Sunday, June 1, 2014

Sunday Funday

You know how every now and then you're all like "hot dang today is a good day!" Today was one of those days. Allow me to walk you through it.

I woke up around 9:30. An excellent time to wake up. I put on some pants and went downstairs to make some coffee. We just bought some whole bean coffee from Cafe Justo so I was looking everywhere for the coffee grinder and I just couldn't find the danged thing and just as I'm about to move into a full blown I've got to have my asdfjhlks coffee freak out, I found it. So Brent and I sat and chatted over some bomb coffee. Then I took a really long shower and listened to the Muddy Waters Pandora station. Refreshing in many ways.

Next I was on my way out for the day. Packed up a new book, a drink and a snack, a sweat shirt for later (which later didn't happen until once I got back home so that was pointless but who even cares) and went to a meditation meeting. Got some hugs and from there I was off to meet some friends in Chinatown. So I went to get on the red line and only had to wait like two minutes which was awesome, hopped on the train, read the aforementioned book, got off the train, got on the gold line which I like because it's above ground, and got off in Chinatown. I was planning on walking to my friend's apartment so I was totes surprised when I saw them waiting at the stop. We headed over to Grand Central Market for some eating. Brent met up with us and we ate and chatted about some things we've been up to, what we will be up to, and pros and cons of the non-profit world. Then we climbed like 1908213 stairs (not really) to the water court, Sara and I paused to look at a huge garden at a retirement center, and walked around the fountain filled plaza. I had a blast walking through and playing in the fountains. I had never been to this particular spot before, but at one point I realized I had walked by it a handful of times without knowing it was there. You never know until you know, I guess. Next we moved onto Grand Park, a fan favorite, where I played in more fountains and watched all the kinds of people that go to Grand Park on Sunday for electronic dance music. It definitely made me think about Asheville and Warren Wilson. Brent left and the rest of us headed to Sara's new place before she, Cole, and I took off to Tribe, where we worship. I really enjoy seeing people's abodes for the first time and this one was full of awesome art so that's awesome. It got me excited about finding my next place. And I had what in that moment seemed like the best glass of water I've had in my life. And we talked about having a mac and cheese bake off dinner - talk about my heaven. Tribe was excellent of course - good food, good peeps, good words. I laid on the floor and started what I think will be a pretty dope drawing. Then it was back on the red line, did some more reading, and then ran into Brent at the bus stop. I love those little moments of running into people, especially in this city.

And now here I sit, writing this blog post on our tiny second story porch, under twinkle lights and the stars that I assume are still up there even though I can't see them and saying goodnight to a pretty good day.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Meditation and Mondays

This blog post is long overdue. I feel like I have to start every blog post by saying sorry. Sorry I don't post more frequently. I really am. For you, and for me. My friends and followers deserve more updates, and I deserve more time to sit down and process and reflect on everything that's going on - each day, each week, and each month - as I move through this year in Hollywood. 

I've often told myself that I'm good at reflection - good at evaluating situations and their effects, good at reflecting on myself. But I have to admit I'm nowhere as good at it as I'd like to think. But I can also admit that I've been getting better. 

Through YAV, and DOOR, and My Friend's Place we talk a lot about self-care. It's crucial for our mental and physical health. But me, I've never really been too good at it. I sometimes get jealous of and frustrated by people who seem to just know what they need for self care. I've always been one to just push through and say I'll be ok. But then I burn out, somehow gather the pieces, and start over again. It's taken this year for me to really start focusing on what tools I need and have to care for my own well-being. What I have known is that I need a good balance of being surrounded by good people and some quality alone time. Lately, I've actually been using some of that alone time for meditation. I've always thought about practicing mediation but have only lately been making it happen. It isn't always fully successful, but when it is my head becomes clear and I feel grounded and more peaceful. It's grand. 

A few Mondays ago, we went up to St. Andrew's Abbey for a mini silence and solitude retreat. I absolutely loved it. I spent the morning atop a desert mountain just past a cemetery. I found a good little spot and plopped down. After jotting down some initial thoughts, I let my mind go blank and allowed my spirit to take over my body as I moved around my sandy plot. I then just laid there until it was time to move down the mountain and have lunch, silently, with the rest of the group. After lunch, I found a totally different spot and laid down in thin grass under some pine trees. I rotated between little naps, just being, and reading. I may or may not have also been rotating from laying in different piles of what I imagine was rabbit poo - but hey, I was one with nature. We broke silence over dinner and then headed back home. It was a very grounding, calming, and clearing day and couldn't have come at a better time. 



Let's keep talking Mondays. We don't go to our respective placements on Mondays and use that time to spend together as a community. We usually take advantage of these "Community Days" to take care of business - house meetings, grocery shopping, and whathaveyou. The rest of the time we fill with some quality family fun. Earlier this month Brent and I planned a community day out at Paramount Ranch. It's a cool park in the Santa Monica mountains with old western movie sets. The sets are still used today and while we were there they were wrapping up shooting the hulu series Quickdraw. I dressed the part and had a big ol' time posing for pictures. 



We also recently took a tour on Skid Row, which contains a concentrated portion of Los Angeles's homeless population. Rudy, a grand fellow who works at Housing Works and a couple of former dwellers, drove us around pointing out some [not always so] successful agencies and resources. Rudy was full of good stories and info. One of the main things that stuck with me was dumping - hospitals and law enforcement agencies would just literally dump homeless folks at a street corner. 
Skid Row is downtown and we spend our time working in Hollywood, so it was cool, so to speak, to spend some time in this infamous part of the city.

Last Monday, we headed out to Venice Beach for the day. John and Tara put together a fun little photo scavenger hunt, so we spent the morning running around taking pictures of random things with random people. We had lunch in Venice and then spent the afternoon chilling on the beach. 

Makes Mondays not so bad.