Facebook Detox

Kayaking on Puget Sound from Camano Island

Today I decided to take a month-long hiatus from Facebook.

The world did not stop spinning.

These blog posts will automatically appear there without me doing anything.

In fact, I'm taking this month to not only detox from Facebook, but detox my body as well.

I'm on an all fruit and vegetable detox for a week. Living near a fast pace city, it's easy to get swept away into the abyss of literally hundreds of amazing restaurants and food options.

My body and my mind needed a break.

I felt the need to return to the basics.

So without much pre-planning, today became the day for both—no Facebook for a month and a diet of fruit and vegetables for a week.

I already feel better and realize how many things I've avoided that are important to me by allowing myself to be swept up in the craziness.

The last time I blogged here, I mentioned that I had a crazy whim to leave it all behind and head to the Big Island. I still have that dream and believe that I will follow through with it at some point in my life. I don't imagine myself permanently living there as I've realized this summer that I really do LOVE the Pacific Northwest. However, I may live on the Big Island part-time at some point....like when it gets really cloudy and gray here...

What I've come to realize is that no life is perfect, so instead of day dreaming of where I'd like to be, I've realized that I'm pretty happy where I am in my life.

Here are some things I'm grateful for:

1. I am grateful for my husband Yoon and all the inspiring talks we have about life. I'm grateful for the silence and space between us when we walk and just observe the sights and sounds of nature

2. Nature in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in the summer, is unbeatable. I love that for three months I can hike on trails under a canopy of pine, cedar and fir and pick berries all around me (huckleberries, blackberries, thimble berries, and salmon berries). The abundance of nature is so evident here.

3. I'm grateful for my home and humble garden of tomatoes, kale, beets, squash and herbs and for the great, big, yellow, juicy plums I just picked from the trees across the street.

4. I'm grateful for my job and all the wonderful students I get to work with! Yes, I actually get to spend time with people from all over the world for my job.

5. I'm grateful that I have amazing co-workers who inspire me everyday.

6. Even though I need to detox from it sometimes because there are endless, amazing options, I get to live in Seattle!

Okay, I realize that this list could go on and on....I have so many things I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for all the retreats Yoon and I have coming up. I hope you will join us for one of those:

Link to Yoon & Kathy's Retreats!


I'm thankful that I made it back to this blog! How are all of you doing?

Have you ever felt the need for a mental or physical detox in order to see the simple things that make you feel grateful and happy?

365 Inspirations—350: Breathing

“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” —Thich Nhat Hahn

This time of year, it's easy to forget to simply breathe.

The holidays can be busy and even stressful. Here in the city, I feel like people are driving here, running there...everyone is on a mission.

I just want to breathe.

So that's what I've decided to do this evening.

I'm going to breathe in and breathe out and perhaps read a book.

I had a full day of meeting friends and enjoyed my time immensely.

Inspire means to breathe life into something.

There are so many things that have inspired me this year, but maybe the fact that I'm here and breathing is inspiration itself.

Have you noticed your breath today? Do you pay attention to your own breathing?

365 Inspirations—315: Being Welcomed into Ohana (Extended Family) at Kalani

Today, after a vigorous Ashtanga Yoga class at 6:30AM and after a night of hurricane rains, Manuela from Brazil came and found me at breakfast and said, "You and Yoon should come to our volunteer meeting.We welcome you."

I was already feeling quite welcomed and people have really extended themselves to us, but the community (Ohana) meeting today really gave us a feel for what Kalani is all about.

There something special about this place. I know it's probably been said at a million places, but Kalani really has something here.

They don't tell you to do anything. There's no dogma or practice or rites or rituals or religion you must follow. There's a buffet of classes offered at the Hawaii Yoga Festival and at Kalani and it's up to you to pick and choose what appeals to you. There are ukelele classes, hula, yoga, meditation, space for being with yourself and enjoying the amazing natural beauty here, there's space for writing, for meditating and for just being. You can come work as a volunteer and cook, clean, do maintenance or garden.

What I love most about Kalani is the way they celebrate each person talents and uniqueness. They believe everyone has gifts to offer and they support each other in offering those gifts. Some people can cook, some people are good at gardening, others here are artists or writers in residence. It's beautiful how everyone is supported in this lovely setting to be who they are. You really can feel a lot of love and aloha here. There's a lot of spiritual growth happening, but that growth and the way it unfolds depends on each individual.

So today Manuela welcomed Yoon and me to the community and mentioned that I was the Artist-in-Residence for the Hawaii Yoga Festival. She placed a lei around my neck and everyone smiled and clapped and we really felt happy to be part of this place.

Yoon and I gave announcements about our upcoming classes and encouraged people to join.

Tonight Yoon gives a talk called Overcome Fear and Follow Your Heart. I'll be there as the designated photographer.

More soon from the land of Aloha.

Have you ever joined a retreat or community where you felt a lot of love from the group? Where was it? Did it encourage you to spread that around?

365 Inspirations—312: Kona, Hawaii

We made it to Kona. It was a long day of travel, but we were so happy to step off the plane into the nice warm sauna that it is outside. We got our rental car and headed to the King Kamehameha Marriott on the beach where we will stay for one night before heading to the Hawaii Yoga Festival on the Hilo side of the island.

After checking in, we decided to get a bite to eat and a drink at the poolside bar and grill. I instantly felt my entire body relax. I'm in Hawaii finally. The pace is different and I can't wait to see what is in store for us this time.

More soon from the land of Aloha!

Have you ever been to the Hawaiian Islands? What was your favorite memory of your visit?

365 Inspirations—307: Sharing

With my friend Rosedanie inside Samarai Noodles

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”—Mother Teresa 
It's easy to get sucked into our own dramas. We all live in our own worlds with our own thoughts and concerns, but my how good it feels to open up and share with another.

Whether you share your home, a meal, good conversation, a coffee, a ride—whatever it is, it feels good to share.

Tonight I'm sharing time with my good friend Rosedanie. She just came back from a 10-day Vipassana meditation course and is staying with us for the night. We made up the bed in my office and it looks really cozy in there.

We took her out for noodles in the University District and caught up on each others lives.

It felt good to share worlds with another person. It really puts things into perspective.

Yoon found a Starbucks card on the ground that had been run over and rained on. Somehow it still had some juice left on it, so he bought me a coffee and a croissant. I know I shouldn't drink coffee at night, but it did give me energy to drive to a house on Capital Hill where my friend left her computer before her meditation course.

Now she doesn't need to backtrack and she can head on her way home tomorrow with ease.

If we would just open up and share a little, we actually would find that our load becomes a little easier.

I'm happy to be sharing this evening with a good friend.

Have you shared anything with anyone lately?

365 Inspirations—232: Facing the Fear of Falling

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."—Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Last night I dreamt that Yoon climbed the highest diving board in the world and promptly put on his fins (don't ask me why he needed his fins for diving) and leapt into the air with a deep, deep lake below him.

It took him a very long time for him to come down and my heart was in my throat watching him. He was falling and I did not know if he would make it up safely from his plunge. But it was too late for worries and there was nothing I could do to help him land safely.

 While mid-air, the wind picked him up and caused him to spin and twirl with legs splayed out and fins like bird wings. Sometimes he was head-first and other times feet-first. He struggled to keep himself straight in the air, but then just surrendered and ended up taking the plunge head-first.

I held my own breath as I waited for him to come up for air. On his landing one of his fins flew off his foot and bounced across the lake. He finally came up and said, "I'm fine...that was GREAT!"

I stared at him in disbelief and said, under my breath, "No way would I do that in a million years."

I have absolutely no desire to dive from the highest diving board in the world. I jumped from the high-dive on Lake Washington this summer and that was enough.

I think this dream has more to do with the fear of falling in another sense—falling from grace, falling from one's position or imagined security, falling or failing in the eyes of others, falling from a relationship...maybe even falling in love?

It's the unknown, isn't it?

What if we lose our position, our security, our loved one, our relationship, our freedom or anything else?

There's the fear of what will happen to us. The thing is—nothing is really known. We have no idea what will happen in any given second, so why not live?

One of my biggest fears is not about falling, but failing. I'm afraid of what that might look like. I spend a lot of time focused on the positive and inspirational and it's really served me well to have this outlook on life, but I still could fall or even fail at any given moment. I could lose everything.

I used to believe that in order to manifest what one wanted in life one should wipe out all thoughts of falling and failure, because if we focus on it it just might happen. I still think this is true, but I also think it's good to make friends with the other side of things.

I'm reading a book called The Translucent Revolution: How People Just Like You are WAKING UP and CHANGING the world by Arjuna Ardagh. It's a 500 plus page book, but the author writes about things I've never considered before and I'm starting to view things in a very different way.

I love this quote:

"Only when we are willing to be both good and not good and everything in between does our feeling of being separate relax and all the goodness of all life begin to flow through us."—Arjuna Ardagh

There are many things I fear, but I'm ready to face those fears. Falling and failing are two of those fears...maybe dying is in there too. The thing is, we all have to die one day, so why not face the fear of falling or failing and actually LIVE while we are still here. I'd rather take risks to fulfill my dreams than die with my dreams and hopes still in me.

Are you afraid of falling or failing? Do you take risks in life?

365 Inspirations—223: Breakthrough

“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”—Thích Nhất Hạnh 

We just came back from a yoga/writing retreat we led at the Yoga Lodge on Whidbey Island and the word that comes to mind, for some reason, is breakthrough. 

Perhaps it's because my husband said, on numerous occasions, during our yoga practice, to "just move through it." I think what he was saying is not that we bring ourselves to pain or injury, but that we don't become fearful of what we are capable of and we don't run away when things 'look' difficult.

I believe each and every human being has incredible strength within. We are all warriors. We all have the ability to breakthrough any hardship and come out on the other side with an entirely different view.

This is exactly what happened on our yoga and writing retreat.

Yoga and writing (and we threw collaging into the mix) are such powerful tools to access what's inside.

Yoga helps one to go inward and feel every single part of the body. All tensions or past traumas one has endured are actually first felt in the body and stay there until one has worked through the body and allowed them to be released.

Writing and collaging help to take that energy that is inside and bring it out. Both of these activities use the right side of the brain. I teach intuitive writing. I believe that 'first thoughts' contain the most energy.  They can often lead us to clues about ourselves. When one does intuitive writing, the inner critic takes a back seat and the writer allows whatever is inside to form words on the page or images on a collage.

Collaging at The Yoga Lodge

I've used both collaging and writing for a good part of my life as a means to access what is inside. I use 'first thoughts' for this blog and much of the 'meat' of my book Lessons from the Monk I Married came from intuitive writing. Intuitive writing is the act of moving the pen across the page or your fingers over the keyboard without stopping. Later you can go back and read what you have written and I guarantee you will find more than you ever thought you'd find. There are lots of golden nuggets in intuitive writing, but it is a practice and to be fluent in it, you have to practice it.

I really believe that the combination of yoga, writing and collaging was what caused many breakthroughs on our retreat. People moved through things and arrived at higher ground. This was so beautiful and amazing to witness.

I was happy to be a part of the transformation of our entire group and can't wait to see how each person's life blossoms in the coming years!

Have you ever used yoga, writing or collaging as tools to breakthrough something that has been holding you back or keeping you in a place that no longer fits who you are?

365 Inspirations—219: Clark Kent on Craigslist

"Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts."—Albert Einstein

Today I met Clark Kent. He was on Craigslist.

Or at least that's how I saw it.

We met because he had advertised some concert tickets that he couldn't use and I was looking for discounted tickets to the very same concert.

I'm a bit leery of making any exchanges via Craigslist. Especially ones that might require me to meet in a back alley somewhere or a back street or a back anywhere. I've heard stories. But I'm trying not to believe all that I hear. I want to make my own decisions about things.

Still, out of some collective fear that I made my own, I hesitated in contacting the post.

The thing is,  I really wanted to treat my friend to this concert for her birthday, so I mustered up all my will and courage, typed up a response to the post and hit SEND.

Within a few hours, Clark wrote back willing to take me up on my offer for the tickets. Now all we had to do was decide on a meeting place.

He suggested a Starbucks in Seattle and that felt safe to me. After all, there would be people around, just in case it was all a scam.

We decided on 10:30AM this morning. He let me know he'd be reading the news on his iPhone and that he had big, black-rimmed glasses.

Without much to go on, all I could think about was Clark Kent. He's the first person who came to mind. Black-rimmed glasses and the news just had Clark written all over it.

I texted my friend to let her know the plan.

She wrote me back and said, "If I don't get a text from you by 11:30 saying you got the tickets, I'll call 911."

"Don't worry," I said, "I think this guy is safe."

There were two Starbucks in the shopping village where we planned to meet. He let me know that he'd be sitting outside the smaller one to the north of the shopping area. I parked my car in the North parking lot and located a map to find my bearings. The star on the map indicated that I wasn't far from the Starbucks where we planned to meet.

I sent him an e-mail message on my phone: I'm here, but now just trying to find Starbucks

He wrote back: Where are you? I'm out front of the smaller Starbucks, not the bigger one.

It was like we'd known each other forever, yet we hadn't even met yet. We were already sending short messages to one another about our whereabouts. Was this normal? I thought Shouldn't I be a bit more discreet?

In the distance, I spotted it. It was between an Apple and a Windows store. I suppose Starbucks was strategically placed in the middle as sort of a neutral zone between these two rivals. A place where people could relax and not think of their affiliations. Where people could just be people.

Clark was sitting there between these two computer giants in a button down, baby-blue shirt that matched the clear blue sky. His big, black-rimmed glasses were on the tip of his nose and his nose was in the news—the news on his phone anyway. His hair was slicked back and he looked as if he must be on a business break. He wasn't a freak or a pervert or a scammer or a crazed lunatic, he was just as I had pictured him. He was an exact replica of Clark Kent.

He looked my way and smiled.

"Hi!" I said.

"Hi, how are you?" he asked, fumbling a little with his phone.

"I'm here to pick up the tickets," I answered.

Something about his calm, yet slightly clumsy, nature made me feel like it was okay to sit down, so I did.

"Why don't you want to go to the concert?" I found myself saying.

"It's my girlfriend's birthday and she doesn't want to go, so I'm giving them away."

I found this so ironic. It was also my best friend's birthday and that was the precise reason why I was getting the tickets. I could tell he was a big fan of the band. He mentioned seeing them once at Bumbershoot and said they were great.

He asked me if I'd ever been to the concert venue before. I said that I hadn't and then he launched into a discussion about the type of lounge chairs that I should bring to this outdoor show.

After about ten or so minutes of conversation, he handed me the tickets and I handed him the cash and we both said our farewells and walked off in opposite directions never to meet again. For all I know, he could have tiptoed off to the nearest phone booth to change into his BLUE suit with the "S" on it. Or perhaps, since I haven't seen a phone booth in a very long time, he disappeared behind the Apple and Windows stores, in the alleyway where the Starbucks garbage dumpster reeks of week-old pastries and coffee grounds.

Who knows where he disappeared to.

All I know, is that you just never know. I've decided that I'm no longer listening to what people say about this or that. I'm going with my own hunches. This time my own hunches led me to a pleasant encounter with a friendly person who, for all I know, just might be Superman.

You just never know.

Do you tend to follow what the news or what others say about things, or do you trust your own hunches?

365 Inspirations—215: Starting New Traditions

"Thus times do shift, each thing his turn does hold; New things succeed, as former things grow old."—Robert Herrick

We've started a new tradition at our family lake house. We carry the picnic table down to the end of the dock and have all our meals out there.

We use to eat close to the house, but it's such a different feeling being on a floating dock surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Kayakers and boaters pass by. Various birds sing from the trees and we are able to absorb ourselves not only in lively conversation, but the peacefulness of our surroundings.

I'm not a very traditional person, but I like this new tradition very much. When things start to get habitual and customs set in, why not mix things up, do things differently or start a new family tradition.

I'm happy to be out here at the lake surrounded by family. Each time I see new things.

Have you started any new traditions with your family?

365 Inspirations—158: Opening Up to Fear

Facing my fear at Yoon's Yoga Bliss near Seattle

"What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it."—Jiddu Krishnamurti 



This story was originally posted on my blog in 2011

I thought if I traveled, I'd find something. Maybe I'd find God. Maybe someone out there could ease the difficulties of life. You know, I used to talk to God. I'd often ask him (her?), "What should I do?" Often times I'd close my eyes and pray very hard. I didn't want to not know where I was going. I needed to be reassured. I needed to know if things would work out.

But no answer came.

And then one day, when I least expected it, after a long run around the neighborhood, a crystal clear voice said, "You know what to do." The voice was strong and reassuring. But I didn't feel strong and I didn't feel I was any closer to knowing what I was meant to do in this world.

I wanted to follow that voice. I wanted to know it intimately. I wanted to understand where it came from. What if I went the wrong way? What if I did the wrong things? What if I made mistakes? What if people didn't like what I was doing?

I was afraid. I didn't have any answers. I made a lot of mistakes in life (and I'm still making them). I fell down quite a bit. I was not a happy person and I didn't respect myself nor did I believe I had anything positive to offer the world. Still, I could not forget that clear voice that came to me on that fall day of my senior year in high school while running down a narrow path flanked with bright orange and yellow maple leaves. The air was crisp, but the late sun shone on my face and filled me with an incredible warmth. But it did not last.

After high school I traveled all over the world searching for that voice. I traveled to Mexico, South America, Asia, India, etc. I meditated, I practiced yoga and once again, in deep silence, I basked in that inner warmth and stillness I had felt for those few moments in high school. For a time, I attributed these feelings to a certain practice. I believed that something outside me--the environment, an organization, a teacher, a guru, God--made me feel like this. Without this practice or a certain environment, I thought that this peace and this joy could not last.

I don't know exactly when things changed. I don't recall the exact day when I understood that voice or when I overcame my fear. I think it was gradual. Meditation helped, yoga helped, walks in nature helped, writing helped, friends helped, books helped--I am grateful for so many things that aided me on my path and gave me the courage to open up.

But that voice. The one that said, "You know what to do." It didn't come from God or Buddha or yoga or meditation or my husband or my friends or my family or anything else. All of these people and things played a part in understanding these words.

"You know what to do" came from me.

Not the Katherine Jenkins "me," but the one that is opened and fearless. The one that is not separate. The one that is connected to everything.

Do you have a tendency to hide from your fears or face them?

365 Inspirations–142: There's That Word "Inspiring" Again....

On a yoga retreat led by my husband in Sedona, AZ

"Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day."—Pope Paul VI 

 What do you focus on everyday? Your problems or worries, you relationships, cleaning the house, finances? Love and peace?

Whatever you choose to focus on actually becomes your life! I'm a testimony to that. I decided to focus on inspiration this year and it has shown up everywhere in my life.

Just today I watched this video about a teenager who passed away on May 20, 2013, but his message was not about dying, it was all about LIVING!

It was such an inspirational video. I want to live my life like that. I want sow the seeds of love, happiness, peace and inspiration as if this were my last day on earth.

Because truth be told, we don't know how many days we have left. 

So why wait?

Why hesitate?

Why hold off on things that could make a difference RIGHT NOW?

So that little word "inspiration" snuck into my life again today. I received a new review on Amazon and here's what it said:

"Inspiring" (Hartford, CT ) May 15, 2013
Thank you, Katherine,  for sharing your lovely story with all of us. I hope more women find her story inspiring, and more men can be partners like Seong Yoon Lee." 

Here's the link to that review. 

None of us own this inspiration. It flows in and out of  everything. Whether or not we choose to recognize it in ourselves and others really depends on what we choose to focus on. For this year, I have chosen to focus on "inspiration".

  What have you chosen to focus on this year?

365 Inspirations—117: Dreams Taking Shape

"Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."—Steve Jobs

Sometimes it's hard to see a full picture of what our dreams are telling us. Yesterday, I got a full snapshot of what the picture looked like. All the pieces formed an overall theme and I knew what I wanted to do.

 I do collages often and they are another creative way of using the right brain to get ideas out of the head and onto paper. My friend who is an art therapist got me hooked on creating collages and I've always been amazed at how many of the things I've created on paper have actually come true in real life.

What I love about collaging is that there are no set rules. We can work with all kinds of materials, different textures and colors to bring what is inside to life.

A really good friend who was in the South Pacific for two years in the Peace Corps came over and we collaged together. She joined a collaging party at our house a couple of years ago and had such a great time, she requested to do it again.

We spread out all the materials on my dining room table and without further adieu, we got to work.

So for all of you who are wondering what this "birth of an idea" (Inspiration 116) is all about, my collage this evening sheds some light on the themes that are coming to me. I believe that we all intuitively know what we are meant to do, but often times the picture we get presents a challenge. I believe all of the challenges come from our own minds.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'm going to lay some foundations down under my pictures. I'm ready for this change!

Do you ever collage or participate in creative activities in order to get a view of what you are called to do?

365 Inspirations—93: Celebrating a Milestone

Event at Edmond's Bookstore in WA

"At the end of a life, it's not the safe and comfortable things we've done that we'll remember. It's the times we risked everything to follow our hearts or make a change for the better."—Katherine Jenkins

One year ago today my book was born. I'm celebrating that today because it was a very important milestone in my life. I had to face all my fears to do it. I had to cut through all the red tape of people who told me it couldn't be done. 

In 2010, I was blogging 365 Lessons while simultaneously writing my memoir, Lessons from the Monk I Married. During that year, with the support of encouraging people I met through my blog and other places, I was able to face many fears. Keeping a blog helped me keep going with my dreams.

How do you do something you really want to do? How do you face all your fears and move forward?

Sign for my book event on window of Well Read Bookstore in New Jersey

In my case, the book wouldn't let me be. It came to me in my meditations, dreams, daily life. It wouldn't let me ignore it. 

It seemed to have a mind of its own. It wanted to be born.

I had editors, publishers, friends and family tell me it wouldn't work. Some people told me it was a crazy pipe dream.

Book Reading at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle

Signing books at Powell's Bookstore in Oregon

Of course that only propelled me to keep going. It only added more fuel to the small fire that was burning inside of me.

At one point, an editor said to me, "Only 5% of all books written get traditionally published and you are an unknown author."

I didn't say, "Oh shoot, never mind then," and go back to my safe and comfortable life. I didn't put my tail between my legs and run away, I didn't even blink an eye.

I looked at her unflinchingly and said, "I have a feeling I'm going to one of the 5%."

I don't know where this force came from, all I know is that there was no turning back. I was going to go all the way with this. I felt it in the core of my being. This story, my story, would be read by many people. My hope was that the people who read my book would also be able to go forth with their own dreams and have the courage to follow their own hearts.

I'm happy to announce that, a year later, the book has been read and has received great reviews nationally and internationally and will soon be translated into Croatian and Chinese for starters!

Book event at Book Passage in Marin County, CA. 

But riight now, a year later, I don't feel as strong as I did then. I'm not sure where that fire went, but I know it's not completely gone. The coals are still burning and I'm bound to feel those flames again.

I'm celebrating today because I want to remember how all of this felt. It felt like a dream, but it was very real.

This is not something unique that happened to me, it can happen for each one of us. It's not an easy road to one's heart. You have to sometimes step on thorns, whack through jungle bushes and trees and often times you can't even see where you are going. It's scary and so easy to fall back into what might be comfortable and known, even though we know it isn't our true path.

But if you keep putting one foot in front of the other in the direction your heart is telling you to go and you don't look back, you will arrive. Stay focused. 

Also, if you do reach a milestone on your path, celebrate it! Remember what got you there and remember that you can always rekindle that fire.

Are you taking steps towards what your heart is telling you? Have you given yourself space to hear what your heart has to say?

365 Inspirations—64: Just Show Up

Yoga in Times Square, June 2012

"Eighty percent of success is showing up."—Woody Allen

Sometimes inspiration comes from simply showing up. I can't count the times when I said, "Maybe I'll skip yoga today," but showed up and was so happy I did. There's something to be said for showing up.

So here I am showing up on my blog on a Tuesday evening at 5pm. I have a split shift today and need to make some dinner and take a shower before going back to school.

It's the end of the quarter and tonight I need to proctor an exam for my students. Fortunately, I've already made the copies of the test, so all I need to do is show up! It's one of those days.

The weather outside is gray again and truthfully all I want to do is crawl into bed and hide out until the sun comes out again, but I have things to do and people to meet. Besides, I know I always feel much better when I participate in life, even when I don't always feel up to doing anything.

Perhaps I have 'the end of the quarter blues'. It's really hard to be motivated today. There are so many new things I want to do and so many new directions I want to explore, but right now I've got responsibilities that I need to show up for.

I tend to be a dreamer. I love planning vacations and scheming new plans. Sometimes I get lost in all my ideas and forget that I have a life that I need to attend to.

So today I'm going to show up for the things I need to show up for. Sometimes that is the hardest part, but it always ends up being much better than I imagined it to be.

Off I go to shower, eat and head back to work.

Do you find that if you simply show up to events in your life, that things turn out much better than you imagined? 

365 Inspirations—48: Bargain Hunting

"Thrifting is a scavenger hunt, where you can hope and dream about the Ultimate Bargain, but have to expect not to find it. Half the fun is in the looking..."—Dustin Wax

Last night, Yoon and I watched Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. I think he's now seen it three times. He loves it. He rented it from the library and after our French dinner at Cafe de Paris in Edmonds, we watched it at home.

My favorite lines in the movie are when Hemingway asks Gil, "Have you ever hunted?" To which he shrugs his shoulders, laughs and says, "Only for bargains."

I will admit it. I love bargain hunting.  I always feel victorious when I find something of very high quality for a fraction of the cost. My husband is more of a "grab it and go" kind of shopper. I, on the other hand, like to meander.

After yoga class today, my husband and I got a bite to eat and then we headed off in separate directions. There are many thrift stores and discount stores near our house in Seattle. I don't shop often, but when I do, I really take my time.

Today I stopped in Marshalls and found two beautiful tea cups and some round green placemats. I must be thinking of spring because I wanted to look at everything "green". I also bought French hand soap ( I don't know what it is about France theses days, but everything is pointing us to France) and all natural Cedarwood soap.

We have a Grocery Outlet near our house. I normally shop at the local, organic supermarkets near our house, but every now and then I pop in to see what they have at Grocery Outlet. I found some organic apples, chicken, bananas and mandarin oranges. I also bought a few other staples.

Usually I don't have time to bargain hunt with my schedule, but it's the weekend. I also have Monday off. I don't think I'll hit the Presidents Day sales. Too many people. Sometimes I can also find sales online and can avoid the shopping crowds. I definitely don't like crowds when it comes to shopping.

Are you a bargain hunter? Are you a "grab it and go" kind of shopper or do you like to meander?

365 Inspirations—41: 56 Up (The Movie)

"Life is what happens while you are waiting for something else."—Albert Camus

Today was the first week of the newest installment of the "7 Up" movies! Have you seen any of these? It's a British film and the creators of the documentary have been following the lives of a handful of people in England since they were all 7 years old. They are now 56!!!

It's very fascinating to hear what these children wanted to do when they grew up and what they are actually doing now. Every seven years, the film crew meets again with this group of people and they get a recap of their lives.

It so interesting how much our early childhood and family situations shape who we become. Our beliefs about ourselves are set very early on in life and if we want to break out of some of the negative attributes about ourselves, we have to work extremely hard at it.

All the people in the movie have gone various directions in their lives. Most of them married, most of them had children, some got divorced, some remarried, some travelled, most held jobs and many actually did the jobs they said they wanted to do as a young child.

I highly recommend this movie. It is such an interesting look at "a life". Even though it is just snippets of a life, it makes you think and reevaluate your own life and the things you are doing.

You realize, from the movie, that time goes by so fast and before you know it, you are 56!!!

It makes me think that I'd like to create a list right now with my husband of things I still want to do.

I'd like to travel a bit more and focus more on writing!

Do you have a bucket list? Are there things you still want to do in your life that you haven't? What are those things?