Self Portrait Tuesday ~ Time ~ Week 4

My Self Portrait Tuesday Contributions for Time have been a picture each day of something I appreciate. I've really enjoyed the process and received such positive feedback, that I think I might continue this process. Here's what I appreciated this week.

Tuesday: By Tuesday I was sick of being sick. Luckily I was better enough that I could spend some of my time reading, and I had the joy of being able to finish this beautiful and compelling book, The Dance by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. This will give you a sense of it:

"If I want to live my ability to be fully present and compassionate, my ability to be with it all - the joy and the sorrow - I must find the ways, the people, the places, the practices that support me in being all I truly am. I must cultivate ways of being that let me feel the warmth of encouragement against my heart when it is weary. I must be fiercely and compassionately honest with myself about those choices and actions that are inconsistent with my deepest nature and soul's desires. I must find the song lines that run through my life, the melodies that remind me of what I really am and call me gently back to acting on this knowing. I must learn how to dance."

Wednesday: I absolutely love this cd. I heard this band years ago opening for Beth Orton. I thought they were spellbinding and ordered the cd. The other day my sister Suzie asked me if I was singing. Not often, but recently when I have, it's been Hem.

Thursday: What I'm enthusiastic about here is the little bird you can see in the bottom left if you look closely. One of the things I looked forward to when moving to a house was to hear birds. Since we've lived here, every spring a bird couple had made their home in our eaves. We hear the babies long before we see them. And our cats enjoy the excitement from the window very much. It was nice to see this little guy.

Friday: On Friday I had to go to the doctor and believe it or not this is the view from the little change room at the office. It was a bit of a stressful, but for a brief moment I looked out this window and felt incredibly calm. I enjoyed the quiet of the morning.

Saturday: As I mentioned in my Downtown Living post, we had a great time in a cool 'hood looking at an apartment for Shannon and ending up in one of my very favourite restaurants eating wonderful french toast and enjoying exceptional coffee. This was a real highlight.

Sunday: On Sunday I finally had some time to study and prepare for the written portion of my coaching exam, which I am going to do tomorrow. It was a great experience as I went over all the different concepts and theories that I have been working with over the past several years. It made very clear to me how immersed in this work I have been and how very much I have already learned. I feel so grateful for all that I have received from my training, my colleagues, my clients and coaching.

Monday: My datebook, I love my datebook. One year I actually tried to adapt to another kind that offered a bit more colour, a bit more style. After a week, I went back to my faithful book that provides both a month-at-a-glance and a weekly schedule (which I also use for my to-do list). And though I am waxing poetic about my datebook, the significance really was that I have made arrangements in my schedule so that as of June 1 I will have more time for my coaching, my art and my life and I am thrilled.