Humboldt County

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Day 1: Life is a verb

October 9, 2010 in Adventures, Reflection, Writing | 1 comment

“As life goes on, it becomes tiring to keep up the character you invented for yourself, and so you relapse into individuality and become more like yourself every day. This is sometimes disconcerting for those around you, but a great relief to the person concerned.” -Agatha Christie

I’m making a conscious decision to let the little things make my day – kind of like the gleeful feeling you get after poaching a yellow flower off the side of the road.

It can be really easy to feel like it’s hard to breathe. Disappointment, unrealistic expectations, insecurity, fear.  We all feel it at one point, but sometimes it seems to compact all at once and suddenly you wake up and your routine doesn’t cut it anymore. What to do?

Well, I started reading this powerful and amazing book, “Life is a Verb,” By Patti Digh. It was gifted to me when I graduated from Humboldt State University in May. I glanced at it here and there, but I knew when I needed some inspiration, enlightenment and cheer, it would be there for me. Recently, I felt like I needed a little life boost. This book has been all that – and more.  It’s about starting each day as if it is Day 1 of the rest of your life, and Digh instructs you to live as if you only had 37 days left to live and live INTENTIONALLY.

1. Say yes
2. Be generous
3. Speak up
4. Love more
5. Trust yourself
6. Slow down

These rules seem so simple and yet we consistently don’t follow them. We can get so caught up in little miniscule ideas of our lives. In her book, Digh writes that you should give yourself a challenge to be consistent in your life. Pick one thing to do every day for 37 days. Maybe it’s walking for ten minutes or creating a piece of art every day. My plan? I’m going to write a blog post every day for 37 days. I really like blogging, sharing my thoughts with my friends, family and whoever decides to check me out. During the summer, I found more time for it. Now, I want to intentionally make it part of my day – even if it is just a sentence or two. Maybe a funny picture. Or maybe the chapter to my future novel. :)

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Taking a lesson from a happy person

September 19, 2010 in Reflection, Uncategorized | 2 comments

One of my best friends, Dominic, skipped town to start a new life in Hawaii last week.

He packed up his apartment of the last five years, painted the walls and hopped in a car. He’s doing a little road-tripping and working with his family in Louisiana before he takes the plunge to join his brother and sister-in-law near Honolulu.

What a romantic idea – packing up and leaving everything you’ve known and become comfortable with. He had become very comfortable here in Humboldt County. We have a very tight group of friends and having him gone is definitely an adjustment.

It’s very inspiring that he chose to start anew. I’m envious of Dom’s courage and confidence. He is an ambitious and free spirit and yet rooted to so many different people. He’s always smiling and positive even when he is unsure of himself.

We’re all wandering in this world, but Dominic has never appeared to be lost. He’s been here and there and everywhere and still maintains who he is. Judy (my mom and personal mantra maker) would say that line of thinking works  because “you take yourself with you.” No matter where you move, where you work or what you do with your life, you are always going to

have yourself around. Easier said than done to look at yourself in the mirror every day and ooze self-acceptance. Dom is a perfect example of how working on a honest relationship with yourself will ultimately lead to you having a happier life. He may not be the happiest camper, but he does a good job of not letting it drag him down. He sees his worth and strives to share it with the people he cares about.

I take Dom as an example and can’t wait to hear about more his adventures. Sometimes I get so caught up in my life that I forget to take a step back and see how lucky I really am.

It’s friends like Dom that have helped me become who I am today – positive, spunky, creative, compassionate. I have courage, somewhere inside, and I’m building up the nerve to whip it out and have some more adventures of my own.

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The best part about Dom’s travels? We asked him what is he going to do there, in Hawaii. He said he just wants to skateboard all day – figure out the rest from there. He’s 30-years-old and I guarantee he will still be saying that 30 years from now. :)

SAYING GOODBYE, LUAU STYLE

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Palm Trees < Redwood Trees

September 19, 2010 in Travels, Uncategorized | 1 comment

There is a time and place for palm trees.  I imagine them on a tropical island, breezing in the wind in front of a sunset, while I lay on the white sand (and perhaps drinking a mojito).In my opinion, Los Angeles doesn’t seem to be the right place. Target to Home Depot to Albertson’s to Trader Joes. It’s just one affordable shopping center after another. (Don’t even get me started on IKEA – what is up with that crazy place?!)

I recently went to LA for five days and returned home a couple weeks ago. I was visiting my dad at his new house. It was nice to see him, but it was strange to see this new lifestyle he lead. He grew up in a family of six and lived in the same small town for most of his life up until three years ago. It was surprising to me to see how easily he managed to blend in with this fast-paced and ever-changing culture. It took an hour to drive anywhere amongst the palm tree speckled boulevards. I was a little frustrated, but I imagine if I found the right podcast, I would be just fine.

It seemed like it would be really hard to be a “somebody” in LA. Where is the support? The creativity? The compassion? As someone who grew up in a small hippie town, I can see adjusting to city life would be difficult for me at first. I still want to do it, I have this fire in me for an adventure and I think pursuing a career in the city would be a welcome challenge – just not in LA. Maybe Portland? I definitely need to do some more traveling to figure that out. Part of it is figuring out what you don’t want to do and it will get you on your way.

It’s like the palm trees just remind me of a plastic lifestyle, now. People are always trying to get ahead and seem so unhappy. They look to the palm trees for relaxation and comfort when I just see prickly, dry posts sticking up into the skyline.

I came home eager to see the Northern Coast of California, with bright blue skies and a full palette of greenery awaiting me. I took a deep breathe and exhaled. There is something about this place, in its slow pace. People take an extra minute to listen to each other. In a  life where most people are still struggling to find themselves, why chose to live somewhere that adds another element of hurt and confusion?

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