How do you chase your dreams?

Last week, I had the joy and privilege of watching my friend Delilah Marvelle take a major step in making her dream come true. Ever since going to culinary school, she has wanted to own a restaurant. And she reached a  point in her life where she could make it happen!

Delilah dressed to fit the part!

Sshe and her family purchased a building in Hillsboro, Oregon. Last week, she invited everyone to come down and watch the boring, ugly facade on the building to come down.

When I feel like I will never achieve my dreams, I'm always encouraged by others who are creating their best lives. How do YOU chance your dreams?

Every historical tea house needs historical gum and sweets.

What it looked like in the middle of everything.

This is going to be wicked cool when it is finished.

Yet another trip to the Chinese Garden.

I love going to the Garden of Awakening Orchids in downtown Portland. It is the perfect place to gather my thoughts, look at the dizzying array of plants and buildings, and then drink tea and eat moon cakes at the Tao of Tea, also known as the Tower of Cosmic Reflections.

I like to go there when my brain has been reduced to a blithering ball of mush. I then take quick snapshots on my cell phone to jolt my creative side to see things from a different angle. Last week, I visited the second floor of the tea house for the first time.

*Above left - I really loved my cranberry-orange tea and tarot root moon cake. They were the perfect accompaniments for contemplation on a rainy day.

*Above right - the Garden was putting up decorations for the Chinese New Year.

*Left- It's hard to see, but I really loved this little dragon's, "Oh, hai!" face. It was adorable.

The rest of my pictures turned out fuzzy, but that was ok. I wasn't taking them for any other reason than to re-fill my word well. :)

Moving Slowly.

Last Friday, I visited the Tao of Tea in the Lan Su Chinese Garden. I drank chrysanthemum tea (good for sore throats and allergies), ate steamed dumplings, and then reveled in moon cakes. Moon cakes are a secret obsession of mine.

Outside in the Garden proper, two people were moving through Tai Chi forms. One was a tiny Chinese woman wearing a loose fitting pink martial arts uniform. The second was an older Chinese man who had been playing music for us in the Teahouse.

Tai Chi can be done quickly. But it is usually seen with slow, graceful movements

There is something truly beautiful about moving slowly. I'm always in a rush - afraid to miss anything before death comes for me. This fear drives me to exhaustion - I don't write fast enough, I don't dance enough, I don't give enough to my loved ones. It has ruled me all my life.

The idea of going slowly, of every move being clear and deliberate - is alien to me. I cannot slow down, no matter how much it hurts me.

But the Tai Chi artists outside in the sun- their movements were focused, strong, and deliberate. Somehow, they are getting to where ever it is they are going without fuss or bustle.

What would happen if I slowed down? Just the thought of it fills me with panic.

That panic is a good sign of something I need to try.  Does going slow tie in with my idea of Dare to be Average? Could there be a way to be ambitious without being tense?

I think it's a worthy experiment.