oh hi there

still summer-ish here.  what about you?

ready for autumn

ready for:

• double-spice chai
• grilled tomato and goat cheese on sourdough
• that first soft scent of firepit smoke
• tending to dreams
• talking in the backyard, wrapped in a blanket
• socks and boots
• serendipity!
• honeycrisp apples
• sixty-five degree days
• practicing mehndi on pumpkins and arms and pretty much any available surface
• riding my rainbow bike (sneak peek coming soon-it's awesome)
• a picnic with cheese and figs and champagne

what are you looking forward to?

me by mindy

everyone (and by everyone, i mean my mom) always tells you that you need to be friends with 1) a mechanic, 2) a doctor and 3) a lawyer.  these relationships don't seem to be bearing friendships in my life.   

i'm drawn to poets, storytellers, hoolahoopers, yogis, stargazers and artists.  truth is, i'm working on being a card-carrying member of this group.  for now, as i toil away in the realm of the doctors and the lawyers with their diagnoses and laws and arguments and blame,  i allow my creative friendships to nurture me and fill me with hope.  i love seeing their lives and their work blossom in the warmth of the sun.  i love being there in their quiet periods and observing how their muses flutter between and among them like graceful powerful fay.

i love how artists see me.  they see the good and tell me and show me.  even my nasty bits carry a sheen of mythical power.  for that, i can't thank them enough.  it saves me.

this painting of me is by the very talented and magical mindy lacefield.  she sees a girl who has hope, who loves and trusts people, who believes in things like smiling and laughter and play and forgiveness despite the truths that she knows.

thank you true friend.

it's the truth

the sweat:  bikram yoga.  try it.  my body and spirit can't live without it.

the tears:  i prefer dying-of-laughter tears, but the other kind does the job as well.

the sea:  to this day, my "happy place" is exploring california tidepools with my dad. 

the writer:  she's one of my heroes.  with her moody adventurous storytelling self.

{for bella's 52 photo's project.}

today and for the rest of your life

i'm feeling the need for a love week.

on september eleventh

i let go of the past and enter a new decade of

• choosing love instead of fear
• choosing whole foods that feed my body instead of fake foods that stuff down my feelings
• choosing yoga instead of facebook or tv
• choosing quiet wisdom instead of having to prove my point
• choosing stillness instead of manic to-do-ness
• choosing words of peace instead of words that divide
• choosing courage instead of silence
• choosing connection instead of isolation

some days

i truly feel my life would be complete only if i spent $1800 on a vintage brass lotus chandelier.

that may come across as shallow, but i spend my work week absorbing children's trauma and hopelessness and holding and sorting all kinds of bureaucratic chaos.  i could simplify my job description by only seeing the good and trying really hard to look good, as many in my profession do, but i choose to see and say the (often ugly) truth and stand for what's right.  stupid girl.

some days only the prettiest things can make me feel like it's worth it.  this object of art is uncomplicated and unfeeling and unblaming and solid and just is what it is:  beautiful.  it needs nothing from me but for me to gaze adoringly.

farewell summer

it was the summer of things i did not do:

• i did not go to paris
• i did not do yoga every day
• i did not take a roadtrip every weekend
• i did not miss oprah (not one bit...is it safe to admit that yet?)
• i did not grill out
• i did not find a new job
• i did not take a lot of photographs
• i did not give up dairy
• i did not finish anything
• i did not beat myself up for not doing anything
• i did not find summer inspiring in the least

autumn, you're my girl. 

let's do it.

the long weekend

enjoy every second of it.

september is the new january

back-to-school was always one of my favorite times of year.  in my day (i've always wanted to say this) the first day of school was always the day after labor day.  i can't seem to get used to seeing kids waiting for the bus in the middle of august.  that's just wrong.

september always brings out my studious and rebellious selves.  there's just something about all those khaki uniform pants that make me want to wear things like rainbow platforms and see-through ponchos!  but more importantly, i'm drawn to blank pages waiting to be filled with new exciting information and ideas.  i want to be stretched and challenged and opened to new possibilities and knowledge.  i'm ready to move and grow.

today's the day.  what are you wearing?