Tag Archives: life

leaves know they need to let go

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Today I started a two-week yoga challenge that realistically will take three weeks because #life. In the first video, Fiji talks about how this time of year there are not a lot of leaves on the trees because the leaves know they have to let go of the past. It was while we were standing in tree pose, and I struggled (and tried to smile through it!) to stay away from swaying too much.

My lack of yoga last year was because of my half marathon training, and also because of my wrist injury in soccer. But in 2016, I want to focus on yoga again because I miss the strength of my body, I miss the peace it brings, and I miss the calm. Although I’m glad I ran a half marathon, I want to balance my cardio with strength training, and I can think of no better way to do that than yoga.

Hopefully this challenge will remind me of the reasons I love yoga – today’s class already calmed me after a day of cooking and a weekend of standing which left my hips tight. It was the perfect Sunday-evening destress heading into another week.

I want to be like the leaves. I want to let it go. I want to move forward and recognize the past and leave it under me, moving forward to the light of spring. Let’s hope this yoga challenge can help me in 2016 center myself and stay true and light in the busiest of times (as 2016 is already shaping up to be!)

Namaste, everyone.

forgive, let live, and move on.

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here are some good things: sunshine at lunch. cooper the dog greeting me at the end of the day. dinner on my plate every night, coffee in my cup every morning. friends that are family and family that are friends and blurring the line between. trips to big bear and out of the fast-pasted city. snuggling after dinner while watching tv. mason jars and cooking with my self or my friends.

here are some bad things: low voter turnout, the reports out of ferguson, the reports out of skid row, that works comp doesn’t cover people’s needs when they are injured on the job, that businesses work the way they do and don’t care about people, global warming, winter lasting forever, droughts flaming up and down california, glorified villains and marginalized heros.

here is what i know: we made this world. we will take ourselves out of it. we will also change it, for the better some days, for the worse on others. today is an inbetween today. i hope tomorrow is a better one. and that better ones follow and follow and swallow up ‘status quo’ and ‘because’ and ‘i never thought of that’ and are replaced with ‘what about this’ and ‘well i don’t like that so imma change it’ and ‘i just though of something brilliant.’

happy thursday, chickens. may you wrestle with life today and come out on the other side stronger and clearer in your convictions with a smile on your face.

 

honey to the bees, baby.

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Last night’s speech by President Obama was inspiring, and I just want you to be able to watch it, if, you know, you have a minute.

It’s not up as I write this, but I am sure it’ll be here when it does. In the meantime, you can watch this video of James Taylor singing at the Democratic National Convention.

I don’t agree with everything that the Democrats say and do. But I do think that Barack Obama is the right choice for America in 2012. And I can’t wait to cast my vote for him.

Other inspiring speeches of the DNC include Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Jennifer Granholm, Deval Patrick, Julian Castro, and several other greats I have the privilege of sharing a party with.

[This is the part where my personal blog turns political for at least two months because everything about our government affects everything about our lives. I hope you’ll stick with me.]

 

i can never leave the past behind/i can see no way (i can see no way)

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I remember being in fourth grade and seeing high school girls put there hair up without a brush, and thinking someday I’ll be able to do that and thinking it was the coolest. I was in modern dance class, before someone eventually told me Jen, you can’t dance.

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I remember looking back at my younger cousins and thinking, I can’t believe they’re in high school, where did the time go? They’ve grown so much, and still so young.

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I always wanted to live in an apartment, where I could do whatever I wanted and have my own home. I’ve never gone by a single day without thinking how lucky am I that this is mine and I can do whatever I want with it?

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I remember seeing my mom cooking in the kitchen, and remember thinking one day, I’ll have my own kitchen. I remember the first recipes I used, the first meals I cooked without a recipe. Chocolate Chips Cookies, 3 cups flour, one cup sugar, one cup brown sugar. I remember knowing once I’d memorized the recipe at fourteen, I’d know it always.

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Sometimes, I still have dreams I’m in high school and don’t understand pre-calc, and that I have forgotten my shin guards for final soccer game, and that I can’t seem to find a way home.

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I remember the first day of freshman year, the last day of sophomore year, meeting SS for the first time, starting my relationship with Jeff, thinking I was so old, so grown up, had come so far.

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I look back, knowing I knew nothing, and I still don’t. And I’m still learning. And I’m 26, and still so young and will be despite having a car, having an apartment, leading my life the way I want to lead it. Still looking up to those girls who could put their hair up with two movements of their hands.