Week in Review

I am sitting on the floor of my tent in Ojai, California surrounded by books, cups of tea, my Daybook, and writing materials. Up at 4:30am for this weekend’s Conscious Booksmith writing retreat with Christine Mason Miller, I arrived yesterday afternoon to the Santa Barbara airport and hopped into a generously “upgraded” white muscle car as they were out of my preferred economy choice.

When I sent Tim a photo of the beast, he kept texting me “vroom vroom.” I’m a menace on the road in this thing. It doesn’t even have a key and took me longer than I’d like to admit to start and put into drive. Good news is that I found the country and 80s hair metal Sirius radio stations.

Since I had a couple hours before check in for the retreat, I pulled into a Starbucks outside of Ojai and breathed a sigh of release once I put the car in park (and figured out how to turn it off . . .  again, without a key). I sipped one of their Evolution green juices and googled “what to see in Ojai.” Scrolling through farmers’ markets, antique shopping, and outdoor excursion ideas, I stumbled upon Bart’s Books—an open air used bookstore. I got flushed, felt my pulse quicken, and knew what I had to do. Back to the muscle car.

When I arrived at Bart’s Books, I had to drive around the block a few times because I couldn’t parallel park the boat. After a few illegal U-turns in the middle of the street, I found a large spot ready to house the car. Walking into Bart’s was a religious experience. I wandered around savoring the breeze through the shelves, ambient music, and thriving succulents strategically placed. After carefully selecting four books to consider, I sat at one of their tables topped with an umbrella and thumbed through them feeling in awe of the whole experience. Of course, I left with each of them.

It’s time for lunch so I’m off to dine on the yummy veg meals provided by Meredith Klein of Pranaful. This morning’s chia seed pudding inspired the sharing of the recipe below. What a yummy, filling, protein-filled way to start the day!

Wishing you a chance to fill your belly with fresh whole foods, sit with your breath, and pen your thoughts this weekend. Bisous.

Week in Pics

1. Creative play on writing retreat with Christine Mason Miller
2. Tea time
3. Loot from Bart’s Books
4. Bart’s Books = heaven on earth
5. Glamping
6. Monday’s Capitol Hill lobbying for the animals

Savvy Sources

10 Fun Writing Ideas
9 Daily Questions to Improve Your Life
How to Stay in Shape When You’re Busy
Creative Purpose of Boredom10 Ted Talks That Will Change Your Life
5 Productivity Tips from Busy People
9 Yin Yoga Poses to Summon the Summer
How to Create a Succulent Garden
55 Ways to Help Animals
Chia Seed Pudding How-To

Weekend Wish List

Write
Read
Connect
Breathe
Yoga
Uncover
Safe journey home