Patiently Waiting for Summer



Early June in the Pacific Northwest often means grey skies, cool temps, and damp blades of grass. The entire region buzzes with anticipation, waiting for summer to arrive. I'm reminded of this anticipation as I sit here on my couch this Saturday morning dressed in a beanie, sweatshirt, and wool socks with the doors wide open just waiting for a break in the grey. It will come. I'm certain of that. But until it does, I will simply have to revel in the beauty of summers past. 

 

 

 

 Farley Boy in the garden

 Lola enjoying a late afternoon siesta

PNW summer fields

Nothing more American than enjoying a hot dog at the fair

Seeing a living legend in concert: Willie Nelson!

 The coolest dude I know

 Making bouquets with my gorgeous nieces

Summer bounty

 I will never get bored with this view

 Fishing for salmon with my Dad

 My Dad

Another spectacular day on the water



Surviving Monday Through Fresh Eyes

Sometimes the mere thought of waking up on a Monday morning and going through the motions of routine is daunting, even when you love your job as much as I do. Monday, just another regular old work day. Regular. Boring. blehhh!

So before I even opened my eyes I decided that I would make the day anything but regular. I wondered what it would be like to go through my normal routine with fresh eyes, seeing things for the first time, seeing life where I normally just passed through. Challenge myself to notice and revel in the beauty which surrounds me. Live in the moment and savor the new experiences. Here is how I turned a regular, boring, normal work day into one filled with excitement, adventure, and beauty.

What a lovely day for a boat ride

Every day I look for whales as I commute on the ferry. I look for them and am disappointed that I never see them. Until today, I had never noticed these whales which I walk beneath on a daily basis. I never noticed them because they were not what or where I expected them to be!

I am fascinated by how much I see but don’t notice because it’s not what I’m expecting.

Today, I saw whales!

 

Decided to bust out of my routine to see what I could see. Walked a new route to experience something new.

 



It’s a big wide world and there are infinite new experiences to be had. You just have to be open to them! Love this sign in the window along my new walking route to work.

 



I look at this guy 5 days a week, toiling away as I walk to work. I’ve always wanted a picture of him but never taken the moment.



Same with this manhole cover. I see the beautiful design everyday and wish I had more time to look at it. Today, I stood in the middle of the intersection at Pike and First Ave. for at least 30 seconds studying the details. 30 seconds is a long time to stand in the street.



A random and wonderful experience from years ago! One worth having again soon.

 



Being a tourist in Seattle isn’t possible without walking though the fish stalls at the Market

 



The sight of the Market fresh flowers never gets old

With the new enjoyable journey to work complete, I look forward to exploring more at lunch!



Lunch Stop #1: For lunch I decided to try someplace I’ve never eaten at before. I was partially successful with this beef empanada from the tienda!

Lunch Stop #2: Jack’s for some cioppino. I’ve actually eaten here twice before but both times it was with people that I love and the soup is great so what’s the harm in trying it solo? However, like so many things in life, I think it was better experienced with someone else’s company. Still totally delish.

 



Lunch Stop #3: almost. Thought about stopping in here for a coffee but I KNOW that this place is better experienced with the one I love. I savor the memory but will save the experience to share with him again.



 

A good reminder that I need to get my road bike up and going soon! Another topic for another adventure on another day!

 

 

Tourist in my Own Town Day continues! After work I found myself rushing down to catch the ferry in the same old way I always do. The dilemma: catch the boat or take my time seeing things in a new way and wait for the next one? My love set me straight and said to catch the later boat without a doubt. Solid advice, thanks babe!

 

 

Walked a new route along Post Alley and saw these striking sculptures

 

If not why not? I’ve never ridden the Great Wheel before so today is the day!

 

And there goes the early boat

Brilliant! The grinding of the gears, the swaying of the cars, the subtle rhythm of the rain, shrouded in mist.

And now I want to ride that trolley!

Solo Ferris wheel riding creeper

 

Solo Happy Hour? Would. Never. Except for today! Cheers to the nice solo accountant sitting next to me who though my adventure day idea was awesome ;) Without taking my ear buds out and initiating conversation, that moment would have passed.

 

Something new! The ferry captain told us we’re having mechanical difficulties so we won’t be disembarking anytime soon. Oh well, I guess I’ll sit here and enjoy the view a little and scan the horizon for more whales.

So grateful for a day of new perspectives, experiences, and memories because I chose to look at the world with fresh eyes. How you live your life is largely a choice and chose to enjoy it to its fullest today!



Open your eyes, listen, and feel

It's amazing what you can hear when you stop and listen. A hummingbird's wings beating against thin air, actively defying gravity. The weighted thud of raindrops hitting a broad thimbleberry leaf, heavy when falling alone but melodic and orchestrated when accompanied by millions.

It's amazing what you can see when you open your eyes and explore the details around you. A colony of mushrooms actively decaying an alder, extracting life from death. A blackberry bush displaying a delicate blossom to attract the fat bumblebees so that it may become a juicy summer berry.

It is amazing the joy and love that you can feel when you allow it into your life. Lazy Sunday morning puppy snuggles whilst sipping coffee and being lazy. The company of a friend, laughing to the point of tears. Joyriding in her crazy van, aka the Adventure Shark, with hip hop beats providing the soundtrack to an activity you haven't done in years. Enjoying a meal and catching up on life.

All in a single day while never getting out of your yoga pants. Bliss.

Simplicity and Bliss on a Saturday

Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.

                                                                 - Groucho Marx

I love that moment right before you open your eyes, when you're first returning to consciousness from a nights sleep. I wiggle my toes to feel the cool sheets across my skin, bringing awareness back into my body as I descend down from a dream state back into my bed. Grounding myself and bringing the mind and body back into one. Nestled into snug little pile, I feel a soft but heavy weight above my head on the pillows. It's moving. And there is another weight pressed up against my back. This one is a little less silky and a lot more still. My brain awakens and without opening my eyes, I am instantly familiar with my position in the center of a silken furry golden snuggle-puddle with Farley and Lola. I feel their gaze laying across my face waiting for the slightest sign of life. A deep inhale, a twitch of the eyelid, or a shift of position alerts them that I am about to awake and their party can begin.

That is precisely how I wake every single morning rain or shine, like clockwork with two devoted golden retrievers ecstatic that another morning has arrived, like a gift. Today wasn't unlike any other morning, except that today I woke up feeling exactly as they did. That this morning came to me as a gift and an opportunity to create my own bliss, revel in the little things, enjoy each passing moment.

So with a smile on my face and light radiating from my heart, I chose to bliss out. I buried my nose in the golden retriever fur, sent a love ripple far off into the aspens and ponderosa pines to be intercepted by mi amor so far away, and brewed a cup of coffee in the french press. Perfect. Even better, it's Saturday so with the coffee hot in my hand we headed into the forest for a little walking meditation. For me, being in the forest walking in silence, listening to the world awaken, and mindlessly following the wooded path to get lost in my thoughts, wander, explore, and breathe is pure bliss.

Here are some photos of the gifts which filled my bucket today, because I chose to accept what was sent down my path. I hope you choose to do the same. xoxo

Sword Fern

Farlesworth the Wonderdog - trail guide

Downy Woodpecker male and female

Bracken Fern

Post yoga sushi sesh with two amazing ladies

                                                       1/3 of a complete snuggle-puddle

Another 1/3 of the snuggle-puddle

The resurrection of the blog

Somehow over the past couple of years I seem to have misplaced a part, or pieces of myself. I hesitate to say lost as I don't think I've truly lost those pieces, I've just misplaced them. Tucked them away on a bookshelf and forgotten that they existed as I concentrated on doing what was right, what was expected, what I expected of myself. To get a job that I love, bring a little stability into my life, and try to be happy. Well I think I can honestly say that I've been successful in achieving all of those goals. Kind of. I have a job I love. I have a super stable existence. And I'm pretty happy, generally, most of the time, somewhat, sort of, kind of.....errrr....okay, I'll be honest. Something is missing. I'm lacking inspiration, passion, a spark. Wait. No. I definitely have spark. I'm lacking a flame that endures. Everything feels a little dull. Lackluster. Boring. God I hate that word.

So why am I so bored? You wouldn't know it from the outside looking in because I seemingly fill my life with adventures and non-stop action. You'd think buying plane tickets was a favorite pastime of mine! It is, but that's not the point. The point is that I rarely stop moving long enough to sit down and think about what is missing. Because when I do think about what's missing, it spins me down into the rabbit hole of self-doubt, insecurity and depression. And I know that the only way to fight off those horrible feelings is to find inspiration. Something to grab your hand and pull you through the mud when you're face down. Don't worry; I'm not face down in the mud right now. I'm sort of like knee deep but I know that if I don't dust off that bookshelf and look for the pieces of me that are hidden back there I'll be buying a ticket down the rabbit hole.

So here I am. Sitting. Thinking. Being still. Doing a little dusting. Seeking inspiration. Attempting to gather a bit of fodder for my spark. This stillness inevitably leads to a state of reflection. Looking back at where I've been to get a bearing on the direction I'm headed in. Funny enough, this desire to remember where I've been often leads me back to this blog. I first started blogging during a time when I was supremely happy, peaceful, and experienced moments of pure bliss on a daily basis. I want to reconnect with that person, that time period, and draw from the wisdom of experience. I want to be present in the moment, feel life in every breath, and be grateful for each second that passes me by. I yearn to be inspired yet again, to capture and enjoy all that is life. There are a few different reasons that I've decided to return to my blog and I'll likely touch on those in future blog posts but my true inspiration comes from my friend, Emily. You may remember her as The Butcher of Costa Rica (she's now the Sea Cucumber Queen of Saudi Arabia and you should follow her blog).

Emily's blog is inspiring to me. She blogs about the simplest of life's pleasures such as making banana pancakes, watering her plants, and Science on a Saturday as well as the grander of life's adventures and travels she's known to embark on. I admire her wise perspective that if you live life waiting for the next big adventure you'll miss out on all of the small magical moments that collectively make up an unforgettable existence. She's brilliant. She reminds me that sitting on a terrace, enjoying a coffee in the early morning whilst listening to birdsong and feeling a croissant melt on your tongue is pure magic. It is a moment that will last forever as long as you let it. Those experiences are gifts from the universe, or depending on your perspective maybe you'd consider it a gift from your local French bakery but regardless it doesn't matter. It was a gift and as long as you see your life as a journey where all you have to do is collect gifts, you're fucking stoked.

So here is my attempt to focus on what matters in life, enjoy the sweetest moments, let the sour one's pass me by, and be wise enough to accept and appreciate the gifts that are sent my way.