Love Notes

Have you read "Circe" or "The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller?  I just loved the former, and, this weekend, picked up the latter.  Perhaps it was yet another snowy evening in Virginia that beckoned me to the Greek Islands.  Or maybe it was this review by Ann Patchett:  "A scholar's homage to The Iliad, a startling original work of art ... A book I could not put down".

Which is how I found myself down a Greek rabbit hole, visiting with the ancient gods, and reconsidering the muse.

I'd always pictured the classical muse as a beautiful woman of leisure, reclining on a chaise being fed grapes by a pipe playing boy with goat legs.  A strapping mortal man stands nearby, absorbing her feminine glow while creating his work of genius.  Seems I had this wrong.   READ MORE

Read more

Truth serum - I detest command performance holidays.  New Year's Eve is at the top of that list, followed closely by Valentines Day.  I feel for all those men spending silly money for a dozen red roses in a box, just to have them arrive on the magic date of February 14.  If only they had thought to send flowers a few random days over the course of a year, with a simple heartfelt note ...  "You mean the world to me".  They wouldn't be in near panic mode now.

I suppose this is to say, I like the unexpected gesture.  And I take just a little delight in saying no thank you to the obligatory march down Hallmark Boulevard.   Which might be why I embrace Galentines Day - no one expects their girlfriends to fete them on the fourteenth.  READ MORE

Read more

Balance is hard (at least for me it is).   But there it sits, waiting patiently to be called up to bat - if only we practice.  Balance is not about perfection; it's about harmony.   Let your mind's eye wander with me this morning ... picture the steady rhythm of waves meeting the shore , or the golden light of dawn embracing the earth.   Do you feel balance?    As women, we are naturally wired to do it all, to care for our families and one another, and to take care of whatever needs doing.  But sometimes we have dreams of our own - have yours fallen by the wayside in the pursuit of  ... whatever it is that we pursue, day in and day out?  We must make time to nurture ourselves with the same devotion we've shown to our families, our careers, our commitments.   As Brene Brown reminds us, 

"You can't pour from an empty cup".  READ MORE

Read more

Happy MLK day, happy inauguration day.  And today, for here at least, we're talking about neither.  Today, we're keeping it light - dreaming in pink.   How about we chat about inspiration and creativity, big dreams, and of course how to celebrate our galentines?  Won't you come along?

I've just returned from the wholesale gift show in Atlanta, what an inspiration!  And heavens to Betsy, do I have some TALENTED FRIENDS!   For those of you, dear readers who are new, or have been gallivanting around the globe and may have missed a few Monday missives, well .... last fall, we introduced a new storefront on the website, called "Meg & Friends".   READ MORE

Read more

Read more