had been living there for a month with Blake, while he finished up a project. So, I’m following Blake in my Honda with Garrett strapped into the toddler seat in the back, when this big redneck truck comes roaring onto the freeway and almost knocks us off of the road. Of course, it scared the hell out of me, so I reached my hand out of the window and flipped the guy off.
This totally pissed him off!!!!! (of course!) Apparently he and his buddy had nothing better to do than to harass me for the next hour. I didn’t have a cell phone to call Blake (I sure got one right after that) and tell him what was happening, so he didn’t see the guy driving up real close to me, yelling insults out the window about how I should show some f&%$ing respect and what kind of a B%$& do I think I am flipping him off. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just tried to keep up with Blake and stay as cool as I could. I’ve never been more relieved than when he came to his exit and finally left us alone.
Now, I fully admit to flipping the guy off. I totally disrespected him because I felt justified in my anger. After all, he did almost run me off the road.
HOWEVER, what I learned from that was just because someone pisses me off, doesn’t mean I have to react negatively to it. Reacting the way I did put me and my newborn son in jeopardy. A smarter reaction would have been to thank God he didn’t actually hurt us and let it go.
Now, today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the the inspirational word of the week.
I’ve chosen this word very carefully because of our trip last week through the Holy Land.
Respect: (noun)
1. deference to someone or something.
2. proper courtesy or acknowledgment.
3. the condition of being esteemed.
(verb)
1. to hold in esteem or honor.
2. to show regard or consideration for.
3. to refrain from intruding upon, or interfering with.
The day after Jerusalem, we drove 3 hours down to the Dead Sea. Along the way, we saw rows after rows of farms, irrigated by the Jordan river, which eventually pours into the Dead Sea.
Unfortunately, there are so many farms that the Dead Sea is dropping 3 feet every year. It has been estimated that the Sea will dry up within 50 years. I hate to think that the people in Israel are so short-sighted that they are willing to forfeit one of their greatest assets, for what really, big palm trees and banana’s?! I understand the need to feed your people, but trying to grow banana’s in that climate seems seems very disrespectful of the environment.
As a tourist, I didn’t feel like I could do anything but stare in shock. Since being back home, I’ve read a little about the Israeli water law but ultimately, I have to let it go. If I continue to focus on trying to teach the Israeli’s how to run their country, I would be wasting my time as well as ignoring the problems I do have control of right here in Michigan. My family and I were fortunate enough to be able to see this awesome place, as well as float around in it. Our grandchildren may not be so lucky.
So what I can tell them, and you, my friendly blog reader is that the water was warm and the ground underneath it was hard and crusty from the salt. Garrett and I tasted the water and both think it is the nastiest, saltiest thing we have ever tasted ever!!! When I walked into it up to my waist, I sat down and felt my feet come out from underneath me! Garrett kept getting flipped over onto his belly. He had a great time smearing the mineral-rich mud on me and Blake. Once we rinsed off the salt and mud, we all thought that our skin felt softer than ever. It was incredible!
The day after we visited the Dead Sea, we went to visit the Manara Cliffs, a really neat family friendly destination that has bungees and trampoline’s for the little kids, a mountain slide coaster (which was fun) and cable cars which take you all the way to the top of the cliffs. Half-way down, the cable cars stopped to let us off so we could go zip-lining!
The jeep ride back up to where we met the cable cars was almost as thrilling as the zip-line! Bouncy!!!!!!
We drove from the Manara cliffs, along the Lebanon border to Rosh Hanikra. It was pretty wild to look out the
window of the car to see rows of border fence, Israeli farms on one side and the scrub trees of Lebanon on the other.
It took us about an hour’s drive to get to Rosh Hanikra, which is on the northern most point of Israel, on the Mediterranean coast.We had a very nice lunch and then took the steepest cable car ride in the world down to the grotto’s. The grotto’s are naturally formed caves cut into the side of the chalk and limestone cliffs.
We had such a great time together! The drive home only took an hour. When we got back to the hotel, we ordered snacks at the bar and called it dinner. I love that about vacations!! And the smiles are priceless!!
The next day, after breakfast and homework (Garrett’s teacher gave him homework so he wouldn’t be totally behind when he got back to class. It was NOT our favorite part of the trip!) we headed off to go sailing in Caesaria on the coast of the Mediterranean. The weather was pretty windy and at first the man who was renting us the katamarand wasn’t sure about letting us rent it. Fortunately, Blake owned one many years ago and has plenty of experience handling one. When we showed up, the man realized Blake wasn’t going to go away, so he relented and let us take the boat out. It was exhilarating!! Blake steered the rudder, I handled the main-sail and Garrett had the jib. The water crashed up from beneath us and got us all soaked as we tacked back and forth within sight of our spot on the beach. Poor Garrett was shivering so bad his teeth were chattering! We were out for just over an hour and it took a while for us to finally warm up. We had lunch at this place right next to the boat rental place on the beach.
Later we drove to these ancient Roman aqua ducts where Blake and Garrett played in the water and skipped stones while I took the most incredible nap ever! It was AWESOME!! I was so tired that as soon as I laid myself down upon that warm, soft sand, it was impossible to keep myself awake. I think I must have slept for at least half an hour. The warm sun and warm sand just sucked the energy right out of me. When I woke up, Blake and Garrett were very happily skipping stones and laughing. We saw some muslims (fully dressed in suits and shoes) out there on the beach, as well.
We stayed the night at the Dan Caesaria hotel, right down the street from the beach. The rooms were all set on an angle, which I thought was very peculiar so I took a picture of it. 
————-> Later that night we had dinner at Uri Buri a fish restaurant in Acco, past Haifa about an hour from Caesaria. BEST SEAFOOD EVER! Totally fresh with a simply divine menu. Check out this link to a story about it on NPR.
The following day, we had a wonderful breakfast buffet, worked on some homework and then headed back to Nazareth. By now, I was getting really tired and I knew we had a long trip ahead of us. Our flight didn’t leave until 10:30pm, so we toured around Nazareth. We had lunch and then looked around the Church of the Anunciation, built around the cave where the Angel Gabriel came to tell Mary about her role as Jesus’ mother. There were paintings and mosaic representations of St. Mary covering almost every surface of the church and it’s surrounding walls. I took some pictures, but to be honest, I was pretty tired and shaky so they didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped. I’ll share the best of the bunch with you.
We visited St. Joseph’s workshop, also a church, but much, much smaller and located in the back. I’ve always found it sad that Jesus’ father never gets the same kind of respect that Mary did. After all, he did make an honest woman of Mary, he raised Jesus as his own son and he made sure that Jesus and Mary both were taken care of.
So after looking at the churches we decided to go back to the hotel for a rest before the long trip home.
The drive to the Tel Aviv airport takes just over an hour. Garrett and I gave Blake big hugs and kisses good-bye and then headed into the terminal. It took a couple of hours to get through security because there are many check points, not just one and they ask lots of questions. Although they gave the lady in front of us the 3rd degree, when it came our turn, they let us off with just a cursory few. I already had my journal and camera out ready to show them what we’d been up to! Once we made it through security and got rid of our luggage, we actually went to MacDonald’s. We were curious to see if it tasted the same as it does in the States (it does in Brasil and Mexico). But since all meals were kosher, (apparently in kosher meals there can never be a mix of meat and dairy) there was no cheese on any of the burgers. My Big Mac was a little dry, as was Garrett’s chicken sandwich. The fries were still tasty tho!
We had another hour and a half to kill before we boarded the plane, we hung out, read and walked around. The flight to Atlanta was 14 hours long. Fortunately, Garrett was seated next to me, and we met a wonderful older lady named Ingrid on her way home to North Carolina after visiting her sister in Israel for a month. She sat on the other side of Garrett, and when she needed help figuring out how to get her light turned on, or her headset plugged in, Garrett was right there to help her. She was very nice and really a treat to sit with on this painfully long flight.
When we arrived in Atlanta, we had to re-check our luggage and then wait for our next flight. What was supposed to be a 3 hour lay-over turned into a 5 hour lay-over because of a hydraulic leak. We weren’t even sure if we were going to be able to take this plane, so when the lady at the ticket counter told us that we might have to take the flight 5 hours later, Garrett turned to me and said “What are we supposed to do now!? I can’t take this anymore, don’t they know….” I quickly turned to him and said “Getting pissed off at me is not going to fix the plane. I know your tired, so am I. Just handle it because blowing up is only going to make things worse.” He backed off, sat down and covered his face with his hat. Fortunately, we did get to board the plane about half an hour later. Better late than never.
So after 26 hours of traveling, we finally made it back home to Ortonville.
I’ve had people ask me if it was violent over there. I wouldn’t say I noticed any violence, but the differences were very intense. Like how their day starts the night before, and how their language reads from right to left, and they open books backwards from the way we do here in the west. I saw some women covered from head to foot, as well as some dressed up in skimpy tops and hi-heels. The food was delicious, but had lots of rules with it about what you could eat and when. The Islamic prayers were beautiful, but really too early in the morning for me.
It was an experience my family and I will never forget.
Thanks for following along, my friendly blog reader. I hope you’ve found this entertaining and informational. I would love to invite you to click the links above to learn more about the places I’ve described here in this blog. And remember, if you’re ever in Israel and you need a guide, check out Adrian at his website . Tell him Pam, Blake and Garrett sent you!
shalom,
Pam
p.s. I’ll be at a Main Street Conference in Oklahoma City, OK next week, so I’m going to try pre-posting and see how that works! It’s always good to try something new!
p.p.s. Have a Fabulous weekend!!
Share on Facebook
My dear blog reader, as I write this, I am tired and sore from my past week’s adventures. My spine feels like Cracker Jacks and I have been fighting a headache since we got home. I want to tell you about our trip to Israel, but I’m afraid of writing too much, or not enough. Please be patient with me as I try to give you something worth reading, while not overwhelming you with too many details. Thanks 
Garrett and I flew out of Flint, Michigan to Atlanta, Geogia. From Atlanta, we flew to Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, our seats were not together. Garrett sat next to a very nice couple on their way to tour the Holy Land. I sat between two equally lovely pilgrims 5 rows ahead of them. After our 12 1/2 hour flight, the lady who sat next to Garrett told me he was “incredibly well-behaved the whole way. Really, he was fantastic to sit with.” Aaaaaaaahhhhh! My heart just got paid!
It was wonderful to see Blake’s shining face at the airport after our very long, boring flight! 
He drove us to the Golden Crown hotel in Nazareth, where he’s been living since February. We went out to eat Sushi at a really nice restaurant in the mall where we unexpectedly met Doron, an Israeli guy who works with Blake, and his wife, Iris. As we ate dinner, I chatted with Iris, eventually telling her about the boat. I even gave her my card and invited her to read this blog! HELLO IRIS!!!!! We Guardian wives need to stick together! xoxo
We went to sleep fairly quickly, but when the Mullah started singing at 4:30am, (click the link to hear a YouTube version) I was awake and not going back to sleep. Damn jet lag!!
On our first day, Blake gave Garrett his B-day present, a roller-surfer and pads, which he took down to the court yard to play with. The weather, as you can tell from the picture, is dry and in the hi 70’s. 
Afterwards, we drove for half an hour to Zippori, the hometown of Jesus’ mother Mary, known for it’s mosaics.
We climbed the path to the top of the hill, walking through this incredible cactus garden along the way.
After Zippori, we drove to Mt. Tabor, historically, the spot where Jesus re-appeared 3 days after his Crucifixion.
Garrett didn’t seem too tired, but by mid-afternoon, I was exhausted, so we headed back to the hotel, so I could nap.
The following day, Sunday, we got up early, drove toward Jerusalem and picked up our tour guide, Adrian, a British ex-patriate licensed by the State of Israel to give tours through the Holy city. Check him out at www.adrianw.co.il
We started at the Mt. of Olives 
where Adrian pulled out maps and described in detail how the city started out small and then grew and grew over the years. He did a great job explaining everything, I just can’t remember it all!
Next, we drove to Gethsemane (the garden Christ prayed in the night before his Crucifixion) with 1800 year old olive trees, next to the Church of all Nations. While inside the church, we were astounded to hear some Finish pilgrims singing a liturgy. It was amazingly beautiful!
From there, we drove further into the city and parked the car. The rest of the day was all on foot!
We saw Mary’s Tomb,
King David’s tomb ……………and the Hall of the last supper.
Everywhere we went, there were pilgrims from all parts of the world, come to pay their respects.
Here is a picture of some Korean Muslims on a tour.
Jerusalem is filled with people from all over the world. I heard languages of all different kinds being spoken. Russian, German, Hebrew and Arabic. Fortunately, most everyone we talked with knew at least some English, or could find someone close-by who could.
We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the old city. Then we went on a tour of the Burnt House, where we watched a movie about how the Romans burned down Jerusalem in order to take it over. The movie re-enacts the story of a priests family who lived in this house which was later excavated in the 1970’s. The charred remains of the house and a girls arm holding a spear had been unearthed. Creepy!
We then went to another place where more houses have been excavated directly underneath apartment buildings currently being lived in. 
We walked out toward the Temple on the Mount and the wailing wall.
All around us were pilgrims, tour guides and hundreds of Israeli troops preparing for the Memorial Day services to be held the following day. (quick note, the days in Israel start the night before at dusk. Once you can see 3 stars in the night sky, it’s tomorrow. It was really strange and hard to get used to, but all part of the adventure)
We saw Robinson’s Arch, the only remaining part of the original entrance into the Temple.
We also saw Harrod’s road, the actual road built by King Harrod over 2ooo years ago.
And we saw a replica of a catapult.
We had Adrian take us through the new Davidson Center, located right next to the Temple on the Mount. It’s a subterranean (air-conditioned!) museum built with an endowment from Guardians (now deceased) owner William Davidson.
It had artifacts (coins) from the site, informative films and computer animated recreations of the Second Temple. We were really glad to have seen this and very proud of Mr. Davidson for making it all possible. Thanks Mr. D, we miss you!
The sun was starting to go down as we came out of the museum and we still had a lot more to see. Adrian did a fantastic job taking us through the Muslim quarter,
the Christian quarter (somewhere along all of this, was the Via Del la Rosa, a path traced by pilgrims meant to portray Christ’s carrying of the cross. Adrian explained that because of the growth of the city, the actual way doesn’t really exist anymore)
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
(check out the 13 century grafitti!) was built in the 3rd century by Constantine, at his mother Queen Helena’s urging. She is the one who actually went into the tombs and found a cross and pronounced it “the” cross upon which Christ was Crucified. She had it mounted on a stone and that became Golgatha. This became the very first Christian church in the world. (by the way, if I screw up any of the history here, it is totally my fault and not our tour guide Adrian’s. He was phenomenal and just brimming with information. Really! Go check him out www.adrianw.co.il He is AWESOME!!!)
Inside the church we saw the actual stone where pilgrims wait in line to kiss the spot where Christ was Crucified, as well as a gorgeous mosaic mural depicting the crucifixion. (sorry the picture doesn’t do it justice)
Here’s a picture of the exact spot where Jesus was entombed. 
We saw many, many more things inside this church, but for the life of me I can’t name them all.
We had cappuccino at the Austrian Hospice, which is actually owned and controlled by the Vatican. Here’s a picture of the view from the top, overlooking the city. 
Pretty cool, huh!
It seemed like the day would never end. Adrian was amazing in his knowledge of all of the history and architecture, stopping to point out tons of things I’ve since completely forgotten. Garrett was fantastic at keeping up with us the entire time, even when he was obviously getting tired and bored. I’m so proud of him!!!!
It was dark by the time we got back to the car and drove Adrian back to his motorcycle. We drove back to Nazareth, only to find out that the hotel was not longer serving dinner because of the Memorial day holiday. Most other restaurants were closed as well, so we had to drive into downtown to get an Arab sandwich at Mr. Schwarma. It’s made fresh, (like Subway), with grilled, spiced lamb on a baguette with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles and a spicy curry/mango sauce. Delicious!!!
That’s about it for today, my friendly blog reader. I’ll be back on Wednesday for part two of our Israel trip. Have a marvelous Monday!
xoxoxo Pam
Share on Facebook
Posted 3 months ago. 2 comments
The last dream I remembered this morning was of me panicking because my phone battery died and my husband was supposed to be calling to come pick me up. I don’t remember where I was, but I knew I was supposed to be somewhere else.
Now, it’s true that I’m down to my last nerve with my phone batteries because lately, I can’t seem to keep any of them charged up for very long. (I’ll be picking up a new phone this week, and a better one, at that!) But the rest of it doesn’t make sense. Blake has been very good at calling as close to every day as possible. He called last week to let me know that the news was going to be talking about a bombing and not to worry because he is at least 4 to 5 hours away from it. He also reminded me that there are more than 7 million people who live in that country full-time. They didn’t seem overly concerned, so I shouldn’t be. “Worrying is the devils work”, so I decided to just let it go.
I got up and filled the Easter baskets with candy and toys. Instead of a bunny, I got Garrett a Madagascar penguin because he’s going to be 10 years old next week and he really doesn’t think bunnies are cool, but a penguin that likes to puke up chainsaws, now that’s cool!
After a breakfast of chocolate, peeps and hard-boiled eggs, I took my walk around the lake with Tootsie.
The weather was absolutely stunning! There was a nice light breeze, blue skies and birds singing. I saw the crocuses are finally coming up, which means the tulips will be here soon!!! 
After I got back, Blake called. It was such a relief to hear his voice! He sounded good and chatted with me and Garrett for a few minutes before he had to get back to work. I told him about my dream, and he said he was sorry and that he misses me too. We both know this situation won’t last forever, just a few more weeks. It’s just the dream and the holiday and the fact that Sundays are always the hardest, left me feeling a little extra sensitive today. (I guess that’s good because it reminds me of how much I really love my husband.) I told him that Garrett and I were going to go watch the new movie “How to Train your Dragon” (in 3D) movie and then go out to dinner. Blake was completely thrilled to hear that we were going to go out and have a good time. He’s a great husband, despite the distance!
So that is just what we did. We saw the movie (which was really wonderful story about being true to yourself) and then we had dinner at the Japanese teppanyaki restaurant Miyako at the Great Lakes Crossing Mall. Mmmmm, shrimp and steak! And the chef was very entertaining! He even flipped rice into my sons mouth! Super cool!
We came home and napped on the couch for a couple of hours and then went back outside to enjoy the sunshine. Garrett went to go play with his buddies and I threw the ball for Tootsie and trimmed some bushes.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable holiday.
Despite waking up panicked, the whole rest of the day was truly peaceful.
Now here it is, dark and late. Time for me to say good night to another Sunday without my husband.
Fortunately this week is spring break, so I’ll get to hang out with Garrett all week! Maybe I’ll get him to help me do some gardening.
In just a couple of weeks, Garrett and I will be traveling to Israel to go see Blake! Now there’s something to look forward to!
Have a wonderful evening and I’ll be back in the morning with the Inspirational song of the week!
xoxo Pam
Share on Facebook
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago. 2 comments
Today is Wednesday, which means it’s time for the Inspirational word of the day.
Patience: (noun) 1. quiet, steady perseverance. 2. the ability to suppress restlessness. 3. the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune or pain without complaint.
(click here for the full definition from dictionary.com)
I made this project way back in 2004, while I was still living in Mexico. I used Mexican jute, hand-made paper, leather strap and beads, some of which I made and some I took off of a necklace. The saying in the middle says “Actively pursue patience” with little black swirls made from Sculpey clay encircling it. (The black velvet “dress” didn’t get added until years later).
Honestly, I hated this project when I first made it. It seemed uneven and top-heavy. Although I liked the colors of the beads, paper and fabric before it came together, once I made it, I just hated it. The saying on it came from somewhere in my head. It could be the Universe, Allah, God, or my sub-conscious was trying to teach me something! (ya think?)
So I stuffed it into a box and forgot about it until after we moved back to Michigan. I came across it again a couple of years later while looking for something else. When I first saw it, I seriously considered throwing it out, until I thought “What it needs is just a little black dress.” So I cut the shape out of some scrap velvet I had laying around and put it together.
That made all the difference in the world.
This project is now one of my most favorite pieces, especially because I know how much I really hated it at first.
As a naturally energetic person, I have a tendency to get very restless when I feel stressed. My default reaction is to do more, do something, anything to feel like I have some control over whatever it is that’s causing my anxiety.
I have learned that sometimes doing more can make things worse, because freaking out and losing control only makes things harder because of the extra damage they cause.
Making this project (along with many, many others) has helped to teach me to “actively pursue patience” instead of trying to fix everything at once.
Jennifer Louden “the Comfort Queen” wrote a poem about this on her Self-Care minder blog yesterday.
Comfort Wishes
Wishing you
Strength to love the curl of the question mark around your heart
Patience to wait for the stirring of your turmoil to reveal the next leap
and most of all
the humility to listen to what wants to be heard.
I wish you, my friendly blog reader patience, humility and strength as you go through this week.
I’ll be back on Monday with the Inspirational song of the week.
xoxo
Pam
p.s. I’ve been thinking about selling posters of my projects, instead of parting with the actual pieces. Would you be interested? Let me know……
Share on Facebook
Posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago. Add a comment
The sliding window above has prayer flags in it. Some of my most favorite things in the whole world are Tibetan prayer flags. They are not only beautiful, but also auspicious symbols said to bring happiness, long life and prosperity to the flag planter and those in the vicinity. I have some available for purchase. If you are interested , please contact me at pambelding@gmail.com .
The Tiger, who symbolizes unconditional confidence, a natural sense of satisfaction and fulfillment through disciplined awareness, kindness and modesty. Measures 18″ x 18″($10 plus shipping)
The Snow Lion symbolizes beauty and dignity, the body and mind in synchronicity with a youthful vibrant energy of goodness and a natural sense of delight. Measures 18″ x 18″($10 plus shipping)
The Turquoise Dragon symbolizes complete communication and compassion. To display a Turquoise Dragon is said to enhance ones fame and reputation. Measures 28″ x 13″ ($10 plus shipping)
The Sky Dragon is energetic, powerful and unwavering, yet gentle and playful. It represents generosity, spontaneous achievement, elegance and equanimity. Measures 18″ x 18″ ($10 plus shipping)
The Garuda is daring and fearless, possessing great strength and power and a mind free from hopes and dreams. Measures 18″ x 18″ ($10 plus shipping)
This set of 4 contains the Garuda, Sky Dragon, Snow Lion and Tiger. Measures 24″ x 24″ ($14 plus shipping)
The Kharmapa Dream flag symbolizes the union of wisdom and compassion - the ultimate realization of one’s true nature. Measures 24″ x 14″ ($18 plus shipping)
I would love to spread these beautiful symbols all over the world. Please contact me at pambelding@gmail.com to order them.
Have a fantastic day,
Pam
Share on Facebook
Posted 10 months, 1 week ago. Add a comment
I think Simba has got to be one of the luckiest kitties on the planet!
My girlfriend Simone found him and turned him over to our friends, Paula and Leandro. They kept him for a week, while Simone did the paperwork to send him back. Our friend Craig, a Guardian guy who lives not too far from us, went down to Brasil. He agreed to bring Simba home, and even went over to Paula and Leandro’s to get to know him.
Long story short, Simba is home again and currently snuggling up to Garrett in bed.
Thanks Simone, Paula, Leandro, and Craig for bringing our kitty back. You all ROCK!!!!!!
xoxoxoox Pam
Share on Facebook
Posted 11 months, 1 week ago. Add a comment
I first recognized “Pink” while I was living in Mexico with my husband and son. My husband was building a glass factory and so we were going to be living there for about 14 months.
We had been there for at least 6 months at this point. My dear husband had been working many, many long hours on site, and my girlfriends had all left for their summer vacations, so I was feeling pretty darned lonely, frustrated, angry and defensive which is not the way I wanted to be spending my life, especially trying to raise a young, impressionable child. I was frustrated because I felt like I “should” being doing something else, what that was I didn’t know. I was angry because I was frustrated and I was defensive because I felt guilty for not being content with what I had, which was a FREAKING AWESOME LIFE! The front part of my brain knew that I “should be happy” but there was a nagging discontent that was making me short-tempered, irritable and snappy. I wasn’t happy and my attitude was poisoning my life. I knew something had to change, I just didn’t know what.
I was taking my walk, when I noticed the sky. There were just enough clouds on the horizon to create one of those picture-perfect sunsets with yellow rays of sunlight shining through hot pink clouds against an apricot sky. Stunning, really stunning.
It was then that I felt a feeling of lightness. Like a marionette, I could feel the sunset pulling all the tension and pain off of my shoulders.
I was wearing an MP3 player and the song playing at that very moment was Pink by Aerosmith.
I was speechless, floating along the street, listening to Steven Tyler sing…
“And I think everything is going to be all right, no matter what we do tonight” and I got it. I totally understood just what exactly it was that I was supposed to learn.
I could hold onto my loneliness, anger, frustration and defensiveness and continue to feel horrible.
Or I could let it go, even for just a few moments and feel better. The choice was completely up to me! Amazing! I had to be strong enough to surrender and let it all go. I had to have enough faith in myself and the Universe to figure out what it was I really needed, as well as, the patience and determination to go out and get it. Essentially, I had to let my life become something different, something better.
I started by taking control of my attitude. Doing this allowed me to develop appreciation for my life. It hasn’t happened all at once, but it HAS happened. Just like muscles are strengthened by regular use, I had to practice living joyfully day to day. I had to go out and find the Pink things. As a matter of fact, I started creating art (making Pink things ) to represent my gratitude for the Pink things in my life. The piece at the top of this essay was just the first of many projects I’ve made to say THANK YOU to the Universe. I built up my happiness muscles and I USE them!
God wants me to be happy. She’ll throw out clues to remind me. It’s my job to look for them.
Pink is my reminder of why life is worth living. It’s a naturally occurring phenomenon produced by the Universe. Like a birthday present, it’s wrapped up in the mundane events of daily life just waiting to be opened.
Like the soft, pink of baby toes,
and the light-hearted earnestness of “Octopuses Garden” by the Beatles,
my son’s laughter,
and my husband’s smile,
the sexiness of Steven Tyler singing “Pink”,
and the hot, pink flowers on a bougainvillea vine,
the resilient attitude of SpongeBob SquarePants,
and the warm, buzzing feeling in my muscles after an intense work-out,
Pink reminds me that my happiness is completely up to me and I can unwrap it whenever I want to.
That day transformed my life. I love my life and feel so very blessed. I admit, there are days that are difficult, some of which are downright painful. Sometimes I look around and don’t see anything Pink.
I finally realized what it is I am supposed to be doing. I have to be the Pink thing, the reminder of why life is beautiful and worth living.
“Wait!” you say. “How can you be so unrealistic? Real life is hard, difficult and filled with dissappointment. Aren’t you sticking your head in the sand with all of this Pink crap? Aren’t your afraid of being made a fool of?”
Thanks for asking and I’m really glad you’re here. Without you, I would just be talking to myself and that would be really boring.
Let me be more specific about what I think Pink means.
Pink is my way to describe an overall-workable scheme to create a life worth looking forward to, as well as looking back upon. Pink is about momentum, not about perfection.
Let me offer three ideas that really help develop the philosophy of Pink;
desire, equanimity and resilience.
Desire is a very powerful force. Desire doesn’t sit in the corner waiting to be fulfilled. Desire pushes and prods relentlessly. Like a hungry cat rubbing around your legs, desire gets noticed, dammit!
Equanimity is the relationship in your life between what is happening to you and what you are doing about it. For example, if you spend every day of the week making chocolate chip cookies, you may become a very good baker, but you will not become a Kung Fu Master. Basically, you become what you do everyday.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back after hardship. You practice resilience by getting back up again, and again……and again……….
“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.” ~ Mary Pickford
Pink is the combination of all three of these. Pink is not afraid of what everyone else thinks. Pink wants to be noticed and appreciated. Pink has something better to offer than fear. Pink promises fulfillment. Pink is beautiful, funny, inspiring, strong, joyful, soothing and confident. Pink ROCKS!!
I hope that you will go out and look for the Pink things in your life. Even if your Pink things are Purple, Turquoise, or Neon Green, they long for your attention and want to inspire you.
The best part is that once you find them, everyone benefits!
John Lennon and the Beatles said it best when they sang “And in the end. The love you take, is equal to the love you make.”
May peace be with you and keep you safe and happy.
Pam Belding
p.s. Paula Pryke has a new book called”Simply Pink” and it is GORGEOUS!
Share on Facebook
Posted 11 months, 2 weeks ago. 5 comments
The name of this project is Denim. I made it using a frame a girlfriend gifted me from her basement (Thanks Jen!), some muslin I dyed scarlet, American burlap (as opposed to Mexican jute which I love and hope to get more of,…. hint, hint), and my husbands jeans after I went at them with a pair of scissors. (What a treat!!) One of his belt buckles shows off the in-seam, while I used a needle and thread to sew on the waist band.
This is one of my oldest projects, dating back to 2005. Having carried back and forth to Art shows and Craft fairs, it has become one of my most favorite, as well as the many people who have commented on it.
After moving back home from Brasil, I am now becoming acquainted with my Michigan home all over again ( cue “Reunited“). This project lives in my dining room, (along with a lot of others) and I found myself staring at it the other day.
This project really helps showcase the answer to the question “What is the difference between change and transformation?”
Anyone can change their pants. That doesn’t change who they are. It doesn’t even change the pants.
Transformation takes time, tools and vision. It requires development and focus.
Think about a Thanksgiving turkey. First thing in the morning, before it has been cooked, a turkey is just a dead, cold, slimy, heavy thing with removable guts. ick!!
Follow these direction on how to make the perfect turkey, and in a matter of hours you and your loved ones can come together in peace and harmony.
Cool, huh?!
What do you think?
Pam
Share on Facebook
Posted 11 months, 3 weeks ago. Add a comment
It’s Monday, which means time for the Inspirational song of the week.
My family and I have been back home in Michigan for almost 4 days now, and I must admit to being absolutely thrilled! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!! Baby, I couldn’t be happier if I were twins! ;P On my walk this morning I heard this song and almost skipped down the street…..arms swinging….singing along! I want everyone to feel like this!!!!
Have a most awesome week! xoxoxoxoxooxox
Pam
A Wink and a Smile by Harry Connick Jr.
p.s. I heart Harry!!! ;P
Harry Connick Jr
.
Miscellaneous
A Wink And A Smile
I remember the days of just keeping time
Of hanging around in sleepy town
Forever back roads empty for miles
Well you can’t have a dream and cut it to fit
But when I saw you I knew
We’d go together, like a wink and a smile
Leave your old jalopy by the railroad track
We’ll get a hip double-dip hip Topy two seat Pontiac
So you can rev her up, don’t go slow
It’s only green lights and all rights
Let’s go together like a wink and a smile
Give me a wink and a smile
We go together like a wink and a smile
Now my heart is music, such a simple song
Sing it again the notes never end this is where I belong
Just the sound of your voice the light in your eyes
They’re so far away from yesterday
Together like a wink and a smile
We go together like a wink and a smile
[ Harry Connick Jr. Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
Share on Facebook
