Up and Down Dog
Finding balance in a topsy turvy world…
Returning to the PNW like the Salmon
Like the fall-run Chinook Salmon which spend 3-4 years in the ocean before migrating to their spawning grounds in the fall, Rocky and I will be returning to the Pacific Northwest at the end of September. While we do not plan to spawn or die right away on our return,...
Rain Rain Fall Fall
The rain was coming down hard on Monday, hitting the windows of the classroom and creating a waterfall down to the sidewalk. I was sitting at a long table, watching my teacher write hiragana (Japanese characters) on the chalk board. Since it was my first class at...
When I’m Sixty-Four…
My high school boyfriend and I used to sing "When I'm Sixty-Four" by the Beatles. At the time, the lyrics had us imagining that we might have a long and happy life together. Of course sixty-four seemed ancient and so far in the future that we also found it hilarious...
One Step In Front of the Other
One of my favorite quotes to share on a Hiking & Yoga Retreat is from Ellen Degeneres. She explained, in her most serious voice, " You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven today and we...
Instructions for Living a Life
Poet Mary Oliver said, “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” Rocky and I just returned from 12 fantastic days in Puglia, Italy, leading the Walking and Yoga Retreat. Mary Oliver's quote was on my mind more than once while we...
Healing a Broken Heart
This year Valentine's Day is not only a day to exchange boxes of chocolate and read the sweetest love poem that Rocky wrote for me in Spanish, but a chance to express my gratitude for a mostly-healed heart. Last September, while leading our Spain Hiking & Yoga...
A True Epiphany
On Sunday, Rocky and I buckled up in Row 7, locked our tray tables in the upright position and stuffed our personal belongings under the seat in front of us. Our Iberia flight was waiting for the all-clear from the tower so we could fly from Boston to Madrid after...
An Apple A Day….
The phrase, "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away" is not a popular saying in Spain. However, in Asturias where we live, Sidra, a beverage made from fermented apples is touted as a health drink and recommended for daily consumption. "El amor y la sidra, lo curan...
Death Cleaning: the Art of Letting Go Now
Three years before we moved to Spain, we started the tedious process of downsizing. With so many new storage facilities springing up in Federal Way at the time, it was tempting to rent a large unit or two to store our favorite furniture, Rocky's essential kitchen...
Sobremesa: slow food, long conversations
Rocky and I recently returned from France where we hosted three yoga retreats over a six week period: two in Bordeaux and one in Chamonix. Between the pre-retreat prep and the post-retreat laundry and recuperative downtime (aka collapse), I was not inspired to write...
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