Growing up everything from pop culture to adult behavior taught me that my biggest competition was other females. They were the only thing stopping me, a girl, from getting my ‘prize’ aka Prince Charming. Luckily I never bought into the whole man-saving-me-from-myself story, but the idea that other women were meant to be destroyed so that I could reach my goals — whatever they might be — stuck. For the longest time I viewed other females’ success not as excellent examples, but something to criticize and stifle so that I might rise above. This of course, is not something I’m proud of. And to be honest, I don’t think I ever actually put action to these thoughts. Nevertheless, I definitely thought them. And as a full grown ass woman all I have to say is FUCK THAT.
Continue reading “Come on, ladies… It’s 2021. Can we please lift each other up now?”
Sunday Fun-k-day: NYC heat-hell and a Himalayan Blanket of Stars.
Another failed attempt at keeping up with this good ole’ blog? Possibly. But most of my daydreams have been making me wish I was writing so here I am. Writing. Sitting on a small pile of throw blankets I found for $3.99 in a giant home warehouse in Orlando, a throbbing heat headache (it is fucking HOT in NYC today) relentlessly poking at me and a sticky bandage around my left thumb. It’s been a little over five months since I returned from traveling, but that life couldn’t feel more distant.
This time last year I was skipping around Eastern Europe.
Where was I?
I think this must have been around the time I was finishing up with a road trip through the Balkans and making my way to Romania.
That couldn’t BE farther from my current reality (tell me you got the FRIENDS reference!). I didn’t know what to expect when I moved back to NYC, but somehow my life has evolved into something truly spectacular. Seriously — I should let folks rub my belly for good luck because I’m CHOCK full of the stuff. And also because it would make me giggle.
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My Favorite Meals From 12 Months of Travel
Ok, so I like to eat. A lot. Yes, I know — so does everyone else. But not really. Enjoying a meal is so much more than fueling my body. It’s a communion. A coming together of friends and foes. A ceremony. A meal is more than just food. Although of course, that plays a major role. A meal has a lot of moving parts — the people, the scenery or lack there of, the circumstances, the preparation etc. There’s a story behind each and every meal and while the tastes tend to steal the spotlight, the rest of the actors are important.
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My Favorite Moments After 365 Days of Travel
Ok, so I gave a rough summary of all the places I visited during my year of travels here. But this post is all about the favorites. It’s hard to pick just one.
After leaping into the unknown February 10th 2018, I’ve discovered what life on the road is like. Amazing. Challenging. Tiring. Exhilarating. All of the above.
I’ve had amazing adventures all along the way, but there are definitely some moments that have stood out. I’ve listed them out here and perhaps have gotten into more detail than I intended so this may be a long one!
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A Year Around the World | A Summary of What I’ve Been Up To
Well shit. A year ago today I woke up at like 3.45 in the morning to hop on a plane. I was heading off for my biggest adventure. I was scared shitless (with a list a mile long) and more excited than I could register at the time. I had absolutely no clue what was in front of me. I mean, really — no stinking clue what was coming. A trip of a lifetime is an understatement. I don’t know how I got so damn lucky, but the stars aligned just right so that I could have adventure after adventure after adventure. I met incredible people, witnessed incredible things and ate incredible food. I don’t really know where to start when people ask me how my trip is going because it’s been all over the map — literally.
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A Day in a Bucharest Park
A lone green apple sits on a dark brown bench — empty of sitters. A blue paddle boat in a wide green puddle [lake] slowly rocks back and forth as children switch seats — one side slightly more emerged in the water making me wonder if the boat will inevitably sink. Children’s laughter. Police sirens. Wind lightly brushing against the leaves encouraging their decent from the tree tops. A pigeon crows. Do pigeons crow? Continue reading “A Day in a Bucharest Park”
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Dear Ramen… A Love Letter.
It was a warm breezy early evening. I sat at a table for two near one of the large open ceiling to floor windows — feeling the wind slowly brush my hair back. I had just gone to the Budapest bath houses and felt like I was floating; despite a complete lack of sleep. Maybe this was all a dream after all? This place was mostly empty, but it was only 6pm so the dinner rush hadn’t yet begun. That’s when the waitress brought me a platter filled with small Japanese food plates. A little of everything. Curry, ramen, pickled veggies and some sort of salad with tiny bits of fried chicken.
I wasn’t expecting much.
Continue reading “Dear Ramen… A Love Letter.”
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Camping in Bosnia & My Adorable Yellow Tent. And a Flat Tire.
With a dust and exhaust cocktail swirling up into my face, my feet skidded — one by one — as I tried to push our little white Heeheetka (aka Fiat) up the rock filled road. Unfortunately, the two of us slipping and sliding against the dirt road simply wasn’t enough to make any ground, but nevertheless I gave it all I had — resulting with my face head first into the ground. Yum.
But that was on our way out the next day. Continue reading “Camping in Bosnia & My Adorable Yellow Tent. And a Flat Tire.”
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Yoga History 101, Planned Parenthood & James Bond | Things I Learned This Week
Another week — another lesson (or a million) learned. The first part of the week was spent in Belgrade, Serbia and after a 10 hour bus ride (which included a broken bus mid-way) I found myself in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Come Saturday September 15th — I’ll be in Lake Bled. So yeah. Three places — one week — it’s a miracle my head isn’t constantly spinning.
Here are the things I learned this week from books, articles, people etc.
I’m re-reading some literature I read — admittedly a bit too hastily during my yoga teacher trainings. One of which is a Yoga Philosophy & History text.
So while I had a good idea of the following prior to this week, it’s still a good idea to do some reviewing. And again, since I don’t have notebooks to hold on to at the moment, this blog is my notepad. Continue reading “Yoga History 101, Planned Parenthood & James Bond | Things I Learned This Week”
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Why I meditate. And 3 Easy Ways For Anyone to Get Started.
I want to be unshakeable.
When the earth is crumbling around me, I want to stand still — serene in a moment of chaos. I want to garner enough inner peace to withstand even the most tumultuous emotional tornado. I want to withstand opposites with ease and steadiness.
This is what a consistent yoga practice gives us. This unreal super power of peace.
After years of debilitating anxiety and fear this appeals to me so much more than being able to stand on my hands… As difficult as it can be to challenge your physical body — there’s nothing harder (in my opinion) then to stay calm when fear comes knocking. To stay truly at peace (from the deepest corners of my inner being) when I’m being confronted with all sorts of nonsense. This isn’t the same thing as staying calm during stress*** I’m talking about peace in the deepest-purest sense of the word.
I’ve only met a few people in my life where their unwavering peace radiates from their being. Their solid foundation in the face of stress was palpable and inspiring.
Have you ever met anyone like this?
I think that of all the things that yoga gifts us with — this ability to be our own rock — is the most valuable. The thing that will help us most in our lives. All the other stuff is great (I never said I didn’t want to stand on my hands), but it’s the whipped cream on top of a giant ice cream scoop that often gets overlooked.
This caption from one of my Instagram photos pretty much sums up why I meditate. Continue reading “Why I meditate. And 3 Easy Ways For Anyone to Get Started.”
