13 Things
13 things on my mind and heart —
Usually my ideas for blog posts come to me without even thinking, they slip in throughout the day, on a walk, in the middle of the night… But often I have so much on my mind that I want to share. In those moments I tend to turn to my journal, or my mom (hi mom) but I thought I would try putting some of it here and create a blog post that is less cohesive and structured. A blog post of some random thoughts and feelings that have been swirling around my mind and heart recently. Let me know how you like this format and maybe I’ll make it a regular series :).
It is no secret that I am SO excited it is spring. I have been talking and writing about this for weeks now. However, the last few days I have been feeling quite foggy and exhausted - I’m blaming the new moon. Has anyone else been this way?
Returning back from my Italy adventure has not been as challenging as I anticipated. I think it speaks to the life I have created for myself and my choice to always prioritise my inner connection. As I discussed in Tuesday's blog post, adventure can be a mindset. Travel should add to our life, not be our escape from life. When we feel connected and aligned within ourselves, it doesn’t matter what part of our journey we are on or where we are, we can always tap into that magic.
Another thing I love about traveling is discovering differences in cultures and lifestyles. When I was in Italy, the differences in European versus American culture were blatantly obvious. Some made me feel at home, some made me miss home.
Most of these differences made me favour Europe, but there were two that were hard for me to adjust to. For one, smoking is much more normalised for people of all ages. I don’t have any friends my age who smoke back in the U.S., but in Italy, there were people my age and younger smoking all day!
Secondly, when I’m usually having dinner, it is a typical time for Italians to sit outside, sip their cappuccino’s and smoke cigarettes. They don’t tend to eat dinner until I am starting to get ready for bed… Granted, I tend to eat and go to bed on the early side, but it still felt very different to the typical timing in the U.S., and U.K. for that matter.
Voice notes are underrated. I LOVE voice notes. If you want to know the way to my heart, send me a voice note. My love languages are words of affirmation and quality time and I feel like a voice note encompasses both of these things. For someone who has friends all over the world and very few in her immediate life, voice notes are a really special way to stay connected, and show someone you care about them. They’re still quick and easy like a text message, but it feels like there is a little extra thought, intimacy and intention put into voice notes.
In the past, I have felt enjoying mainstream content is something to feel ashamed of, but mainstream media (movies, songs, tv shows) are not innately bad. It is okay to like whatever you like, as long as you like it for you, and not because you think you should.
Mainstream media connects people - when I was in Italy in a little beachside town in Cinque Terre, a random shop was playing a very well known American song. Another traveler stopped and said, ‘are they playing ____’. A few others stopped and listened, some people sang along as they passed, and many of us smiled or laughed with each other. We all realised how bizarre it was and at the same time, we all could connect over that, despite language barriers, cultural differences, and all other pieces that separated us.
A piece of mainstream media I love - Taylor Swift. I love Taylor Swift, always have - way before it was “cool.” I am really excited about the Eras Tour. Literally every time I watch a video of her concert, I start to tear up. It is so beautiful to watch someone live in such truth and alignment and share that magic with the world. I can not wait until my turn to go see her concert.
It is also clearly no secret that I love astrology, but I also love human design. It is another tool I have found so helpful in the path of understanding and deeply knowing myself. Recently I have been obsessed with asking everyone in my life for their birth details so I can plug them into my Human Design App and find out their chart. Feel free to send me yours…
Something making me happy right now is letting people see me jamming out in the car. I sing in the car (it’s a big joy sparker, we should all do it) and recently I’ve been really going for it. Letting the music and the moment fill me up with joy and smiling wide when someone passes by and sees me. Usually (surprisingly), they smile back really genuinely. What’s something that’s been sparking joy for you recently?
Do you ever have that sensation where you can feel things changing? Often we can only acknowledge and understand change in retrospective, but recently I have been feeling the change in my bones. It is as if I have exited a door that contained my prior version of self, and am walking down a path where there is another door at the end. The path is the in-between of one phase to another and I can see my progress down the path as I get closer and closer to the next chapter.
As much as I am trying to be present right now, with spring blooming, so too is my readiness for the next phase of my journey. For those of you who do not know, my apprenticeship and current UK experience will be ending soon. More on that in a future post, but for now I am trying to find the balance between full presence, and full excitement for the future. Is that possible?
Phew, 13 is a lot, but I obviously couldn’t choose any other number. I hope you enjoyed these thoughts and ramblings and that they sparked some thoughts and insights for you. If so, I’d love to hear.
Sending so much magic from my heart to yours.
