practical and meaningful

lean towards happiness

 

When in doubt....

                                                                                lean towards happiness.

live from true choice, not habit

My new favorite band is the Civil Wars...my husband and daughter played me one song and I immediately fell in love.  Have not stopped listening to them. In my car, while i work, while i work out, on my computer....cannot get enough.  There is one line that says " I don't have a choice, but I still choose you" and everytime I hear it, my heart swells. It is profound and it is dear.  We get used to the things we do, the people we love, and the life we live.  Habit can kill the romance. Choose who you are, who you love, what you do, and why you exist. Live from true choice.

a tired so deep, after a high so high

The cafe is open.  After nine months of planning and construction and menu workshopping - we opened our doors on Monday.  In 4 days, we have had over 500 customers. We have gotten some really great press and unbelievable support from the neighborhood and friends.

Starting a new business is exhilarating.  We have been training and creating systems and making things happen. So much to do, so many people to greet. So much energy exerted.

The other day, as the adreneline started to fade, I got tired.  A deep, in your bones tired that not even the stellar coffee we serve, could revive.  I knew that attacking my pile of work was futile - so I took a hot bath and went to sleep.  It was deep and dark sleep, not my usual nodding slumber and when I woke up, I felt clearer and stronger than I have in years. 

I have always regarded sleep as a waste of time, but this week, it was the most practical and meaningful thing I could do. 

learning new things every day

As we get ready to open the cafe, we are prepping, and cooking, and sampling, and learning new things every day. It feels good to learn new things.

testing the toaster

coffee+food....practical & meaningful

The Pavoni is a longtime treasure of mine that I have carted around and used worldwide and the mixmaster was my grandmothers (she was one of the best cooks I knew). I have held tight to both of these for years, and now I am happy to share them with patrons of the cafe as our mascots!  I just need a + sign to put between them!  love and love. coffee+food=love

practice

When you practice anything, you get better at it.

Put in the time to be a better cook, a better friend, a better lover, a better person, a better writer, a better parent, a better boss, a better communicator, a better example. Practice, it is personal.

room to breathe

Room to breathe, allows you room to breathe.

middle aged...how did that happen?

I was basically a kid (25 years old) when I met my husband. I was living in  a loft in downtown los angeles - pushing my steel bathtub down the hall to the community bathroom, traveling the world taking photos, and making plans for how I wanted my life to play out. I spent days in the dark room, hours gardening on the roof, and money on things such as sunday night dinner parties on the roof.

Almost twenty years has passed and I am in awe of how life has played out and how fast the time has flown. We were laughing the other day because I suddenly realized I am no longer a kid and that we are middle aged....how did that happen?  We have built houses and responsibility and college funds and retirement funds, we own businesses, our daughter is a tween and i still feel exactly the same in my heart as I did when I was 25.  I feel the years on my body and I mark the years in my body of work, my heart carries the weight of life, but my spirit still feels 25.

 

inflow and outflow

Inviting and embracing inflow and outflow is the key to a life lived.

Money. Stuff. Friendships. Work. Experiences. Love.

Do not hold too tight to one way, one idea, or one path.
Do not be unwilling to grow, trust, wait, or expand.

Allow life to live within you.

Title IX, 40 years later

Watching the Olympics, I am in AWE of the USA women's teams. Gold Medals in Beach Volleyball, Basketball, Water Polo, Soccer...not to mention the individual sports such as Gymnastics, Swimming, & Track and Field.  The Women are amazing and impressive. Back in 1972 Title 9 was created to ensure equal playing time and attention for both genders. It embraced women's sports and the positive result all these years later... is lots of GOLD medals at the 2012 London Olympic Games! 

I love watching the trust between Misty May and Kerri Walsh. I applaud Jordyn Wieber for displaying such stellar sportsmanship in the gymnastics forum and showing up and supporting her teammates. In the interviews with the Soccer team,  Hope Solo and Carli Lloyd were quick to point out that while they are getting a lot of attention for their offense and defense, the reason their team was so solid was due to the captain of the team Christie Rampone, who has been there for four olympics.  Her leadership and experience anchored the team and helped them to be successful.  I love the spirit of women's teams. I love the stellar athleticism. I love the big crowds who care about it.   I am proud to have benefited from Title IX when I was growing up and playing sports and I love watching all those women win medals!  Well done!