Green Peace

What makes me warm, tingly and giddy with delight? Great design. Beautiful living spaces, intense green spaces and mossy gardens that last for days. With spring on the loom, my gorgeous daffodils and hyacinths are holding their beautiful bold heads up in spite of the morning frost, and what a treat. I love them more each year, I think.

Since green is my very favorite color, inspiration like this makes me want to paint all the walls, all the doors and breathe deeply....

(shown: Chloe Sevigny home, Miles Redd home (House Beautiful), Steven Gambrel house in Long Island, Leger Wanaselja Architecture, Pascal/Richie house (Dwell))

Wonder Wayne

Wayne is my homeboy.

That’s right, Dr. Dyer, your worlds have been beating in my brain this week, and I am pretty pumped about it. It’s SO exciting to be seeing my own true Power of Intention come alive in my life! (hurky!)

Now, it’s true… for 13 er so months, I’ve been caught somewhere in the balance of new-age thinking. But my friend and co-worker, upon hearing me mention my own law of attraction leading to some sort of undesirable outcome, arrived at work the following morning with a fist full of discs- 7 to be exact, labeling for me Dr. Wayne Dyer’s secrets. “You need this,” she said poking my shoulder with her finger.

His messages rang true for me almost instantaneously, like an old book I forgot I read. I remembered his teachings somehow, but the familiarity didn’t reveal to me a way to come to terms with my own deep peace in an hour long CD so I began to change my nightly prayer. I pray that I might be an instrument of peace… you know, Saint Francis style. I thought…if I can be peaceful toward others (especially the ones I want to stab), the peace will come to me.

Live in the moment, and the stress of what’s past or the fear of what’s to come fades away. Freeing right? Easier said than done.

But this week, something cliqued, and it all went viral. Not only did I have the opportunity to share Dr Dyer with some good friends who needed it, his teachings came to me in a moment when I had the opportunity to give crucial advice, loving praise for a piece of new music, and detailed attention to strained relationship.

I am seeing DAILY events come to fruition by virtue of my thoughts alone. Will, too, has experienced doors flung open before him that he didn’t realize were closed or even locked to unveil a sequence of perfect events leading him to his ultimate goal. Too cool.

To check out “my homie, Wayne” click here and try not to hurl at the cheesy book covers. The stuff on the inside really is super. I will also send these 7 CDs to you too wherever you are! Let me know who you are, and consider it done. J

Yes, Yep, You got it, Sure, Okay, I'm in.

I caught the Jim Carey movie 'Yes Man' last weekend (such funny stuff), and while it's obviously setup in an extreme way to make its point, it's makin’ me think….

What if we really did say YES to every opportunity that knocked, every stranger who asked us for a favor, every new friend who extended an invitation, every piece of junk mail…? What would that look like?

Last night, I had dinner with some of my best girlfriends, one of whom is in a new city making new friends, and enjoyed listening to her talk about the power of Yes in her life these days. “Want to come to church with me?” Yes. “Want to join a book club?” Yes. “Want to trade ideas on graphic design?” Yes. Three “Yes’s,” to one new person, she says, and you’re on their radar.

Now, I live in the same ol’ city where I was born and raised. I know dozens, maybe hundreds, of folks and have lots of friends, a husband, a doggie and a busy career. Even with different circumstances, opening myself up to saying YES to a few new challenges (or old ones tossed by the wayside) every week might just totally change my life.

Join the neighborhood association? Yes. Become involved with my favorite Design Blogs? Yes. Order Fiat-Luxe soap from Daily Candy? Yes. Support a local Artisan? Yes. Volunteer for course directions at a race benefitting Riley? Yes. Brunch on Sunday with someone I’d love to get to know better? Yes.

Try it with me, won't you?

*Photo above is 'Yes' by Natalie Dee

"Oh yes it's Ladies Night..."

..and the feelin's right. I bet Kool & The Gang never guessed that I'd be humming this tune every Friday evening while Will is out on the windy, winter road for the spring season, but it's true....

Friday nights are Ladies Night for Grace-the-dog and I. We walk, we file our nails, we watch Animal Planet, eat peanut butter by the spoonful, and lounge about in our matching Snuggies. (See last week's Ladies Night grilled cheese) It sounds so silly, but it's seriously awesome.

Something about quality time with a sweet, warm, furry pup melts away all the stress of the week, and Grace has a VERY stressful week. ;)

Happy New Year

The crazy overwhelming feeling of coming back to your long forgotten blog after it's been... well... forgotten is so intimidating. I feel like I should be making excuses. Like Will and I went on sabbatical. We spent the past 6 weeks rowing a tiny wooden boat across the dead sea...wwiiith a leak in it...and the boat sank. Sooo we swam, and then we wanted to come home but had to learn the language on the island first, and there were lemurs, and coconut sized mosquitos, and no electricity and....

The truth is, that's not the truth.

To borrow a line from one of my favorite blogs, dooce, "...the holidays seemed to have picked me up by my feet, swung me around its head, and flung me into a dumpster. The one behind Sizzler."

Super glad to be outta there (the dumpster), and back to navigating our figurative little wooden boat into a brand new year. So many exciting things are happening in our lives, and for the first time in a long time, I feel certain that I'm right where I need to be. Every day making progress on my ever-lengthening, ever-ascending path.

And the cardio feels good.

Getting Old

(Disclaimer: Apologies for lack of blogging recently. It's not that we are too busy, it's that we just aren't happy with our creative expressions :-)... 2010 promises to be a fun year with new ideas, new posts and possibly even a new blog for the sports animal in me [Will])

On to the topic at hand: Getting Old. No, this isn't one of of those posts where I complain about being older. Outside of the pain in my back (seriously, that has to stop), aging has been a wonderful experience. Granted, we're only 28 (maybe the back pain gets worse!!!), but the end of 2009 has really led me to reflect on a past decade more than I ever have. Age has given me the gift of reflection, patience and (thankfully) gratefulness. Life was a half empty cup for me up until an unknown period of time when I suddenly realized that the same cup was half full.

Back to the decades thing. I am wrapping up (almost) my third decade here. New Years Eve 1990 was nothing to me. Y2K? I remember where I was and what I was doing, but at 18-years-old, I didn't reflect on the 90's and grasp the immense changes in life.

So, here we are. On the doorstep of 2010. I think about my mindset and life in general since cheering on the ball in the wee hours of 1999 and hoping the computers wouldn't melt and eat me when the clock struck 2000 (remember that fear? It made conficker worms seem like chia pets)

In the past decade, I have been with my girlfriend/fiancee/wife for every moment. Okay, not every moment, but our lives are shared in all of it. It still feels like we are dating in moments. Not in a bad way, but in a "is this for real" type of way. I am still learning about her and interested in getting more connected.

In the past decade, I graduated from college, got my first apartment, bought my first house, got married, got a dog and climbed Mt. Everest. (All but one of those is true, but all seem as magnificent)

In the past decade, I have had three full-time employers. (Mandy is winning with 4 in that span!)

In the past decade, I have become aware of my place in the world and how my own values shape my beliefs. Yeah, I know, heavy stuff. But think about it. In 2000, I could vote, but I didn't know for who and why. Now, I know what I believe in and I am comfortable in my ability to rationally understand the news and how it affects me. I think, in many ways, September 11th shaped that for most in my generation. We instantly grew up and understood that there was a big, harsh world out there we live in.

Most importantly, the past decade all is "important" in my memory. Friends became true friends. Experiences all had lessons. And the fun was REALLY fun. The recent reflections by most media outlets on this topic really got me thinking about this whole arrangement and I am excited to move forward. I never felt like I was striving for acceptance or "my place" in life, but now I feel like my speck in the universe has a history, and that is really cool.

So, see you later 2000's! Let's build a big spread, make some festive drinks and celebrate the dawn of a new tomorrow. Happy New Year from the Haskett family, and here's hoping your next decade is the best one yet!

Thoughts for a Wednesday

Oh hey there, Blog! Will and I are in the process of re-thinking this whole blog thingy, and we've got some fresh ideas. So stay tuned- we're gonna shake it up a little. In the meantime, I stumbled on this through another blog and thought it was a nice reminder of the way I'd like to live my life. Some are more true than others. Today... really thinking about #18, #13, #21, #26 and #28 multiple times everyday.

50 Life Lessons

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you're loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.