It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Christina Sbarro, author of the blog My Topography and a long time reader of Gypsy Girls Guide. Christina is a great writer and she is currently working on a lovely book project: “A Field Guide to Now”. Read how she explains the intriguing premise of her book below:
What if you could look for the present moment in a field guide, the way you might look up the name of a tree out your window?
For as long as you can remember, the tree has just been a tree, but in looking it up, it becomes something: a Sassafras maybe, or a Tulip Maple, and suddenly, you can feel the way your attention towards it shifts. You notice the shape of its leaves in precise detail; or the texture of its bark. You recognize the way its pollen gathers fine and yellow in the weft of your bedroom screen in May; or the way its shade freckles the dying grass at the end of summer. In the act of looking it up and naming it; in discovering its traits and marks, the tree becomes something to you.
What if you could do this for the moments that fill your life? That’s what this book is about. It’s a collection of illustrated essays and prose exploring the fabric of the present tense.
Like a real field guide, you’ll be able to flip through the pages of the book at random, finding glimpses into the present; or you can read it cover to cover and unravel the narrative thread of present moments that stitches each essay to the next.
I don’t know about you, but that is my favorite kind of book, especially when I have only tiny little gaps of time in which I want to scape and get inspired.
In addition to doing all the writing, Christina is also illustrating the book with a collection postcards she inherited from her father when he passed away, that are in themselves a glimpse into a handful of extinct moments.
Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?
As a hostess of this community of gypsy dreamers, I’m more and more creating a space to support wonderful ideas from all the wild women that have the guts to follow their calling. So many of us are reaching out and unfolding our dreams and that is only creating more space for more dreams and more of us!!! You may be thinking right now that you’d love to find your own dream project someday or you may already have a project underway that you’d like to find support for… So here is what I think:
From personal experience, by supporting others, we are preparing the ground for our own dreams to flourish. The more you give, the more you shall receive! Join our tribe and watch your own miracles unfold ~
Like all of us who have a dream, Christina needs your help to make her book come to life! She is close to her goal, but she still needs some backing. You can contribute with any amount (she honors each offer (even 1 dollar helps!), but if you can contribute with US$21 (which I personally find reasonable)or more, you’ll also get the following package of generous goodies.
“behind the scenes backer updates”: including videos, photos, and some sneak peaks at works-in-progress, a LINK on her popular beautiful blog, a PDF of a selected essay and an illustration from the book and a PODCAST that will help you to launch into your own creative exploration of the daily moments that make up your life. Not to mention the good Karma AND a special offer for GGG readers (a print of one of her lovely mixed media postcards).
If you contribute, please leave a comment as I will enter you on a giveaway for a 8×10 print of my own gypsy girls guide collection.
You can read all about the project and the rewards for your various options of contribution here.
And don’t forget to watch the video!! You’ll fall in love with Christina’s gentle spirit!
Support Christina’s book project [here]. Your dream could be next!
Archive for April, 2010
Bringing the girls home
photo by Stephanie Roberts
Some of you have been following my friend Jen Lemen’s journeys around world via project Hope and to Rwanda specifically, to follow her ‘mondo beyondo’ dream of reuniting her Rwandan friend Odette to her 2 daughters, who were separated years ago due to immigration and labor issues.
Jen’s strong determination has taken her to Rwanda 4 times to care for Odette’s family, build a house for Odette’s mother, and finally, to work on bringing the girls to be with their mother in the US.
For the last two weeks, Jen has crossed borders in East Africa, handled government officials, survived a car accident and lived many other adventures that are book and film worthy. But I’m happy to report that as of the end of last week, the girls visas were finally issued, allowing them to legally rejoin their mother in the US. Bravo!
What is left to do is pay for the airline tickets and grant a true happy ending to this amazing story of hope and determination!
You can chip in and be part of this incredible movement of hope and determination here.
Please join us on this journey and get inspired to make your own dreams come true!
xo
Week 21
Dear baby girl,
Time is just flying by and you just keep on growing and growing… In the last 4 weeks you went from the size of a bell pepper to the size of a large heirloom tomato, then to the length of banana and now to the length of a carrot. By the end of this week you should weigh about 1 pound! Omg! Good work in there! I can definitely feel the little extra weight when I try to get off the bed these days. In general I feel really great, though. My size 6 pants still fit me, which is a good sign, meaning I’m mostly only growing a belly. I also gave up on wearing loose fitting clothes because I was starting to feel a bit like a barrel (thanks to last week’s picture!!). I feel a lot more comfortable in form fitting shapes and I get to showcase you even more that way. I love that people notice that I’m pregnant now! And let me tell you, they are definitely noticing and everyone is being extra nice to me just because of you.
I also feel like you and I have such a great friendship going. I talk to you as if you were here already. I go: “let’s have breakfast now?” and “are you ready to go for a walk?”… etc etc… All day long. We have moments of comfortable silence too, but regardless of how we communicate, it is just really great to feel your presence all the time. I’m feeling more and more attached to you everyday and it comforts me to know you’ll be mine to keep! Well, at least until you’re 18 or something :) You know, for a gypsy girl like me, it’s kind of a big deal to start a family and plan for that much stability in the upcoming years, but more than ever I feel so grounded and at peace in that decision. Thank you for that gift.
You bring us so much happiness already. Even though we may be tired from work, frustrated or moody, everything always feels better once we have a belly rubbing and kissing session with you. Your dad loves that! I can see how much he is going to melt when you arrive.
I’m hoping Spring is here for good now. It’s been tough to squeeze a weekly picture on the weekend with so much rain around here.
Anyhow, sweet girl. You are loved! Week after week. More and more.
xo
