Thirty-Two Candles

Today is my birthday.

I have already had a few amazing gifts this morning:
-A birthday wish and cuddle from my one and only girl.
-A thoughtful date-plan from my guy.
-A contested hearing and travel no longer needed because of my amazing staff and our hard work.
-A lovely coffee run with friends who are patient with my lack of interest with the Kentucky basketball changing-of-the-guard-hoopla.
-Kind messages from friends and family.

I hope you are having a day where you find joy.

On my inspiration egg hunt, I found these three posts that are shiny, pastel glimmering candles for the day...

This post from Stephmodo makes me want to hop on a plane with my little family to retrace Madeline's steps...or Remy's.

This post by Superhero called
What is Real is exactly what I have been feeling and wondering these days. Every once in a while I think that I should pull back my online presence in order to have more presence in my real life...that in all of the blogging etc., it can feel a bit vacuous and unrecipricated at times. But my hope is still there, that I make more connections with writing here. Superhero writes:

"In the wake of my clearing, I had the sense that my energy was too far-flung, dispersed in too many directions, that I had been tending too many things I couldn't touch and that I was out of balance in some fundamental way. I realized I needed to bring my focus in closer and tend things much nearer to home. And when I say this, I mean really close to home, like my actual home, my family, my neighbors, my body, my heart, my community right here in Berkeley. I had to look hard at what’s most real and true in my life.

And of course, how do you reconcile being a blogger, surfing Facebook, emailing, texting, phoning, twittering when you are on a quest to ground yourself in what is real in your life? How do these things fit in? and what am I giving up by spending countless hours checking email and blogs and weather reports and celebrity gossip columns? What am I not creating in my life as a result of all of the life force I give to my "friends" in cyberspace?"

She explains that she is now noticing how neighbors linger to talk, how more connected she feels to her community since she has been focusing on what is real to her. I think this is an interesting question. In the late-night hours and isolation of parenting and insomnia, I have been saved many times by words that someone dared to write and value the friendships I have made, maintained or rekindled with technology. That is how I got here to this place. But I do wonder if it is all too much online and not enough in person.

This post from Soule Mama is so moving and honest. I love so many things about this piece but this is my favorite:

"I write for me, but I hit 'publish' each day in the hopes that somehow - someway - these little ramblings of mine could inspire you to look for, to follow, to perhaps even create a moment of joy and beauty in your own day." -Amanda Blake Soule

I am so blessed to have you as readers and friends and please let's have tea together someday.... in person.