Totoro

This is Totoro! A wonderful creature from the film, "My Neighbor Totoro" by Hiyao Miyazaki. Whenever I see Totoro it makes me smile. John and I had "Draw Totoro Day" at our house a few days ago. We like to have little drawing contests. It stimulates our creativity and is generally a lot of fun. Even Heath drew one too! There's also another little famous creature in there too, if you know the game I'm referring to!

I've really been turning inwards lately and with my whole heart, truly embracing myself. Embracing the searching and questioning mind that I have. Embracing the changing tides of my moods. Embracing who makes me, me. Essentially the question that keeps going round and round lately is, what is my higher purpose? What is the purpose of my life? I realize now that this life, the only one I have, is my one true path. The problems or circumstances that I find myself in are there to teach me, to make me wake up. Right now, I am using my art for the healing process and perhaps I am here on this earth to help others who may struggle with their inner emotional life. You are not alone out there. There is hope, there is light, there is the depth of our feelings and there are spiritual teachers all around us. You alone are your greatest spiritual teacher. I want to be a beacon of hope if there ever was one, because I have been to the depths of the bottom of my spirit and to the tops of relief, spaciousness and expansiveness. And back and again, over and over again. This is a cycle I need to embrace.

Be a beacon unto yourself. That is one of the great teachings that I keep coming back to. Do what makes you happy, be silly, wonder in the vastness of it all. When I want to be silly, I look at this little guy Totoro and he makes me smile.