1. Slow down; you’re not responsible for doing it all yourself—at least not right now.
2. Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past. Rest there. Each moment has richness that takes a lifetime to savor.
3. Set your own pace. When someone is pushing you, it’s OK to tell them they’re pushing.
4. Take nothing for granted: watch water flow, the corn grow, the leaves blow, and your neighbor mow.
5. Taste your food.
6. Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set. They are remarkable for their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.
7. When you talk with someone, don’t think about what you’ll say next. Take time to listen and your thoughts will spring up naturally.
8. Create a place in your home…at your work…in your heart…where you can go for quiet and recollection. You deserve it.
9. Allow yourself time to rest. Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.
10. Listen to the wind blow. It carries a message of yesterday and tomorrow-and now. NOW counts.
11. It’s ok to rest on your laurels sometimes. They bring comfort whatever their size, age, or condition.
12. Talk slower. Talk less. Don’t talk. Communication isn’t measured by words.
13. Give yourself permission to be late sometimes. Life is for living, not scheduling.
14. Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song. Music and nature are gifts, but only if you are willing to receive them.
15. Take time just to think. Action is good and necessary, but it’s fruitful only if we muse, ponder, and mull.
16. Make time for play at the things you like to do. Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.
17. Learn to stand back and let others take their turn as leaders. There will always be new opportunities for you to step out in front again.
18. Take time to read. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.
19. Take a day off–alone. You can learn from hermits without becoming one.
20. Pet a furry friend. You will give and get the gift of now.
21. Work with your hands. It frees the mind.
22. Take time to wonder. Without wonder, life is merely existence.
23. Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.
24. Once in a while, turn down the lights, the volume, the throttle, and the invitations. Less really can be more.
25. Take a walk-but don’t go anywhere. If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.
26. Count your friends. If you have one, you are lucky. If you have more, you are blessed. Bless them in return.
27. Count your blessings – one at a time and slowly.
28. Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do – but often it is the best.

i dug it out of my file of magazine clippings last week. it came to mind during an email conversation i was having with a good friend. at various points in my life either some or all of this list has applied & after looking at it again i still think its worth keeping. i also think its worth sharing. like me maybe not everything on this list applies to you at this moment but i bet that you can find at least one thing that does.

i got to thinking about what that means. how something from a magazine that is 20 or so years old can still have meaning. for me it comes down to being honest with ourselves and being happy with who we are. that is why this list still has some value for me today.

the conversation with my friend has continued via email & just the other day my friend sent me the following…. “You are responsible for your own happiness. No one, even the most dedicated friend, the most devoted love, the most attentive parent, can provide that for you. People close to you want you to be happy, they would help create the environment for that, but ultimately it will be you that decides it, chooses it, makes it happen.”

i hope that this finds each of you happy in whatever it is that you are doing.

i am back from Houston and back at my machine. with the help of a couple friends it worked out that my machine came back home while i was out of town – which is great considering it was 2 hours away from my home being serviced. i was sewing last night working on last years mystery block quilt from Fat Quarter Shop.

i plan to spend as much time as possible sewing this weekend – trying to get odds & ends finished up so i can start prepping for my 5 day quilt camp in September. sounds crazy i know but it will be here before we know it & i always like to go to camp prepped & ready to sew.

while i was in Houston quilting wasn’t far from my mind. my hotel was connected to the convention center and the follow pics are of the carpet that is in the sky walks connecting the two buildings. for those that have been there for quilt market/show you know what i am talking about. i found them to be inspiring.

oh, i almost forgot about the best part of being gone….. i won a giveaway from Bev at 44th Street Fabric. some Halloween fabric is on its way to me – once i get it i will post some pics of it. thanks for the great giveaway!!!

i am thinking that i should go away more often because while I was in St John on vacation I won EQ7 as well as a fabric/pattern giveaway – maybe me leaving town in a lucky thing…..

everyone enjoy your weekend & check back next week to see what i got accomplished…….