Well, I wake up early. I can’t help it. I wake up with the sun, earlier than the sun in the winter.
Always way too early, I have plenty of time to think, be grateful, research my latest project, shower. Even go outside to check on the garden or my boat. Which I love, getting up and outside in the early morning is the best! Most days, I’ll go work on something in my studio space for a bit.
I drink a lot of water. take some vitamins…
Does anyone care about the average persons habits, I wonder.
I usually do a little stretching, yoga, a little exercise like squats, kettle bell, Russian twists. I brush my teeth.
(I’m already quite bored by my own habits…)
Fix my coffee, sit for a few (listening to something uplifting on headphones to drown out the news)
Leave for yoga or a walk or both
The day falls together after that…
In the evenings, there’s supper, hopefully a walk, water the garden, weed, sit and enjoy the warm night outside for as long as possible. When we go in, its a stretch of sitting and watching sports on TV. This is a new habit that I have never had as an adult. Growing up, I sat and watched tv with the family. I generally don’t spend much time sitting or I didn’t, maybe movie night(?), but now it’s what we all do. So sitting with family watching tv, like in the 70s. It’s not so bad. Supper time and tv time, I’m learning,- are important.
Bedtime, I wash my face put on a bunch of lotion and cream, brush my teeth, sometimes shower. And…Thats probably it.
Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?
One of my favorite movies was a little documentary called ‘The Biggest Little Farm’ It’s about a couple who decided to bring a few acres of land back to life and create a harmonious ecosystem in the form of a sustainable farm. It spaned seven years of beautifully filmed footage, as little by little everything came into balance. Wild life came back, bees, worms, insects and birds, even owls, to keep the small rodent populations in check. The soil made a dramatic transformation which carried a most hopeful message. No matter how far we go to thwart nature, it can recover, it wants to recover. If we work with it, follow its rules, balance, diversity and harmony can come back and thrive.
The films depiction of the gradual progress, with plenty of set backs and discouraging moments, made you see that things take time, that some things aren’t as they seem, and sometimes good surprises come on the heels of bad ones.
I’ve always felt strongly that nature knows better than man. All through history there are man vs nature moments where we think we’ve out smarted her.
But we never have.
Remember Chernobyl? Last we heard there was a nuclear disaster there and everything was leveled. Today, it’s a thriving patch of wild life because all the people left and wanted nothing more to do with it. Time and nature. Give nature enough time…
I do my best to support sustainable farms. I feel the most hopeful when I see this becoming a mainstream practice. I happily search for and pay for better quality food because I like to believe that the more mainstream and typical it becomes, the more widespread and assessable for everyone it will be. As we allow the planet to be more healthy, we might all have the chance to be also. That is my hope. Health. Mind, body, and soul health. Time and patience with healthy practices might lead to balance and harmonious living. You never know, but it’s worth a try.
Yesterday was a lovely beach day! We packed up chairs, towels and a cooler and headed out to Rhode Island.
First we stopped at Blick Art in Providence for spray paint. This little store was brimming with all of the most beautiful art supplies. The entire wall behind the counter was a rainbow of spray paint. I found the colors I was hoping for! (I think, anyway, I have yet to try them out).
We went to a few beaches hoping for waves, which we did eventually find. Top down on the Jeep, wind whipping the whole drive, music and pleasant conversation. Ahhhhhh!
Seriously, just what I, we, both needed! The morale at the house has been low, so this was a wonderful breath of fresh (warm) air! Stopped for cherries, I didn’t get sunburned. So relaxing and refreshing. The water was perfect.
Mystic bridge
We ate out in Mystic and even went for ice cream.
On the way home we stopped to check out this cool historical site that I keep driving past and wondering about. I love the little house.
This morning I forgot all worries and woke up excited to paint my boat!
I let my guard down a little, but was re-reminded and hurried to put on head phones and sprint out the door to check out our garden.
This put me back in a happy mood because as you can see, things are growing! Plus the morning air is so nice. Birds singing, flowers blooming. The hydrangeas that I worked on in the spring look amazing! I guess they haven’t had flowers in a few years, but wow, they are huge and heavy with blossoms now!
For me, the lesson I’m getting is to stay alert. My energy and the frequencies I find the most comfortable, are worth cultivating for myself. I understand better that everyone has different energy needs, just like food needs, sleep needs, exercise or movement needs. It’s like we all have a sweet spot and when, for different reasons, I’m not in my comfort zone, I don’t feel so good.
All judgement aside, I’m not as rugged as I wish I were, but I see no helpful reason to be hard on myself for not being more hardy.
The other morning I was walking at 5 am. It was a lovely morning, but I was feeling pretty discouraged. I wondered if there was something, anything, to help lift me up, maybe boost my spirits a little.
I meandered into this little tunnel where normally I wouldn’t walk because it’s just big enough for the road, no sidewalks. There is enough blind traffic to not be safe. I wouldn’t want to be surprised by a pedestrian when I drive through, but that early there was no one around (it’s a mostly vacation part of town). The graffiti inside caught my eye and I read :
Then on the other side,I didn’t even see where it continued until after I looked at the picture I took.
“It will get…
…Better”
(I added the dots to give you an idea of how slowly I put the sentence together)
I didn’t see
“I promise”
So there you go
“It will get better, I promise”
This did give me a little early morning laugh. I think the universe has a good sense of humor which I surely appreciated at that moment.
And, as you can see, it really DID get better!
One very fine day! A perfect, well placed break for both of us.
What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?
I love so many foods. Awarding just one the title of most delicious is impossible. So sorry.
I’ve had some amazing Indian curries. Enjoyed exceptional pastries in France, maybe the best roasted chicken there as well. Butter and cheese in Ireland. I’ve eaten fantastic pizza in a handful of places, enjoyed a memorable meal in San Francisco of inspired Italian. Mussels that ruin it for other mussel dishes right here in Mystic, salads that burst with freshness and flavor. Sushi right out of the ocean, street tacos, fajitas, red beans and rice. Peaches or cherries at their perfect seasonal peak. Even plums straight from the tree. Don’t get me started on desserts! or cookies, or coffee or or or…
I can’t help my love of well prepared food. Well served food. Love infused food. Food that is both simple, yet perfect. Fresh or cooked, I would not call myself a ‘foodie’ because this extends into practically every aspect of my life. I just love (so much) deliciousness and beauty.
If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?
Mystic boardwalk
Forced? Yikes! Does anyone else need more information? How? Why?
I get a lot of wear from my yoga pants. Sure, ok, force me to wear Lulus
Or my latest constant, cut off shorts. Denim or white. White feels a little more dressy(?)
Or, since it’s been so hot into the evenings and nights lately, my new favorite pajamas are men’s cotton boxers. Very comfortably cool. You know the plaid ones, I bought a three pair pack for only $7.99. I might be fine being forced to wear those (to sleep in anyway).
But what if I want to go out? None of these would work. Change of weather? Again, it’s been brilliantly summer-time hot, but that won’t last…
As much as I’m fine with wearing these things, I really hope I am never forced to wear any one thing over and over, it sounds sad. Judging by what I chose, I guess you can tell, I’m not the uniform type.
I think everyone has a different version of things spiritual.
Some love their religion, whereas some have no use for religion at all. Some are very solid in practical life with no need for spiritual discussion or thought, while others thrive when they feel connected to something beyond their humaness.
Faith, belief, hmmm
Where am I? It might depend on the day. I’ve had moments…
I’m a little intuitive, probably from being artistic. You could say ‘sensitive’ which has been both blessing, but just as often, a bit of a curse. I’m affected by energy. Is that spiritual? I get physically uncomfortable, even ill, when energy is conflicted or extra low for extended periods.
As a kid I had no context for why this was, and was constantly, in some sort of trouble for my ultra sensitivity, which was no fun and often confusing. Religion only added to my confusion.
It’s funny how I’m living some of the same kinds of things I felt as a kid, with no religion at all. I’m older now, and know myself better, so I’m not trying to change or be different or live up to any standards. At this point, I can stand back and watch at a safe distance as life moves to a different beat than mine.
I feel like it’s all an education. Spiritual matters are so personal. How anyone does life is a personal thing. How do I? Well. I strive every day to be the best me that I can be. I do what I can to maintain my most comfortable frequency. I love serrindipity and nature. I love balance. I love harmony. I love energy. I love being part of the vast orchestra that is this awe inspiring universe. I don’t know enough to understand how most of it all works, but I love how it does.
Okay the bottom of my boat has been primed and painted with special marine-life repellent paint. No barnacles. I wish I could have that in writing since the paint cost so much.
I’ve been searching for the right colors of paint for the top side, with no success. I might be heading out to an art supply store somewhere far away for that Gold brand at some point. There must be a store with a wide selection of spraypaint somewhere. I keep hoping anyway.
I know this is a little crazy. I don’t even care at this point. Crazy or not, it’s my boat.🤷
How DO I care for myself? What do I practice? What is something I do over and over and feel fairly better at for having practiced?
I guess yoga. Yoga is one thing that I would say I’m better at and get better at the more I do it. These days I’m lucky enough to have a class every day. It’s a different teacher each time and I can feel a nice difference in my strength, my balance and my mood. But you aren’t supposed to be trying to get anywhere they always tell you, Just show up and breathe, and truthfully I’m not. I love yoga because going feels good, being there feels good, when I leave I always feel better than when I got there, the bonus is that I can feel a positive difference developing over time. More awareness, more flexibility, more openness, more love for this body, more self acceptance, Lots of good stuff…
How do you waste the most time every day?
I like to think most of my life is intentional enough that I’m not wasting time. I work hard to plan out my days, to balance the things that I have to do with plenty of things that I want to do.
But then again, sometimes I get caught up in too much over thinking which is truly nothing more than a waste of my time. Or I let circumstances get to me.
Complainy thoughts. I’d like to ban those. I recently decided to make a point to just find more positives. Like things to listen to, or watch or talk about. Because that low vibration that comes from negativity is hard to exist in. It zaps my energy. Quite literally I think it exhausts me. It zaps fun, it zaps my enthusiasm, it’s not my natural frequency .
It’s been most of a week since I decided to turn the tables on how my mornings go. Sometimes the smallest shifts can make huge differences.
Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?
Oh I like this game. It’s one of my favorite things, in fact.
It could be a smell, or a song, or a food and right away, I’m taken right back. This is the closest thing to time travel that I know of. My kids never knew my young active grandfather, but they know about him and his garden and the magical cottage of my very young child self. I held those memories for literally a lifetime, but shared them with my kids through food.
There are several foods that I can name here that will do this time transport trick, but one came to mind immediately.
Toasted tomatoes sandwiches.
I know, I know, sounds pretty boring.
Some people won’t even try one, or they want to add cheese or other ingredients. Usually if they can let go and accept the simplicity, they LOVE them. It’s simple, but very specific,
First you need the highest quality peak of the season, ripe tomato. The flavor of the tomato is paramount. Good bread is a plus, but if it toasts up well, most bread will do. my grandpa grew those giant sandwich size tomatoes and they were super sweet and flavorful. One bite of a super delicious tomato and bam, my eight year old self is back at the cottage in the late summer, probably with a pink crème soda mustache, sun burned and wet from swimming in the waves.
Mayo. If you make it yourself with avocado oil, points for you, but a good quality one, that is not sweet is fine.
Butter/and or coconut oil.
Salt and pepper
That’s it. You have to eat it as soon as it’s made, yes, immediately. My grandfather was not an actual foodie, but he cared and was the best cook I knew. (I was a little kid, but I still knew the difference between cooking because you have to and loving to cook).
Hot, perfectly golden toasted toast, melted butter, and plenty of it, a bit of mayo, salt and pepper to taste, sliced tomatoes right from the garden (not the fridge). All key.
The juicy tomato makes the perfect sauce as it mingles with the butter and mayo. (Some people don’t like mayonnaise , but this is somehow different).
When I had a garden, I made these for everyone all through tomato season. People who knew me then, will still ask if I’ll make them one. I would, only, again with the tomatoes.
This year, tomato plants are planted…
Hoping sandwiches will be a future option. (I have some doubters to win over)
Peace Kit 