Thankful

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
-- Melody Beattie

I love this quote. It's beautifully true and full of hope. There is a serenity and warmth about it, and makes my soul smile.

Over the past couple months I have felt more thankful than ever. Which, by the way, is difficult to imagine, as I consider myself fairly aware of just how lucky and truly blessed my life is. (I also think I am pretty good at vocalizing that gratitude to the people in my life too; A trait I am quite happy to brag about.)

There are so many particular instances and so many larger things, it's a mosaic of appreciation. From cooking a successful Thanksgiving dinner with my husband and catching up with my girlfriend over a long phone call, to spending time with my new family and being able to laugh freely. I don't think a day goes by that I don't feel it or think it. It comes from the wildest of places too - that bright blue San Franciscan sky, the smiling homeless man in front of the Walgreens down the street, the sound of someone singing in the shower, a friend telling a joke, the free samples of cheese and chocolate from the shop around the corner, my mother's long-winded stories, the smell of the eucalyptus wreath in our house, warm gloves... just to name a few.

Just wanted to say "thanks".

FALLing for you

There's something about holiday coffee drinks that make me grin. The whole experience of the holiday coffee drink is overwhelmingly wonderful. From walking into the coffee shop, only to be greeted by shiny do-dads, whizzles, and snowflakes, you are transported to a scene out of a Christmas movie. It's the best of cliches, and I will drink it up! Holiday tunes playing in the background, employees with their festive flair, and the food cases decked out with sugar cookies and gingerbread. (They are always dancing in my head too.)

It's not like coffee drinks were part of my childhood fall and winter experience, yet, the flavors are nostalgic and make me feel like I'm home. Maybe it's being in California and seeing palm trees in November that make me wonder if winter is almost here... but, I really miss the Colorado snow that signifies holiday time to me. So, the hints of eggnog, gingersnap, peppermint and nutmeg greet me with warm, comforting arms of milk and spices. Yes, I drink in the festive goodness and sink into my over-sized knit sweater.

Thank you Starbucks, Peet's, Tully's, and It's a Grind for making it feel a lot like Christmas.

Hungry for more

I had a chance to sit down and have coffee with a lovely and inspiring woman this afternoon. She is a well-known foodie, writer, and blogger and she was so generous to share her stories with me.

I have always had an adventurous palate and enjoyed food more than the average person. This interest has turned into a slight obsession living in San Francisco and I desperately and hungrily want to find a career outlet for this thing that I so enjoy. So, I reached out and scored a glorious 50 minutes with a connected self-starter culinarian. (I think that should be a word, so I'm leaving it.)

Being the admirer that I am, I poked around to find out where she had been and how she got to be this approachable culinary superstar. She spoke with such gusto and passion about what she does, it made me jealous. I so want to have that. That unrelentless knowledge and passion and stronghold of character and career.

It makes me really wonder how many people have that. I don't think many. It's unfortunate to know that so many dreams are tucked away like a winter sweater in Florida. Rarely brought out to see the light of day...

Well, apparently the industry, particularly here, is inundated. It's tough, so I gotta get my foodie gloves on (I think they call them oven mits) and get ready for a fight. I feel lucky to have love for something that is intrinsic to life, particularly in SF. If nothing else, I know that my love for food will always be entertained here.

My favorite spot in the city

There is a community garden at Fort Mason. It is fenced in and behind the buildings, so I think a lot of people miss it or think that it's private property. But, I have a secret... it's not. I figure I can make this announcement since I only have a few friends reading my blog and I trust you all to love and respect this place and not tell too many people. I like the fact that there is a solumn peacefulness to it.

This place is magic. It must be. The colors, the blooms of the flowers, the smells, the life - it's amazing. Every little plot is unique and bursting with different flowers, plants, and vegetables. I like to get lost amongst it all, a maze of garden jungle.

The reason I like this place so much is becasue it completely enthralls me. I am there fully. Smelling, feeling, exploring and in full consciousness of adoring each and every garden plot.

I like this place best early in the mornings when the fog is still cradling the bay. I can walk around the garden and be the only one there. And there is something about smelling a flower on its vine in a garden at dawn that is so pure and untainted by the rest of the day.

I also ;ove coming here with my husband. It turns us into to kids, pointing to the plants and flowers that capture our imagination.

Yes, this is my favorite spot in the city.

Here dahrling, don't you ever forget it!

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age. - Sophia Loren

Rain

I like the rain. The pureness, the power, the way it cleans and washes away the old and dusty.

It's form; too many drops to count, but each one transforming the object it touches. Giving it a deeper, richer color, and a new character.

It was time for it to rain. The plants needed it. And so did the people of San Francisco. They needed to bathe and wash their chilly, dirty streets.

Rain has a way of comforting the soul. It slips people a reason to daydream and come up with a thousand other things they would rather be doing than going to work in the rain.

A perfect day to curl up and watch a movie with your love. Maybe even bake some cookies, play a game, read a book, or catch up on that Blog you meant to write last week.

On a Tuesday though... oh rain. Come again another day when we can stay in and play.

Still, it was nice to see you stick around all day. You weathered us well and gave us plenty to drink and enough to wash our hands and streets.

I see it as a promise

I wanted to title this blog blurp "shame". It's not a very nice word, that's for sure. It has an onomatopoeia quality to it that evokes fear, sadness, and disappointment. No, I don't like shame.

I was going to name this post "shame on me".... Because I had wanted to keep this blog thing going. Give it a real solid shot by writing regularly. Oh, how easy it is to put things off, especially when I was planning the wedding and trying to do a hundred other things. Too many excuses, and an exhausting list of ideas to write about. So, I wrote nothing at all. It makes complete sense.

Instead of the shameful word of shame, I have decided to look at this as a promise. It's a very Buddhist approach, but one that feels more inviting. I may even want to stay a while. I would like to write often. So, this is a promise, a working promise to write more and capture the things in my life that I try so hard to savor.

I have been incorporating meditation into my life again recently. And it makes me feel grounded and aware. I miss it, and miss the things that I was able to see, do, and feel when I had the practice of sitting in my life. It's amazingly powerful what a little sitting can do for one's soul.

Here's to working promises, writing, sitting, and loving.