it’s been a long time gratitude

well, between summer and book proposaling and doing something inwardly curly emotionally and vacation, actual vacation, it’s been a while. so.

i am grateful for:

1) purple starfish

2) sunday

3) making a collage on saturday night

4) vacation in canada. i’m such an idiot american, as in, i actually had the thought, “wow, canada is really cool. i should come here more often.”

5) the fauna of cortes island–seals, deer, eagles, hawks, glow-in-the-dark plankton, people

6) hollyhock, the omega of canada, kinda

7) golden slippers by toms

8) my writing partner in crime and words and progress

9) that being back isn’t too-too awful

10) the cleansing full moon

11) the amazing anandra–so cool to be back in touch with an old friend who has blossomed into such a delightfully wise, sea-adjacent goddess-woman

12) flurtin’

13) the possibility of going all the way. no, like, finally busting through some blocks, some flow-halting inner polarities that tug me so oppositely that i get stuck in one canceled out place that’s not center, not movement, not core. flounder city. so, here’s to getting all the flows flowing in the same direction.

14) coco bliss vegan ice cream, even though coconut makes my throat itch

15) the first half of jeff in venice, death in varanasi. the second half, arg! not so much.

16) this quote, that i read at breakfast in conde nast traveler by sue halpern in a lovely story about biking with her family through denmark: “there is something hypnotic about riding a bike all day: It’s as if the hours get all their minutes back.” i miss that feeling.

17) that my yoga journal article on love finally came out (august issue, might still be on stands, blue cover), and thanks to great editing, beautiful art, and 900 rewrites, it looks good. very gratifying. and an amazing process of writing about love when, well, yeah.

18) that the universe seems to respond like invisible jello sometimes to my thoughts and actions and intentions

19) flowers

20) the community garden across the street. so many leafy greens. i really need to get on that waiting list.

21) my waterproof new canon. i haven’t destroyed it yet. yay.

22) that i have a job related to my dharma

23) the aveda essential oil mix that i copied. just call me impostor.

24) amy ippoliti’s amazing omega workshop. i just want to put her in my pocket and take her to yoga with me every day.

25) that even though my other yoga teacher reprimanded me in an upsetting and inappropriate way, i finished the practice. crying, snot pooling, but i am grateful that a voice came in, louder than the righteous indignation, than the “why is everyone so mean?” and “life is too hard,” and it said: USE THIS. like, take this trigger, take these feelings and use them. this is an opportunity to work with shame and blame and pain and hurt and keep your center, find your power, sistah.

26) that when i finish my book proposal i’m allowed to date again. hear that, universe? just a couple more weeks. xo, valerie

27) and finally, starting at 2:47 minutes-ish in this video = amazing. olives! http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/arts/2009-woodstock-videos/#/fier