Thankful November: Day 12

Day 12 * I’m thankful for: Blue skies. Hot tea. Steaming pho. Cold medicine. Almost-didn’t-happen runs. The magical glow that splashes the city before dusk. Imminent reunions with friends + family. Late-night writing inspiration. (Gratitude lists that are supposed to contain one item but grow + grow + grow…)

Happy, happy Mother’s Day!

The older I get, I’m finding, the more meaning holidays like Mother’s Day hold. Today, I am of course, thinking of my wonderful, amazing, fantastic mum—the absolute best in the whole wide world, I’d have to say:) (All day I was quite jealous of all the mother-daughter duos I spied walking/chatting/laughing around my ‘hood and the weekly Sunday street fair; if my parents weren’t arriving this Wednesday for a visit–hooray!!–I’d have been really, really homesick.)

But today  I am also thinking of all the motherly and maternal figures who’ve played a pivotal role in my life thus far; there have been many—the strong and wise women who’ve shown me unconditional love and support, who’ve inspired me and provided me glimpses of the kind of woman I’d like to be. I’m thinking of the friends who are first-times mums (congrats, y’all!!) and the ones who’ve just become mothers for the second, third, even fourth (!) time. I’m also thinking of those who spent this day, for the first time, without a mom with whom to brunch or stroll or even call. For them, my heart is heavy…it just aches. I want to invite them over for cuppa (or a stiff drink—their choice).

In a way, these days may be silly Hallmark traditions, yes, but they are also opportunities to pause, to reflect, to express gratitude—to not simply assume that our loved ones know just how much we love them. We get to say it out loud.

So, happy happy Mother’s Day to my staunchest, most loyal cheerleader, who time and again comforts me with tea and smile cookies and laughs and the reassurance, always, that everything will work out just fine. I love you, Marme!

Thursday Thankful Things

Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.~Soren Kierkegaard

Thursday gratefuls:

~Full nights of sleep
~The music of Of Monsters & Men
~Sore yoga muscles
~Seeing new things in familiar spaces
~A full tea cupboard
~Fun mail in the post
~Cowboy hats in unexpected places
~My trusty circle of daily correspondents
~Stranger smiles
~Trail mix and dangerously good chocolate-sprinkled granola
~Planning outdoor weekend adventures
~Artwork that speaks to you, even when you’re not quite sure why
~Quirky sites like longboarders carrying multiple cups of takeaway coffee
~The omnipresent vibrant, puffy down jackets of the Pacific NW

What sights/sounds/tastes are catching your attention these days?

Washed away

In the Pacific NW, we are wet. Soggy. Damp. Chilled. Swept away. Days and days and days of rain. For the most part, I’ve been keeping a surprisingly zen and cozy mindset through it all.
(It’s tea season! And apparently chocolate season too….oops.)

However, I will admit that just now, when I looked at the next week’s forecast, my heart plummeted in my chest. Ugh. So I’m blasting reggae in my wee apartment and thinking it’s time for some Turkey Day Week Gratitude.

Today, I am grateful for:
YOGA and my neighborhood studio–a bright, airy (yellow!) space in which to clear my mind, challenge my body and feel part of a kind, welcoming community.

(I LOVE this piece of art in the studio.)

What are you grateful for today?

“Trade your expectation for appreciation and the world changes instantly.”
~Tony Robbins

Wacky Wednesday

It’s a weird week. Many people I know are vacationing in wonderful places down south, and I miss them. This is more solo time than I’ve had in eons, and it has had its ups and downs. With some big decisions and next steps hanging in the balance, it’s a tricky time to feel alone. (On some level all the solitude is probably good too, though.)

This week I’ve consumed buckets of tea and caught up on many a-Netflix and long distance calls. I conducted a weird phone interview. I sent some weird story pitches. I find myself seeking words of wisdom and inspiration any place I can. (But then I get bored with myself, with all this seriousness. Ay yi yi! Where’s the lightness and laughing and fun?? I seemed to have misplaced those temporarily….)

Sunday night I had vivid dreams about wild winds; I woke up to a text Monday morning from my mom warning me of high gusts headed this way. The weather here yesterday was nothing short of bizarre: fluctuating between brilliant sun and fast-falling snow and accented with a freak, mid-afternoon power outage (ack, with no flashlights in sight!).

There have been highlights too, like a Guster-gone-acoustic concert Monday night and burritos & sangria anoche at one of my favorite Cap Hill eateries.

Truth be told, visions of blossoms and blue skies back east are tugging at my heart strings this week, but I’m reminding myself to be patient (in more ways than one). I find myself longing to be in Austin or Buenos Aires or anywhere sunny and carefree, bustling and full of flavor.

So in an attempt to become a less kooky and a little more balanced, here’s something inspiring:

And something fun, an interview with my man Sean from LS (I love when really, really  talented people also happen to be really quality people:)):

Happy Wacky Wednesday, y’all. Please soak up some sun, eat an ice cream and sip a tropical cocktail on my behalf!

Some grrrreat things about home

(Aside from, of course, quality time with my family and some of my best friends in the whole world. Being pampered by my parents is also pretty luxurious, I must admit. I’m a lucky lass.)

But also of note….

~GOOD nights of sleep

~a coffee table covered in Oprah mags

~a box full of tea options that’s bigger than my head

~getting to cruise in a car (I miss driving sometimes!)–windows down, radio pumping (even if I swear most stations around here are playing the same songs they played when I was in college!)

~meals out in familiar strip mall eateries (the NoVa burbs sure are a funny place)

~finding forgotten goodies in my closets and drawers

~decadent brekkies of Greek yogurt, blackberries, walnuts, honey (thanks to stocked cupboards and full fridge shelves)

~an excuse to be decadently lazy

~so many worries and cares feeling a million miles away (and growing smaller and smaller with some good perspective)

Happy Friday, friends!

 

Mood-boosters

Saw this “coping” list the other day and liked it.

What are your tricks for cheering up during sad or bad or just plain *blah* spells?

Things that put some pep in my step this week have included:

~tea, coffee, any warm ‘n’ cozy drink, really

~music, music, music

~reaching out. Job-wise, friend-wise, family-wise. Even if I fear I lack the energy to initiate, keeping in mind that good ole Universal Law of Attraction.

~movement (runs, walks, elliptical, anything that gets the blood flowing and the thoughts shifted)

~today, a multi-hour visit with a dear college pal whose spirit is so lovely and pure and supportive and uplifting that I can’t help but remember life is good. Really good.

~guilty pleasure boob tube. My latest vice: Hart of Dixie. Show me a sappy story set in the sweet South, and I’m a happy gal.

~collage-making! These days they call them “vision boards,” but I reckon adolescent Mitch and I were onto something way back when when we regularly covered my parents’ kitchen floor in magazine cut-outs and pasted to our hearts’ content. Sure, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Luke Perry and Christian Bale stole the limelight in those days, but I still find there is something so calming and therapeutic when it comes to putting together the puzzle pieces of a creative collage.

What lifts your spirits as we plunge into darker, colder months?

The process:

The result: