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Bookmarking Joy in December, 5

My daughter Meg informed me many years ago that the image she carries of me in her mind is of my head’s moving through space of its own volition, trailing my body behind it and my toes’ dragging along barely touching the ground.

Enter qigong! I practice it both in a wonderful class on Monday mornings and on my own day to day, an element here, an element there, all of which together centers and grounds me. I am tremendously grateful to get out of my head and into my body!

grounded, we bow to
ourselves, bow to our teachers,
bow to each other.

I Bow to My Teachers
1.5 x 5.5″, acrylic and collage on card stock
bookmark
2024



12 responses to “Bookmarking Joy in December, 5”

  1. Another astonishing abstract! Happy New Year!

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  2. Thanks, Carol! WIshing you a happy new year also!

    This bookmark and the previous one, as well as the 30 x 30″ piece I posted a few weeks ago, were inspired by a downloaded class I took from Llewellyn Skye. I love watching her paint and learned much from her.

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  3. Joyful Puttering Avatar
    Joyful Puttering

    Another joyful and beautiful bookmark Dotty!

    That’s a line a therapist offered to my son years and years ago and he still practices: get out of your head and into your body! I do too….but not as often as I should.

    I am so glad gigong gives you the opportunity to do just that.

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    1. Thanks for riding the bookmark joy train with me, MaryAnn!

      I’ve long noticed that, no matter how often I pause to get out of my head and into my body in a restorative way, if you were to stop me—any time at all and as many times in a row as you chose—to ask me if my shoulders were relaxed, or my jaw, I’d always have room to let my shoulders let go and drop, my jaw release! But I DO move into my body to loosen and open it WAY more than in the past. I’m grateful to have increased mindfulness : )

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  4. Can confirm. xo

    Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
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    1. Hey, Meg: L.O.L.!!!

      I have to ask: are you confirming your part of the above story or my increased groundedness?

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      1. That your natural state has historically been that of a floating head moving full-steam-ahead with a hapless body drifting behind, toes dragging on the ground. Lol.

        Can also confirm that I would not say this is true now. Those little mama feet are planted.

        ❤️👣

        Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
        Get Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg

        Liked by 1 person

  5. imajenationgmailcom Avatar
    imajenationgmailcom

    another beauty!!!!! And yep, kindredness. I love up here in my head, too! A daily practice to get back into the temple body helps so much. xoxoxo

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    1. Painting is a magical gift for coming back into the body, yes? So grateful for it.

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My Story

In 2014, I grab an unexpected opportunity to paint.

To make art.

I get hooked.

In 2015 I start a blog—a diary of my life as an artist.

I post my paintings and their stories. The good, the bad, the ugly.

My compass points: bust through fear, be playful, get messy, trust my gut.

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