june

things i want more of:

fresh daisies from the farmers market

hanging out with my brother & enjoying another month in the same city

a few late summer evenings at the drum circle

yoga, yoga, yoga

a couple of hours in the evening to be quiet & by myself

riding my bike through rock creek and then on the boardwalk

twilight books (i know but i can't help it)

sleeping in at least once a week and waking up to the sun

strawberry waffles in iowa and laying in the dock

a couple of hours in the evening to enjoy a glass of vino with my girlies

mangoes

california - beach cruisers, sand, my boyfriend

bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.

ella williams

the grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
allan k. chalmers

gratitude is the heart's memory.
french proverb

to find yourself, your true self, you simply begin to peel away that which doesn’t fit. find out what you’re not, and you will find out who you are. if you don’t like yoga, don’t practice yoga. find what makes you happy and that becomes your yoga.
-enlighten up

life is "trying things to see if they work."
ray bradbury

how to climb a mountain

make no mistake. this will be an exercise in staying vertical.
yes, there will be a view, later, a wide swath of open sky,
but in the meantime: tree and stone. if you're lucky, a hawk will
coast overhead, scanning the forest floor. if you're lucky,
a set of wildflowers will keep you cheerful. mostly, though,
a steady sweat, your heart fluttering indelicately, a solid ache
perforating your calves. this is called work, what you will come to know,
eventually and simply, as movement, as all the evidence you need to make
your way. forget where you were. that story is no longer true.
level your gaze to the trail you're on, and even the dark won't stop you.
maya stein

brightness of being alive.

"the brightness of being alive. it finds me in unexpected moments of calm, when my heart takes refuge from the ever growing to-do list, when my perfectionism gives way to feeling, to release. and when it arrives, the brightness feels deeply spacious and warm, like an intertwining celebration of all things brave in love. sometimes, i’ll admit, my mind cautions my heart not to trust the abundance...young memories of tragedy and loss can be hard to shake, i suppose. it can all be gone in a split second, the memory warns. it’s a warning that challenges me to feel disconnected from the present moment - the one that’s calling me to step in, stay awhile, and celebrate. we all have memories and life filters that haunt us, that creep in and try to steal the show even when we’ve done all the soul work to repair and heal. but i deeply believe that in our best moments, we can understand that our vulnerabilities are what connect us, that we can step into the power that is uniquely ours, play hard, love bravely, offer comfort to our younger, broken selves, and soar, always soar on the brightness of being alive."
- kelly rae

spring in iowa

it takes a long time to become young.
pablo picasso

from blossoms

from blossoms comes this brown paper bag of peaches we bought from the boy at the bend in the road where we turned toward signs painted peaches.

from laden boughs, from hands, from sweet fellowship in the bins, comes nectar at the roadside, succulent peaches we devour, dusty skin and all, comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside, to carry within us an orchard, to eat not only the skin, but the shade, not only the sugar, but the days, to hold the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into the round jubilance of peach.

there are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background; from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

li-young lee