Finding Stillness.

Embracing the stillness on a sunrise run.

“When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

— Wendell Berry, The Peace of Wild Things

Piecing Our World Back Together.

Younger people offering to go to the store to purchase groceries for the elderly in their neighborhood. People on Twitter offering to pay the bills of total strangers. Neighbors quarantined in Italy singing to each other from their balconies. Doctors and nurses daily putting themselves at risk and working tirelessly at the frontlines to save lives. Companies continuing to compensate their employees while their stores are closed so they can provide for their families. Yoga and exercise studios offering free online classes as an outlet and resource for everyone at home. Church services and virtual meditation offerings as a resource to cultivate community and mindfulness at a time when we need it the most.

Amidst the social distancing, I’ve chosen to see how we are showing up for each other in ways that are connecting us deeper than before. Together we will piece this world back together.

Movement is Medicine.

A refreshing rainy day run at Redwood Regional Park.

Go outside. Be in nature.

Connect with the earth, ground your body in the damp soil, inhale the fresh air, feel the misty rain on your skin. Listen to the sound of your beating heart. This is what is feels like to be alive.

Do not be afraid to spend quality time by yourself and with your thoughts. It does not mean you are selfish or anti-social.

Movement is medicine. We all need to breathe. And need to be.

Choose Wisely.

Keep Going.

Run views at Las Trampas Regional Park

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds... where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you.”

— Edward Abbey

With Ironman training, I learned the two most important components- consistency and adaptability. Things rarely go as planned. The person who finishes is the one who is able to persevere, stay positive, and keep moving even through the discomfort.

Training acts as a portal to access our deeper selves. When we’re forced out of our comfort zone, we’re confronted with our monkey mind and chatter. It’s noisy and unpleasant. But those who are willing to withstand the physical discomfort often speak of a deeper transcendence that occurs. We’re able to access a deeper spiritual level that aligns with our “why.” And this is what carries us to the top of the mountain. To the finish line. To the place more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams. It’s waiting there for you.

Keep going.

Learning To See.

When you draw or sketch, the world becomes more beautiful. It becomes your canvas. You don’t look at the world, you see the world. It’s not just recognizing the physical reality of what exists- it’s also seeing the possibility it holds.

And therein lies the magic.

Trees at Filoli Garden.

My interpretation of what I saw from the tree branches.

From my trail run at Wunderlich Park upon cresting the top of the hill.

What I imagined when I saw this bench.

When working with my clients, there is a recognition of the current situation. The stressful job. The extra weight on the body. The demanding schedule that leaves little time for movement and self-care.

But we also create space for new possibilities. Shifting the lens to imagine something new. What if? How would it feel if we tried this? By shedding new light on our lives from a different angle allows us to visualize a new way of being and thriving in the world.

Imagining what can be is the first step to making it our reality.

More of the world (and ourselves) can be unveiled when we learn how to see. Everything has a story. Everything has potential. Including you.

Belonging.

The conversations I’ve had this week have largely been around this theme of belonging. Belonging in the right career, company, city, community. It all feels so...BIG.

But our soul speaks quietly. In subtle nudges. In whispers. Belonging begins in small ways. Perhaps the place your soul belongs right now is close to the ocean. On the yoga mat. Sitting in church. Wrapped in the arms a loved one. Snuggled up with your pets. Surrounded by Redwood trees. Listening to live music. Writing in solitude.

If you’re in the ellipses of your life right now, you may have more questions than you do answers. But there are ways to make this sacred in-between space feel like home. Belong to the places and people and activities that liberate you instead of limit you. Our soul is always nudging us. We just need to be still enough to hear it, and humble enough to listen.

3 Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free)

Sometimes healthy and easy are a perfect fit. Enter the 3 ingredient cookie- Easy, simple, and good for you.

Henry David Thoreau famously said, “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.” I’d like to think these cookies were made after his own heart.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

• 1 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life dairy-free brand)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. In one big bowl, mix together the bananas and rolled oats. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Scoop 2 Tbsp of mixture into a round ball and place 1 inch apart. Cookies will not spread.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cookies are golden brown on top.

6. Place on a cooling rack and enjoy!!

*Other options: add in unsweetened coconut flakes and a dash of cinnamon

The Symphony.

Celebrating in this sweet cozy boat shack at Nick’s Cove.

A friendship is a melody, and birthdays are where all the sweet harmonies finally meet. The simple question, “How do you know each other?” becomes an invitation. You hear rich stories of different seasons and places and realize you’re all interwoven and strung together in a beautiful way. You’re all centered around the melody.

Savoring these moments. A wood-burning stove, a homemade mango guava cake baked with care and intention, good wine, warm laughter, and a rustic out-of-tune piano played with love. Its song echoing out over the moonlit water.

Through all the movements: andante, largo, presto- life is a symphony. Soft and slow. Loud and fast. Made beautiful by the orchestra we choose.

New Year's Blessings.

The epic views from my coast ride.

May 2020 be filled with self-discovery and growth.

I hope you move your body in new ways and give yourself time and permission to explore places and cultures that have always intrigued you.
I hope you read books outside of your usual genre and challenge yourself to think in new ways. Explore your limits and expand the people you’re around— Gravity’s not the only thing that keeps us weighted down.
I hope your words build more bridges than walls and you plant seeds of encouragement, affirmation, possibility, and potential.
I hope this is the year you step outside your comfort zone and take classes and lessons in the areas you’ve always been curious about.
I hope when you feel life is unraveling that you will remember how love has always threaded you back together. Use it to sew wholeness back into your heart and remember that being alone does not equate to loneliness.
I hope you remember the power in the ink of your pen to rewrite the ending to your story.
I hope you give yourself grace to try again and permission to feel alive again.
I hope this year you tune out the nonsense and tune into your essence.
I hope you remember that the world needs you.
And you are enough.

Here’s to 2020!

Do Less.

“Let the amount you’ve moved your body this week be enough. Let the effort you put into that project be enough. Let the amount of time you spent really truly being with your kids be enough. Let the amount of sex you’re having be enough. The world doesn’t need you busy. The world need you here, and it’s enough. ”

— Kate Northrup

I’m learning to love the slower pace and quiet hours of deep writing, home-cooked meals, intimate conversations, and cultivating deliberate space to spend time in nature and just do less. When I do less, I discover how I can more fully show up for myself and others.

Huddart Park- one of my all-time favorite trails to run and explore in nature.

May this be a reminder to slow down and just be here now…sometimes our presence is more important than presents.

This season, let’s choose to surrender our striving and instead choose stillness and purposeful presence. Agree to do less and show up more. These are the things that matter. Things that are remembered.