there’s a moment when the first few droplets fall ~ where your body either tenses up, preparing to run for the nearest cover

or, you soften ~ embracing the rain with pure, light-hearted delight

today, I was the latter.

as the rain poured down, my smile widened.

It’s been a looong time since I’ve picked up my camera ~ but recently, my camera has been tugging at my heart, nudging me to pick her up, dust her off, and take her out for a walk. When this nudge didn’t leave me, even a week later, I reflected and realized that a part of me was insecure about strolling around my neighborhood with my camera… I could hear my inner critic’s echos of who are you to walk outside, mid-day, on a weekday, just to take photos? You’re not even a ‘photographer’… what’s the point? What will you DO with the photos you end up taking?

It became very clear that once again, a deeply embedded fear of being seen, of taking up space, was indeed taking up too much space within my own psyche. I knew I had to squash those thoughts and insecurities by directly going against them — by picking up my camera, going for a goddamn walk, and taking photos of whatever sparked my spirit. I called this Venus day adventure my Photo Walk Ritual ~ and with the help of ChatGPT, I set out with a theme of capturing Soft Contrast, in whatever ways sparked my inspiration during a 30 minute walk.

As I’m making breakfast, I spontaneously look up at the back door and an unusual shape catches my eye… I look closer and see a cutey possum perched on the fence, completely unfazed that its morning in the city. I’ve never seen a possum before and a part of me squeals in delight just watching this cutie yawn wide and hang out.

mmmmm what a gift to be out in nature again, it’s been far too long. It was an unusually warm late winter day as Charley and I walked through this familiar forest again. We used to come here all the time back in 2022. But even though it’s been a while, there was a feeling of returning home, back to the trails that I know so well and the trees that I’ve seen throughout every season.

happy birthday my little charley bear!! thank you for the endless joy you bring into my life. Thank you for all your sweet little licks, your pure presence, your sneaky stubbornness, and your unconditional love. Whenever we go outside, I can’t help but notice how every single face lights up when they see you.

how often do we overcomplicate what we need to feel good, what we need to feel aligned? Tonight, I followed my body’s craving to making this deliciously wholesome veggie Minestrone soup ~ and I cannot explain how happy and satisfied this act of self-love felt.

my first hot yoga classes in months ~ I could have cried during class for how good it felt to move my body and feel my spirit again in this way. Yoga ~ the union of Self & Spirit. It reminded me that my body is the vessel for my own peace and liberation.

ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always had a memory box. It’s usually a large aesthetically-pleasing box that holds all the little memories I want to hold… movie stubs, birthday cards, a note from a friend on a napkin, maps from faraway places, etc. Ever since I left Instagram nearly 3 months ago, there’s a part of me that’s been missing the joy of sharing the little, and big, moments of beauty or revelation in my life.

A 10 hour drive to visit family with sweet Charley 🤍 we were greeted by a a winter snowstorm that brought record-breaking snowfall all weekend long! I haven’t experienced this amount of snow since I was a little girl, and this weekend brought back memories of those times — snow days and flurry white covering every inch of Earth.

An active, adventurous life makes you feel alive. You love being out here, in the mountains, amongst the snow-covered trees. You love the adventure of traveling somewhere new and doing what you love.