Rhythm and Rhyme...

Hello & Happy New Year...and with the New Year...(which is honestly just the next page on the calendar), often comes a "day of reckoning", if you will...I know, I know...those infernal societal messages out there that continually blare in our faces..."What kind of resolution are you going to make this year?  WHO CARES!  It's much more important to create a rhythm in our lives that works...and maybe you would like to make some "plans" for change...and that's good...but let's not set ourselves up for failure...Instead, let's take a few steps to move toward actualizing a gentler pattern of flow that will in turn lull us into a more sustainable rhythm.  So here goes...

As some of you may know, I have been on quite the "ride" for the past two years, hence the somewhat long delay in posting...But, in a nutshell, here's what's been going on...I closed my shop in Massachusetts, began planning a move cross country, sold our home in three days, (oh, yes, and packed up said home), had knee surgery, helped deliver my third grandson and made the trek to McKinney Texas all in this pretty short span of time...WHEW!  It's amazing what we can do, especially when we don't know what's actually in store for us...THANK GOD!  Needless to say, I learned a lot in the process and I hope to be imparting some of that wisdom in the coming posts for all to share.  

So, here I am...back in the saddle...and very glad to be here!  I will be sharing some really cool AND useful information for "girls like us" ...the kind of stuff that will help get us through our days with a sense of purpose and zeal.  I will be using my Blog for the soul purpose of getting related and even though I may not know you, I hope my posts will reach you in a way that touches, moves, and inspires you to keep on keepin' on.  Oh, and by the way, I will be talking about fun things like the clothing we wear, the food we prepare, and the space that we share, TOO!  Don't worry.

Stay tuned...and, by all means....I would LOVE to hear from you with any comments, questions, or concerns and I will do my best to address each of them with heartfelt sincerity. 

Until next time...wishing you grace~  Deborah 

Girls Like Us (April 15th column)

Hello again. How have you been? Is time just speeding by for you, too? All the more reason to build our repertoire of Awareness skills, don’t you think?

Awareness is about being interested in change. To be aware is to respond to a different way of doing things. It can be the precursor to educating ourselves about making well informed decisions in our lives that can really change the course of our lives. Sound heavy? I like to think that education can be exciting; learning something new, even at our age! And…awareness is fifty percent of putting a new plan together for change. We can’t do anything if we are not aware of what it is.

It can be daunting when we think about beginning new patterns like say, for instance, “how can I create change, when I can’t find a moment to even think about what I want to change”! I read this quote once and although it was seemingly simple, the meaning it carried was HUGE! It talked about being able to create a calm space in time while carrying on with whatever we are in the midst of in our daily lives. That’s a tall order, but I urge you to embrace the message behind it. By keeping a peaceful mind, we can create the awareness we need to move toward our goal of living our best lives. What’s the alternative?

Here are a few more ideas meant to guide you…as your personal “talis-woman”. Try one or two on for size and see how you feel.

Remember that list I mentioned a while back? You know...that little piece of paper where we have scribbled down the inner most wishes of our hearts? Dig it out and see what has come to pass. Are you able to check something off? You know…once we make up our minds to alter something, the answer seems to show up! Creating the clearing for the change to occur, now that is the challenge.

Let’s take April out in style! Let’s be women with imagination and Spirit! They say that whatever we can imagine can be possible. What do you say? I invite you to take yourself out into the world and explore something that encourages your muse to come out of hiding and join you for some real fun! Spring is such a lovely time to deepen your level of awareness, which by the way, is a form of sprouting, now isn’t it? We’ve been sowing the seeds of change all month, now let’s get out there and feed those little pods by enriching our lives, one day at a time. Oprah calls these little mind-awakening experiences “AHA moments”. Do you know what AHA stands for? I’ll tell ya…Awesomely Heightened Awareness! I bet Oprah didn’t even know that.

I will close today with just this one though…Change is scary…but the lack of it is frightening. Pick one thing you want to change and make a new list of how you are going to get there. And, remember…not a bit list…just a couple things that really jazz you and then, dig out your dancing shoes and get to work.

Deborah Viapiana-Ricci is a freelance columnist living in Maynard with her husband, Wil. She can be found learning a new step just in time for Prom!
Feel free to share your comments. Deborah@teresinas.com

Good Morning! The weather is such a blessing, isn't it? I took a road trip to be with my youngest brother yesterday who turned 49! We teased him about this being his last "40's" birthday. He lives a very full life, so I doubt he is worried.

I loved turning 50! (Of course I was praying all my wisdom I was meant to get would be magically gifted me that day!!)...We celebrated somewhat quietly and never really "took it in"...Then, on my 53rd...which was my "golden" birthday...Since I was born in '53...it is a special year...Anyway, we had a HUGE bash...right here in our wonderful back yard....complete with our "House Band"...Verbal Therapy...so, so great.

I think since then (almost 4 years ago), I have learned that everyday needs to be a celebration of any kind! We get to witness the miracle of just waking up and going about our business.

As I said in my last posting, I am discovering myself more and more...and one of the biggest things I am learning is that we can make each day distinctive and memorable...I like to try and make the weekend jealous...I pretend one of the weekdays are a Sunday and take myself out to celebrate it in some small way.

I was given a bumper sticker a while ago that says: "Don't Postpone Joy"....I have it on our fridge (not permanently), but yes...permanently. A couple weeks ago during my "Girls Like Us" group was meeting, I talked about the fact that most of us are in a "waiting" mode...which of course is like "Choosing what ISN'T"....so, we are not doing a great job with choosing what, in fact...IS! Waiting is like hoping....Instead, let's take a pro-active stance for our own lives and see if we can create something special in the here and now...

I invite you all to seek your own joy, today, tomorrow and keep going from there...hopefully it will be contagious and you would be able to stop yourself...

Have a wonderful day!

Following our BLISS!

Hello All! It's been a while, but I'm back...and glad to be! Ahh...Spring is definitely taunting us with her sultry weather already...albeit, a bit early...but welcome none the less. There is something so wonderful about Spring in New England, isn't there? After a few cold, snowy months, we are raring to get out there and begin anew...Yes? What shall we begin anew? I have had a wonderful winter, however, getting reacquainted with many people, things, but mostly myself. I have discovered my identity, for so, so many years, 25 to be exact, has been wrapped up in my store....really wrapped up...eating, breathing, sleeping, and of course doing....everything it took to keep the store up and running....WHEW....and what I have come up with is this....As much as I have loved being the chief cook and hanger shuffler of my delightful little shop, it was time to make a much needed change...and change I have made.

Closing the shop right before the 2 busiest months was something! I actually got to enjoy the holidays from a whole new perspective. And...this is why I have decided to pick back up on my blog...There is so much to share...so much to share!

I am very busy with a few different things; all of which are wonderful! My teaching, writing, and Trunk Shows encompass most of my time...and surprisingly enough, I really don't know how I was doing IT all, before I closed!

As some of you may know, I have been happily writing my column for more than 3 years, now and some of my readership have been asking me to teach a group that echoes my column...so that's what I am doing! I call it: "Girls Like Us"...a Group! We are into our second week and suffice it to say, it is a good thing....

I am also very involved with teaching my "Image Awareness" classes to girls from 11-16 in both schools and camps all over the Greater Boston and Metro-West areas....very rewarding.

My cookbook project is literally the "icing on the cake"...totally inter-meshed with everything I talk about in my column...living a holistic lifestyle, creating our best lives! It's so important.

So...that brings me to the theme of this particular posting...What jazzes YOU? What would it take to really come up with something that would make you follow it to the ends of the earth...or at least the end of your street? Let's think about this...and hopefully some of you will write back and let me know how much this means to you....I think the time is ripe for a special kind of springtime awareness to blossom....I look forward to hearing from you!

Girls Like Us

Well…the garden has been planted in all its glory and we decided to expand it a bit more than last year. We both love playing in the dirt, creating a new configuration of flowers and vegetables along with a few new additions as well as our ever-present herb garden. We already have two very tiny tomatoes on our patio! Working in our garden has such healing energy… all of the different plants, each one needing its own special attention. You really must be present… kind of like our lives. We are all so unique but at the end of the day…all the same. We must pay attention to what we each need to thrive and blossom.

This time of year can pose some challenges. The kids are soon out of school and our routine for the past ten months is now put to the test. Of course…we’ll figure it out. We always figure it out. The key is not to get lost in the shuffle of the shuttling to and fro, back and forth, camp, summer classes, programs and such. It’s so easy to fall into that comfortable funk I continue to remind myself about, with n’er a thought otherwise. So, what happens then? Our “gardens” show signs of remiss, maybe even wilt a little from the lack of rich nourishment.

We hear lots of folks taking about “stay-cations”. I think I like that idea for many reasons. What kind of crazy adventures could we come up with right in our own back yards? How much money could we save by staying local and enjoying the sights and sounds of our nearby community? Local papers continue to hearken and beckon us to reach just a bit beyond our little town to take in all the other little towns have to offer; concerts, art openings, farmer’s markets, fairs, and much more. And…I’ll bet that most of this can be had for no more than the cost of a tank of petrol. Make a list and let each family member have a turn at choosing the next foray. Don’t forget games and snacks for the car ride. Oh, and by the way, I bet this kind of outing doesn’t induce that annoying and continuing question of “are we there yet”?

We recently had a very lovely outing at Nara Park in Acton. A short ride and fourteen dollars later, we were able to enjoy a beach setting, complete with white sand and an umbrella! We brought a picnic lunch and a couple games, Yatzee, of course, and had a very relaxing day, close to home. We left feeling relaxed and fortunate to have this special place nearby.

I think summer can be a time to reflect. We can each have a sense of how we want our lives to be and possibly take steps to move closer to those goals. It’s so important not to loose sight of our own well being in the midst of providing for our busy families. We don’t realize how much we do on any given day. A friend once told me if we were ever handed a list when we woke of all we were to do that day, we would stay in bed, I’m certain, he said.

Girls like us are competent women who are focused on the bigger picture most of the time. Let’s make sure we make the time to nurture and nourish our own little plots in order to reap a magnificent harvest in the not so distant future. We don’t have to figure out every last detail. Just by being true to ourselves, the details will fall into place, and take care of themselves. Before you know it, you will be picking the most beautiful and precious treasures from your garden to delight your senses and sooth your soul. Make a point to plant some really good seeds for yourself. You will indeed reap what you sow, I promise.

Deborah Ricci is a freelance columnist living in Maynard with her husband, Wil. She can be found joyfully cultivating her garden for the senses in her little shop, Teresina’s, in Downtown Maynard at 41 Main St. Wed.-Sat. 11-6. Feel free to contact her at 978-897-3914 or write her. Deborah@teresinas.com

Make Like a Sponge....Soak it all in!

Girls Like Us

Be a Sponge…Soak it In!

I am an avid fan of using the world as a classroom, the ultimate learning experience, and I will go so far as to say I advocate for a much needed break between the end of high school and the beginning of any kind of conventional higher learning. I also endorse taking that kind of “sabbatical” and using it to acquire a more unorthodox type of education. I don’t know if all graduating high school seniors really can define their one true aspiration. Don’t get me wrong, there are many who can. I know I sure wasn’t ready at 17 to commit to a life that involved something I had absolutely no interest in and thank God, the Dean of nurses at Grace New Haven miraculously knew the real me, who couldn’t even imagine my life going in that admirable, but wayward direction for the next 4 years! The universe intervened and showed itself through this amazing woman who sat opposite me and my parents that ominous day. Somehow she turned my fate around in that moment. I don’t remember the ride home, but a few short weeks later, I found myself in design school! Having always been of creative mind, I was elated, scared and down right shocked given the unexpected flurry of changes. My dad really wanted me to take on my mom’s profession. “It would always be something I could fall back on”, he said. It just wasn’t for me. I was, after all, a girl, that for years, insisted on reincarnating her gypsy garb to once again partake in Halloween festivities. I never tired of the wonderful fantasy I could immerse myself in, even if it was just for one evening a year. All the colourful textiles and layers; Beads, baubles, and bangles... the more the better! And...Lest we forget the temporary "mask" of rouge and lipstick. Ahhh…the “over the top” creative ritual of temporary transformation…Anyway, I digress…..Needless to say, I chose the path less travelled and have been following my bliss ever sense.

Today’s youth, albeit, only twenty-five or so years their parents’ junior, seem to have so much more emotional and intellectual maturity which has given rise to the extreme popularity for said sabbatical; almost making it a necessary part of the whole learning mission. By piecing together many varied experiences, life has a way of becoming the ultimate teacher. And…these young people really know how to take full advantage of this kind of amazing opportunity. I don’t think anyone can know where “alternative schooling” can take us. I really just think about the kind of story we could each have during the process. Think about the idea as kind of a revelation for the mind as well as the soul. Literally…the sky is the limit and often lends itself to making totally different choices after all. And yes... sometimes much to the chagrin of others. The self discovery that seems to be a large “side effect” of global trotting, reveals a new self, or helps the old self move in a new direction.

As an envious onlooker, are these amazing students of life being overly selfish or narcissistic or are they actually right on track? I read this quote once and it feels right in line with my lamentations. “Life to be vivid, strong, and creative, demands constant reflection upon experience, so that action may be guided by wisdom.” With that said, wisdom does indeed hatch from experience and how we choose to gain that most valuable lesson is purely personal. Going on to higher education is a relative term that needs to be considered from every angle. I myself look to the community and world around me daily. I am never disappointed and always inspired.


I will close with another quote by Beatrix Potter, who, by the way, went in a completely unconventional direction. “We cannot stay home all of our lives. We must present ourselves to the world and think of it as an adventure.” By the way, Miss Potter is the most acknowledged and successful children’s authors in the world!

Deborah Ricci is a freelance columnist living in Maynard with her husband, Wil. She can be found taking a journey of the senses at her little shop, Teresinas, in Downtown Maynard at 41 Main St. Hours: 11-6 Tues-Sat. 978-897-3914

An Epiphany to Remember!

Do you remember when you had an Epiphany so grand, that it brought you to tears? That is exactly what happened to me today. Lots of thoughts...all of them culminating feelings and BOOM.....my AHA moment, as Oprah likes to call it. But, did you know what the word AHA stands for? I'll tell ya....Awesomely Heightened Awareness, that's what....Okay, so I just made that up, but it sure works, doesn't it? Here is the clincher though...once this incredible moment shows itself, then what? Well, in a perfect world, we would have to act on it, right? Then what? Well, then we might have to change something! Oh...right! Much, much easier said than done.

I think, for me, it was very healing and as much as I was completely overtaken by it, I knew right then and there, change was a comin'....and I would have to be the driver.

It's like that in so many areas of our lives....some of them much bigger than others, of course, but none the less...without change, there is no growth....and we all know that without growth, we get stale, stagnate and fuzzy. I don't know about you, but I am allergic to mold.....

So...which vehicle do we choose to get there? And, do we need a co-pilot, or "wing man", if you will? I think the choice of vehicle is less important that plotting the way there is. Once we have made up our minds to alter something, the way seems to show up....for me, anyhow. It's about creating a clearing for the change to occur. Most of us are so stockpiled with old parts and pieces of our past, that another option doesn't dare show up for fear of getting lost in the shuffle. So, by creating space, any kind of space, we let the Universe know that we are willing to accept the next phase of our trip. There is an air of knowing and that feels good, my friends. It's so much easier to see when we strip away all of debris that keeps us from attaining our true goals. It's a messy job, but some one's gotta do it.

I will close today with just this one thought...Change is scary....but the lack of it is frightening.