Remember the movie Amelie? I hope so - if not, then rent it because it is a sensory feast for the eyes. Remember the traveling gnome in the movie...apparently garden ornaments travel - well my gnome is tired and has decided to stay home for the winter, instead I have a pair of very colorful socks that will make their way to Australia to spend the rest of their days with the lovely Beth.
I can't blame the gnome for wanting to hide under a plant in my garden. Traveling is fun but for me, there is something pleasant about being home, getting back into routine, and doing the things required to make life hum to a tune I like. I am back at work, back to training for a running race, and picking up my dormant knitting projects.
I remember an old boss, very mean man, yelling at us in a morning meeting to 'get with the program people'. September, rather than January, is that time when I generally 'get with the program' although, I certainly don't yell at myself. I heard a speaker at my conference last week and he asked us if we had a dream - of course most people had a dream. It's what he said next that caught my attention - he said that to make a dream come true you must make it a goal and then the most important thing is not necessarily achieving that goal, but rather the journey to reach it. That little piece of wisdom sums up September for me - it will become my September manifesto.
See the beautiful note card in the photo above? I won a set of those from cloth.paper.string. They are too beautiful to part with...so I will write one goal and the road map to reach it inside a card, frame it, and then next September assess my location on the map.
45 comments:
september and april are my goal months. september is when the kids go back to school and life begins on a schedule. april is the month before the kids get out of school and i have to remember some goals before i throw it all away and just have fun. i am all about fun.
cute post.
lovely post, lovely socks and a really good sentiment....
Wonderful idea for the notecard. I've got several that I really need to frame.
I'm glad you are making your dreams a priority! I like your garden gnome - he looks quite Christmasy to me :)
september is my fave time of year. wonderful.
and that is a beautiful idea...making a map to your goal...then framing it. lovely.
enjoyed the humor of this post very much.
Very inspirational - love the idea of writing a map to reach your goal - it is the journey not the destination!! Your socks look gorgeous - such bright cheerful colours.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment about my 'award' Ive only been blogging 3 months and Im amazed how nice strangers can be. I too am loving those socks, very bright and childrens tv presenter circa 1980 (says the 40yr old woman wearing at this very moment bright red and black spotty socks covered in ladybirds)LOL!
Very inspiring post! (And I love the colorful sockies...)
thanks so much for visiting my blog!
i am a canadian {although have lived away from there for 8 years now} and know the feeling there when the winter is coming;)
i love your blog and amelie. that gnome looks very content next to all those pretty flowers, indeed home is sometimes the best place to travel to;)
x ashley
Oh! I adore that movie...it's wonderful! One of my favourites.
Those socks are yummy... i just love the colors!
I'm really loving visiting your blog to see what tasty little montage you have put together for our delectation -- this week is a stunner!
Smilling! my favorite movie watch it too often!
Great words to think about. I'm usually a big list maker in September -- it' a great time to gather thoughts for the coming fall and winter. A beautiful post...as always!
as always your photographs never fail to make me smile i look forward to them and today's are no exception. I,too am a fan of Amelie, (who could fail to be?) and wee gnome does have something of a movie star glint in his eye: )
Amelie is my favorite movie! So true about how important the journey is towards the dream :-)
Gnome in the garden, you can imagine how kitchy they are still considered here, although there is nothing kitchy about them anymore, they became classics of its kind. My favorite is the one in the animated film Zahrada by Jiří Trnka, he lives in an overgrown garden, together with an old Tomcat and he speaks. He is a wise one. I saw a part on You Tube but cannot find it right now.
Nice post!
Great post, and manifesto!
I loved Amelie too - film perfection!
Love this post Raina. It's so true and something I'll be keeping in mind.
We love the film Amelie - it's sitting next to me on the bookshelf here.
i've been thinking a lot about dreams lately, i know i'm a dreamer, i love the dreams i have, but translating them to real life is a mystery to me. thanks for the (good) food for thought.
Great post, and I love those colorful socks. Also? I'm somewhat partial to gnomes...
I just rewatched Amelie the other night, love that movie! The socks are cool :-). Thank you for commenting on my blog. Your blog is lovely.
Every time you I come to your sight, I am bewildered and amazed by your photos. They are so beautiful. What you said about a dream reminds me so much of Terry Fox. I am so glad you love Vancouver!
maryxo
I love this post ... a dream to me is something that you really need to do!! I love the notecards. I love stationary!
i love amelie, i love the socks, i love the gnome... you just put a smile on my face!
I loved Amelie, too!
As always I'm overwhelmed by your photos! I loved your previous post! Fortunately I also have a place like that :)
Really, really happy finding my way here, amongst smiling gnomes and amelies (my favourite, too). Lovely photos : )
Ah there was a story featured at the end of August of a gnome who had returned from his travels http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1543330.ece but yours looks so happy perhaps he doesn't fancy travelling. Your socks are beautiful. Jane x
Fantastic post. I think we as humans have a wealth of potential and so often fail to unlock it. I wish you luck not only with the achievement of your goal but that you have a fun filled adventure as you work towards it.
So I'm not the only one who 'starts' the year in September! I love this time of year too, it always feels like the right time to start planning and dreaming and planning for it all to happen. I thinking creating your roadmap sounds like a wonderful idea - especially on those beautiful cards. I hope it all goes well.
Dy
I love Amelie! I write all of my goals in september, as that is when my "year" begins. I love this idea...I'll have to give it a whirl.
i love the traveling gnome from amelie! gnomes are just so cute. but i agree with you - i live for traveling but it's always nice to return home!
Oh what a wonderful idea, a great use of the beautiful notecards. I like September, it is a month of starting for me, a hangover from the feeling of starting a new school year, I suppose.
hey raina, looks like life is treating you well! I've wanted to go to Vancouver for quite some time but I haven't made it there yet... someday! I've been pulled away from the blogosphere for quite some time but I'm finally catching up reading blogs and soon I'll be writing again. The new job took over life for awhile.
I love Amélie and funny enought just talked about it yesterday!As for September I find it hectic and I get difficulties to adjust after the slow motion of summer!
Ha, those scenes in Amelie with the traveling gnome where soooooo funny, I loved them! Thanks for reminding me of them and making me laugh...
Hi, Raina! I'm so with your sentiments...and loved Amelie! :o) We're just back from traveling too...still getting over jet lag--LOL!--but home is sweet home. Love the socks...and your idea is terrific! Fall is goal fulfillment time for me, always has been. I often feel that fall is the real turn of a new year, rather than January. I am welcoming the days ahead and all the posstibility! Happy Days, my friend ((HUGS))
I was thinking of that very gnome a few weeks ago when I met a tourist in NYC who was traveling around the world and was taking photos of an adorable wooden duck in front of various landmarks (the NYC skyline, Statue of Liberty, etc.) It made my day to imagine this young guy and his duck at the Great Wall, the Eiffel tower, and everywhere else they might go... :)
I look forward to hearing more about your journey in September. Such a true statement that speaker made.
Amelie is my number one, all-time favorite, take-it-to-a-desert-island movie. I absolutely love it.
Thanks for stopping by to say hello. I'll be sure to return.
Oh, um, that should be DESERTED island. D'oh!
I wish I had taken my gnome with me when I left France!! I miss it...for real :)
Lovely post.
Love Amelie--one of my all time favorite movies!
I've been having similar thoughts--fall seems to be the best time of year for me. I'm more motivated, more creative, more inspired...in fact, this week gone to the field gave me time to regroup and think about my goals again...both professionally and personally. I feel ready to tackle it all again!
BTW--I really love your note-card idea and may have to consider doing something similar (and those cards are too beautiful to part with!). I hope that you reach whatever goal you choose!
i love this post, and the idea of the map. i love september as well, the colors, the fresh air, everything starts again, i think september is the starting month, much more that january...
love the gnome, and Amelie, and those socks too...how pretty! for me september is the time to get with the program too, and i need to remember it's the journey not the destination. thanks for the reminder :)
such lovely thoughts, raina. i'm so glad you like the notecards, and am honored that they're part of your journey!
Oohhh! Lucky Beth! And lucky you! I saw that cuff and got all want-y!
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