COMMUNITY – Sharing, participation, and fellowship
Welcome to the Saturday Blog Party! This week’s topic is Community. If you are a regular around here, you know I usually kick things off with three posts that speak to the topic at hand but today I’m just keeping the open house going…
This week sure has been fun! My daughter and I made decorations, examined intention, we sang with our friend the bulldog, learned that community is an inside job, and we met some new friends! I really want to thank everyone who has (or will! It is not too late!) joined the party! Bliss Habits is a joy because of you! Thank you.
I have two new folks to introduce and I’ve decided to keep the others handy, in case you didn’t have a chance to stop by earlier in the week. I plan on doing a similar “Open House” event for an upcoming community week so if you’d like to introduce yourself, I’d be delighted to share your story. In the meantime say hello in the linky below and take a few moments to get to know a few new friends:
*** Chel ***
I’m Chel (pronounced “Shell”). I’m in my thirties. I grew up in NY, went to school in Atlanta, and now live in humid Southwest Florida. I have a husband named Tom and a daughter named Grace. I have three cats, three birds, and an elderly gecko. I love animals. I love nature. I spend at least an hour a day gardening. I swim four miles a day, rain or shine. I try and watch the sun set every night, usually curled up on the swing with a good book or a magazine fresh from the mailbox.
I love art of all kinds. I make art of all kinds.
Things that make me happy are: really *good* tea, shopping for and collecting art supplies, daily meditation, reading poetry, receiving snail mail, being surprised with free time, really great music, going to the movies with my little family, good vegetarian food, milk chocolate, spending time in my art studio, twinkle lights, making friends with animals, spending time in beautiful gardens, trips to Disney World, learning about new stuff, and really insightful quotes.
I read too many blogs, I drink a lot of tea, I swim a lot of laps, and I art journal when I can. I believe in the magic of the every day, and I’m trying to learn how to tap into that in every moment. I don’t know what’s next for me, I just want to thrive while I do it.
I blog at gingerblue and I pop in several times daily at facebook.com/gingerblue . I miss the instant connections between people that we all had as kids, so I will just say this in closing: Let’s be friends.
*** Alex ***
Hey there! I’m Alejandro, but you can call me Alex. For a long time I have been a passionate student of life. Writing has been one of the best ways I found to share my thoughts, and here I am at it again, writing a small bio for Bliss Habits. I’m a web designer and developer, and a full time geek and amateur calligrapher. I like videogames as much as folding origami or writing a good article. I find that I can learn from everything, I’m a student of the world and I will always be.
I have seen some of the best things in this world being born from the worst situations. I lost a girlfriend when I was young, and I learned to love unconditionally because, well you never know. And recently I lost a great friend who taught me to be a warrior everyday.
I write for Enso Journey, and I love to share my journey with the world, perhaps my mistakes can teach other people not to make them. If you want to keep in touch with me, you can add me to google+ or twitter.
*** Karen ***
Nothing gets me to ‘jump’ out of bed in the morning – mainly I crawl out to relieve my aching back and take at least two cups of coffee before I’m ready to face the day!
I am most proud of my daughters – they are all beautiful, clever, accomplished young women who have worked hard to achieve what they have.
My best friend is my husband. He lovingly supports me in everything I do – even when I do things that I don’t think he’ll like! I can tell him anything and we share so many interests – although he’s much more motivated than I am, and when my depression rears its ugly head he does what he can to bring me back and lift my spirits.
The dream I am working on is a bit of a mish mash! I love to make cards and would love to be able to do this for a living, but I am also hugely interested in complementary therapies, energy healing and developing my spirituality – so I would also love to have a business where I can deliver complementary therapies.
My dream therefore, is to develop my cardmaking business, Luckenbooth Weddings and my complementary therapy business, Avalon Complementary therapies. You can find me at www.luckenboothweddings.co.uk and on Facebook as me: Karen Blackburn, my cards: www.facebook.com/pages/-Luckenbooth-Weddings, and my therapies: www.facebook.com/pages/Avalon-Complementary-Therapies
Randomly, my favourite colour changes with my mood, my favourite band is Queen, I love birdwatching and my favourite birds are birds of prey, I keep a deck of oracle cards by my bed, I have a fab tattoo on my back and I have two beautiful cats.
*** Lisa ***
Salut! Known to some as “Lisa” and others as “mommy,” I’ll respond to almost any kind-hearted greeting. As an Awareness Artist, I practice mindful living through varying perspectives –creating my reality and exploring connections as I go. I share my experiences through story and art.
Living in the beauty of Southern Indiana with two kids, a hubby, and a dog creates a rich and beautiful environment for these experiences. I incorporate yoga and running, painting and playing, meditation and wine (not together) into weekly routine.
I’ve jumped out of a plane 20 times and long to again. I’ve climbed a waterfall in Jamaica and red rocks in Arizona. Of all of the experiences I’ve had, though, I can honestly say that self-awareness is the most challenging – and rewarding – of them all.
I continue to paint, create, story-share online, and experience life as richly as possible…and hope that if you feel called to explore this thing called life, you’ll dance along with me.
I can be found at: Life Unity, on Facebook here and here, on twitter @Lifeunity, and frequently on a hiking trail at the park.
Hope to see you at one of these places….
Namaste.
*** Dani ***
Hi! I’m Dani. I’m a self-employed hippie, teacher, artist, and signal-booster. When I’m not dancing barefoot in mud puddles (or playing in the snow, depending on the season), I help passionate entrepreneurs, purpose-driven leaders, and creative spirits connect with their communities authentically and organically on the web.
What gets me out of bed in the morning is the idea of living life unconstrained – doing the wrong thing (I call it the “f*ck it principle”), going with the flow, and being unhindered by doing the “right thing” or living up to expectations – and the fact that I make a living helping people do that in their lives and their businesses. I live my unconstrained life in Buffalo, NY, with my marvelous partner and a beautiful cat, with frequent trips back home to eastern PA to visit family and friends, including my “baby” brother (who’s not a baby, really) and his beautiful new wife, and my baby sister (who’s 6!).
I blog at lifeunconstrained.com, where I share big ideas, wicked wisdom, and inspiration about living a better life and building a better business. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
*** Jamie ***
I rarely jump out of bed in the mornings, but a nice hot tea and a video clip of Stephen Colbert dancing usually gets me going. I’m probably most proud of graduating from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy because it was so tough! But I’m also mom-proud of my three kids. They are all so different and talented and amazing, I just love them to pieces. My crazy dream is to build a cob hobbit house with a permaculture herb farm, as soon as I can talk my husband into it. I’ve recently written a book about famous people who had unconventional educations called, “Legendary Learning: The Famous Homeschoolers’ Guide to Self-Directed Excellence.” I’m keeping up a website and blog about homeschooling athttp://www.
*** Rachel ***
I’m Rachel Papworth. I’m a bird-loving, green-minded, badminton-playing, semi-vegan fitness freak living in Brighton (on the South coast of England), within walking distance of the sea and the South Downs National Park. I love hiking, baking, dancing and overland travel.
I did some work on myself this year, identifying my strengths and the contribution I want to make to others, and I realised how much I love to help people create order. For 15 years, I’ve been helping organisations order their thoughts (I help them plan and evaluate projects that use employment and training to improve people’s lives) and now, through Green and Tidy, I also help people with way too much stuff, declutter and create homes they love, homes that support them to live the lives they want to live.
I blog at Green and Tidy, sharing hints, tips and inspirational stories. I’ve also got a Facebook page and you can follow me @GreenAndTidy.
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Wow, thank you so much, I’ve learned something about each of you, even those of you I already thought I knew! I am more grateful then ever that you all choose to spend some of your time here at Bliss Habits.
For those of you who want to participate in the open house, you can send me your own write-ups with photos to BlissHabits@gmail.com and/or you can go ahead and hook up in the community linky below. Go on… brag a little!
Thank you so much for stopping by the Open House! I do hope you’ll stay a while and introduce yourself! After, linking up here you are invited to join us over on the facebook page where more community fun and games are getting underway! See you there!
P.S. Next week we will be “Speaking of Romance” and looking for posts and places that will foster this Bliss Habit!
ROMANCE – To court or woo romantically; treat with ardor or chivalrousness; a strong fascination or enthusiasm for something.