Digging Deep

Zipping along the coastal road,

Bodega Bay on my left and

pastureland on my right, I

inhaled the cold sea air 

and reflected,

How did I get here?

18 months earlier, clinking

glasses in a toast at dinner

with my husband's oldest

friend ~ his Archie ~ and

Archie's wife, Jane, we all

contemplated the best way

to celebrate milestone

anniversaries and milestone

birthdays coming up in the

next year for all of us.

A plan was born:  a cycling

trip to honor love, friendship

and the blessing of 

good health.

We chose September, 

when our kids {six between us}

would be back in school, and

California Wine Country,

where Indian summer 

would be at its peak.

And so here I was, legs

and heart pumping as I

savored the valleys and

worked hard to scale 

the hills.

On this particular day ~ 

the second out of six on

our Backroads adventure ~

I physically found myself

tested like never before.

Halfway up a very steep

incline, my gears as low as

they could go, literally 

inching along, a feeling of

panic descended upon me.

I am going to fall over 

before I have time to unclip 

my shoes from the pedals!

What happened next?

I took a deliberate 

breath and

dug

deep

deep

inside,

securing my balance 

and ultimately, 

conquering

the hill.

I thought back to 

that moment

so many times the rest 

of the week.

The moment of panic.

The moment of true grit.

The wave of relief.

I did it!

This is part of

being alive, 

my friends.

The queasy feeling 

before a big speech.

The grief when leading a

beloved pet into the vet's

office for the final goodbye.

The fear of giving birth.

I can't do this.

I have to do this.

The digging down.

The flood of relief, of 

calm, of peace that 

comes afterward.

I learned a lot on 

this expedition:

Look left and right,

not just forward, or

you'll miss the view.

Don't stop on a hill,

or it's very tricky 

to get started again.

There are so many

good, good people in

this world, all with their

own tales to be honored

and celebrated.

{I met 26 of them

last week.}

We are each heroes of

our own story, as we dig

down deep and meet

the challenges in this

grandest adventure 

of them all.

Life.

xo

Suzanne

Autumn BLOOMers

A few flowers bloom

in the earliest days of

spring.....

A lot blossom in in

the spring and summer....

But a few

just a few

burst into bloom

in the autumn.

I have several

examples of these

autumn bloomers

in my own yard.

Autumn clematis

spills forth abundantly

at the end of September

in a froth of white ~

and Sedum Autumn Joy

dons a beautiful shade

of red after wearing its

green flowers all

summer long.

Then there are my

zinnias, summer posies

still going gangbusters

until the first frost, and

often, beyond.

Even in the winter, I

coax amaryllis and

paperwhites on window

ledges and baby my

poinsettas until 

Easter Lily time.

I often think of life

in terms of seasons,

from the very beginning

{spring} until we leave

this earth, hopefully

in late, late winter.

And while we usually

associate blooming flowers,

like blooming people,

with spring and summer,

there is no reason that

we can't continue to 

blossom

and grow 

right through those 

autumn and winter years, 

just like the sedum

or the amaryllis.

In fact, I think a lot of

people don't really come

into their own 

~ bloom ~ 

until they are well into 

their autumn years, when 

they have time to fully 

pursue those things that 

truly make their hearts 

sing.

Time to stop and take stock.

Time to become open to 

more possibilities.

To me....

Blooming is continuing

to learn.  Always.

Blooming is exuding

gratitude.

Blooming is discovering

joy in the small 

moments, every day.

Blooming is feeling

comfortable 

in your own skin.

Blooming is laughing, 

often, even if it's

at yourself.

Blooming is staying

in

love 

with life.

When I was growing up,

my mom had a little 

plaque that read:

Bloom where

you are planted.

Right now, I'm planted

on the cusp of Autumn.

And I'm hoping it will

be a long, beautiful season.

What characteristics

do you see in someone

who is blooming?

Are you there, yet?

Here's to 

crisp blue skies 

and sweet blossoms,

opening amidst the

the falling leaves of
autumn.

xo 

Suzanne

PS:  I will be on an
adventure next week,
blooming in my own way.
Come along with me 
{privetandholly}
on Instagram, 
or here.

Boiling it Down

I was following

a recipe for blackberry

syrup last week,

trying to capture 

the flavor of 

warm sunshine on

plump berries which

to me, tastes just 

like summertime.

A vital step in making

syrup is boiling it down,

which leaves behind

the most delicious and

true essence of the

ingredients from which

it is made.

As I stirred and inhaled

the fragrance of boiling

berries, sugar and lemon

zest, I couldn't help but

compare the process of

boiling it down

to the lessons the universe

had been revealing to 

me in those last weeks 

of the summer.

On August 7th my cousin's

seven year old daughter,

Campbell, was diagnosed

with a rare form 

of leukemia.

Then, on August 27th 

one of my best friends, 

Kathleen, called to

tearfully share that

her doctors had found
a mass on her lung, a
mere two years since
she was diagnosed and
treated for breast cancer. 

Suddenly, my own day

to day concerns seemed to

bubble up and 

boil away.

The true essence

of life came into

focus for me, 

loud and clear,

once more:

good health,

family and friends

and

love.

When you boil it down,

these essentials are 

absolutely

irreplaceable and more

precious than any things

we can possibly own.

When you boil it down,

if you and those you love

enjoy good health, 

everything else 

in life is simply 

frosting 

on

the 

cake.

When that syrup of life

is condensed to what is

most essential, we savor the

sweetness like never before....

And realize how 

fortunate

we really are. 

Four little jars of blackberry

syrup are now nestled on

my pantry shelf.  I know 

that in the cold months to

come, when I sample this

summer in a jar, I will also

taste all of the blessings in 

my life that are so easily

taken for granted.

I sincerely hope that each

one of you reading these

words is able to rejoice

in your own good health,

family, friends and love.

I so hope.

And if you have a moment,

please send positive thoughts

and prayers for Campbell and

Kathleen as they bravely

fight the good fight.

xo

Suzanne

Today I am joining Patty at

findingserendipity.com

where she asks bloggers
to share a moment of
beauty that they captured
from their week.