[Weekly Dose of Wisdom] Spring Forward

March 12, 2015March 12, 2015Leave a comment

While March marched on into our lives hail paraded down on Southern California, eliciting a sonic onslaught as if it were a troupe elephants gallivanting over tin roofs while blanketing Orange County beaches with a coat of unprecedented snow. And now? Spring has yet to be sprung, and it’s been a lovely past few days with a threat of a heat wave flowing in tomorrow. In a monumental personal feat, this is the first morning since Daylight Savings Time that I’ve woken up naturally and with my usual bounce in my step! For multitudes of reasons, I’m enamored by these few months before Summer – life is passionately on display as blossoms and wildlife color the sky, humans and animals alike couple up in cute, baseball gets into full swing and festival season reigns supreme. In the spirit of Spring’s impending arrival – here are some of my favorite seasonally inspired quotes on blossoms, flowers, nature, love and life with pictures from various trips to Big Sur, Ventura, Colorado and around Eagle Rock.

[Weekly Dose of Wisdom] The Power of Books

March 5, 2015March 5, 2015Leave a comment

My entire life, I’ve been a collector of sorts – a personal curator for the museum that’s manifested into my modern life. From My Little Pony’s and calligraphy pens, to my current menagerie of cats, gemstones, books, quotes good music and great company – I’ve managed to live up to my favorite Oscar Wilde quote: ‘I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.’ And speaking of quotes, with the reading that I’ve been doing and continual bouts of knowledge that I’m contently shoveling into my skull – I’ve found a great assortment of quotes on to the enraptured wanderlust of the reading experience.

Unbeknownst to me until this afternoon, it also just happens to be World Book Day! Whether it’s a wonderful coincidence or a well planned post, I guess we’ll never really know but as the Genie says in Aladdin – a little of column A, and all of column B. For other lessons in literature, delve into my book repository in my latest post concerning my 2015 Reading Challenge and take a gander at my Top 10 Works of Literary NonFiction. While we’re here though, take a stroll through my favorite quotes on reading, books and literature. To commemorate the day, I want to leave you with five of my favorite books of all time in no particular order because they’re all so different and good. My taste ranges from delicately woven social commentary and dark undertones mixed to insightful scientific analysis and gonzo storytelling, so if these five don’t float your boat – maybe something in my Good Reads Library will.

Caucasia, Danzy Senna
Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
Suicide Casanova; Arthur Nersessian
Music, The Brain and Ecstasy; Robert Jourdain

What’s your favorite book?

What’s your favorite quote about reading?

Let me know in the comments below!

[Weekly Dose of Wisdom] Bring the Rain

December 1, 2014December 2, 2014Leave a comment

Thanks to the rain – gloomy, grey mornings have never felt so welcomed and wonderful. This drought that we’ve been wilting away under has been unbearably hot and dry, not to mention inexorably long lasting. On the positive side, it’s made me research desert landscaping and ways that we as Californians can translate permaculture into our everyday lives – but rain, I can love on that wet, slippery stuff all day long. So much so, in fact, that I wanted to share my favorite quotes about the rain. Enjoy!

[Weekly Dose of Wisdom] Three Cheers for Good Health

November 12, 2014Leave a comment

It’s the time of the season – it’s time for pumpkin spice everything and holiday decorations, high school reunions and winter colds. Being sick for the last few weeks has put me in such a funk, so getting some perspective is absolutely clutch. Time and time again, we – yes, that’s right – you and me – take our everyday good health for granted. Deep breaths of fresh air, long walks on dimly lit evenings, early mornings running errands to catch the first streaks of sunlight; each and every one of those seems so distant when your health is in jeopardy. While I was busy coughing up my lungs last week, this week I’m valuing each sip of air like it’s champagne and drinking up life like it can get me drunk. Not that we all need to get sick to form an appreciation for not just the simple, everyday things (like health and time) that we take for granted – but it definitely gives you ample time to reflect, even if it does form a stagnant writers block on your creativity.

Here are a few of those mantras that kept me pushing through to the other side.

[Weekly Dose of Wisdom] Dedicated to Oscar de la Renta

October 21, 2014October 21, 2014Leave a comment

Though I’m not the biggest into fashion, I can almost guarantee that every woman in this country – if not the world – has had at least fleeting dreams of walking down a red carpet donning an Oscar de la Renta gown. How do I know this? Because I most definitely have and I’m far from what I’d consider “girly”. When I found out last night that he’d passed away it got me thinking of the photo shoots I’d done in the past, and his exquisite, elegant and feminine sense of beauty, style and grace. I wanted to pay homage with a few quotes of his that really resonate with me – as well as some of my favorite dresses of his. We’re missing a fashion icon on Earth, but I promise that Heaven has never looked so stunning.

[Weekly Dose of Wisdom] Get Your Zen On

September 22, 2014Leave a comment

Even though the month is only halfway through – to say that it’s been a long, or emotionally charged last few weeks would be an enormous understatement. The good news, is that every situation provides a catalyst for change provided we’re honest with ourselves about our intentions, both past, present and future. Over the last few years, I’ve found myself more and more enthralled and in touch with my spirituality – and since I was never raised within the construct of organized religion, I’ve been coveting the small moments that I feel truly connected and at one with the universe surrounding me, as well as within me.

A lot of thanks is due to Depak Chopra; it’s not that I know the man personally (though, I’d love to sit down with him and pick his brain), but through his website he offers a free, 21-day guided meditation course – often topical, with focuses on personal intentions, love, etc. Though it’s only for a few minutes a day, it provides a wonderful jumping off point for anyone unfamiliar with meditation. The first time I completed a course was two years ago when I ventured off to Arkansas for a work trip, and ever since – I’ve noticed a wonderful, peaceful shift in the way I approach the world in times of chaos, as well as times of calmness. Sometimes, when I meditate on my own – I use a little literary inspiration; here’s a collection of my favorite quotes on seeking peace, finding tranquility and establishing your internal equilibrium.