"Ring the bells that still can ring, 

Forget your Perfect offering

There are cracks in everything

That's how the light gets in"

                    -Lenoard Cohen

This is one of my favorite quotes from a legendary songwriter who reminds us that nothing is perfect and neither are you. This inherently makes us all flawed.... and perfect. Perfectly flawed. Just like the intentional flaw woven into traditional indian rugs and blankets, these cracks in our beings are reminders of how fragile we are and how fleeting our time here will be. So ring the bells that still can ring. There is no going back. There is only now, there is only what will come that can change. Perhaps the steps we take each day are blueprints to our tomorrows. One small act, however tiny can make a ripple effect. That ripple where there was hardly a wind blown, one tiny act of consideration or kindness for another person or yourself could be the straw that broke the camels back, and the camel may be shame, depression, anxiety, worry. We are all weighed down by the demands of life and feel like the camel who is burdened by all the weight of the world until one tiny teeny thing,  a piece of straw as light as a feather, lands on top of all that amazing weight he is carrying and bamm, back broken. But instead of thinking of it as a collapse I am proposing we consider this hitting of rock bottom a liberation of sorts. If we give up on that perfect and usually perversely unrealistic ideal then we give ourselves permission to celebrate the good that does exist.

When I was in high school I had a quote I kept around that said "Focus on what you DO have, Focus on what you Can do!" I ran for class vice president and I went with that motto and my last name Canfield led to my campaign slogan being Jenna Can! I'd like to say it again Jenna Can! Whatever I decide to do this year I am going to put my full effort and life force behind it and make it worth doing. I am going to ring the bells that I have while I keep polishing those that are broken. I am going to make goals and set clear steps to follow to get there and ask for help and accept it when needed. I know I can't do it alone, but I also know no one can do it but me. I must be the change I want to see in the world. I must be the one who does not respond to my 7year old daughter with sarcasm and rudeness when it is given to me and my patience is tested. I must be the shining bell in her life that she can count on when all else goes crumbling.... which of course we all know it will someday. That is the way. 

So for today, delight in the dandilions, do some cloudgazing, and give out a few hugs. You will feel better and you never know what little ripple you might start.