2014 Year in Review

Greetings from Prescott, Arizona, where snow is falling as 2014 comes to a close...

2014 included one of my biggest and most anticipated travel goals: I went on a double home exchange to Denmark and then Sweden. There were a few things I lost during the year, but what I gained was way more valuable: a state of deeper happiness, a more savvy adaptability, new friends that instilled and returned to me the interconnectedness of our humanity (imperfect or messy as they were), some killer dinner parties, playtime and celebration with ranch horses out in pasture, practical experience at an equine facility/horse ranch, time with canine pal, Otis, soaking at Eden Hot Springs, and lots of Real Love encounters = being a better steward of this lifestyle.

I am going into the new year living life a little slower than I have for the past several years. I'm shifting my extra time towards homesteading in my backyard and classes at the local college, while I continue to sell beautiful things online. I'm finding myself more content with what I have, learning to sit with loneliness and not run from all of the feelings that come and then go. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that I do the best when I let my heart be broken for the world around me to see and focus on all the good I have. Gratitude and hope are the "drugs" that get me through.

I have also learned that the value other people communicate to me does not have to speak louder than the value I find in myself. This has been work, but it's so worth it. It'll keep being worth it. If you've been following my blog, then you've seen my recent posts of the events mentioned above. Just me, saying thanks for being a part of it and I hope to thank you in person over the next couple weeks. With much Love, Sharon

Still here

I have been a bit absent from the blog lately — both in terms of actual blog posts but also in terms of really "being" in the blog posts. One of the reasons has been lack of time due to reconnecting with friends that I missed over the last 3 months, but I have to admit that I've also found it hard to be inspired in terms of creating content.

November is not my favorite month of the year. Days are getting shorter and although I did very much welcome fall and the end of summer, I can't seem to get used to the early darkness and chillier weather in the evenings here in Prescott.

For now here is a pic from my friend's ranch the other night when the light was still there and winter time hadn't set in yet.

Enjoy your weekend!

Love, Sharon

Infinity

Yesterday a dear friend told me his dog, Otis, went hunting and never came back. Surprisingly, I handled the news with calmness and the first thing I said was, "can we call for him now?" It was sad, thinking he was so suddenly and rudely snatched away from our lives and there was no calling him back. I wonder if Otis is in Heaven. Death is still such a weird thing for me to comprehend.

Here is Otis enjoying life:

So long: now you soar with a lighter, stronger soul. I love you little guy for opening my heart to infinity and to cry.

p.s. I also wrote about Otis here: http://sharonunlimited.blogspot.com/2014/03/still-winter.html

Wrapping it up soon

People often ask: how has the home exchange been, or in other words, what has it done for me? I have to note (apologizing for sounding somewhat morbid about it) that it has been kind of like a near death experience. As if I didn't love simple things enough already, the Universe was making sure I LOVE them in life more than ever. Every minute is a second chance. My future self can't /could not image this years ago so I had to sort of die first. Photo collage to follow...

Love, Sharon

Feeling French | Stockholm

Fyra Knop (translation = four knots) is a crêperie that lies on Svartensgatan and is only one side street way from the other restaurants and cafes on Götgatan Street. I chose this place because it felt both cozy and romantic, and open starting at 17 right when I happened to walk by! I imagine coming here again when I want to eat galettes/crêpes and drink a bottle of wine with a loved one or out on a date.

Here I am trying to choose between several savory crêpes or a dessert crepe. They all sound equally good; why does it have to be so hard to choose! I decided to try a "stripped" variety with just a little sugar. I also ordered, and it came perfectly made, a cappuccino. There was also cidre brut and champagne available to order.

The atmosphere is very cozy and relaxed with old rustic furniture and lots of young people rolling in right around 17 filling the place up very quickly (the locals know). However, this brings up a downside that it is rather small : I noticed the waitress/hostess had a book of bookings where people had called in ahead for a table.

Wishing you all a most wonderful start to your week... Love, Sharon

Best Travel Advice Received | 30 Days of Indie Travel, Day 30

In responding to the best advice received while traveling, my mind went immediately to Elizabeth Gilbert's world-famous book, Eat, Pray, Love. Although I was not traveling at the time I read it, it satisfied my wanderlust and was a good long, juicy story. Through the art of story-telling from the female perspective, she explored basic, life-changing lessons, ones that I could apply to myself even when my marriage was at a high point, I still wanted to eat, pray and love a lot more. What I love most about Elizabeth's "advice" was that it inspired me to get up and do my best with who I am and with what I have each day. To be a pioneer of continuing on.

My second best travel advice comes from another author, Tim Ferriss, and he says: “Do what excites you.” Sometimes it is helpful to write things down that make me happy and that are good life policies. After a while I have a pretty clear picture of who I am, flaws and all, and what fulfills me. Having a travel wish list is helpful as well.

I'll end this post with these "pieces" of my travels to date (in and around the Stockholm area). This also wraps up the Indie 30 Days of Travel project. But it is never goodbye ;-)

Happy trails xoxo, Sharon

I Protest Perfection | 30 Days of Indie Travel, Day 26

In response to the Indie 30 Day Travel Project, Day 26 The Perfect Trip, I would like to protest perfection!

Perfect is a heavy word to me, and there really is no perfection (unless you are counting the moment we are in right now); there is only what works for each of us on a very personal level over time. One cannot travel like I do or do the work I did previously, be on this amazing home exchange for 3 months, and be perfect. So do I have the need or desire to fantasize what the perfect trip would be like, smiling at an image that is free of flaws and mishaps, never a miscommunication, no getting lost or back tracking, always able to buy something? No, I really don't.

Forgive me Indie Travel / Bootsnall folks. I really do enjoy being a part of this exercise and community, but in the end perfection crushes our soul, kills adventure, causes us to skirt our individually, and makes us think we are in control. I surrender to life in the moment I am living right now, which is unpredictable and splendidly as imperfect as it may be. I no longer want to be perfect at shielding my vulnerability, and I don't even know what that looks like and I don't have to have it all so figured out. With love & respect, Sharon

Stadsodlarfestivalen | Stockholm

Please allow me to spam you with some colorful photos from today's Urban Gardening Festival held at Fatbursparken, Södermalm, Stockholm.







The emphasis was organic farming and permaculture. It was a 50/50 split between those vendors selling their bounty of baked goods, seeds, jams, organic beauty products, eccetera and those with displays only, as their land rights where governed by the state and municipality, therefore they could not commercially sell anything (but give it away if they chose to). I came home with black cabbage (similar to kale), multi-colored cherry tomatoes, geranium shortbread cookies, aronia relish, bread with dashes of beet root, a handful of portlak, not to mention all the samples I tried!

There was also a unique method to get people in touch with their roots: gardening roots that is, by way of a Planting  Performance where a person, as if they were a flower, is planted in a pot to grow. I really enjoyed this 4-minute experience and the little story that came with it. It touched my heart, my feet loved it, and I think I grew a couple centimeters! I also learned to make small containers for seeds (see packets) with colorful paper, recycling catalogs. Love, Sharon

Italian Ice Cream on a Stick | Copenhagen

I was on the local S-train a few days ago and saw a Danish newspaper with an eye-candy photograph and a short article on Olufs, which sells homemade Italian ice cream. It looked like a delectable little place, and I know the Danes take their ice cream very seriously, so I made a point of visiting.

Beautiful, natural, homemade Italian ice cream on a stick in three sizes and tons of flavors! I enjoyed a chocolate licorice ice cream dipped in lemon white chocolate. Who can resist that? Probably one of the most unique foods I have eaten since I've been in Denmark. They reminded me of the paletas I have had (and love) in Mexico, which are frozen fresh fruit popsicles, either with fruit only or fruit mixed with cream. I should mention that the shop is at the beginning of the very charming and colorful street, which added to my experience of the senses. Peace out ;-), Sharon

30 Days of Indie Travel | Learning Languages, Day 13

If you could wake up tomorrow knowing any one language (one you don’t already know), what would it be and why?

I am hopelessly ungifted with languages. No natural talent whatsoever. In high school I wasn't a fan of speaking outloud in class and grateful (at the time) a foreign language was not a requirement to graduate. So like most American children, I was not exposed to many languages other than just English. I barely learned French in college. Un poquito Spanish has made its way into my vocabulary, but not really irredeemably so; because I lived in Tucson, Arizona for many years and traveled extensively in Mexico/Baja, the sounds and words started drifting in by proximity.

To answer the question, I wish I could wake up knowing Spanish, as I already have a jump start on it and also, it's the second most-spoken language of the world. Although Mandarin actually is population wise, with Spanish second and English third.

I like the idea of starting small today, with learning to toast life (or to send random bubbles of love) in as many different languages as possible. The clinking of glasses that cements friendships and celebrates new ones. I'm in Denmark today, therefore Skål! (pronounced Skoal in Denmark and Skawl in Sweden) Love, Sharon

30 Days of Indie Travel | Worst Experience, Day 8

There is no travel experience that stands out as the worst, but maybe a moment or two here and there that weren't particularly great...

Which I tend to bury those moments, such as when a hotel caught on fire. See!? can't even remember more than that detail. I really have to dig deep into my memory bank; I'm thinking of copping out, as nothing writing-worthy comes to mind.

Rrrrrttt!!...oh I remembered during my time with A. when he and I took a trip to New Orleans, and it happened to be Super Bowl weekend (though that's not why we chose those days), and he thought my friends stole his wallet. As wallets usually are our everything, his contained cash, his driver's license, credit cards, etc. Needless to say we were frazzled, perplexed and sad. That very same night of the theft, the four of us had earlier agreed to share a hotel room, each couple taking a double bed in the small room. Again, we were FRAZZLED, while they slept peacefully we did not sleep at all, but laid there in the dark with wire-y frowns on out faces waiting for the morning to confront them and report it to the police (either way). As it turned out, his wallet was right where he put it, in the black void, a small wallet-sized compartment below the radio unit in our rental car. It blended in seamlessly: black wallet, black compartment.

Looking back, it is weird how our minds drifted to my friends as thieves, what enters our minds so full of blue sky, I'll never know. The wrongful accusing, the after-effect guilt, years and years ago now: all of it floated and still floats away into the crisp air somewhere in the voodoo of New Orleans. This is not really a "worst," but definitely an unpleasant feeling to revisit and recreate for the purpose of this travel project. If indeed the point was to do that, it did.

Not all travel has been perfect, which would be unlovable and sterile anyways. But because I believe in happy endings, there is always love and silver linings. Love always to A., Theresa & her beau. I'm sorry I never told you. Love, Sharon

Learning Curve

The ritual of driving a good distance, parking my car at an unmarked fence road, and getting out my mountain bike for the reminder of the journey has gradually become second nature, a routine I've memorized as if for a singing recital. I eagerly set out to find the natural horses: none of them shod, no barn, no cross-tying or heavy tack to deal with.

Once immersed into the herd, I choose a horse, or they approach me for some attention, and brush him/her to remove all the dried mud for their mane, body and hand-pick the tail a little. I pick up their hooves (if willing) to look for anything stuck in them that can be cleaned out. This allows me to see how willing the horse is to accept my touch and be in their space. I next allow the horse to check out the rope halter with his/her nose that I'm about to put on. I stand on the left and put the halter on and gently swing the end to be tied around and make a natural horsemanship knot. I know how to check for correct fit and adjust things where needed. I have added another 8 foot rope to the lead rope so I tie this back to the halter to use as the reins. I am riding bareback and lead the horse to a rock for that extra 4-5 inch boost up that I need to get on. Once on and balanced, I feel like a teenager who just stole the keys to her parents' car and ready to leave the driveway when no one is watching (and really, not another person is watching)! It's exciting, but I am not ready for the open pasture and so ride in circles, weaving in and out of the herd, lovingly touching and stroking other horses within my reach. Sometimes I do yoga poses on the horse's back, such as tree, locust, warrior 1, twist, bridge, etc. and sometimes I unpack the suitcase of my soul. I enjoy this time; this is everything.

These are "skills" I did not initially possess, and it still amazes me because of how much sense they make now. My friend once said, "You will learn by doing." And he is right; the more I do it, the less I need to think about it. Love, Sharon

The Colt Selling Fly Spray

A mare of bountiful means had only one filly, which she doted upon. Once while trotting through the medina, the filly saw a Thoroughbred colt selling botanical fly spray. She fell in love with him at once. However she had no way to convey her adoration to him so she went to the medina every day with the excuse of needing to buy more fly spray. As soon as the bottle was purchased and put in her saddle bag, she would take off without saying a word. Over time, the colt began to feel suspicious.

The next day when the filly appeared again, he asked her, "What do you buy so much fly spray for?" She confessed, "I'm interested in you romantically, however I dare not express it to you. But I'm always dying to see you so I come to buy your spray for the purpose of appreciating your good looks and being around your masculine energy." The colt was taken aback by her honesty and so they agreed to meet the next evening in a private area in her pasture.

The next evening, the filly lay at a respectable distance from the harem, waiting for the colt. When dusk fell, he arrived. She was so excited she could not control her joy. She put her legs around the colt and said, "My dream has finally come true!" As a lover possessing extraordinary gifts, she died that night of too much pleasure. The colt was so shocked that he just froze there with no where to go. At last he escaped back to the medina at dawn where he left his bottles of spray under a tarp.

In the morning at the pasture, it was time to go to their watering hole, but the filly did not get up. The harem became concerned, only to find her lying there dead.

Before dragging her body to the creek bed, the curious horses found inside her saddle bags many bottles of fly spray. The mother mare said, "It must be the fly spray that killed my filly!" Then the harem all went to the medina to find the source of the spray. When they found the colt and saw the same kind of spray as their harem-mate had, they laid into him: "Why did you kill our young one?" The colt sobbed and told them the truth, which they simply couldn't believe and so they took legal proceedings, and that meant placing him in a sack and throwing him to the bottom of the sea.

The colt said, "I don't mind death, but I request you to allow me to approach her body and express my sorrow." The sultress of the harem gave him permission despite the many ancestral practices that would be against it. As soon as he approached her and touched her, he neighed out, "If only the spirit of the body could still live after the death of the body, then there would be no remorse at all." All at once some sprocket in the filly's heart clicked into place, she regained consciousness and described the whole situation. Finally they paired up for life and had many offspring in the wild.

###
Love, Sharon

Still Winter

It has been a trying month around here. There's a lot going on, emotionally speaking, this winter - so much more juggling than ever before in my life. I struggle sometimes in this space, especially with a new love interest in my life, with what's appropriate to share here and what should be left unsaid. Wanting to write my way through things as I do, but wanting to honor the privacy of those around me. I don't mean to be vague or unclear - I'm sorry - there's no great mystery I'm holding back. Just a lot of life that I don't always know how, and if, to fit tidily into this space.

In honor of the most-adorable being ever, last week I gave a very welcoming Hello to a "Lakie" named Otis. A Lakeland Terrier of almost eight years that I am temporarily caring for, and he cares for me. The first dog I've had since childhood - a giant love of a thing and constant companion. This week I have him again through Wednesday, wishing for a little more time with him, always more kisses for Otis...

As I am coming to appreciate moments like this in life, there is great comfort in the small things. The way I gather together with my new friend to love one another in any condition we are in - the very definition of friendship. Putting one foot in front of another in the rhythm of our days - the simple joys. And by these actions, we lead the way for the younger ones in our lives to keep on keeping on. Moving forward, perhaps changed, perhaps stronger, perhaps with more love to give.

As this winter season winds down, and as the spring schedule appears earlier than usual, I find myself committed to fully soaking up the last of winter. I'll spend the next stretch of 3 days doing all of my/our favorite things with Otis - unplugging, and diving fully into just Being. This blog space will be quiet for a few weeks, but I'll be back next month to continue our conversation. I do so love our ongoing conversation. Love, Sharon

Coming to terms with love (Real)

It's different this time around. "I love you" carries with it more weight and I am enjoying loving unconditionally those people and animals I'm loyal to, and especially my new friend. The weight is not like carrying a "hundred pound pack" at all; it comes from Really understanding and sharing love better and better. I know that love (as a passive noun) can't conquer all because I've done this before and it was like viewing that relationship through a sparkly lens that vanished completely once the sparkliness wore off. The non-sparkly love is the love that's weighty and Real and lasts through hardships and holds steadfast. Knowing this is an advantage I didn't stay true to last time. A year ago I didn't know what life could bring, didn't know what I was promising, didn't know there would be personal growth that hasn't always come easily.

Some days I have to fight against a voice that says, "I don't blame you if you do...(if you move on, end things, let me go)" because it's much easier to hike where I always go, the trails I know, rather than believe or look for a different path that is a wide, open range metaphorically full of wild grasses and forbs. And on other days, I find myself in wake-up-call mode because I've forgotten what it's like to have someone care so deeply about what's going on in my heart. It's a lot to come to terms with, as it's not what I expected. It's like trying to test the temperature of cold water that you know is hot. And when I do feel the Real temperature, I find it is the very best part of living through the experience of my other sauntered relationships. The hope of redemption is exactly what keeps me going and I've stopped begging so desperately for sparkly things because love (Real) has a better plan in mind.

I’m also starting to think that maybe the universe is a lot more gracious than I realize. Certainly more gracious than we are with ourselves or each other. Maybe the point of life isn’t to do it perfectly, but to learn as much as we can, sometimes the hard way. Maybe we’re here to get through, seeing the beauty in the people that surround us. Maybe the point isn’t being right but instead operating with Real love. And maybe the universe is looking at us, seeing us struggle, doing things maybe a little bit wrong, but when the person I love tells me that it doesn’t matter, I trust it will be pretty darn amazing. It already is amazing, and slowly and surely proves different, and better, this time around.

Love, Sharon

What is artisan jewelry, you might ask?

Well, I can answer that! It is classed as jewelry that has been made by the hands of a creative jewelry artist, comprised mainly of high-quality stones and metal findings. If the artistry is resonant enough by using components with meaningful words and special, rare gemstones, it can exist as a highly personalized piece of jewelry for the wearer.

Artisan jewelry is often made completely from scratch, where the artisan uses lost wax casting or prepares the metals through heating, bending and shaping, sets stones, fires enamels, as well as creates the jewelry. Some artisan jewelry is crafted with ready-made components, whereby the artisan artistically connects all the pieces together. Regardless of the techniques used, usually hours of time and concentration are given to creating a piece of handcrafted artisan jewelry to assure that it is beautiful, unique, and far from ordinary.

One of my greatest passions is creating, selling and giving artisan jewelry as gifts or wearing it myself. I especially enjoy giving it to women that appreciate having it as "their own." My favorite elements are organic sterling silver findings that are lovingly made by hand in small quantities rather than mass produced (see examples at my website at Sharonunlimited.com). Having a rare and exquisite piece of jewelry that has been made or chosen specifically for me (or my customer) is a touching and memorable gift to receive and treasure for many years to come. Love, Sharon

Truth begets truth

At the end of an endless conversation several months back, my friend asked, "Do you always tell the truth?" In other words, would there be an occasion that would I tell a lie. I paused because there are times when I shirk from the truth and re-paint the situation. There are times when it's hard to be completely honest, especially when I know the truth will really hurt or it will hurt me to hear it. I think this is where it gets sticky, especially with close relationships, and that I risk destroying them (for example let's say they were doing something wrong or damaging, or that's what I thought, but what if they actually weren't—you see?).

At this point in my life, I was, almost by accident, just on the cusp of starting to understand what honesty actually was. It took a lot of conversation, laughter, and the culmination of much suffering to make me start forcing myself to reveal my so-called secrets and accept others' truths. I realized, as well as my truths, I am my past lies; I cannot deny them; if I ignore their having taken place (they slipped my lips), I am a coward, a child and show my true face of inadequacy. You can't give the truth if you don't have truth. Lying was my way of clearing up my unconscious anxieties and emotional survival mechanisms that I thought might/would protect me in the first place. I am now giving myself the space to actually feel my feelings and be true to them. At all costs. And even though I may have a ways to go on the path of honesty, it has so far been one of the most beautiful, painful and interesting lessons of my life. And as an artist this is very important to me. Xo, Sharon

Celebrate

On a snowy Saturday afternoon, I ventured out a bit to the Chino Valley vineyards (just south of Prescott, Az) to attend my friends Ben and Juliette's wedding. From 3 until 3:30pm, I sat there among approximately 20 other friends and family happily shivering inside a rustic, Christmasy-decorated barn as they were married. I always cry at weddings, and this one was no exception: the goodness of happy tears ran down my face. I was honored to be there at this celebrating moment, but not quite expecting the amount of hope, love and joy that I carried home from that afternoon. I'm holding on to that feeling —and still holding— just as long as I can. All we need is to be loaded up with love, to be feeling it, to be chasing/falling into it, and in all manners be giving and receiving. It's so true when they say love is all you need. Enjoy ~Sharon Marzonie

Life is such a Thin Ribbon

It was a soft fall evening when I arrived at West Clear Water Creek. The air was sweet with fragrance and the sun was still high enough to warm the back of my legs and bike. Sycamore leaves fell and drifted randomly as the flickers called out their heckled laughter and "swam" from tree to tree. All of life seemed touched by an energy which charged everything, including me.

I had a lot of time to think while I biked along a worn path, and most of my thoughts centered around my being too strong and independent for a certain someone. I could hear his voice still in my head, but I began to replace his words with a new kind of language, a kiss which didn't have anything to do with the cellular movement of these thoughts, but of someone else's. It was kinda weird. I felt a rage and so I tossed my bike down on the sand and released my energy in doing so. With this new language, a remembrance of things past flooded over me and I floated off to another time and another place. I discovered absolute freedom thinking myself out of my current existence and this shook me from my loneliness.

We over-analyze it and forget to reflect on love and the sacredness of life. Even when it's as thin as a ribbon, so fragile, but so easily transformed. I thought life is sacred even:
--in the middle of nowhere
--in lands that are ravaged
--in a homeless shelter
--in line at the bank (you're overdrawn at)
--in the darkness of our souls
--when you have one stupid cover pulled over your head.

And now at the level of my bike, the unforgiving pokes of the stones, withered leaves and decaying wood bits, I ironically guard the new fruit of a kiss, a kiss which is unfelt. I guard it so wrongly, the new love which needs no explanation. And when the time is right, I will bike out across the flattened creek path and through some sandy areas and burst open to feel that kiss and let kisses come in that are of love and beauty. They can be from this time, that time, or any other time; it's all the same.

Hope you have a sweet, thought-provoking Fall.. xo, Sharon Marzonie

Piece of Me Mosaic

I found this idea on another blog and thought I'd give it a try. If you want to play too, type your answer to each of the questions below into a Flickr search. Using only the first page, choose your favorite image, then copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker (3 columns, 4 rows, located at bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).

1. Rose of Sharon Hibiscus .., 2. Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus), 3. The Colt Barn - The Anna Dean Farm, 4. The Pool, 5. Gerard Butler, 6. Wine Bottle, 7. Vieques (off mainland Puerto Rico), 8. Untitled, 9. St. Eligius the Jeweler, 10. Homecoming, 11. Ban-hannah, 12. Australian turquoise bead strand

Questions/answers:

1. What is your first name? (Sharon - "rose of sharon") 2. What is your favorite food? (shrimp) 3. What high school did you attend? (Barberton) 4. What is your favorite color? (cyan) 5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Gerard Butler) 6. Favorite drink? (Bonterra wines) 7. Dream vacation? (Vieques) 8. Favorite dessert? (handmade chocolate truffles) 9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (fine jeweler/appraiser) 10. What do you love most in life? (love itself) 11. One word to describe you (quirky) 12. Your Flickr name (sharonunlimited).

May your creativity flourish today! Xo, Sharon