February 23, 2015 {54/365} "Gotcha"
"I am blessed, chosen, adopted" - Ephesians 1:11
Superman, Marilyn Monroe, Steve Jobs, John Lennon, Ingrid Bergman, Nelson Mandela, Babe Ruth, Truman Capote, Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, Debbie Harry... and ME!
February 22, 2015 {53/365} French Toast
"Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
If only we all had such an imagination!
February 21, 2015 {52/365} Parrot Tulip
"If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" - Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind
February 20, 2015 {51/365}
« Je t'aime » — That's the great thing about Paris (OK, one of many great things about Paris): It's lovely... everywhere you look. I feel so fortunate to have noticed this public display of affection on a windy, rainy day in February 2009. Who knows how long this love lasted?
February 19, 2015 {50/365} "Year of the Sheep"
It's the Chinese Lunar New Year and 2015 is the Year of the Sheep: 羊 yáng. According to China Highlights, the sheep (goat, or ram) is among the gentle, calm sheep is one of the most loved animals. Since ancient times, people have learned to use its fleece to make writing brushes and to keep warm. The cute, white creature reminds people of beautiful things. Here's the Chinese horoscope for those, like me, who were born in the Year of the Sheep:
Personal characteristics: Gentle, mild-mannered, shy, stable, sympathetic, amicable, creative, determined, and brimming with a strong sense of kind-heartedness and justice. Although they look gentle on the surface, they are tough on the inside. They have strong inner resilience and excellent defensive instincts. People born in a year of the Goat are very serene and calm; therefore they tend to have fewer health problems. Sheep are private. Therefore it may take time and effort to get to know them. Once they become friends, their friendship is peaceful and fulfilling. They work hard for those they love.
Lucky numbers: 2, 7
Lucky colors: red and purple
Lucky flowers: primroses
Lucky direction: north
February 18, 2015 {49/365} "Calm"
In 1939, the British government created a series of propaganda posters featuring the slogan Keep Calm and Carry On.
The posters were designed to raise the morale as the British people were threatened with massive air strikes during World War II. Although 2.45 million copies were printed, and although the Blitz happened, the poster was hardly ever publicly displayed and was little known about until a copy was rediscovered in 2000. Since then the original slogan and several variations have appeared on everything from posters and t-shirts to journals and coffee mugs. So I wasn't at all surprised to see these tea tins at our local market this week.
As cliché as the motto has become, it did get me thinking about the wisdom behind the idea and what I do to maintain grace under pressure and to decompress when stressed...
