Lou was setting up lighting for a project he’s doing the other day and asked me to come stand in for some test shots. I threw on a little lip gloss (cause I’m vain like that) and Teo and I headed out to his sweltering studio for a couple of snaps. Here we are! Sweaty, tired, and at least one of us is probably hungry starving and desperate for coffee. {More after the jump}
Hi friends! Thanks so much for sharing your own experiences and lifting me up in mine on this post from a couple of weeks ago! One of the best pieces of advice I received when Teo was a newborn was to “ride the waves”. This was general life advice when it was given to me, but I clung to it like a life raft this past year and a half with Teo. So I’ll share it here and hope that it helps one of you. There are times in parenting (and in life in general) that you’re pushed to the very brink- physically, mentally, emotionally. When your babe is teething and not sleeping and you are fighting with your partner and the pressures of life are looming it can feel like nothing will EVER be ok again, right? Exhaustion couples with frustration and worry and a host of other emotions pile on top. It can be suffocating. It’s like a wave that knocks you down. You’ll make it up for air eventually, but the time underwater feels like it will never end. Hopefully you land on the other side of the wave soon, and have a ride on the topside that is fun and thrilling and magical! But either way, whichever side of the wave you’re on your only real choice is to ride it out. This idea that the good and the bad all comes and goes brings a sort of ease into life I think.
Hi my friends! I want to write about something that’s been on my mind lately, a bit unconventional for my usual posting but it just keeps coming up in my thoughts and conversations, and I want to hear what you think!
When I was growing up social media didn’t exist. I remember dial up internet and chat rooms- that was my first experience with an online world (I also walked uphill both ways in the snow to get to school-haha!) Now, of course, most of us have social media accounts- many of us have multiple accounts, and it’s a part of our culture that isn’t going anywhere. For me, it’s a part of my business, so I think about it even more than most. And I have a love/hate relationship with it. I adore looking at pretty photos, I love following along with friend’s and acquaintance’s lives via photos and blurbs, I like sharing my own life in snippets and thinking that someone somewhere is happy to see it. BUT. BUT. BUT…… Sigh.
We’re unquestionably more connected to our friends and family (online) than any other generation. We can maintain relationships that span continents and decades, easily. But I worry that we’re actually less connected and becoming less social because of it, that we maintain online relationships that are less fulfilling, pick up the phone to check in with friends less often (via actual phone calls), that we make less effort for in-person interactions because we have a sense of connection via our online lives. And in that false sense of connection, we’re missing out. Companionship is such a critical element to leading a happy and healthy life, it’s a bit troublesome. We need to be hugged and share laughs. We need to be hugged and share tears. No social media account will ever fulfill us in the ways that we truly NEED.
I sometimes feel lonely when looking through my Facebook feed, or scrolling through Instagram. It’s as if seeing all of these people I love, but only on a tiny screen, reminds me that I’m not with them. And, to be fair, we’re at the age where all of our friends are having babies and growing their careers- it’s a busy time! There isn’t as much focus on social get togethers as I’d prefer, understandably, but I wonder if somehow we’re missing something? Do you think about this too?
I’ve been feeling a strong need to get offline more, to get out in the world more. Lou and I are bouncing around the idea of doing an extended RV trip and driving around the country to meet some of you (would you even want to meet us?!) I love the idea of hosting little dinner parties for like minded folks who are looking to take this online world off, for a meal and a bottle of wine (or five). What do you think? Would you join us at a campground for a meal if I promised to make it delicious? Would you want to meet me, Lou, Bean, Nugget and Pepito? Do you think this is a crazy idea? Please please, tell me what you think!!!! xx- Sarah
I learned a lot about life this past year as first we sat beside Lou’s father as he moved on from his life and then as I spent the better part of the year fighting to get back to health. I’m not sure why those things happened back to back, but they humbled me, taught me so many life lessons and pushed me to grow into a better person, to live a better life. The RV and our travels are a direct reflection of that. As I lay in bed this year wondering if I would ever regain my quality of life I realized there are so many things that I’d put off doing, that I might not have the chance to do. With each day in bed I grew more and more committed to the idea that if I got better, I wouldn’t continue to choose work over play, to save for tomorrow all of the things that I want out of this life. I realized, during that time, that I’d strayed away from myself somehow, that I’d become a version of myself that wasn’t fully alive.
Travel and adventure are so important to me, have always been so important to me. To feel a deep sense of vitality I need to stretch my legs and see new sights, I need to feel uneasy about the unknown, I need to be awed by the magic of the world around us, I need to be outdoors. I’ve made that a priority since I’ve gotten healthier, and it’s completely changed my life. Each day I pinch myself when I wake up and look around at the landscape around me- I feel my spirit come alive as I run down the beach chasing a giant flock of seagulls, my heart feels like it may burst at the seams as I watch my husband and dogs explore this big beautiful world. I feel like I’ve started walking the path back to my true self, if that makes sense. It’s so easy to wander off the trail when life/society/expectations are pressing down. So I ask you, are you on the path you most want to be on?
I write all of this for those of you who haven’t had the crisis experience that’s forced you to take a long hard look at your life, to ask yourself does it make your heart sing, what you’re spending your days doing? Are you waiting for another day to live the life that you dream of? Because, as we know but have become so skilled at tucking away in the backs of our minds, tomorrow isn’t a promise- it’s a hope. It won’t come for all of us, or it may come but not look anything like we dreamed it would. So in that case, would you be doing anything differently today? Do you know what your dreams are? Are you living them? If not, what are you waiting for? This world is magical, this life is beautiful, it’s yours for the crafting. Please, live it hard. Live it with everything you’ve got. Be grateful for each day, for each moment, for each experience. Revisit the knowledge that tomorrow isn’t promised and let today be your greatest gift. xx- Sarah
Happy Tuesday everyone! After I shared my most recent health update last week I read through all of the comments and emails- I was struck by how many of you are going through or have gone through something similar! So today I want to share some of the ways that I’m coping. I know that there are times where life can get very dark- loss, health struggles, the end of a friendship or relationship, work stress- really there are a million things that can weigh us down. Which always brings me back to the idea that it’s not a matter of what adversity you face- we all face it- but how you get to the other side of it. It’s been a struggle for me this go-round to find the light, to learn how to be gentle with myself, really- to figure out how to dust myself off and keep moving forward. I’ve hit some all time lows with this one. But I’m thankful for them because they’ve provided me the greatest possible opportunity to learn and grow, I know that at the other side of this I’m a better version of myself. I’m stronger, I’m learning so much about life, myself, and how to love myself and be ok in the world even in the darkest moments. More below… {image via}
Hi my friends! I’m sorry for my sporadic posting as of late! Actually, I take that back, I’m not really sorry. I recently read and watched this and….. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Yesterday I caught myself apologizing twice for what was essentially just being alive and out in the world. One of those times a man was coming in a door that I was going out of- and the door was solid so neither one of us could see the other until we were practically bumping into eachother. He said “Oh! Excuse me!” and I simultaneously said “OH! I’m so sorry!!!” WTF! That auto-apology is no bueno, I’ve got to kick that habit to the curb!
So routing back- my posting has been sporadic, but there’s a reason for it. That reason, as it is, has to do with my health. I’ve been STRUGGLING this year. At first I thought it was the stress of the move- and the six weeks living with friends, the buying and selling of our houses. But then all of that was behind us. Next I thought it was that being under that stress for so long triggered my body and that once life settled I would feel better. A few other things popped up and life wasn’t settled.
