 "The days are long, but the years are short." - Gretchen Rubin
One of my oldest and dearest friends crafted me the most lovely, thoughtful and perfect gift for Christmas: a beautiful piece of canvas art depicting a heart shaped group of butterflies just beginning to take flight (picture to the left!). I adore this gift, and the way in which the butterflies seem to be in motion made me start thinking about the beginning of 2014; of letting go, of being light and free, and of flying to new adventures near and far. What could I do in my own life to feel more free, happy, and full this year? More specifically, what could I unburden myself from? It was time to take to the ol' blog for a bit of list making! So cheers, friends, to the start of another lap around the sun, and cheers to 5 things I vow to let go of at the start... 1. Gratuitous Guilt. It's the kind of guilt that is small, every day, and ordinary; just annoying enough to tug at your gut for a few hours or days at a time. The kind that pops up just itching to be reminded of...before it's replaced by something else. It's the guilt surrounding not having snail mailed Christmas cards this year (crap, I really meant to), or having picked up pizza for your guests instead of cooking something yourself. It's the guilt that stems from declining an invitation simply because you don't feel up for it, for sleeping in on Sunday instead of starting errands early and the guilt from not doing or liking something that others think you should. This kind of guilt is unnecessary and encumbering. What do you say we forgive ourselves for not meeting every made up expectation and be satisfied with just doing the best we can, exactly as we are? 2. Size twenty(ahem) pants. My body is changing. It's time I honor it, and my new size, with the kind of clothes that feel best on my frame. I vow to continue eating a mindful diet and exploring my interest in yoga, but I will no longer be squeezing into a pair of now-uncomfortable jeans simply because my ego thinks it's better to fit into a particular number size than not. I have a hot man who thinks I am quite the sexy catch (and who calls me Trishdashian, as a play on Kardashian sized booty curves). What the hell am I stressing about? 3. Chronos time. I love discovering new blogs via great friends, and this one has to be one of my favorites from 2013 (Thank you, Noodle!). "I want a chronos answer to a kairos question. But we are not waiting for the bus, here. I am being called to a deeper waiting. Nouwen calls it 'active waiting.': Active waiting means to be present fully to the moment, in the conviction that something is happening where you are and that you want to be present to it. Our waiting is always shaped by alertness to the world." 4. "Next Year" mentality. No more waiting for the perfect timing to do what my heart truly desires. No more moving the goal post out. Do it now, do it now, do it now. (Hint: hello, CTI) 5. The "Snooze" button. This one was suggested...ever so gently...by B (I imagine it might have something to do with how it disturbs his own sleep patterns, but we'll look at it more generally). I have nothing against sleeping in. In fact, I encourage it! But there is something about the avoidance of waking up to start my day that bothers me a bit. So, the snoozing shall cease and the exploration of making mornings more cherished, enthusiastic and welcoming begins. Happy New Year, darlings! What 5 things can you let go of this year? Love and Light, Trish
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Holy moly, right?
Between the sand beneath our toes, the smell of salt water breezily blowing around us and a sky that looked like a painting sent straight from the Universe to our eye's delight, it was hard not to breathe a little more deeply our last weekend in SF before hopping on a plane to our dear old east coast. Heading into the heart of the holidays, it was important for me to remember this kind of calm. I have a tendency during hustle bustle moments to become what some (like B) might call a tad....neurotic. A bit...sensitive, at times. Maybe even slightly worrisome. There are flights to catch and presents to find and lists to finalize. There are overweight suitcases and pants that have become a bit too tight and hair that should have been trimmed weeks ago now annoyingly tangling any way it pleases. There are lunches and dinners and coffee dates booked solid in an attempt to see everyone who was anyone to me for the first 24 years of my life. There is work to monitor and cold weather to loathe and budgets to keep in check. There is time to manage and folks to potentially disappoint when time runs out and the west coast beckons again. But negatively worrying about all these things is truly like praying for things you don't want, and while I have little to no control over much of life, it's important to remember I can...at anytime...zero in on the memory of such a splendid sunset to bring me back to more positive thoughts. Because there are also fireplaces and my mismatched socks (I can't keep a proper pair together for the life of me) peeking out from layers of snuggly blankets beside them. There are old, dear, and wonderful friends to hug and kiss and laugh with. There is family to cherish. There are acts of giving and receiving. There are memories recalled and new memories to be made. There are milestones celebrated and well wishes spread. There is food to savor and wine to sip and stretch pants to wear so I don't give a hoot about the holiday muffin top inevitably forming on my frame. There is patience and forgiveness exercised and things (or people) who no longer serve me released. There is much to be thankful for, to say the least. So I hope this holiday season you've remembered to zero in on something warm and beautiful, too. I hope you've found calm in your hustle bustle, and I hope you are looking towards 2014 through eyes of a splendid sunset. In Gratitude, Trish 
My friends make some pretty cute kids, eh?
I've been feeling really guilty about my complete lack of blogging as of late so I snagged permission from my dear high school friend, Amy, to post this picture of her ridiculously adorable little girl as an admitted "how can you be mad at me when looking at this face?!" ploy. Because I mean seriously. How could you be mad? Just look at her munching on the San Francisco book I gave her! She makes me want to take B's dad up on his offer of $300,000 to the first one of us to give him a grand-baby (he was kidding...half kidding?...of course). A few months ago another friend of mine commented on my more sporadic posting, saying "You have been posting less often lately - isn't that funny how journaling/blogging always seems to taper down when you are really happy!"...and to be honest, she wasn't wrong. I am, truly, blissfully and joyfully happy. Perhaps there is a part of me that wonders if anyone even wants to read about all that unicorns and glitter love stuff, when my single self seemed to draw in so many wonderful readers with my take on the ups and downs associated with a table-for-one status. Or maybe there is a part of me that also simply feels more protective of my table for two. I do feel that I still have much to share, though. There have been so many times when a post begins to form in my mind during or after a certain event, conversation, interaction and I think I'll have to start this piece later...but then never settle in to actually craft it. Some of this can be blamed on my change in roles at work and the fewer moments of flexible time to sit and blog at my desk. Some of this can also be blamed on my strong desire to then be anti-computer when I am not in the office; to be deeply present with B as we continue to build a life together in SF, to get the hell offline and get outdoors, to read, relax, adventure in completely non-digital ways. I don't even want to look at a computer in my home, if I can help it. Believe me when I say that I miss writing here often. I really, really miss it. But there is something about this particular time in my life where I don't feel as strongly pulled to the great wide web to document, reflect, or share as much in this manner of blogging. I've been feeling over saturated with social media lately (probably in strong part due, again, to my new work roles) and I have needed to honor my desire for privacy more than the guilt of not posting regularly. For this, I ask both for your forgiveness and your patience. So where the heck have I been? I've been dancing. Concert going. Cooking. Reading. Tea sipping, hand holding, smooching, apartment re-arranging, champagne toasting, NJ craving (and now cherishing!), friendship milestone-ing, connecting, honoring, traveling, giggling, playing, practicing, goal setting, loving. I've been letting loose or, as is the case in some areas of life, letting go. And of course, I've been thanks giving. It has, quite honestly, felt pretty damn amazing. I hope to see you again soon, and until then... love and light, Trish 
Chat message from a darling Weebly coworker.... "Hey Trish, wanted to let you know that the biggest change I've made this year has been the gratitude journal. all other things: new clothes, new haircut and new apartment have paled in comparison...I noticed internal and external changes around the 30 day mark of writing in it, weird isn't it?" ...that completely made my week.
2014 is just around the corner. Will you pledge your allegiance to your gratitude practice? love and light, Trish "Only hang around people that are positive and make you feel good. Anybody who doesn't make you feel good, kick them to the curb. And the earlier you start in your life, the better. The minute anybody makes you feel weird and non-included or not supported, you know, either beat it or tell them to beat it." - Amy Poehler 
Chromeo sound check before the big holiday bash at The Fillmore!
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” --Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela Get your mind outta the gutter. I'm talking about these tasty little treats B made for healthier snacking:  Oats, honey, peanut butter and basically whatever else you want to mix in such as coconut shavings, raisins, chocolate chips, etc! Roll 'em up, store 'em in the fridge, enjoy at your leisure (my leisure basically means sneaking them from the fridge so B can't scold me for eating all of the "energy ball" fruits of his labor...). Ha! Good luck stopping this snack attack train, darling. From this:  To this:  To this:  Last weekend we had the pleasure of joining a few friends for a bit of crabbing in Pacifica. The little suckers were especially sly on this day, but B and I finally managed to catch 2 after deploying my solution to the "boring old raw chicken" bait: Add crushed Doritos! Not even creatures of the sea can resist nacho cheese flavoring. 
Because Brandon could not stop laughing at this photo, I present to you my "This crab is squirming and I don't like it" face... 
not quite big enough to keep!
sealions trying to get a bit of nacho cheese chicken
(note: it was freezing, but he is a beach and ocean addict)
Thanksgiving weekend was equally as lovely... 
I don't know how this could possibly be comfortable for her... 
But she certainly wanted to sleep in late today. 
And lastly, I finally got to meet my high school friend's wonderful girlfriend, Mari, who is not only as delightful as I assumed she would be but is also a Grateful Lifer! Thanks for making time to visit with us! We will be taking full advantage of your Portland invitation soon :) 
Cheers to the start of a new month!
In Gratitude, Trish |
