Our task must be to free ourselves from our prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.—Albert Einstein
June in Review
Greetings from a light-filled cabin in rural Virginia. I’m sitting at a pine table filled with books, peonies, a cuppa iced hibiscus tea, and an unfinished salad while Belle snores away on my lap. We arrived Friday afternoon and have been nestled in ever since to read, watch movies (you must see Okja), write, and be. The views are stunning—rolling green hills covered with trees, James River, the Lotus Shrine—and the wraparound porch offers varied vistas. Friday was my 44th birthday and this escape to the countryside was my gift (along with a pink electric toothbrush).
As I searched for a quote to sum up my June experience, I connected with the one above by Einstein. The launch of Tranquil Space Foundation’s Pigs & Pugs Project, the Yoga and the Animals event, roasting s’mores and waving sparklers with my parents at dusk, dining al fresco, and arriving to this lush setting all align with “widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”
June offered the opportunity to cultivate my patio garden, read five books (devoured Apprenticed to Venus and savored Transitions like fine wine), bike to The Kennedy Center for two shows, host Writing Lab, teach Mindfulness classes, enjoy a productive Tranquil Space directors’ meeting, collaborate with clients, send a Q2 Love Note to the Tranquil Space team, and eat much less sugar. I found myself doing less and feeling more.
Wishing you a joyful launch into this brand new month! Bisous. x
June Blog/Podcast Wrap Up
You Can Be Brave
Podcast #398: Make Peace with Your Mind
Happy Summer Solstice
Podcast #399: Creating Big Sky Yoga Retreats
What Makes You Come Alive
July Wish List
Safe travels to and from Oklahoma for pups’ gotchaversary
Sing along at Garth’s Oklahoma City show
Savor trip with childhood friend to New York City
Enjoy birthday weekend away in the Virginia countryside
Experience afternoon tea at Hillwood Estate with a girlfriend
Collaborate with clients
Enjoy show at The Kennedy Center
Read four books (finished two already this weekend!)
Write 4,000 words for my memoir
Release two podcasts (400th is next!)
Keep up with memoir writing course curriculum
Savvy Sources
How to stop cruel factory farming: start with one animal
Two kinds of stories we tell about ourselves
A campaign to eliminate straws
Vegans, vegetarians, and now . . . reduceitarians
What if all I want is a mediocre life?
Keep a gratitude journal
Seeing Okja in every animal: a film review
11 bookish things every bibliophile should do at least once
Why I taught myself to procrastinate
Trader Joe’s vegan shopping list
The things we can really learn from books
Nature makes us happier and kinder
10 books about books and reading
5 rituals of highly creative people
12 animal books to read this summer
