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—81: Gardens

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden."—Thomas Jefferson

Hilo is a place that bursting with life in the garden area. It's hard to contain all the sights and sounds of this place. It's overwhelming at times.

My husband is conducting a yoga retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii. We are in Hilo, Hawaii. Our place is located close to all these amazing thermal snorkeling pools. They are very warm and perfect for swimming!

This afternoon we visited the Botanical Gardens in Hilo. In the 70s, a couple bought a large plot of land that was wild and a bit trashy and, over the course of several years, groomed it into an outstanding botanical park right on the ocean.

Some of the plants simply didn't seem real to me. I felt like I was in a Sci Fi movie walking through the park. Hilo has a primal feeling. It feels like how the earth must have been before humans were introduced.

The gardens here have inspired me to do some gardening myself when I return home, but for now I'm going to enjoy all the sights and sounds of this place!

Do you have a green thumb? Do you like to garden?