Soul Smiles for 2015

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Tracy MacDonald

Welcome, 2015! I always love the start of the new year (well, and my birthday is this month, and I’m all for celebrating). Best wishes, fellow Aquarians out there!

Normalcy is resuming after the holidays, with a slower pace. We enjoyed Christmas, with frequent, small gatherings of friends to share in the holiday spirit and ward off a bit of homesickness. It was special, too, to watch Ramsay grasp a better understanding of Christmas this year, and delight in the decorations, parties, and presents.

Are you someone who makes a gentle step or a bold leap into the New Year? Is there something in particular you want to accomplish or shape you in 2015? I didn’t make resolutions this year, however, I enjoy writing in my slightly clunky and well-worn paper Filofax calendar…documenting birthdays, writing to do lists, and planning vacations, art projects, and castles in the sky.

I did choose a word I’d like to focus on for 2015: Authentic. Being real and authentic in words and actions, letting go of pretense and things that don’t fit my lifestyle; a commitment to say more of what I think and like to do instead of putting the shoulds first, often not leaving time for the fun. Nourishing all of the facets of my soul as much as possible, and emotionally investing in things and people that I love, worrying less about the rest.

I read some great nuggets of wisdom over the holidays that I highlighted in my journal:

happiness stems from learning how to cheer yourself up and stand your ground

lay down the guilt and do things that make your SOUL SMILE

making life changes are scary, but regret is worse

focus on the FUN, not the fear

continue to look at the world around you with new and unique ways, for there is magic in the everyday if you open your eyes

And I saw this inspirational little sticker on a wall:

Wishing you a year that unlocks your potential, makes your soul smile, one that is full of joie de vivre, passion for living, and a year of finding muses to tap into amazing joy.

Happy New Year and Carpe Diem,

Tracy

Days of Delineation

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Tracy MacDonald

There are those unexpected days in life when something momentous happens: you wake up and go about your day, then suddenly life hands you a gift that alters your journey. This gift might come quietly, or it might enter like a dramatic storm of lightning, thunder, and hail. As Paul Coelho says in his book, Brida, “sometimes …blessings arrive by shattering all the windows.” Perhaps someone introduces you to a book, film, or music that makes a great impact, or you meet an amazing new friend, get that job offer, or find out you won the prize. Or, in our case, you find out you are moving to a new country.

A year from today we will be leaving Swaziland to live in Cairo, Egypt. I’ve never been there, but I envision camels, pyramids, souks, sailing on the Nile, and diving in the Red Sea. Exploring amazing history and visiting museums and ancient cities. Learning some Arabic, meeting new friends, and tasting exotic new foods. It’s exciting and daunting. We’ll be moving from a small town on the African continent to one inhabited by almost 20 million people! The possibilities of adventures and experiences are endless.

Wishing for you something unexpected in 2015 that brightens your journey.

Carpe Diem,

Tracy

Welcome to Carpe Diem Creative

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Tracy MacDonald

Hello! If you are new to this space, welcome, and thank you for stopping by my new virtual home, Carpe Diem Creative. If you have followed me from my previous site, I am grateful you came along! I look forward to sharing thoughts, photos, art, travel experiences and life’s abundant beauty with you, and would love to hear your comments, stories, and experiences, too.

We are in Mauritius (locally called “Isle Maurice”) for vacation, soaking up the elements of air, water, earth, and fire in the form of sky, sea, sand, and tiki torches…with a backdrop of gorgeous scenery. In between swimming and building sand castles with our son, I am finding little windows of time to write in my journal, peruse art and decor magazines, look for shells, take beach walks, speak a bit of French, and replenish the well of creativity and inspiration. Balmy Indian Ocean breezes are getting rid of the mental winter cobwebs, and smiling comes easily.

: Blue Sky with wispy clouds

: starfish

: Mauritius flower

: Catamaran Sail

: French Decor Magazines

: Floating Flowers

: Veranda Pointe aux Biches

: Journal Writing by the Sea

Photos below:

Market vendors in Mauritius sell a rainbow of fruit salad-colored baskets, scarves, tunics, vegetables, loose tea, and spices of tamarind, cinnamon, saffron, vanilla, cardamom and ground coconut
At a beautiful Hindu temple, worshipers gave offerings to the gods
A home by the sea seems very loved with its unique heart-shaped shutters
We toured Chamarel’s colored earth; a beautiful pastel wave of “7 Colored Sands,” produced naturally by a volcano
A vibrant (and fiesty-tempered) red bird that frequented our patio