My foggy walk home, from the top: TransAmerica & Coppola buildings, Northbeach street art, pretty flowers by another Patricia,Washington Square Park, Saints Peter & Paul church, bikes for tourists, steep hill, green grass, bay in the distance, neighborhood sidewalk art.
I'm so glad my coworker nudged me outside a few minutes ago to check out how the sun, tucked perfectly behind the TransAmerica building, caused it to slightly shadow itself in the sky. Pretty awesome, right?
Damn, I love this city. pardon the poor pedicure. "I am an excitable person who only understands life lyrically, musically, in whom feelings are much stronger as reason. I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I can not transform into something marvelous, I let go. Reality doesn't impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls." — Anaïs Nin 2 years ago on my 26th birthday I got a tattoo on my right foot that says, in Italian, fuoco nelle vene. While the literal translation is fire in the veins, the expression itself has a meaning of living very passionately. And that's pretty much what I strive to do daily--live a passionate life from sun up to sun down, in the boldest of moves and in the most mundane tasks. From taking trapeze class (!!) to appreciating every bite of my breakfast croissant (seriously, it's heavenly) to planning my next big trip (Fiji? Bali? Africa? World, you shall be my oyster).
I've gotten some grief over the years from folks who worry about this life mentality and I don't necessarily blame them. I know a lot of very happy people who live simple, quiet, humble lives and I recognize not everyone is cut from the same caution-to-the-wind cloth as me. But I've gotta tell you--this way of living, though occasionally getting me into (big?) trouble, has mostly afforded me a plethora of adventures and experiences that I wouldn't trade for anything. It has connected me with folks who have changed my life, sent me into fits of pure, joy filled laughter and helped me explore the world from the corners of my own neighborhood to exotic lands across the seas. And when I fail? Man do I fail big. You could even say I fail passionately, with gusto, pizazz and a burst of pink glitter. But I also always get back up. With each passionate failure I am able to bring down with me another wall and this, dear friends, is the most important part--that our hearts, spirits and general excitement to be alive continue to grow, widen and deepen. That we continue to take down walls and allow love and light to flow from us and into us; that we connect, persevere and try, try again. There is a sign in my kitchen given to me by my best friend a few years ago that resonates with me deeply. It reads "I live simply, but deliberately". You don't need big frills and grandiose schemes to live a passionate life; you can be very happy living humbly in your own lovely nook of the world. You simply need the courage to deliberately start each day with an open mind and heart; to give thanks with each breath. You can turn anything into the marvelous simply by remaining in a state of child-like awe, curiosity and appreciation. You have the power to be utterly intoxicated by your wonderfully ordinary life. So today I challenge you to take down a wall. Big or small. Knock that sucker down and be amazed by your boldness, your strength and the wonders that will finally wiggle their way into your life now that you've given them a chance. There isn't much in this world we have true control over--just ask anyone on earth whose best laid plans have gone haywire. But we can choose to live passionately...live deliberately...and let the wonders of ordinary life amaze and delight us. From the boldest of moves to the most mundane tasks--put a little a fire in your veins. In Gratitude, Trish My very brave and super rad friend Kim has convinced me to step outside of my comfort zone...
...get ready for stories. (gulp, gulp, double gulp) Whipping up some childhood themed muffins for my Weebly muffins this morning....I'll let ya know how they turn out!!
A few weeks ago I hosted a surprise "bridal shower" lunch for one of only 2 female coworkers here at the Weebly office. Everything went great--the bride was definitely surprised and the guys were super sports about participating in this traditionally very female activity. I loved having an excuse to be girly for an afternoon! I dressed for the occasion in a cute little green dress and wedge heels, looking pretty dang fabulous-bridal-shower-hostess, if I do say so myself. I'd done all my prep shopping the night before so just needed to successfully make it to the office without dropping the 8lb. cake or smooshing any of the decorations dangerously teetering in my needs-to-hit-the-gym grip. I placed everything on the hallway floor, locked my apartment and strategically (or so I thought) picked it all up to be carried downstairs. As I waited for my Uber cab to arrive, supplies delicately balancing under my arms and in my bony hands, I looked across the street at the bus stop to find a handful of Marina folk staring at me with mixed expressions; surprise, amusement and even slight horror. What!? I thought to myself, what are you b*tches staring at? Ugh, I have got to move from this neighborhood, everyone is so judgey...I'm so tired of this, I can't wait to get out of here. Pretty sure I even threw in some brow raises and few eye rolls, for good measure. Then, in the midst of my mental rant against the population of my neighborhood, my cab pulled up. And I saw, in the freshly polished black town car siding, my bright green reflection staring back at me ....including the reason for all of the Marina folk looks. The hem of my dress had apparently gotten snagged under my supplies when I picked them up after locking the door, thus ever so charmingly lifting it up to my chest and exposing my hot pink underpants to San Francisco....for 8 minutes. Man, it's a good thing I really mentally gave it to those Marina bus kids (read: so embarrassing). Thankfully I made it to work without flashing anyone else (to the best of my knowledge) and successfully pulled off the surprise shower. The bride was more than worthy of a little lunch in her honor :) And now, I present to you, the hilarious results of my wonderful team playing a bridal shower game of toilet paper wedding dress: Can you guess who was the winner?
love and light, Trish Carried 6 boxes of Stickies home (successfully unsmooshed!) from Penn State to grill up for my Weeblies...excited to share this tasty tradition with them :)
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November 2023
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