Paula's Paradise

Oh, sweet life.

Swaying to a samba beat.

A sheaf of smooth writing paper.

Eclectic embraces of everyday exquisiteness.

Aqua ocean vistas.

Chilled mangoes.

Basil and tomatoes plucked from the garden patch.

Succulent stories.

White sand beneath my feet. Movies screened on a moonlit beach.

Books. More books.

Veni. Vidi. Visa. (I came. I saw. I shopped!)

Luscious Italian everything.

Abundant wispy plumbago plants.

Gardenias. Night blooming jasmine.

Mary Anne Radmacher’s word gardens of inspiration.

Anne Lamott’s writings.

A freshly sharpened bouquet of pencils.

The Beauty & Truth Laboratories of Rob Brezsny.

Daffodils.

Dallying.

The light in my husband’s eyes.

That little inside joke that makes my daughter laugh every time.

Seriously silly stuff.

Long, deep kisses that last three days. (And the movie, Bull Durham, where that line came from!)

Playing with words and images and impressions and ideas.

Dreaming.

Having fun making art. Supporting art.

The steady thrum of a printing press.

Grey’s Anatomy.

iPhone ingenuity.

Vintage wines. (And whines!)

Memorable martinis.

Movie therapy.

Extravagance.

Exuberance.

President Obama!

My dear, dear wonderful family and deeply fabulous and funny friends,

(each enchanting in their own way).

Merrymaking.

Meandering.

Merengue.

Making a difference.

A lot of alliteration!

High tea. High heels.

Serendipity.

Passionate purposes.

Time and tides.

Into-me-see.

Soft landings.

Deep breathing.

Gentle lessons.

A tender touch.

And writing. Yes, definitely writing!

Those are just a few of my favorite things. (I really did start out to make a succinct list of just a handful of things, but then one happy thought leads to another, doesn’t it?) It’s hard to stop once you start to put a list like this together … so many pleasures and inspirations to ponder. I love it all. And I want it all. And writing that down helps me remember that I already have it all when I take a breath and really look and sit still long enough to simply enjoy and reflect on the swaths of sumptuous blessings that flow both through me and to me every day.

That’s what starting this blog is about for me.  I am inspired by the wisdom, wit, and whimsy that wing their way through the web and keep us all connected when we’re brave enough to open our hearts and share all the things we love about life, as well as all the things that haven’t quite made that list just yet! We can talk about those another time; right now I’m just pleased to be giving this blog a first twirl ….

The mysteries and marvels, musings and music, are tuning up. Let’s dance!