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Hello beautiful,

Light as a feather, fluttering in springtime and summer, having had encounters with butterflies in just about every place I have been, I always feel blessed by their gentle presence.

Butterfly, Schmetterling, Farfalle, Papillon…I love their many names, their movements, the science and the mystery behind their lifecycles.

My late ex mother in law Janine Kirkpatrick’s art faithfully depicting endangered butterflies I find particularly moving. Beloveds do come to mind as a butterfly flits by, and art, literature, poetry, music, and movement all help me embody the qualities of the butterflies I marvel at.

I’ve been with butterflies in the Amazon basin jungle, as they flitted above rivers and road-crossing streams and were captured under glass, others eager to lick our salty feet on the Appalachian Trail, migrating Monarchs in California and friends all along the coasts, parading across the black sand beach at home on the Big Island, in New Zealand, the UK and Europe, even a rescue on the bus in Cologne for which I tell the story in the blog, and most recently a friend's media arts literature opening reading with two artists sharing work about silk moths (and trade) and a few mothy family members.

So I've been moved to pass along all the goodies I've gathered so far on this flight of fancy, with many airy inspirations to delight.

Read Be Buoyant like a Butterfly – Flights of Fancy – Airy Inspiration here

My other creations, recommendations, and questions for you are:

Listening:

• Started a Late Summer Sweet Sadness playlist on YouTube, what shall I add?

Reading:

• Finished reading Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith, found it difficult, heartwarming
• Started Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
• Got myself a softcover hard copy of The Notebook: a History of Thinking on Paper, by Roland Allen since it takes me a while to read nonfiction and I want to savor it in analog

Viewing:

• ​June Stationery, Emphemera & Empties - Creative Supplies & Personal Care favorites video on YouTube: June being itself a favorite for so many reasons, with PRIDE and the Summer Solstice, it also marks the midpoint of the year and therefore necessitates deeper reflection than a typical month in my life. My June BuJo Flip/Q2/Midyear Reflection was therefore lengthy enough before I included my ephemera, creative supply and personal care commentary, so I decided to include these separately in this video.
• "Love Death + Robots" series is animated fun in the mix
• The "Wings" animated short suits my Word of the Year
• ​The Worst Interior Design Show from the 90s: I recall having watched "Decorating Cents" back then and enjoy happy associations with Joan Steffends' voice, also found this commentator, gabi belle, hilarious

Practicing:

• Continuing our Summer Splits series with the Splits this Season - Part 2 Upside Down / Inverted Supported Gravity Splits - Season of Stretching video on YouTube Today in part 2 we are trying out inverted reclining splits, in part 1 we explored standing supported lunging splits, part 1b was about standing side lunging splits, and in part 3 we will dive into supported floor splits, but I particularly love this version because it is so chill and literally kicked-back!
• ​Back-to-School Stuff that See Mindy Mom isn't buying has sensible recommendations from a former teacher

Practicing Together LIVE / Adult Movement Classes this week:

• In-Studio Adult Beginner Ballet, 6-7:00pm CET Mondays, Tanzschule Tanzraum Nippes, Cologne, Germany creates a strong, body-friendly, and graceful foundation for dance with drop-ins and Urban Sports/Eversports access available and air conditioned! (German)
• Online Yogalicious Gentle Yoga. 7-8:00pm CET Wednesdays (7-8:00am HI) provides a delicious mindful movement feast which balances strength, balance and coordination for mind, body, and spirit adaptable to all levels and conditions (English)
• Online Balletlicious Gentle Adaptive Ballet Barre+, 7:30-8:30am CET Fridays (Thursday p.m. HI) consists of mostly barre with a little dancey centre work, building a strong, body-friendly, and graceful foundation for dance at home or anywhere in the world (English)

Inquiring:

• Which natural phenomena do you find refreshing, peaceful, or moving?
• How does the life and movements of the butterfly inspire you?
• What are your favorite butterfly or flight-related movements, songs, poems, books?
• What flighty creations are you moved to make?

Gladly share your response to the questions above or provide other updates by replying to this email or on social media if you are active there.

Thank you for reading, for being, and for dancing with me, in spirit or in fact. Take care of yourself, pay attention, and keep moving mindfully!

Love, Blythe

Blythe Stephens, MFA, Bliss Catalyst
they/them or she/her
Creator of A Blythe Coach: dance through your difficulties
and take leaps of faith into a joyful, fulfilling life

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