We Do This Shit To Ourselves

photo-1527018609937-2ab6154b7197Have you ever thought someone or something else was the cause of your pain and suffering? If you said no, you’re a supernatural freak and I want your number. If you’re a different kind of freak and said yes, you may be surprised to know that noone or nothing can be blamed for the state of your being other than you.

If you were karate kicked in the face by a grown man wearing Doc Martens, your pain is valid because that probably is going to leave a mark. Much suffering however, is created by your own thoughts, which can only be created by you. Most thoughts are about the past and future, which further proves my point that we often do this shit to ourselves.

For shits and giggles, I’ll give you a personal story as an example. For anonymity, I’ll call the guy I was seeing at the time Joseph Gordon Levitt (I wish). I had been talking to Joseph for months, consistently, every day. My rose colored glasses were on my head more securlely than a seatbelt on a rollercoaster ride. Lord knew, I was about to be on one.

One week, what was once a consistent stream of communication, was a sporadic sprinkle of content. I put myself through hell and back worrying about what I could have done, or what could have happened, to create the change in communication. Next thing you know, my naive inexperienced ass sent him a text out of concern and desperation to get answers and clarity. It wasn’t cringe worthy, but it certainly didn’t deserve an applause. The response and series of events that preceded, resulted in my mom referring to him as the devil because he acted about as mature as the boy in my first grade class who made chronic fart noises with his mouth.

It’s easy to point the finger at Joseph for my sadness because he acted like a douche, but really I did it to myself. My thoughts created the unnecessary worry and insecurity. Those thoughts were the catalyst for an unnecessary text. The text made me come across as needy, and insecure, which is the equivalent of me waving around a giant red flag right in front of Joseph’s face. I chose to let his immature ways make me sad, rather than learning from the situation and thinking “Boy bye. I need me a man. This is the stepping stone to something greater. Onwards and upwards.” It takes two to tango, and we need to own up when we step on someone’s toes.

If you point one finger forward, three are pointed back at you for a reason. You are the actor, director, and editor in the play called your life. To be able to make a 5 star romantic comedy, you have to take accountability for your feelings and the creations in your life. If you want a box office bomb, keep pointing your fingers at other things.

 

How New Year’s Eve Alone Made Me Realize My Wish For You In 2019 And Beyond 

photo-1525373612132-b3e820b87ceaMy friend, who is as unreliable as a soaking wet paper bag, left me to fend for myself NYE. I was only given the news a few hours before we were supposed to meet up… yet again. 

I know it’s how she is, and my other friends think I’m nuts for putting up with it, but I secretly don’t mind plans being cancelled. It’s an excuse to hide away in my humble abode like Rapunzel Before she realized it was kind of fucked up that she was stuck in there. It being NYE made it a harder pill to swallow, but I set out to make the best of if. That I did. 

I adorned my quaint studio with flowers and candles. I thought about my bright future, and how this is just the beginning of a journey where I know the best has yet to come. When the clock struck 12:00 eastern standard time, (Lord knows if I have it my way I’m going to be asleep before 12:00PM) I was meditating on my bed. When my eyes opened to see if 2019 had come, I was welcomed with a text from my mother wishing me the best for the year to come. 23 minutes later, here I am writing.  Doing what I’m passionate about, honing my skills, expressing myself openly and creatively. 

The goal in a day like this is often to do something memorable enough to remember the following year. I’m not going to lie, it was a bit of a wish of mine, and hearing my neighbors roar like someone won the most epic game of Jenga doesn’t help. Will this day go down in my history book as one to reminisce? Negative. However, the better question is, will this day be considered one that nourished my soul? That it will. 

The more we nourish our souls, the more we will have positive and memorable experiences to put in our history books. Often times the best moments are serendipitous anyways. Plus, the objective is to be in the moment, and content with what is. It’s not about trying to tally instagram worthy events. 

This year, I wish for you and myself, peace with what is. I wish us acceptance of every situation handed to us, or thrown in our way. I wish us a love for life, the people we’re surrounded by, and most importantly, a love for ourselves. 

Don’t Break Through Your Barriers

Have you ever felt like you’re not tapping into your intuition or your true potential? Like angels are trying to show you the way, but you’re like “Bye Felicia! I’m too busy trying to make shit happen the hard way to hear you out this time.”

Well, I’ve certainly felt that way. 

Sometimes I feel as though I’m trapped in a plexiglass dome, and I’m trying to get out with a toothpick. It’s as if this invisible wall of resistance is the only obstacle that stands between me and everything that I want.

Yet maybe its making peace with that wall that will bring me what I want. Maybe that wall is meant to be there. Maybe there is a door that has yet to be discovered, only to be found once I find peace with it. Maybe, just maybe, that wall is an illusion and the more I wake up, the thinner it will get.

I can write about theories for eons, but at the end of the day, the more we try to break through the wall, rather than understand and accept why in was constructed in the first place, the less our problems will find solutions. 

Our walls were built to protect us at some point in our lives, but now mine is more dated than my grandparents wallpaper. My mission is to continue to make strides each day to free myself from any limitations or limiting beliefs that hinder my peace. This wall is not to be broken. This wall is to be accepted and understood so that we learn how to be free.  pexels-photo-518959-1

What Would Someone Who Loves Themselves Do?

pexels-photo-320007.jpegWhat would someone who loves themselves do? Hustle back to work as though they’re Cruella de Vil’s little bitch because they fear of a coworker thinking less of them? That doesn’t sound like love. 

Would they have more disappointment in themselves than most citizens have about the current state of our nation because they’re not some enlightened millionaire yet? That doesn’t sound like love. 

Eat a half carton of vegan cherry chocolate chip ice cream, followed by peanut butter pretzels from Trader Joe’s, and a cookie for dinner? I don’t know, I’m still trying to justify that one.  Probably not though if I’m being honest with myself. 

If we truly questioned if our actions are out of love, we’d find more often than we’d like to admit, they’re not. Before you act, ask… What would someone who loves themselves do?

I almost ended this post with that last paragraph, but then fear rose up like bubbles in a glass of champagne in the hands of a recovering alcoholic. I feared it would not be long enough. I worried someone would take the time to read my work and find it a waste of their time. That’s not love.

Someone who loves themselves would express themselves without fear of judgment or ridicule. Someone who loves themselves knows they are good enough and worthy regardless of the opinion of others. They would be happy that they authentically and creatively put something out into the world to potentially help someone else. That’s what someone who loves themselves would do. So here is my work. Unapologetically, authentically, creatively, lovingly me.

It’s Happening For you

road-man-broken-car-6078-1The time I crashed my car in Santa Barbara.

The chick who acted like Mother Teresa around everyone else, but was the biggest bitch to me. 

The person I had a crush on that I totally thought was a guy until I had already caught the feels. 

The text I sent to someone I was dating out of insecurity, causing a ripple effect and ending with my mom referring to him as “The Devil.”

None of it happened to me because nothing does. Life happens for you. 

Those instances lead to some of my biggest insights. They often come out of your comfort zone, in frustration, or fights. 

It’s all happening for you I promise and swear. You’ll be pleasantly pleased when you find the gems hidden there. 

Crashing my car lead me to the place of my dreams. It wasn’t at all what the situation had seemed.

I realized the universe will always have my back, even when the process feels like a heart attack.

It’s happening for you, I know this to be true. Before you throw in the towel, ask what it is trying to show you. 

Going After What You Want Doesn’t Make You Happy

boy-828850_1280I can Imagine so many internet trolls reading that title and getting their panties in a bunch before they read any further. I can understand why it would be an easy argument to claim that going after what you want will make you happy, but I’ll prove you otherwise.

Was I happy trying to score a man by swiping left and right on dating apps to the point my finger cramped up? (I’m being extra, but you get the point.) No, what it did was leave me feeling disappointed that the young Leonardo Decapprio looking dopplegänger was as stimulating as watching paint dry.

Was I happy going after my ideal body, having an eating disorder, and going to the gym 12-14 times a week? Well, I did love my gym classes, but the answer is still no. I wasn’t happy. I was never good enough, and consistently had significantly more anxiety than a Californian yogi after realizing they accidently ate something with gluten and meat in it.

Was I happy going after money, recognition, acceptance, relationships, or anything else I wanted? The answer is NO. It’s doing what you love, not going after what you want, that brings true happiness. 

We often try to go after some ideal of a body, romance, financial status or recognition, rather than making sure we are enjoying the process and journey of connecting with others, and deepening our connection and understanding of ourselves. 

Going after money won’t make you happy, following your passions and what brings you joy will.

Going after a lover won’t make you happy, appreciating connections with others and yourself will. 

Going after an ideal created by societies standards won’t bring you happiness. Engaging in activities and enjoying things that nourish you will.

Don’t go after what you want, do something you love. Today. 

The TRIP of a Lifetime – The Journey to Lucidity Part 2

florian-van-duyn-383221

The day had finally arrived.  I jumped out of bed to shove some last minute essentials in my bag before heading to the festival, and felt a sense of pride to have been able to cram so much in one suitcase. After patiently waiting for Marissa to get up and ready, she made her way through the front door with a Bob Marley blanket draped over her shoulder. Looking cute in our festival attire, but in an “I woke up like this” kind of way, we crammed our bags in the trunk.

We arrived and I was happy to be there, but with the directions Darrin gave us to find his campsite, I was feeling like I was playing where’s Waldo, but was never told what Waldo was wearing. After walking back and forth under the blazing sun, we serendipitously came across a man who looked like a hybrid of a lumberjack and a backpacker. He introduced himself as Roman, and gave us both a big hug which would have been weird in the real world, but anything goes at festivals like these. After telling him our situation, he generously invited us to stay with him in his pimped out tent, and I accepted faster than I drive when I know I’m about to eat as soon as I get home. Before we headed out, he offered us some drugs. Having had no experience with them, and just publishing an article titled “Why I Go To Festivals Sober” I passed.

Though the fear of relapsing and the constant obsession over food was real, we had a great day full of music, laughter, dancing, exploring and naked photoshoots. The idea of doing shrooms danced around in my head, but I kept telling myself I wasn’t ready, which is what I had been telling myself for years. I realized there would never be a time where I felt ready. New experiences often come with uncertainty, and the time was now. I mentioned that to the girl next to me as we put our clothes back on after our naked photoshoot.

Next thing you know I’m back at her campsite, with Marissa, holding a warm cup of mushroom tea between my two hands. “Heal me, heal me, heal me.” I replayed that mantra in my mind and set that intention as I lifted the cup to meet my lips.

Having felt nothing after about 30 minutes, we decided to get up and walk around. Not long after, I felt like a hopeless romantic who is single on Valentines day. With fists clenched, and heavy steps, I felt like punching just about everyone in the face who was within arms reach. I glanced over at Marissa and her smile was as big as the hand that I wanted to smack her with. With wide eyes and a pep in her step, she requested to head over to a band and dance. I took a deep breath and told her I felt this energy in my chest and felt like it was about to explode. I said I was going back to the tent to cry, and she could meet me there in 20 minutes. Holding back my tears, I raced to the tent like I just heard someone yell “Free food!” which is too say I looked like a professional power walker.

I bolted inside the tent, lied down, and continued to feel the expansion of this energy in my chest grow. As it grew, so did the distain towards myself. “I can’t believe I’ve never been in love. Do I like not have a heart or something? I’m broken. I just don’t work like other people. Ugh, I’m so annoying. How do people stand me? I talk way too much. I’m so fat. Why can’t I eat like a normal person. I still don’t have my shit figured out. I can’t do anything on my own. I’m so stupid.” When I say I bawled my eyes out, thats an understatement. Well, I guess not considering my eyes didn’t actually come out, but you get the point.

Those 10 minutes felt like an eternity. Suddenly, I brought my awareness back to my body. I took a deep breath and began to say “This is okay, this is okay, I am okay.” I acknowledged that those were my thoughts, not me, and there was this larger part of me that wanted me to accept me and my thoughts as they are. It’s not like that was new news to me, but I was, for the first time, given such a profound opportunity to heal.

You see, there is this misconception that by focusing on the positive, and looking on the bright side, everything with get better. Though there is some truth to that, those results are short lived. Life gets better when your perception gets better, but you don’t heal unprocessed limiting beliefs that way. By truly feeling, acknowledging, and accepting my biggest limiting beliefs, the process of healing can begin.

I didn’t leave Lucidity feeling like a new person. In fact, I was pissed that I didn’t feel the “one love” or whatever the hell they say, but that’s not what I asked for. I wanted to heal, and that’s what I got. For those following this blog/my story, it should be no surprise that the following month I met Allie, and also signed up for Yoga Training. I believe that incident allowed me to let go of enough resistance for me to be more receptive to what is in my best interest. Now, I’m not saying go and do shrooms, but I am saying don’t be afraid to feel the pain, for it’s through the pain where you can find your way to peace.