Happy New Year 2013

Dear Visitors from Near and Far,

Thank you for stepping by regularly or by chance. May this coming year bring you lots of love, joy, and prosperity!
With my heart-felt wishes for you and a smile,
Monika
PS: Let's keep the smiling universe going :)

The Universe Is Smiling: "Relaxation"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Take your time, relax, and listen to your dreams! :)
"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop."
 - Ovid
"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."
 - Chinese Proverb
"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths."
- Etty Hillesum

The Universe Is Smiling: "Light"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

 A: Strive towards the light!
"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
 - Plato
"To love beauty is to see light."
- Victor Hugo  

The Universe Is Smiling: "Time"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Take your time :)
"Smile, breathe, and go slowly!"
- Thich Nhat Hanh
"You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future."
- Anonymous
"To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time."
 - Leonard Bernstein

The Universe Is Smiling: "Reminiscing"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: "Cherish your memories but stay in the moment :)"
"Pleasure is the flower that passes, remembrance the lasting perfume."
 - Jean de Boufflers
"A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime."
- Anonymous
"Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going."
- Tennessee Williams  

The Universe Is Smiling: "Flow"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawing:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Go with the flow!
"Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate."
- Zhuangzi
"... So this is how you swim inward.
So this is how you flow outwards.
So this is how you pray."
- Mary Oliver
"The quality of the imagination is to flow and not to freeze."
 - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Universe Is Smiling: "Security"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Inner peace is our life belt of security during the storms of life.
"For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair."
 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
"There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity."
- Douglas MacArthur 
"The opposite of security is insecurity, and the only way to overcome insecurity is to take risks."
 - Theodor Forstman

The Universe Is Smiling: "Inner Child"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Awake the inner child!
"The most important muse of all is our inner child."
- Stephen Nachmanovich
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."
- C.S. Lewis
"Whoever wants to understand much must play much."
- Gottfried Benn  

The Casual Observer: "Pumpkin LIVE"

The annual Night of the 100 PUMPKINs at The Bakery: Creativity, fun, and some ghoulish scare guaranteed :)

Pumpkins are getting ready for their big night out:

 

some are a bit shy and hiding

others seem exuberant

cute!

The Zen of mice life: Is it cheese or not?

New Paltz businesses in a web map

 Ready for action:

 

 The night has come. Pumpkins are ready to be on fire. The drums are filling the air, and the long line of visitors is passing by with free pumpkin bred and hot apple cider in hand. Get into the groove and dance with the music :)

 

Clockwork of Time

Let's get out of the rut of habit and create a future of love, tolerance and creative play! Are you on board? Smiles to YOU :)

The Universe Is Smiling: "Protection"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Even if we don't know it, we are protected. It may take some faith to trust that.
"On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him."
- The Buddha

The Universe Is Smiling: "Reflection"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Enjoy a day of reflection!
"By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the most bitter."
 - Confucius
"When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness."
- Joseph Campbell 

The Universe Is Smiling: "Water"

Sitting near a frog pond today on a sunny fall afternoon, I asked the question (as usual on this BLOG): "What is today's wisdom?" and the drawing that appeared seemed as if a water spirit had risen from the surface, saying: "Dance with us, we are your life force."

"Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it."
- Lao Tzu  
"Move and the Way will open."
- Zen quote

"The Universe Is Smiling" Calendar 2013

Dear Visitor,

The 2013 calendar is here. Do you find your favorite drawing and quotes in there? Click HERE to check it out. I hope you'll enjoy looking through the images and that it will add a ray of sunshine to your day :)

cover

The Universe Is Smiling: "Freedom"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Freedom is ...
"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."
 - Hans Christian Anderson
"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion."
- Albert Camus 
 What does freedom mean to YOU? I would love to see your comments.

The Universe Is Smiling: "Fullness"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Rejoice in the fullness of life :)
"When we rejoice in our fullness, then we can part with our fruits with joy."
- Rabindranath Tagore
"The living self has one purpose only: to come into its own fullness of being, as a tree comes into full blossom, or a bird into spring beauty, or a tiger into lustre."
- D.H.Lawrence 

The Universe Is Smiling: "Dance"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Dance with your heart! :)
"Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another."
- Author unknown
"To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking."
- Agnes de Mille  

The Universe Is Smiling: "Autumn"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:
Today is the beginning of autumn. May your life be as precious and colorful as this season, and may this season bring you beauty in abundance! :)

"Autumn is like a second spring when every leaf is a flower" 
- Albert Camus

The Universe Is Smiling: "Learning"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:

Q: What is today's wisdom?

 A: "Learning happens: earth & star nations communicate"

"Let us not look back in a anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness."

 - James Thurber

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching."

- Gerard Way 

The Universe Is Smiling: "Support"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:

Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: "Support comes in many forms"

"Support your friends - even in their mistakes. But be clear, however, that it is the friend and not the mistake you are supporting."

- Hugh Prather

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are."

- Source unknown  

 

The Universe Is Smiling: "A Matter of Style"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:

Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Know your style and live it joyfully :)

"On matter of style swim with the current, on matter of principle, stand like a rock."

 - Thomas Jefferson

"Only great minds can afford a simple style."

 - Stendhal

"Fashions fade, style is eternal."

-Yves Saint Laurant  

The Universe Is Smiling: "Creation & Imagination"

Monika's weekly inner voice drawings:

Q: What is today's wisdom?

A: Create a joyful life, one day at a time :)

"Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will."

- George Bernard Shaw

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

- Berthold Auerbach

"Music can change the world because it can change people."

- Bono  

The Casual Observer: "Lift Your Head!"

More observations from my trip to Cologne, Germany:

Imagine you're walking down an unknown street. You have your eyes on the ground to not trip over some unexpected daxen dog or goblins and suddenly you stumble upon a sign on the ground that says in big letters:

BLICK HEBEN = Lift Your Head!

 

Wouldn't you also lift your head immediately,  wondering what to expect? :)

In this case, it was the beauty of an old basilica .

 

However, after that I kept lifting my head and saw ....

life size mannequins .... in permanent freeze .... :)

 

elegant lady in red

elegant lady waiting for her mannequin mate

young man fishing in the air

You never know what you'll find when you lift your head.

What do you see, when you look up from your daily routine?

I would love to know :)