The Dentist's Library

Besides the whole wellness idea, one thing I like about going to the dentist or doctor - is the magazines you wouldn't otherwise read. I confess to this guilty pleasure and to reading People magazine at my doctors office. My dentist has more "refined" taste. I read Architectural Digest and Traditional Home there today.

I especially liked the short article by designer Barbara Berry on Ways to Nourish the Soul. This is a hybrid list inspired by what I read:

• Light - Let their be light. A house that lets the outside in is a beautiful house.
• Color - I find such joy in color whether it's looking at the inside of a flower or comparing fabrics make a quilt to looking at photos together simply for their color.
• Garden - How can a biologist think it's a miracle that things grow, but I do.
• Farmers Markets - What joy to walk amid all the colors and textures, to meet the farmers and pick your nourishment by hand.
• Hiking - The mind goes to a special place when hiking. It is a good place
• Yoga - Formal practice or just straightening the spine and breathing deeply, it does wonders.
• Nice sheets - Don't skimp on sheets, they hug you all night long.
• Bedtime shower - The days cares go down the drain.
• Tea - Calming cup of tea, inhale the steam and aroma, warm the hands, relax.
• Girlfriends - Energy boost, always.
• Knitting - Is it the rhythm or the slow productivity? Maybe its the colors and tactile sensation.
• Sketching - Like hiking, sketching takes me to another place. I wish I was not so rusty.
• Blank Slate - Having nothing to do is such a blessing. I always told my kids boredom invents creativity.
• Acoustic music - Whatever genre, I like it. A capella, I am in heaven.
• Watercolors - Sketching and watercolors makes a two-for-one piece of tranquility.
• My children's baby pictures - Make me happy. I never tire of them.
• Family - Roots that ground you. Nourish them.
• Home - My castle and where the heart is. No cliche, it's real.
• Outdoor sauna - How I miss mine. Someday....
• Process - Not that I like a regiment but cooking with love, maintenance with with care or design with intent brings satisfaction.