Love Affairs

I’m always delighted when people share what lights them up.  And I’m fond of those regular blog features where folks share what’s on their A-list at the moment.  Resource sharing!  Joy sharing!  Introductions to the cool people at the party, without actually having to go to the party (which is a big plus in the book of this HSP!)

Of course it never occurred to me that I might do a regular feature about what’s on my joy radar at the moment.  Until it did.  And so, in honor of all the lingering love energy from Valentine’s Day, here’s my first list.

(And I’m tentatively calling this feature Love Affairs.  Not sure if that will stick or not, but it makes me smile for today AND it gives me a chance to use the above graphic which makes me laugh.  And that seems like enough reason to me.)

1.  Blueberry Lavender Preserves by Food for Thought.  Oh my, I think I’m addicted.  I received a Valentine’s gift bottle tucked into my weekly CSA delivery of organic goodness and it was love at first bite.  If you’ve never had any food infused with lavender you’re missing something.  But these preserves are really a delight – the color is so rich I want to paint with it, it contains whole blueberries, and the lavender is definitely detectable.  Yum on all fronts.  The company itself is modeling great organic, fair-trade practices.  If you want to check them out, here’s their link.  And while you can’t order directly from them, they do link to an online merchant.  

2.  Paul McCartney’s ‘My Valentine’ Featuring Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp

This one was obviously a Valentine’s-related find for me.  While it was a new discovery for me, I’m betting it won’t be for many of you.  But new or old, I still really like it and it’s making my love affairs list this week. 

And because for some unknown (and hair-pullingly frustrating) reason I don’t seem to be able to successfully embed a video on my blog, I’m sending you to the YouTube link.

3.  I love Kickstarter.  I think it’s a brilliant way to raise funds for creative projects.   And the one that I’m raving about this time is a deck of inspirational cards based on Tarot, gestalt psychology, and design – Intùiti Creative Cards.  The project has already reached its initial fundraising goal but it’s still open if you want to contribute.  But do go take a peek – it looks wonderful to me and I look forward to getting a deck of my own.   

4.  As a result of playing in this week’s List-It-Tuesday challenge, I stumbled upon a new-to-me blog and believe me it’s a treasure.  Em is a brilliant writer and creative spirit with a blog called 35 Jupiter Drive – Life at the Edge of the Milkway. She had me at the title.  But there’s so much more.  She’s currently homeless and the grace with which she’s navigating this difficult journey is truly inspiring.  Go soak up some of her wisdom.  And join me in sending her wishes for a safe and soft landing.

5.  The Postcard Project.  This item is a direct find from Em’s blog, but it’s exactly the kind of thing I love, so it’s on my list.  It has all the elements that I love – mail, post offices, a worthy cause, and fun.   Basically a lovely little post office is in danger of closing and one of the deciding criteria is the volume of mail it handles.  So the challenge is to add to the volume of mail received by sending a postcard.  Easy enough, with lots of room for creative expression if you want that piece as well.  Go here to read the details, and join me in sending out some postal love.

6.  Finally, given that this is the Season of Peace and Nonviolence, I don’t think it was chance that I discovered The Charter for Compassion.  You can read more about it here and choose if you want to add your signature as well.

So there you go – those are a few things I’m in love with this week.  What about you?  What’s making your heart sing?  Do share, I really do like knowing.