Linger Longer

 "If you're always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you're in?" ~Nanette Matthews

My third book, a photo book, was published in 2015. 

Linger Longer: Lessons from a Contemplative Life is a compilation of photographs and inspirational quotes I amassed during a solo cross country trip in 2014. For the first time in my life, I was left to my own devices, free to wander, unescorted, unimpeded by anyone else's schedule, expectations or agenda. It was bliss. When my publisher and I discussed naming the book, the thought, linger longer, fell off my tongue in a moment of divine inspiration. Those two words summed up my experience perfectly. Of course, there are other ways of expressing the same thought; Stop and smell the roses. Slow down you're moving too fast. Live, breathe, learn. Enjoy the scenery. Life is a journey, not a destination. You get the picture. 

The experience of lingering longer has practical as well as artistic benefits. Just this week, I received an answer to a perplexing problem while examining the petals on a rose bush. Then yesterday, on the Reiki table, I got a great idea for my hosting business. It matters not where that still small voice comes from or who it belongs to. All I know is that whether you are a regular meditator, a solo voyager, or you have a practice that welcomes quiet contemplation into your life, slowing down, tuning in, and listening to your higher self, your muse, the universe, spirit, God—whatever you choose to call it—will  provide fertile ground for ideas and answers to make their way into your consciousness. 

Don’t deny yourself this gift.