Truer words were never spoken...

...(about guacamole, that is).

oh my word. I love this little boy so much it hurts my insides.

A few months ago I rented the movie We Bought a Zoo on a rainy Sunday afternoon with my furry friend, Lucy, snuggled on my lap. It turned out to be an adorable little film as well as yet another reason to secretly wish you were married (with babies. lots of babies.) to Matt Damon.

My favorite part of the movie is when Matt's character talks to his kids about the power within just 20 seconds of insane courage. He says; "You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage.  Just literally, 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery, and I promise you, something great will come of it."

This line got me thinking about the moments of embarrassing bravery in my own life-so-far, and before I knew it, my mind was racing....

20 seconds of courage caused me to break down during my 3 year review at my last job; to admit, out loud, to my then boss (who was always so wonderful to me) that I was...and had been for quite some time...completely unhappy, unsatisfied, unfulfilled and uncomfortable in my career. 20 seconds of courage put my resignation in that very same phone call; it lifted a weight I still feel relieved to be free of, 4 years later.

20 seconds of courage helped me walk into a cute boutique in my new California neighborhood to inquire about the help wanted sign in the window (read about my funemployment theories here) and thus 20 seconds of courage gave me Jenny and Dre (2/3 of my ginger SF besties...apparently west coast Trish loves herself a red head).

20 seconds of courage pushed me to comment on my now boss's Facebook status about driving around SF in one of these (so fun!), even though I hadn't seen him in probably 2 years and had only met him a few times through a mutual friend before that.  20 seconds of courage set my current (and completely unexpected, amazing, is-this-for-real?) career path in motion.

20 seconds of courage pushed me to crumble, after months of essentially living a lie; to acknowledge my then partner and I simply were not meant to be together. 20 seconds of courage freed us both to move on, to heal and to meet new people who would enrich both our lives. Even though it was sad and humbling, guilt ridden and painful, 20 seconds of insane courage gave us each another chance at real, sustainable happiness; the insane courage paved way to...well...sanity, again.

20 seconds of courage has most recently sparked a new, potential side business in the realm of public and motivational speaking. 20 seconds of courage told fear and self doubt about my capabilities to please make a quiet exit, while I take the stage. It has told me to go for it and I am excited (read: super nervous but open) to see how it plays out.

And 20 seconds of courage pushed me to listen to that tiny, out of nowhere voice in my head that told me I should reply to B's casual email catch up with an invitation to visit me in SF. 20 seconds of courage has given me a cherished, loving relationship that has soothed my soul and made me smile most genuinely again.

This list goes on and on....

With every honest cell in my body, I tell you that in each of these turned-out-to-be-remarkable situations above...I had no plan. Like. At all. At the time of these events, although I certainly felt a tad nutty for a moment (or 12), I also trusted. I had good intentions. I had deep breaths and imagination. I had 20 whole seconds of insane courage to take a bold step, failure be damned.

And it has resulted in great, great things.

Whaddya think?

20 seconds of insane courage.

You've got this.

Ready.

Go...



love and light,

Trish

Somebody went shopping...


(Insert guilty face).

Take the call.

When I was little my sister and I would love to have sleepovers at my great grandmother's house. Big Mom-mom, or Bigsy, as we lovingly called her, would let us eat "sweet" cereals for breakfast, hide coins for us to find in her old purses and wallets we'd play with, clap along as we danced around the house to her cassette tape of traditional Italian music (think of the most cliche sound of accordions and mandolins and then turn it up, loud) and let us pile every pillow in the house onto our fold-out couch bed and pretend we were living in a cloud. I remember forgetting my pajamas one time and practically melting into a pool of little girl dreams when she loaned me a dark blue, satin night gown that I believed made me look like a princess...I am sure I actually looked as if I were wearing a blue tent with lace trim, but my imagination was pretty sharp back then. I also remember feeling faint when the next morning she told me I could keep it over said bowl of "sweet" cereal. If I close my eyes, I can still smell her home.

One my favorite parts about sleepovers with Bigs was once we were tucked into that fold-out couch bed; Belle and I snuggled together in our sea of pillows, Bigsy nodding off in her chair next to us. We would watch a variety of TV shows together before falling asleep but the one that sticks out most in my memory is The Golden Girls.

For one thing, the show (in my humble opinion) was ahead of it's time--Sex and the City for the 55 and older crowd before Sex and the City was even a concept in Michael Patrick King's mind. It is hilarious, sweet, authentic and charming. I have always found my best friendships are those in which a mutual love for the GG's is held. It's one of the many reasons I am so fond of B, too. Though he teased me at first ("these old biddies are floozies!"), he now giggles along with me when I put an episode on :)

And for another, I have always thought my great grandmother resembled Bea Arthur a bit. She was tall and strong looking with white/silvered short hair and had a similar deeper toned voice. She even had a throaty cackle laugh that mirrored Ms. Arthur's. I remember sneaking peaks at Bigsy while she snoozed in her chair thinking "she looks so much like Dorothea...I wonder if....no no, that couldn't be...right?"

Sometimes, when I am feeling a bit like being a grown up is a tad overrated, I sit and watch a few Golden Girls episodes in bed, squished between a mound of fluffy pillows. There's a comfort in watching this show; a spirit lifting. A settling into the Magenta until it passes.

Fortunately, I have built a network of friends over the years that don't need much of an explanation for these magenta moods. This is the piece of Dorothea, Rose, Blanche and Sophia I am most drawn to, still, years after those sleepovers with Bigs--the displays of (and power within) friendship and loyalty so specific to female dynamics is something I deeply cherish in my own life.

I am incredibly lucky to have the sisters I do.

And I look forward to growing Golden with them :)

In Gratitude,

Trish

On repeat.

love and light,

Trish

...pardon my make up free-Sunday face, I couldn't resist sharing my niece snuggling up to me while watching the Niners (including her token snores right in my ear)...

Juice Cleanse -- Complete!

Admittedly by yesterday evening I was straight up so bored of sipping juice all day that I met up with Dre for a salad dinner, instead of gulping the last juices. But, I regret nothing and still feel great today!

Here's a little breakdown of my post-cleanse thoughts....


Pros:

• I think I've peed more this week than I ever have in my entire life (sorry, TMI)---my kidneys are SO happy.
• Lindsay instructed a cleanse specific yoga class for myself and 2 other Weebly gals participating and it was awesome--energizing, healing, soothing. She focused on moves that targeted our livers, kidneys and inner thighs. If I ever do a cleanse again, I would definitely want to include a class like this to optimize results.
  
• I really appreciated Juice Shop working with my whiney self over certain juices that were just not for my taste buds, including swapping out in my next days "menu". They even went so far as to refund me for one of them simply because I requested to skip that specific piece of the delivery. Speaking of delivery--the young man who dropped off our "meals" each day was on time, very sweet and full of gratitude for our orders. Definitely a +1 for the company.
• I slept well, with crazy vivid dreams--more clear, crisp, and deeply real. On the first day of the cleanse I up and fell asleep at 7pm! I guess my body was really craving that. 
• I feel lighter. I haven't stepped on a scale lately, which I think is actually for the best. I am working on being perfectly pleased with my overall sense of lightness at the moment, regardless of the number of lbs I'm currently packin.
  

Cons:

• As mentioned above, it gets a little boring. I super missed the social aspect of sharing meals with my coworkers or preparing dinner at my house. To avoid being tempted by all the yummy yums San Francisco has to offer on every corner I pretty much went to work, came home and went to sleep for 3 days. It was so great grabbing a quick salad with Dre if for no other reason than it felt good to be socializing outside of work again!
• I had a headache most of the first day. Nothing unbearable, but just enough to nag me. This is probably the main reason why it was lights out at 7pm that night, and is one of the side effects than can possibly crop up for you as you detox your system.
  
• It's not cheap. But, that is to be expected for large quantities of organic produce and delivery included, I think. Also, let's be real, I've spent money on way dumber things (I will spare you the list). If you can snag one of these cleanse companies during a "special", I say go for it.
• You have to be careful post-cleanse not to dive straight back into heavy foods, which is a huge urge to have to resist....and nearly impossible for me as I plan on eating tacos and guacamole galore tonight. We'll see how that goes...

In the end, it's really a mental challenge. If you follow the cleanse, drink LOTS of water, rest well and be positive you will see great results.  Here are some right-on-the-money thoughts from other Weebly juice cleansers:

"The greatest value in the juice diet, for me, is the perspective gained on the relationship we have with food. On a juice diet, one must confront the cravings and desires that arise in the absence of food and exercise the will power to forgo them and keep on juicin'. At times, the physical side effects like fatigue and headaches can be a bit overwhelming, but in the end, I feel a sense of accomplishment and renewal. I will most likely experiment with a juice diet again in the future, and I'll continue to incorporate juice into my normal diet." -Ben, super rad iOS Engineer (and fellow tree hugger)

"It made me realize that a lot of the time I say I'm hungry, is really me being bored or wanting an unhealthy snack.  When most of the time, drinking a glass of water or tea made the nagging go away and allowed me to get back to the task at hand.  I also realized that it's getting over a fear.  A fear that your basic sustenance requirement will not be met.  Of trusting in the process and that you will survive and achieve something you never thought you could..." - Jenn, VP of Finance and hot mama of 2 (also my dear friend!)

"I went into the cleanse not really knowing what to expect and thought it to be a great learning experience. What I found the most interesting was how tied my body is to the time of day and what it means relative to what and how much I eat.  Food has always been an addiction on many levels for me so I’m very proud of myself for accomplishing the three days. In the end I came out with a stronger willpower and commitment to my health. So, would I do it again? Definitely :)" - Jessica, cutie patootie new-ish member of the Weebly family (and Jenn's right hand WOman!)

"I've always been curious about juice cleansing and also skeptical because eating is one of my favorite pleasures and because there are a lot of conflicting views on whether or not it's actually "good for you". I always say I'll try anything once! These were my thoughts & observations...

• Doing it in a group is really great because it's helpful to be able to discuss and get support when you are struggling
• 3 days was a good amount of time -- definitely challenging but also doable and it felt like I had a good range of experiences
•  I wasn't hungry at all - that surprised me. I was super tired and lacked concentration which was tough
• The body is an incredibly adaptive machine...the first day was the toughest for me and it got easier from there...felt my best on day 3
• I don't feel a lot of health benefits per se...I think it's more of an exercise in willpower, presence and meditation. There's also an interesting deprivation component. When I broke my cleanse with an apple on the 4th morning it tasted amazing and it felt way more substantial than it felt pre-cleanse.
• Doing a juice cleanse is an experience that everyone should have at least once. I can't say I'd do it again but glad I to cross it off my list." - Kristin, main marketing guru (and my hokey sista of anotha mista)
  

Happy Juicing!!

In Gratitude,

Trish

Happy 28th Birthday, darling! Turns out, I like 'em young ;) I am so bummed I can't be with you to celebrate today, but back to back Hawaii/Australia trips next month to celebrate should plenty make up for it. Can't wait for our beach days, mai tais, Great Barrier Reefs, koalas and kangaroos!!

Welp, since this is a site focused on gratitude, I 'spose it only makes sense for me to send a zillion extra thankful vibes into the Universe today for your positive, playful, loving presence in my life.

I am so thankful for your friendship, support and patience.

I am so thankful for your weird sense of humor (just like mine!) that allows for moments like this....when I tell you to "pretend I just said something hilarious" in a photobooth....

I am so thankful for you jumping right in line with my hokey side, saying things like "I love it when your spirit feels big!" and encouraging me to follow my dreams about coaching. You have accepted me for exactly who I am from day one; you've not only made it feel safe to be me, you've made it feel fun to be me. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard or so much as I have the past 9 months. I can't tell you how much this has meant to me.

I am so thankful for time and space bringing my high school summer crush back into my life.

I am so thankful for all that has transpired in the years leading up to your SF visit; for making it possible for us to click so easily.

And mostly, I am so thankful for you being willing to take this journey with me, trusting the process and enjoying each day as my adventure buddy.

You're one of a kind, B. I am truly a lucky gal :)

Happy Birthday!

lo,

Miss Trishtan

Courtesy of the Juice Shop (delivery and goodness guaranteed).

I'm excited to have sucked 5 of my coworkers in to giving this cleanse a shot with me! Their support (and shared whiney whines) will make the next 3 days much easier and enjoyable. They are all first timers, so I am incredibly proud of them for stretching outside their comfort zones in order to do something super refreshing and loving for their bodies.

I suppose it didn't hurt that I casually mentioned we all have to be in bathing suits in a month when we take a fabulous retreat to Hawaii ;)

Updates to come....maybe even from some other Juicing Weeblies!

In Gratitude,

Trish

You wanna know about love and acceptance? Take a page out of Conner Long's book.

Damn, what an extraordinary kid. Scratch that--what an extraordinary young man.

Super inspired by this story...hope you are too.

love and light,

Trish

"I’m not really sure what I’m trying to convey here, I just know that having two places to come home to is maybe the best thing about my life." - Teresa Finney

Yes. Exactly.