Rules to live by for the New Year...

This morning I lay in bed, sun streaming through the windows, caught between "I should get up because it's kind of a working day, but feels like a Sunday..." and read an email a friend sent me. The words resonated with me... gentle reminders of what we all know but forget consistently. I think this is a great handbook for 2011, thanks DC! 

Regarding your Health

• Drink plenty of water
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants
• Live with the 3 E's - Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
• Play more games
• Read more books than you did in 2010
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
• Sleep for 7 hours
• Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily... and smile while you walk

 Personality

• Don't compare your life to others; you have no idea what their journey is all about
• Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control; instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment
• Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
• Dream more while you are awake
• Envy is a waste of time; you already have all you need
• Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn; problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime
• Smile and laugh more

 Society

• Call your family often
• Each day give something good to others
• Forgive everyone for everything
• Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6
• Try to make at least three people smile each day
• What other people think of you is none of your business

 Life

• Do the right thing!
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
• However good or bad a situation is, it will change
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
• When you awake alive in the morning, be thankful for it
• Your inner most is always happy; so, be happy

And because in my world, everything is better with a photo, here is some of my winter favorites to bring in the New Year! May this year be the best yet...

Featured in CRAVE Vancouver

CRAVE Vancouver is considered 'The Urban Girl's Manifesto'. As the book states, it is the ultimate guide to the places woman CRAVE in Vancouver, including more than 150 women you need to know.

The 2010 Edition is out. For more information and where you can buy it, click here.

Letting Go and Holding On...

Knowing when to hold on and when to let go is a fine art... in love, in work, in life. Neither is easy. This has been a huge transition time for me, a year of growing. But it has also been a time of contemplation... of quiet... as if I am choosing to hang out on the sidelines until I am ready. For what... I'm still not sure. For me, life is truly fulfilling when it is packed with adventure and travel, laughter and friends and family, challenges that push me out of my comfort zone. In other words, I am not okay with sitting on the sidelines for long. But I have felt "in-between" for quite some time, and I've tried not to be too hard on myself, instead attempting to be patient and giving myself time to figure out whatever it is I need to figure out. I've had to let go of friendships, of love, and ultimately, what I am. But through this process, I am surfacing. Holding on to my truth and letting go of fear will allow me to become what I might be. And this is incredibly exciting... the calm before the storm.

xoxo

Fall is...

Fall is short days, cooler and crisper. Fall is crunchy leaves. Fall is warm sweaters and layering clothes. Fall is hot soups. Fall is heavy dew that sparkles in the morning light. Fall is back to school, new clothes and school supplies. Fall is crisp apples and squash. Fall is brown grasses and plants falling back into the ground. Fall is a melody of reds and oranges, yellows and purples. Fall is chimney smoke. Fall is many things to me... but mostly, Fall is change. It is my time of introspection. My mind and body craves it. I need to reflect on where I've been and where I am going, what I have learned and how to use that to be better. This is my time for recognizing the path I will create for myself. I'm not exactly sure yet where my path will lead, but I'm pretty confident that the journey will be filled with adventure, challenges, inspiration, love, and amazing friends and family.

These are some of my favorite photos from past Falls...

Another Baja Adventure

I had a five hour drive through the desert once I arrived in Loreto. The air on my face felt like a blow dryer, with the odd cloud giving me only moments reprieve. On the eastern side of the Baja Peninsula, the desert was lush from recent rains. It had come alive with yellow flowers covering the sandy ground, with the odd bright red bloom atop the tall cardon cactus. The roads were very narrow, with steep shoulders so that every time a truck passed I tucked my arm in and held my breath, expecting the side window to be torn off. Miraculously, it was always a clean pass...

As I crossed to the western coast, the land became much more desolate and barren. It is much drier. I passed two donkeys walking a path that follows the highway. Walking to and from where, I had no idea. Besides the odd small town and deserted building along the way, there is nothing here, just a straight stretch of highway that disappears into the horizon.

Normally, we all drive down. My family and I try to take at least one vacation a year together, and it's usually a 40 hour drive to our property in Baja. Although we dread the drive, there is something therapeutic about it. We are forced to slow down, detach from the fast-paced lives we left, and enjoy the time together. So although I missed the 40 hour drive, the drive through the desert, wind blowing, music blaring is helping me slow my mind and appreciate both where I am coming from and what lies at the end of the desert road.

The mornings come quickly. Sleep is so deep here. A red ball rises from the ocean, the sand and water glowing in its light. Everything is still. Then there are the birds, swooping in perfect unison, only inches above the water.

The land looks barren and yet it is teeming with life. In the morning, the tracks in the sand betray all that is hidden. The afternoon winds pick up as the land is heated, creating perfect offshore conditions. We sit patiently in the ocean, waiting for the next set to come out of the horizon. Pelicans fly by, swooping in a sort of dance, and then the arch of a dolphin crests, under, then crests again. The winds whips at the breaking waves, so that rainbows form on the backside, showering us in color. One of us takes each wave, a long ride into the beach... the winds carrying our hoots and hollers far down the bay.

This... is heaven.

Chiavenna... A Northern Italy Paradise

The road to Chiavenna through the Swiss Alps would be considered perilous by most, but with the locals passing us on the tight winding corners, I begin to think otherwise. On the Italian side of the Alps, Chiavenna is nestled in the valley below St. Moritz, down a road that zigs more times than it zags. With steeply tiered vineyards and caves to age their cheeses, a river rushes right through the heart of the city, a vibrant glacial blue.

Chiavenna. She took my breath away. I walked her streets in awe. Like a tired child, she was tucked in for a siesta, the narrow cobblestone streets deserted except for the odd man or woman ambling along. Chilled by the cold air, I ducked into the only store I saw open. An older man called out “Bonjourno!” from the back, greeting me with a warm smile. After only a moment, he was ushering me to the grappa, warming my stomach with samples from various local varieties. After tasting some of his homemade cheeses and salamis, he showed me another prized possession: a photo of George Clooney standing beside him outside his shop. Although I speak little to no Italian, it made no difference with this form of communication; a simple smile was all it took to show my appreication and delight at the friendly exchange.

A Seaside Town Called Portofino | Travel

My life has been blessed with frequent travel. It was instilled at a young age and it has played a large role in shaping who I am. I become another person when I am outside my everyday life. I can't absorb the sounds and sights fast enough... the smells and tastes... my god! I am elevated to a new level of excitement and anticipation, yet feel a sense of calm I'm not familiar with in my regular world. I let go of time. I give way to possibility. I embrace the unknown. In these moments, I am truly alive.

I love to return to places special to me, see familiar faces and street corners. I think it's sometimes easier... and safer... to go to those places that you know you love. Why waste a precious holiday going to a place you might not even like? But sometimes, when you open your world to possibility, incredible things happen. I took a chance on a town called Portofino. Okay, admittedly it wasn't a big chance because I saw photos that took my breath away... but it was nothing compared to walking her streets for the first time, turning a corner and coming across a tiny bay filled with fishing boats, the docks lined with restaurants and shops, the buildings painted soft sunset colors. The air was moist and tropical, the ocean bright blue and clear to the bottom. Olive trees, hazelnuts, bamboo and cactus... It was exhilarating to explore and I felt so blessed, knowing that this moment was perfect, and I would never again be able to experience it for the first time. So my advice? Take a step out of your comfort zone and take a chance on the unknown.