wine, hammocks, and connections....

don't you love it when random things in your life surprise you and start making these deep connections?

ok, well before I go there, i guess i better explain the wide spectrum of thoughts and experiences I've had this month (since its been so long since I've processed ideas here):

wine
Last month several of us ASU webbies got to go to San Francisco for a conference. I love San Francisco! I love the city, the huge spectrum of people there, the great food, and the wine. The wine was better that usual that week, and I don't think it was just because we were close to Sonoma Valley. It was more about connection.... the connections we were making with each other over long conversations every night.

hammocks
A couple weeks ago our house was totally full of family for a wedding. It was so full that we ran out of beds. So we gave our beds to the guests and my hub graciously slept under the pool table and I slept outside in the hammock. What surprised me though, was how much I loved it. There was this gentle breeze all night, and instead of that annoying alarm that I beat every nine minutes (for at least a half an hour), I woke up slowly to the sun rise and a whole chorus of birds around me. And it hit me--this is the way we were meant to wake up! It felt so much natural to be connected to the rest of the earth as she woke up... I'm going to sleep outside more often.

the power of full engagement
I've been reading this great book about how to effectively manage our energy. Between the rich ideas here, and even more so in the conversations with some good friends, I'm really embracing the idea of how intergrated we are (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually) and how important it is to find a rhythm of spending and renewing our energy on all of those levels. Rhythm is such a beautifully poetic concept....
speaking/listening
working/resting
creating/absorbing others creativity
loving/being loved
giving/receiving
reading/writing
the beating of our heart
breathing...
its a beautiful design...

wine & heaven
So yesterday when I was listening to some of Rob Bell's thoughts about "Wine & Heaven", everything over the last month started connecting.... how wine is deeply symbolic of peace and connection... how we are integrated beings... how connected we are to each other... and to the earth....

i love connection.