Beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Kids these days, eh? As One, Trish
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OK, so technically March of this year probably doesn't so much count as a "throwback", per say.... ...but I wanted to finally share this little video of me and Tilly, the sweet, soft, sleepy, cuddly Koala from my trip to Australia with you and so for our purposes today, this video is "throwback", k? A few quick notes: As you'll see I can barely breathe I am so excited. I am also trying super hard not to burst into tears of pure joy, happiness and love and can assure you my heart was racing from the moment I laid eyes on her. One of the staff members at this particular facility tipped us off that you can sometimes finagle a few extra seconds with the koala if you ask the handler a bunch of questions during your photo opp, so you'll also see me bombarding the poor lady with any non I-heart-animals-so-much-it-makes-me-a-freakazoid deranged thought I can muster. We are told ahead of time not to touch their head/ears/face (I forget specifically why, but I think just to keep things structured/safe) which I promptly disregard when I snuggle my face into her ear around the :50 mark. Lucy the bulldog will tell you I am a sucker for soft animal ears and frankly, Tilly was lucky I only briefly nuzzled and didn't full out Lenny (hint: Of Mice and Men reference) her. This was definitely a highlight moment of our trip (and my life!).... And because he is just so dang cute, here is B's turn with Tilly, who clearly loved him more than she liked me as she went straight towards nuzzling in his neck. I wish the video quality was better on this one, but you get the general warm and fuzzy idea: In Gratitude, Trish **HUGE thank you to Miss Pamela for the photos and video!!** My title here at Weebly, officially printed on my lovely business cards (thanks, Justin!), is Joyologist. To be blunt--I LOVE it. Borderline obsessed with it. Proud to hand it to folks and watch the smiles and chuckles as they read it out loud. I get such a kick out of it still, even after a year and a half! At first, this title started out as a bit of a joke--playful creativity in a company that supports all things creative and playful (mega points: Weebly!). But now I can honestly say I try to embody its meaning with my whole heart and soul. Hello, I'm Trish, and I'm in the business of Joy. I have this theory about life: either you laugh along with it as the leading, starring, shining role, or it's gonna laugh you right off the stage. Feeling pain is for sure a part of the gift that is being alive. Yep, the gift. So by no means do I believe we should avoid or squash or cover up those moments of less-than-happy. They are real and have much value if we let ourselves process them fully. But I also believe that Joy is our natural state of being; I believe that being joyful is our divine right. If something or someone is not helping to boost your joyful experience, it may be time to reevaluate their role in your life. My trip to Costa Rica was an amazing reminder of how deeply I wish to embody my Joyologist title. It was a reminder of how to allow myself to connect with others in true and authentic ways. These two ladies below will, hopefully, be my forever friends thanks to the vulnerability we permitted between us. When you get real, the Joy will always intensify. It was a reminder to dance simply because it feels good. For example, me shaking my booty on Julie's lap (I can't stop giggling at my Popeye face!).... It was a reminder to play. Costa Rican tour guides want to challenge me to standing up on the bumpy truck ride up the mountain? Bring. It. On. It was a reminder to be silly. I try to never take things too seriously, though I am always serious about living. And it was a reminder to let go, let myself fly and be free.... How much Joy are you allowing in your life?
In Gratitude, Trish, your neighborhood Joyologist Turn up the volume and watch til the end. This is the cutest reason to lose sleep (and man oh man I have not slept. homegirl is a chainsaw at night!).... In Gratitude,
Trish My sweet and darling best friend (Aubs, did you realize this September we will have been friends for 17 years?! AHH! Major best friend anniversary celebration is needed, I think.) sent me the following awesome video yesterday before she posted it on her blog, which you can check out here. Like any true soul-mate bestie she sent it at the most perfect time, as the night before I had been mulling over some thoughts on loneliness while lying in bed reading before sleep. This poem-brought-to-life is a beautiful reminder to me that this chapter in my life can be used to great advantage; I can choose (because I am oh so blessed with the power of choice) to find peace and calm in the quiet moments with myself. I can choose to be a friend to me. I can choose to enjoy my own company while trying new things, meeting new people, exploring, adventuring. I am free to sing and dance and play and create if for no other reason than it feels good in my soul. I am simply free. I can even, and bear with me on the cheese factor of this thought, choose to be romantic with myself. I can buy myself fresh flowers, fill my home with colors and scents and photographs I love and that make me feel happy. I can make my apartment a sanctuary of peace, joy and love. I can take this time alone to continue building a foundation of authenticity to who I am and what I desire out of life; to build a foundation of trust that my inner self knows exactly the right path, if I have the courage to listen to her. In my wellness coaching session yesterday I was reminded of a saying I once heard a few years ago that stuck with me; there aren't many true "I can't" 's in this world, mostly just "I am unwilling to try" 's. Think about that for a second. How many times do we let fear or timing or insecurities or financial situations tell us that we can't do something...when really we are just unwilling to try? Part of being alone, for me, is pushing aside "I can't" and giving my all to be willing to try. Failures only define us if we let them and I for one don't see the sense in that. I also came to the realization that each of us builds our lives as if standing on a foundation; a platform of sorts. We build it up with pieces from a multitude of sources; family, friends, love, work, spirituality, location, health, etc. All of these things fit together like quirky little puzzle pieces to form life as we know it. If I'm honest with myself, my foundation, my platform, was most often built with the opinions of others; with pieces of validation I felt or craved from the outside. The approval. The acceptance. The means of defining worth. So much of my foundation was designed by anyone but me. Which means, of course, it was designed to inevitably fall. As hearts were broken, relationships ended, disappointments or failures were met I would find my whole foundation crumbling. My whole being felt as if it was plummeting into the abyss. It felt serious, consuming and painful. Our foundations will take hits throughout our lives. Pieces will be added and removed continuously as we grow and change, evolve and adapt. But what I'm learning is that if I build the majority of my platform from an inner source of love and acceptance then it will be...well...strong. It will be secure. It will be safe. Sure, there will be times when it shakes a bit--when I feel a tad unsteady on my feet. But I know that it can most easily withstand any and all blows tossed its way if I take this time alone to reinforce it with the unfailing beams of love, faith, gratitude and kindness. So thanks, Aubs, for reminding me that being alone does not have to be scary. By trusting the process and making the most of my time alone I know there is much beauty to manifest. And thanks also for reminding me that we are never actually alone, so long as we continue to give out love and let it come in (in big and small and in between ways); that this ol' world and the folks who inhabit it are deeply connected. “Lonely is a freedom that breathes easy and weightless, and lonely is healing if you make it.”
Love and Light, Trish If these videos don't make you want to get up and go see the world on a grand adventure...you should probably check your pulse. EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo. MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo. LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo. Thanks so much for sharing, Erika!!
Love and Light, Trish |
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