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About ShellyLFrancis

Author, publisher, metaphortographer, courage creator.

Celebrating Spring with Izzy

This morning’s glorious blossoms called for a song.
And a serenade.

So we invited Izzy’s spirit to our backyard
and invited him to play for us
and his namesake plum tree.

Apologies for the birds, the bees and the Cessna
for their fly-by’s in hopes of being seen.

Every blossom on the tree cheered when Izzy was done.
It really is a wonderful world!

 

 

Dancing with a Shadow of My Current Self

My shadow snuck up on me

I was just standing there
enjoying the view
breathing in the salt air
when I felt a presence behind me
breathing out.

I froze for a second
afraid of what I might find.

I turned suddenly

I spun around
and said “Ha!”
as if to surprise the intruder.
And I saw it was me.
“Ha!” my shadow said back
unsurprised
and happy to see me
face to face.

Hello old friend

Hello, old friend
she said to me
and I said to her
in the same breath.

Shall we dance?

Shall we dance?

She whistled a tune
while we danced a jig
and laughed when
I tripped over my toes
and almost fell into the tide.

Let's go explore

Oh, I’ve missed you!
Where have you been?

Here. As always.
You forget to listen
for my whispers,
she said without hurt.
Life gets loud, doesn’t it?
she said with compassion.

And then, to change the subject
and get back to some fun,
she said,
Let’s go on an adventure…

shadowcorner-sq

As we peered round the corner
seeing where to go next
we drew close enough to swap secrets.
Nearly one as shadow and light
but not quite.

I love sunny days.

Last dance

The Answer Was Yes!

We've moved!

We’ve moved!

Is this mine, was my October question. This place with the blue door in the meadow. This cottage with the piano inside. This yard with swings in three trees.

It takes courage to say Yes to your life when it shows up with a gift without warning. Like love at first sight. Your mind can come up with a long list of reasons (and fears) to say No.

It’s too much. It sounds hard. I’m not ready.

Or you can open your mind by hearing the thoughts of your heart.

It’s what I always imagined…in detail. It feels like a gift. I’m singing silly songs I’m so happy. It feels like home and we’re not even there yet. I believe I can do this! I will trust in the process…and outcome…and future.

Then give it some time. Take some deep breaths. Accept the October invitation. Wait for the November answer.

Yes. Yes. Yes!

Uncross your fingers and slap a high five!

Pack your boxes and move! Unpack. Bake a turkey. Give thanks. Begin to get settled. Add a tree. Hang some lights. Do the dance of a happy December.

Then let the adventure begin!!

lights-house

 

 

 

Blue Door Signs from My Soul

emotikin-bluedoor600

Blue doors have been my thing for a very long time. I’ve always claimed blue as my favorite color, sometimes periwinkle, sometimes cornflower. But blue. I’ve never had a blue door though I’ve painted blue walls.

I have a blue door in the alpine meadow of wildflowers where I go when I meditate really deep. It stands there, no walls, in the middle of the meadow, as if I’m supposed to go through.

But I couldn’t. I would sit down with my back against the door. I heard a laughing invitation to just walk around the side, that I didn’t have to go through. But I couldn’t. I was stumped.

Another time, not long ago, I landed in my meadow out of the blue. I opened the door. Beyond it was a dark midnight sky full of stars. I stepped through and soared through the stars for a bit, tethered to the doorway by a silver cord. I didn’t stay long.

A few weeks ago, I finally stepped all the way through, not just that door but a whole series of doors. I erased some hard parts of the past, walked down paths now easier to see and to choose. And I heard, “Trust and believe. Expect miracles.”

I didn’t expect what happened the very next day. I saw my blue door, live and in person, around the bend in an old country road, in front of a cottage for sale, with a tree swing out front. I screeched the car to a halt and pointed. “Look! A Blue Door!”  We sat there in awe. Then we got out of the car.

bluedoor-sq-600

bluedoor-opening600This blue door beckoned. It seemed to lead to a land of bliss and enchanted forests and talking trees and one friendly sit-on-your-shoe kind of squirrel. The cottage holds a piano, built-in bookshelves, and wrap-around windows with a view to the sea. Only a cane in the corner would have made it feel like our own Miracle on 34th Street. It seemed to say, here is your doorway to heaven. You’re welcome. Come in.

So the question is whether this cottage for sale, this land of bliss, this tree swing, this door, this meadow with room for a horse and some chickens, is supposed to be ours.  It sure feels like a soul sign. It sure feels like a miracle.

I do know, at the least, that this real-life blue door is a sign from my soul to pay attention to miracles. To pay attention to gifts that come out of the blue. To open the door and walk through, with courage not fear. With hope, not with doubt. With wonder and more wonder and more wonder yet, and some patience to wait for the answer to “I wonder what this all means?”

I don’t know the answer. Not yet. We’re doing some work called Logistics and Research. That hard human work that makes miracles happen for real. Or at least invites the result. Accepting the invitation to a miracle takes as much courage and work as you can muster, it seems.

And I’m waiting to see if the sign was a “Yes, this is your home.” Or if it means something else. Trust and believe can mean anything. But I do believe in blue doors. And I believe that miracles might have a different answer than the one I first thought of. I don’t know the answer. Not yet. I just hope I am asking all the right questions so the right answer will come when it’s time.

Trust and believe.

Fingers crossed.

 

Saluting the Seattle October sky and a particularly rosy sunset

Tuesday night felt like one of the last
I could get to the beach before the sun said goodnight.

Shorter days, longer nights shouldn’t make me so sad.
It’s part of the plan. Those seasons.

High tide greeted me when I arrived.
The pink gold glow would have pleased Van Gogh.

high tide greeted me

I climbed out on a log to watch two ducks
the waves,
and the sunset.

silly ducks

The same couple of ducks that nipped at my ankles
last Friday, protecting their puddle on the path.
Silly ducks.

A labrador jumped on the sand and scared the ducks into the tide.
Silly oblivious dog. Ducks remained unamused.

soaking up the sun

I stood to salute the October sky.

I wished I could swim, float, dance on the sea.
Instead I do-si-do’d with the tide.

I do-si-do'd with the tide

As the sun sank over the edge
I offered to return some green to the sea.
Emeralds woven into a scarf for the mermaids.

Then the sun kissed my head as it left for the day.

the sun kissed my head

 I stepped back on the path, not wanting to leave.
Lingering like the light, I stayed one minute more,
saluting the pink as it finished painting the sky.

Pink in the sky, silhouettte

Good night, Puget Sound.
Thank you, high tide.

Finding the seeds of ideas

The other day as I was walking home
I found these green pod things.

Seed pods?

Aliens?

Seedpods?

It was getting dark, so I brought them inside for a better look.

What were they?

I wondered if those spiky spiny things were good or not.

Like anything, it depends on how you look at them.

Three of a kind

I wanted to look at them up close. Roll them over. See them from all sides.

Like little ideas.  Seeds of ideas.  Good or not?

Juggling ideas

Do you weigh your ideas,
or stack them up against one other?

Bigger?

Do your ideas turn into worries
and get heavier. Bigger?

Anxiety?

Do some ideas just overwhelm?

Or maybe they’re good, growing stronger.

Cradle them

I decided I liked these ideas.

We all did.

We each took one

My family each took an idea.
Tossed them around.
Wondered what to do with them next.

Wait and see, we decided.

Wait and see.

So we waited.
One day and one night.

And the seed-idea seed-pods dried up.
Seeming sad to no longer be green.

But guess what?

Those pods had a plan.

See

Shriveled up seedpods
turned into teapots
and poured out a
hundred new baby ideas

like stars in a sky
made for wishing.

A galaxy of new ideas sprouted

A galaxy of new ideas!

Wonder what will come of those?

 

The next day they all piled in for some fun

It was still sunny the next day

when my friends showed up on the steps

to play with our new pal.

On the steps in the sunshine

 

I began introductions.

First the 3 wish rocks

First, meet the 3 wish rocks.

The brothers Cairnmotzov.

The Brothers Cairnmotzov
whose dream is to be a balancing act in the circus.

seaweed

Seaweed Sam.
Who couldn’t stay long because of the sun.
He didn’t want to dry out so we threw him back in the sea in a sec.

Ripple-shelltskin

Rumpleshelltskin,
a shard of his former self but whole nonetheless,
with a great sense of humor.

The Claw

And “The Claw”
a retired world-class wrestler who still likes to tease the kids.

All in good fun, of course.

shell meets stones

Shy shell said hello.

Nice to meet you.

The Cairnmotzov Brothers were too polite to mention
the shred of seaweed stuck to his lip.

what to do?

We sat and talked awhile. Mostly small talk. Getting to know you kind of stuff.
Then I asked,

What should we do?

I did not expect what happened next.

They wanted to play the “clowns in a Volkswagen game”
and I couldn’t stop them.

The three little stones piled inside first.

what happened next

The waves applauded.

Suddenly it seems I had met a whole new creature.

Friends for Life.

It was astounding how they formed themselves a troupe.

The Brothers Cairnmotzov called their agent to see if together
all six of them might apply for the circus.

I haven’t heard from them since.

Keep an eye out for them, will you?

How it began upon meeting my friend.

 The other day I was down at the beach at low tide.

I’d been talking to seaweed and jellyfish
When I saw him half submerged in the rocks.

Well, not so much submerged as laying there with a mouth full of sand.

Washed up on the beach

So I went over and introduced myself

And asked if he wanted a hand.

So I went over an introduced myself

 I wish I could spell the sound of a shell spitting sand from it’s mouth.
I gave him a shake and he was clearing his throat.

finding-shell3-pst

He coughed and he sputtered and was about to say thanks

when

Oooops!

Ooops

I wish I could spell the sound of a shell hitting sand.  I didn’t mean to drop him.

Slippery little sand feller.

I’m so sorry!

Let’s just a sit a minute.

Ahhhh.

Warm sand. The sound of soft ocean waves.

Shhhh.

There now. That’s better.

Let's just sit a minute

So once we had rested a bit, I suggested we go.

Let me take you up to the stairs
where we can see more of the sights.

Let's go up to the stairs

I know. It’s a great view from here.

Yeah, I come here a lot. I love these old steps.

Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to my friends.

We’re going to have such a good time…