"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." - G.K. Chesterton guest post by LJT Fall brings out the introvert in me. Though the weather is just barely starting to shift, I can already feel myself beginning to turn in more. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve learned this year. What I accomplished...and what I didn’t. Do I still have the same dreams as I did before? How do I feel and how do I want to feel? Here's how: less rigid, more fluid. Curious, inspired, and delighted...every single day. I want to feel strong. At ease. In love. I want to be good to others and to do meaningful work. To live with awareness, of myself and others, and to help close the gender wage gap (okay, that one might take awhile). And I want it to be fun! Mostly what I want is to be spirit-full. And I want others to be spirit-full too. Spirit, from the latin word for breath. Breath: not just our literal breath, but our soul, our energy. Full: not lacking anything, or containing or holding as much as possible. (Anything is possible!) Spirit-full: full of breath, full of life, full of energy. What are you hungry for? What makes your heart beat? When you look back this time next year, what do you want to say about who you are and what you've done with your one wild and precious life (as one of my favorite poets, Mary Oliver, wrote)? What I want for you is this: to wake up every day feeling how you want to feel. For you to be proud of who you are and what you do. To be inspired. To inspire others. To be, well...free to be whatever you want. With that in mind, I'm offering a two night workshop this fall. We'll work on cultivating a clear picture for your life. We'll talk about how to have a healthy relationship with it...wanting what you want without guilt or fear or judgement or too much attachment. And we’re going to work on removing the barriers that get in your way so you can decide for yourself: what kind of life am I going to live...and then go do it. To be totally clear: this isn't resolution setting...because that just doesn't work (for so many reasons). Resolution means the act of solving a problem; you do not need solving because you are not a problem. You're good. For many years, my favorite sanskrit mantra has been: om mani padme hum Which (loosely) means: the jewel of the lotus is within. You've already got it, whatever it is. Here are the details... Dates: Wednesday, November 19 and Wednesday, December 3 6:30-9PM Cost: $200 (early registration, by November 1); $250 (after November 1). TGL readers get 10% off signing up early registration. What you get: Two nights, five hours total. Community. A new way of looking at and creating goals and resolutions. A new way of being accountable (one without that mean ol’ burden and blame albatross around your neck). A vision for your new year. Signing up? Questions? Comments? Requests? Email me. And please feel free to share! L-O-V-E, love! Lindsay Jean ________________________________________________________ Editor's note: LJT has been one of my most treasured friend finds since moving to SF (and you know I like nothing more than adding sparkly friend treasures to my collection). She is not only a killer yoga instructor (B calls her his "sensei"), but she is also a genuine, caring, purposeful, love-filled coach. I trust her whole heartedly, and highly encourage all of my west coast pals to consider joining in on this great opportunity to get spirit-full. Living your best life is a birthright -- and this girl can help you claim it.  me and LJT, circa July 4th 2013 :)  There are many reasons why I adore Ms. Prettyman (Maris! She just got hitched to her mister -- woot! love wins!), some of which many of you have already read about over the years on TGL. But I think if I had to pick one reason today, it'd be how often she's bet on herself, and then shared the process with her fans in such open, vulnerable ways. Her energy is infectious, and I have loved following along with her journeys in music, relationship, and general live-your-best-life adventures. She released her latest set of signature Tristan tunes today, which means Brandon is fully prepared to unintentionally have all of the lyrics memorized by the end of the week...since it will be the only thing playing in our home :) After splitting with her long-time manager, this little lady got herself hitched, honeymooned and into the studio for 3 weeks of make-music-happen action before heading out on tour. Just 3 weeks! I can't remember the last time I made anything so cool happen in 3 weeks. Food for thought in the creative self department, eh? She writes: "At times, my mind totally panics and I ask myself often if I have made the biggest mistake ever by parting with my manager of 9 years? Now that I am doing everything on my own, I see how much work there is to be done to keep the ship moving along. At the end of the day I don’t regret my decisions, in my gut, I know it was the right one. Like a lot of things in life, its hard to see it clearly in the moment, but at the end of the day, it all works out. I know I just have to trust my decisions, and believe its all unfolding perfectly." Can you imagine the satisfaction of freely doing something you love -- something that is deeply personal, and meaningful to you -- in all the ways you want to do it? Trust your decisions and believe it's all unfolding perfectly -- words to live by, y'all. "The next time you encounter fear, consider yourself lucky. This is where the courage comes in. Usually we think that brave people have no fear. The truth is that they are intimate with fear. When I was first married, my husband said I was one of the bravest people he knew. When I asked him why, he said because I was a complete coward but went ahead and did things anyhow." - Pema Chodron I'll be hitting up her tour with Eric Hutchinson in December here in SF, and have my "Peace Love & Tacos" shirt ready to rock :) Congrats, TP! In Gratitude, Trish 
Quick work trip to LA, with a sweet little view. Haven't spent much time here, but thinking we better do some la la land exploring while we still live out West... Gotta snag us a celeb sighting or two :) 
Jersey Shore in the Fall. (No filter needed.) Deep, lung filling, sea air breathing. Cool sand on earth craving toes. Wading up to my ankles in surprisingly non-freezing salt water. Sister, brother, furry niece strolling at my side. Sunday morning waffles-filled bellies. Coffee in the veins. Messy hair pulled back from a make-up free face. And legs a tiny bit sore from the "revival" pop held on the dance floor last night. 
Amazing trip home. In Gratitude, Trish "Men fear witches because they take their power from the earth without poisoning the soil." 
I often post photos for this series that don't include lil ol' me, typically because I'm the person behind the lens (phone?) attempting to document. But I admit I've also been generally avoiding having my pic taken these days since I don't usually love the way I look in photos. It's to the point, in fact, where B feels defeated as soon as I ask him to because "you're just gonna hate it, anyway!". Which is silly, really. Silly and a tad superficial. That being said, this week I chose my self portrait up top as the official memory of the week -- a little self love is needed, perhaps, so we'll start with owning that this is a pretty image. (Ya hear that, ego?!) Thanks, B, for snapping it during our Fleet Week yacht adventure, and being hopeful that I would approve :) And because it was such an enjoyable day on the bay: A boating themed Thelma/Louise photo bomb... 
And a typical interaction between the manslice and myself...(how about that fierce beard + pink shorts combo he's rocking?!).... 
In Gratitude, Trish 
Beautiful day for a bit of urban hiking! This view will never get old... With a little less than 12 weeks left in 2014, this "Portrait of Our Life" series has taught me two main things thus far: 1. I have a very lovely life. and 2. I have no use for my digital SLR, and should probably trade in for a smaller device. A big part of doing this photo series was to encourage myself to whip that bad boy out more often to document a year in beautiful pictures. But...well...this is only the 3rd post of the ENTIRE YEAR that has been non-iPhone pics. Le sigh. A few of my favorites from last Sunday's trip to Half Moon Bay.... 
1. super foggy morning in hmb...very typical for this area. there's something mystical about this, especially in the hilly landscapes of CA. 2. B exploring the chilly beach 3. his weekly Sunday call with g-ma, his darling grandmother whom I adore. and yea, how cute of a weekly tradition is that? 4. the sun having beaten through the fog, creating a spectacular beach day 5. did you know that just 15 minutes a day in front of a body of water can have life-changing, de-stressing effects on the mind and body? couple that with the benefits of earthing (toes in sand, for you non-hokeys), and these kinds of healthy excursions should be mandatory. 6. mr. bumble bee checking out my mr. B's flippy floppys 7. this kid will jump in any ocean, anywhere, any temperature. he's a salt baby, through and through. 8. big, deep breaths post-dip in the Pacific (even with his eyes shut, he's such a dream....) In Gratitude, Trish |
