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November in Review

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.—Edith Sitwell

Month in Review

Ah, November, you were sweet, swift, and succulent. From Paris cafes to ballet classes to sitting with clients, last month offered a variety of experiences.

En route to my own therapy appointment in the rain, I slammed on my brakes to avoid hitting the person in front of me who had stopped abruptly and my tea thermos spilled all over the Jeep console. This led to three trips to the shop, a dead battery, constant jumps because the new battery would also die, a malfunctioning electrical system, software updates (cars get updates now?!), and a parking brake that wouldn’t release so it could be towed.

It’s back to the shop and fingers crossed it’s really getting fixed this time. Funny how one brief moment can have such a ripple effect. Darn tea.

This month I finished an online Journal Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy class, met with mentoring and therapy clients, took ballet classes, wandered the streets of Paris, returned on Thanksgiving for a vegan meal with Tim, created and released the Year of Tranquility Entrepreneurship module, got lost in Paris, had another gum surgery (second side), created and reviewed a Tranquility du Jour survey (still chewing on it), released two podcasts, attended a Stargazing with Pigs event at Whispering Rise Animal Sanctuary, attended a Lady Farmer Slow Living Retreat (where I met those goats in the top photo), upset my Jeep’s electrical system, saw A Star is Born in Paris and cried (how did I not know it was sad?!), sent heaps of snail mail, and soaked in the tub daily.

As I turn my attention to the final month of the year, I’m feeling both pensive and hopeful. 2018 has offered so much—a new pug (GIZMO!), a full-time office space, Pigs & Pugs events, Year of Tranquility. I look forward to tying a bow around it this month with a combination of reflection, intention, and creation.

Wishing you a sacred and soft month. Let’s carve out space to celebrate, give and create experiences, hibernate as needed, and add a dash of lavender to our hot cocoa. As always, thanks for reading! Bisous. x

December Dreams

Take 10 yoga/ballet classes
Clarify a 2019 program offering
Solidify my vet social work program plans
Send two love notes to YOU
Release 3 podcasts
Fun weekend in NYC with friend
Host inspiring final Year of Tranquility module
Safe travels to and from West Virginia and Oklahoma
Collaborate with and support clients
Savor The Nutcracker performance and lunch date with friend
Productive Pigs & Pugs Project board meeting
Tea dates with friends
Santa pics with pups
Healed gums

Savvy Sources

15 Plant-Based Recipes to Fight Inflammation
How This Introvert Challenged Herself to Make Friends As An Adult
10 Reasons Why We Fail to Achieve Our Goals
How To Conduct Your Own Annual Review
Five Reasons Why Travel is Good for Your Mental Health
46 Ways to Give Experiences, Not Things
75 Consumable Gift Ideas
10 Books to Read—and Gift—in December
10 Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season

October in Review

The month of November makes me feel that life is passing more quickly. In an effort to slow it down, I try to fill the hours more meaningfully.—Henry Rollins

Month in Review

Anyone else feeling like that quote above? Two months left in this year is hard to believe. I plan to spend some time with my art journal this month to explore how I’d like to tie a bow around 2018. And I’m contemplating hosting an online event to share my process. Stay tuned.

October kicked my “asana,” so to speak. Gum surgery, two weeks of an unpleasant cold, a 40-hour round trip drive to Oklahoma, planned and hosted multiple events, and missed my energy and routine.

On the other hand, it was also amazing.

A friend sent me flowers to help the healing process (top photo). Yoga with pigs (second photo). Wrapped up my first Tranquility Salon. Raised $871 for Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue during Pugs & Pints. Virtual retreat was fun and went smoothly. Time with family in Oklahoma. Leaves began changing colors. Dressed up to support Humane Rescue Alliance’s Bark Ball event. 80 people joined me for the fall detox. Eve Ensler and Anne Lamott inspired at their local talk. Saw Reese Witherspoon at her Whiskey in a Teacup event. Savored time in the woods. Forest bathed in a Smithsonian garden. Finished Your Second Life Begins When You Realize You Only Have One. Saw Halloween on Halloween (scary!). An encouraging Writing Salon group. Collaborated with mentoring and therapy clients. Started a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy series. Ate LOTS of vegan marshmallows (last photo). Hosted Year of Tranquility’s writing module.

Filled to the brim and overflowing, October brought me to my knees. I kept asking myself, “How did this overscheduling happen?”

Rationalizing, I blamed it on squeezing lots in post-summer and pre-holiday. However, my hope is to do some deeper digging to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Like ever.

It’s time to slow down, sink in, and savor this magical time of the year sans overflow. Won’t you join me? Bisous. x

November Wish List

Safe travels to and from Paris
Write for hours in Parisian cafes
Savor a vegan Thanksgiving
Release and host inspiring Entrepreneurship Year of Tranquility module
Determine Veterinary Social Work programming plan
Design new Tranquility du Jour and TranquiliT postcards
Compile feedback for idea generation
Create capsule wardrobe plan
Take 8 ballet classes
Finish Journal Therapy programming
Track and evaluate time
Finish Cognitive Behavioral training

Savvy Sources

A Star is Born Review: The New vs. the Old
9 Books to Add to Your November Reading List
The Science—and Magic—of Forest Bathing
Break Bad Habits and Create New Ones
The Power of Journaling
7 Tips for Getting Yourself Back into Creative Writing
Tips for Coping During the Holidays
Why Everyone Should Keep an Art Journal
Messy Nessy’s Secret Paris Archives

Life Lately

 

I’m restless. Things are calling me away. My hair is being pulled by the stars again.―Anaïs Nin

Last week we drove 40+ hours road trip to Oklahoma (yes, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains) with three pugs in tow.

Three days focused on the  slowing down and savoring that happens in the Great Plains—first fire of the season, soak in a claw foot tub, late night movies, vegan cake, walk in the woods, time with loved ones, 15-minute walks to the mailbox. All good for the soul.

Today I hosted the Softening into Fall Virtual Retreat (group photo above) and launched the 7-day detox.

The previous few weeks have been filled with equally exciting events: saving a blind baby rat from the alley (named him Freddie, story to come), TDJ Live, Brunch at TranquiliT Trunk Show, yoga with pigs, Pugs & Pints, and gum surgery (not recommended)!

Output requires input. When I read the above Anaïs Nin quote, it so resonated. While I’m not sure what the restlessness is about, I’ve felt something brewing, so I’ve made plans to set out on a weeklong Artist Date in Paris to explore it. Finding a $450 flight sealed the deal!

Booking a flight to Paris is not a requirement for exploring restlessness, it can also be done through journaling, local Artist Dates, time with friends, therapy, and more, of course.

Yet, when I realized my travel this year had been work related, I thought a solo jaunt with no itinerary may be just what the doctor ordered—especially with a ticket price like that!

I’m offering one more experience before I curl up into replenishment mode, Writing Salon—a 2.5-hour in-person workshop to nurture your inner writer. This happens next Saturday in case you’d like to join.

In the interim, I’ll be feeding my restlessness with a Humane Rescue Alliance black tie event with the pups, ballet classes, and listening to Eve Ensler and Anne Lamott. Wishing you a joyful weekend filled with input and a dash of output. Bisous. x