blissful * thinking

feed your soul…

take a moment. take a deep breath, and take yourself on a date… kiss someone you love…hug your doggie…rub your kitty under the chin…go surfing…play with your kids…go for a drive…smell a flower…write a poem…read a passage…look at the clouds…

it doesn’t matter what it is…but whatever it is…do it fully for this moment. and with love and gratitude for this day!

(i’m just sayin!)

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sometimes the whole world sparkles…you catch the light bouncing off the waves of the sound waters or get lost in the bubbles in a glass of saturday afternoon lunchtime champagne…you see the twinkle of laughter and deep knowing in the eyes of an old soul and the playful glint of mischief in the eyes of a new friend…and you take a deep breath. you know. you understand. you kindle these sparkles of divinity. you sigh. and you seal the moment with a prayer of gratitude.

love!

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when we were still living in dc, i had begun to notice a pattern amongst our close friends. though we spent a lot of time together all the time…some of the best would be nights when, for one reason or another, we all happened to be in town back from our globe-trotting, and we all happened to be in sync. our energies up, all eager to gather together at one home or another and enjoy wine and food, laughter and conversation. maybe even an impromptu dance party. invariably i began to notice that these “best of times” were nights that were completely unplanned, totally unscripted, and with a full moon or a seasonal equinox or solstice. being the most blatant “hippie” of our gang, they would always tease me about it when i pointed out what to me was so obvious… this tribal gathering was of a lunar inspiration.

last night it happened again…and really for one of the first time’s here in the outer banks. a random gathering, where most of the pieces fell into place… some of the old favorites were present and some new favorites appeared. as the night wore on and the moon began to rise over the trees, that familiar energy crept into my consciousness. we talked music and photography, we laughed a lot, told old stories, and made new ones. it felt like coming home to me. and i’m so happy the tribe is growing and i’m so happy to have caught a bit of that full moon fever.

sacred sunday! a day to celebrate all those things that are sacred to you..however you best celebrate that…for some it could be attending church, for others a blissful yoga practice, for me this morning it’s doing a little coffee, a little writing, windows and sliders thrown wide open, the birdsong mingling with the decemberists on the stereo (a little more indie rock than what i would usually choose for a sunday morning…but i like his voice).

yesterday was monika’s birthday and we had a big party at her place to celebrate all the may birthdays. there are so many of us that she has collected! she has an amazing house with an ocean to sound view of the northern beaches….her house was filled with good friends and good kids and good dogs and good food….we watched the sunset over the sound off of her back deck and enjoyed some moonrise at the beach afterwards. i finally got to meet her mom. they have the same smile and it is clear where monika’s silliness comes from. oh, and the neighborhoods red fox also popped in for a little visit, watching us from atop the dune.

monika and i have been enjoying a growing friendship and having what we’re calling “spring break” this whole month (minus most of the hedonism). this sort of free-spirited playfulness has been permeating both of our lives. from my perspective, it is merely the freedom of not having a deadline for the first time in seven+ years that is filling me with this insatiable need to play! monika is just playful…so that’s her excuse.

so today…after the writing, the coffee, the morning….i plan to indulge in some time at the beach before the crowds really show up for the summer. feet in the sand, hunting for beach glass, and hopefully gazing into the eyes of pelicans and plovers.

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last night i enjoyed the 2nd “wine and cleave” party. the brainchild of a quartet of hot momma’s up in duck - claiborne, jennifer, avery, & robyn - this annual celebration is a chance for women to get together, be proud of their “endowments”, have some wine, a lot of laughter (specifically at the festive decor of naked barbie and ken dolls!), do some dancing, and well…mostly just enjoy all that good delicious girlie camaraderie! the only boy present was our bartender and man, did he get an eyefull!

it was so much fun and all proceeds go to breast cancer research…how’s that for some karma yoga!

can’t wait for next year girls!

xox!

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cuz it’s my birthday! :)

i am always so amazed and honored by those that remember this day in the life of one girl. and usually i try and sneak on by without anyone noticing it at all.

but this year i feel like living it loud!

yay!

and the winner for furthest reaching birthday wish goes to ERIN! he’s working on a film in kenya and sent me a text message with birthday wishes already this morning!

lovelovelove and birthdays!

(woah…thats a lot of exclamation points in there)

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this is where i’ll be..

(oh, and a free yoga class to the first one who spots me in the video!)

“sacred activism is the fusion of the mystic’s passion for God with the activist’s passion for justice, creating a third fire, which is the burning sacred heart that longs to help, preserve and nurture every living thing.”

~ andrew harvey

happy earth day ya’ll!

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what a week…and still a few days to go. all week has been yoga yoga yoga and now the omega conference with the most inspiring speakers and the most delightful people all communing here in new york city…i’m still processing it all but have so much to share once i do get my head around it.

i’ve had the opportunity to listen to mia farrow speak about darfur, and caroline myss spoke about st. teresa of avila. rev. michael beckwith spoke about spiritual evolution, andrew harvey read rumi poems passionately, valerie plame wilson shared her strength in speaking your truth… and that’s not all…and would you believe i still have another day?

my head is spinning…

downstairs from deanna’s pad a party is in full motion…latino music and laughter pulsing through the floor. and  just one street over there is an exquisite courtyard filled with daffodils and the most artistically shaped trees in full springtime bloom, the delicate pink and white petals being lifted on the warm evening breeze and drifting through the soft muted yellow of the street lamp to layer the path like snow.

i am so thankful to be bearing witness to all of this, this evening. but it’s time for me to go to sleep…and so good night to all of you, and good night, moon…

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here i am in the big apple!

i’ve journeyed into the chilly north (ok. to all you northerners. i get it. it’s really cold. you weren’t kidding) and i’m enjoying a mini yoga-tribe & city culture retreat. my bff from college, the divine beauty ms. deanna on the left below (and yup, that’s me on the right) lives in the east village and her cozy little pad is my home base for the week! We took the pic with my mac photobooth right before hitting the town on saturday evening for a delicious dinner of wine and ravioli at a basque restaurant nearby. i am in heaven.

i’ll be touching in as often as i can to talk to you about what i’ve learned here, i’ve already experienced two heavenly yoga classes that i’m still digesting on so many levels. physically, they were VERY demanding, emotionally cleansing, and intellectually…wow… i’m so inspired already. in addition to the omega yoga conference, i’m signed up to take a class with yogasweri, a gifted instructor at jivamukti that i’ve been reading about. she was featured briefly in the crazy, sexy, cancer documentary about chris karr and her amazing journey of celebrating love and health… (check that out too).

ta for now…off for coffee and exploring!

much love and many om shantis!

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