Soul cards:  Watcher.  I am the one in the corner who sees behind closed lids, the one who counts heartbeats between breaths.  I am the one who knows who you are.  Tammy Vitale

Some actual art business to do today – load in to a new coffee shop that’s going to be opening in Leonardtown (St Marys County) MD.  I was counting shops the other day as I updated what I have listed here.  I think I’ve about evened out between what I lost or closed and what I’ve gained, so I guess 2006 has been a foundation building year and for that I’m very grateful, especially since the foundation seems strong and is providing a steady income.  Which, among other things, has lead me to thinking about success and my grandson’s favorite movie, Cars.  I saw it for the first time over the holidays (we gave him the movie so I got to watch it.  For some reason I was absent the day Poppy/Husband, Mommy/Daughter and Grandson went to the movies).  For those of you who don’t have kids or grandkids, it’s a feel good movie that will make you smile and laugh with recognition…and maybe "get it" since it’s about "cars" and not people.  Not to spoil it for you, but the protagonist, a red car (and I’m sorry, but I cannot keep their names straight) stops inches short of the winner’s line and gives up victory to go back to check on a veteran car who has been bumped and who has crashed as a result of a no holds barred self-important car, who ultimately wins the race.  In the winner’s circle this self-important car is puffed up and looking for the bling and he gets tires thrown at him instead.  Because in the end how you run the race is as important as what position you’re in at the end.

The message of the movie is that good guys do finish first in the arenas that count  and that isn’t always in the arenas that our culture counts.  I am hopeful that I’m seeing signs that the legacy of selfishness from trickle down economics (hey, I’ll get mine and you’ll get the scraps but they’ll be better scraps) will soon start to wane.  Hope springs eternal!  And the way that happens is that each of us readjusts the priorities of our own story and our own life.  Watch the ripples, much like the Z list (and maybe the W List, which, by the way, has already led me to some really great new blogs, which is the whole point – connection – right?  I check in with Mack over at Viral Garden, author fo the original Z List, to make sure this wasn’t stepping on toes, and he said he’d love to see more people start these lists.  Have at folks!  It sure is a great way to get to know the community.).

Soul Card: Rebel.  I am the one who breaks the rules; the one who eats the apple, grows weeds in the sidewalk cracks.  I am the one who is a red dragon, living beneath blue water in the underground cave.  Cross me at your own risk.

This is from a handout that I got at a Tama Kieves workshop that I treated myself to this year (and had to drive the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to do it…if you’ve read me much, you know that bridge holds holy terror for me driving east to west, so you know I wanted to go!)

The 5 Most Common Passion Killers

1.  The answer has to feel crystal clear:  You’re looking for a big and glorious answer that feels like an arrow through the heart.  But many passions start out as a faint hunch, distant and oblique because we’ve denied them for so long.

2.  You’re looking for a job description instead of a dream:  Most of us spend little time exploring what we love and instead immediately try to determine what would make money or be easy to do.  But remember, you’re looking to find what you love and that can be eating chocolate or staring at Richard Gere.  First we focus on the love, then we craft the love into an expression.

3.  You’re looking for a map instead of a fire:  Many of us disregard our answers because we can’t see how to get from point a to point b.  But if you stay with the desire long enough, the means reveal themselves.  You can’t plan an inspired life, but you can follow your own creativity into unexpected productivity.

4.  The answer should be something exotic you’ve never thought of before:  Many people are shocked to discover that they’ve always known what they wanted, but somehow it didn’t count because it was so obvious or familiar…or fun.

5.  You secretly desire the ‘safety’ of fuzziness:  some of us find it easier to insist that we don’t know what we love so that we don’t have to face our fears and dare our dreams.  But ignorance is not bliss.  Bliss is.  adapted from This Time I Dance!  Trusting the Journey of Creating the Work you Love by Tama Kieves.  It’s a great book.  Give yourself an after christmas gift, or a new year’s gift and keep it close by.

And, speaking of creativity, here’s an interesting article, The Role of Creativity in Business, over at the Small Business Branding Blog.

Soul Card:  Young Crone.  I am the one who is learning to be old, the one who is remembering the wisdom I carry.  I am the one who is naming the spirits who walk with me.

Thought for the day:  What does it mean to love yourself?  give this some thought.  One of the things that comes to mind for me is to take care of myself.  My understanding is that Love is who we are, so maybe it is taking the time to really get to know yourself.  What you want to find out here is what this means to you.  Take the time you need to get clear on this for yourself.  Bobbie R. Stevens, Unlimited Futures: How to Understand the Life You Have and Create the Life You Want