lighted up fridays

after a few heavy posts, i offer you something differ.

(journaling in parks makes me happy, too)

something light. like the little joys.

HAPPINESS:

1) reading poetry on street corners in san francisco to strangers. screaming it to the full moon night sky. realizing strangers are listening, affirming, applauding. genuinely.

2) words. i am painting the world in letters. after nearly two years absent, my creativity is back. powerfully so.

3) singing. i am no etta james (sigh) and no adele (double sigh) but the vocal chords i do have are not bad. friends and family tell me all the time i sing well. and, well, i am starting to believe. i’m starting to understand the concept of personal range and tone. plus, singing helps with throat chakra opening

4) skirts. i am officially over pants. skirts offer a mobility pants do not. and a certain femininity i am unearthing, rejoicing in.

5) coconut oil in my coffee (insomnia calls for coffee sometimes, unfortunately). coconut oil, in general.

6) the weather. spring sprung early. sometime mid-february. it may speak to global warming but. i am enjoying the sun and its shine thoroughly.

what’s making you happy these days?

namaste

zoe

appreciating the little things

i am learning to appreciate all the little joys present in my life.

i am learning gratitude stretches smiles, warms the heart, and uplifts the spirits.

i am learning i have more than enough.

i am learning to live for the small moments in life.

like blue skies in january.

and the company of friends who live in your heart.

or realizing the fact that i live here:

that i was born here.

i am learning to remember that life is sweet when you let it be.

i am learning. always.

namaste

zoe

welcoming the new year

last night ended up a success.

and by success, i mean i danced my ass off, abstained from over drinking, met new people, laughed too much, stayed up too late, and spent the early hours of the year sharing words with a pretty exciting new person (more on that later).

i am confident the coming months will be peaceful, grounding, inspirational, and educational. i am also confident 2012 will be the year i release completely and start a new. i am excited to watch the year unfold, day by day. honestly, i anticipate a pretty beautiful year (also, i read my tarot cards for the year and damn. so satisfied with the results.).

today, despite waking up five hours after i went to sleep, i mustered up enough energy to treat myself to a sunny walk followed by a little yoga. you bet i brought some sort of camera. i mean, it’s still sunny! that and i live by the water. kind of picturesque if you ask me.

i hope the first day of your year brought you blessings, light, and love!

namaste

zoe

spend a little time on the hill

i live on a hill.

(panoramic view!)

a hill you can climb. so i did. with my lovely friend lizzie, just the other day before all the fog rolled in and officially claimed december.

i played around with my camera, too!

(lizzie took this without my knowing! the sneak )

(i’m starting to learn it all a little bit better!)

there are swings up on that hill.

the view from the swings, well, it’s great.

it was a seriously beautiful day. grateful for all this sunshine in the middle of winter.

namaste

zoe

(p.s: again, i think it goes without saying but…these are my photos. please don’t steal )

chasing the sun

after work today i biked feverishly to catch the sunset.

i worked my way through nearly ten odd miles of golden lit paths, breathless against the bite of the wind and the far-away warmth of the sun. it felt good to feel my heart pumping madly.

i saw another super dope hawk!

and felt again the gratitude which lightens my days.

now i find myself dressed up and wearing make-up for the first time since burning man. it’s b-man decompression night up here! i.e: IMMA DANCE MY BOOTY OFF.

namaste

zoe

(northern) california love

i went solo hiking today.

broke in my hiking boots.

saw a squirrel.

and a hawk!

i live smack in the middle of a handful of state parks. if you don’t know much about sonoma county, know it is beautiful.

seriously beautiful.

that i love it.

and i’m so damn lucky to be here.

namaste

zoe

(guess who played with her new camera todaaaayy ?)

why i love fall

after threatening rain, the sky choose to unload fluffy puffs of clouds and sunshine instead.

(source)

talk about a quintessential golden fall day.

speaking of fall…

it’s kind of the shit.

at least here in northern california. especially this year. we’re still coasting on low 70′s temperatures. the days provide warmth and the nights enough of a nip to appreciate heavy blankets, warm drinks, and unnecessarily long showers. sigh. i seriously love autumn…

for scarves

for the return of the mug…!

for sweaters (lotsandlotsandlots of sweaters.)

(source)

for winter squash (kaaaboooochhhaaa!)

(source)

for uggs (don’t haaate!)

(source)

and for everything thing in between.

something about fall feels so grounding and centering. like we’re preparing to sink into ourselves for the next few months. really, i just think i am experiencing an overwhelming sense of gratitude, thankfulness, and appreciate. for where i am, what i have, and who i am becoming. every day i am stronger and healthier and happier. sometimes i get swept up in all this gratitude. i may or may not have cried today just because i finally realized i am exactly where i want to be. i also may or may not be a week away from my period…

finally.

what do you love about fall?

namaste

zoe

life, lately

namaste

zoe

(all photos are my own, taken by me. please don’t steal )

music monday

i skipped self-love sunday not because i lacked self-love…

…but because i was having too much fun last night. one of my really close friends came up from san francisco and we basically giggled away the midnight hours until she passed out (one beer too many perhaps ?). theeen my roommate came home, at which point we talked until oh, almost three in the morning.

last week definitely did see some self-love. change is coming. i see it, feel it, and am starting to believe it. the pieces of this fucked up puzzle are starting to find their home in the grander picture. i am beyond thrilled. i am beyond exhausted, too. it’s been a really, really rough two years. i am so ready to tie up this box and never look inside again.

today’s agenda looks promising too. my friend is still here. we’re about to venture out for a late (uh, super late) breakfast. next up, evening yoga and post-yoga climbing with another close friend and hopefully both my roomies.

did i tell you i joined my college’s gym? they offer memberships to alumni. i am excited and nervous, as i am just starting to carefully balance the exercise issues. i am confident it won’t spiral out of control like last time though.

and as for the title of today’s post…i’m going to start sharing with you a song on mondays. music is really important to me and i can only assume it is important to you. i can also only assume that, like me, you all love hearing new music and being turned onto new bands. so. today i will leave you with yet another avett brother’s tune. i seriously wake up every day with them swimming around my brain. i lovelovelove them.

today’s avett brother’s song? will you return.

i hope you enjoy it

enjoy your day as well! i’m about to head off. it’s ridiculous indian summer weather over here. we’re inching into the 90′s as-we-speak. so much for fall!

best part of your weekend?

namaste

zoe

(something else really cool? this week’s free yogatoday(.com) hour long session is a awesome looking hip opener that serves to “burn away that which no longer serves you….doubts, fears, undigested emotions.” every thing is pointing to releasing!)

self-love sunday

i’m glad the week is coming to a close.

not because it was bad. and not because it was good. but because i am at home. i am with family. i am basking in sunshine, laughter, love, and food. i looked forward to this day all week. something about coming home, particularly after a challenging week, grounds me always. like returning to your roots, you know?

this week i experienced a few miniature revelations. i read a book. i climbed. i ran. i worked (a lot). i cried, i laughed, i shared, i listened, i hugged. i end the week happy, unlike how i started it on monday, sad and vulnerable.

today i woke up early, dressed for the foggy weather, and drove down the freeway to my home town. to my family. to the farmer’s market. i intentionally skipped an at-home breakfast, favoring a farmer’s market fresh breakfast instead: a cup of really good coffee and a homemade muffin. it sounded lovely to me. i offered my grandma a piece to which she responded: “no thanks. i don’t eat muffins. too fattening.”

and i decided right then and there i always want to eat muffins. i decided i would rather eat muffins in all their fattening glory than ever again tell myself ‘no’. i decided eating muffins after years of denying them felt kind of like a release. me, the forever calorie counter, eating muffins. eating cake. eating foods deemed “too fattening”. sometimes the ways self-love makes itself known surprises me.

now, if you’ll excuse me, homemade italian marinara keeps wafting down the hallway. i’ve got a meal to enjoy!

the best part of your week was…?

namaste

zoe