I recently received the infamous “box of childhood" we all eventually get when our parents clean out and downsize and decide we have reached the age where they should no longer be storing “our stuff.” The box that is chock full of photos, ribbons, and report cards—all those odd yet very tangible reminders of what your life was really like as a kid. I found this reminder of my time as a Girl Scout, which is kinda funny - I do not remember  that fondly , a free spirit from birth I never have liked to be told what to wear , what to do or how to do it . When I saw these pictures and handwritten notes from the troop leader it made me giggle that even then at the age of 10 I was doing my own thing .The  majority of the troop was in knee socks and short sleeve dresses and I am sock less , wearing clogs and a jumper with a turtleneck . I also appreciate the fact that I was getting badges and awarded a ribbon for  getting" second most votes" for the second friendliest girl at the "camporee" ...who knew!Grateful for the reminder that  my free spirit and sense of self  has been firmly intact all these years  and I survived girl scouts by earning full collection of crazy badges. 

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Happy Father’s Day, dad! Sharing some napkin love to celebrate all the big and little ways you have shown up for me always with a sense of humor, compassion and love . I love and appreciate you!

Recently, this adorable fairy house appeared on my morning route. I saw it tucked away in a tree overlooking the bay. It was clearly constructed with great imagination, care, and love. I especially appreciate the popsicle stick grate thoughtfully placed on the carved out window on the up cycled kleenex box. It boasts a charming full bedroom suite complete with bedding and a leaf chair.

So grateful for the being that created this and lovingly placed it here so the fairies could be super comfy and enjoy the view.

Janis Martin, one of the brightest lights on the planet, will be leaving soon to continue her soul’s journey. Last week she posted an invitation to "My Celebration of Life" to feel the love. Janis has been a mentor, teacher, coach, counselor, and all around loving advocate for so many throughout her lifetime. So grateful to be a part of her tribe and surround her in love and for the chance to feel her sparkle one more time.

I was lucky enough to work with Janis as my mentor and coach at a critical point in my life, as I was certain it was impossible to live, survive, and thrive without a big corporate job and all the trappings that come with it.

Janis was and is the voice of loving clarity and possibility, and she is a tremendous teacher in creating a life you love, starting from wherever you are . I am incredibly grateful for the realization that I am living the ideal life now as I defined it in my Janis homework from 8 years ago, which of course I found today.

I am so delighted and honored to have shared the planet with you and feel incredibly lucky to have you in my life. You have touched so many in ways you cannot imagine, and your energy and spirit are so appreciated and will be deeply missed.

I love you Janis, and know you are surrounded in peace, luscious light, and love, with huge smiles, as you continue on to the next phase of this crazy life journey.

I have never cared too much about celebrities or thought of myself as a passionate bird lover. So who knew I would be so excited to meet and hang out with my new favorite star—Morro the brown pelican, Since I moved to the coast, one of my favorite things is to head out in my kayak into the pelicans’ habitat and "lunchroom” as they fly over and feast within yards of me. Morro is featured in the film Pelican Dreams, and his story is fascinating.

Morro suffered a debilitating wing injury in 2009 and was taken in by Willow Tree Wildlife, an amazing wildlife rescue organization lovingly run by people who planned and hoped to rehabilitate Morro and release him back into his ocean world. Morro has a wing disability resulting from an injury and can no longer fly. He now lives in a magical place with a variety of animal friends and seems to be quite happy.

Bill shared with us that when it’s migration season, it shows in his behavior: he perches high on a pole and flaps his wings as if he knows it’s time for his summer vacation and seems happiest with his new life as long as he has fun playmates. We witnessed Morro with his goose girlfriend Lucy; he appears to be quite into her in his quirky male pelican way, and they were pretty sweet to watch. Morro has quite an interesting role in the world now; he is now living his life as an educator and has touched thousands of people. He has starred in a film that has been shown in numerous schools and state parks and helps bring to life the hazards that pelicans face in the wild.

So grateful to spend quality time with a pelican and to get to know Dani and Bill Nicholson. They are not only amazing beings; they care enough about the world to dedicate their lives to lovingly rehabilitating wildlife and addressing issues that impact our environment.

Driving down Highway 101 along the coast to Santa Barbara has been not only a beautiful very familiar but comforting happy place for me most of my life. I remember mucho fun, water play, and camping as a kid, and chilling at Refugio and El Cap beaches at many different phases of my life.

As I was driving this route on the day after the devastating oil spill, the air was thick with the stench of oil and there was mass chaos in the sky as the pelicans and seagulls were circling in large numbers, clearly confused and impacted.

The sky was filled with helicopters supporting the frantic containment effort in the water below. It is beyond heartbreaking to think about the impact this will have on the environment. The most shocking thing was to see the hazardous materials trucks and containers everywhere and the large force of "helpers” in white suits on this normally spectacular stretch of California coast.

As traffic was slowed by flashing lights, orange cones and emergency vehicles everywhere, the cleanup efforts and wildlife rescue were clearly in full force. I passed mile after mile of teams of Helpers and equipment being dispersed and focused on the brilliant wisdom of Mr. Rogers:

“When I was a boy, I would see scary things. In the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially In times of “disaster" I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers, so many caring people in this world.” —Mr. Fred Rogers

Grateful for the reminder that life as we know it can change in an instant and another huge thank you for the "helpers” that seemingly appear out of nowhere to help restore and repair in tragedies around the globe .

fathersdaypost

Father’s Day is here again, and as I sit down to write this, I realize I may know my dad better right now than I have ever known him before. We have always had a strong connection, and our time together as main caregivers for mom’s final journey forever bonded us as a tight team.

This is a recent photo of dad and his friend "Bear” at a celebration we just had for mom in California.

Dad and Bear have been friends since 1957, seem to perfectly intersect at critical points in their lives, and have a crazy shared passion for Nebraska football.

It was pretty sweet watching them together and realizing the history and life events they have been through together, both professionally and personally. I am starting to really appreciate and understand the whole “circle of life” thing. I've spent a lot more quality time with him and know many of his friends now, as well as much more about him as a human. It’s been touching and inspiring to see dad graciously receive love and support from the large circle of good friends he has made throughout his lifetime. He is focused on random acts of kindness these days and helping whoever crosses his path in meaningful ways. I am delighted to witness the scope of his generosity, thoughtfulness, and kindness.

Happy fathers day and thank you for being the model of grace, strength with the perfect scoop of vulnerability, its delightful to know who you are as a person outside of "my dad"• you are a gift to the world and I am grateful to have the opportunity to cheer you on as the next step in your beautiful story unfolds.

It has been a very long week since my mom left for heaven, but only one week. As I finish going through photos for her "life celebration service," I keep coming back to this one. I love this photo and believe it represents their marriage and relationship beautifully.

This photo was taken about 6 weeks into a 7 week intensive naturopathic protocol to treat her very aggressive cancer, which, unknown to us at the time, was rapidly taking over her body. As she grew weaker and needed more support than she wanted, they proved to be an even more amazing team.

I believe the sweetest thing about this photo is she is walking on her own, although weak and a little wobbly, and her dad is holding her up gently by her pants. He is letting her be on her own, yet ready to support her in any way he can, and they did that beautifully for each other for 52 and a half years.

This experience has been a gift wrapped in sandpaper, as I learned more about my parents, my family, and myself during this journey than at any other time in my life.

It was a privilege and delight to support her and them as a couple and I am incredibly grateful that I had these last two months with them.

Happy one week in heaven, mom—we miss you more than you could imagine!

I went home to visit my parents three weeks ago for a seemingly casual visit, there was nothing on the horizon to worry about. As it turned out, I was there when my mom, after not feeling great the previous weekend, went to a routine OR appointment which would prove to be not so routine, and after swift action from an efficient team of ORs and many tests and procedures, less than two days later we were given a stage 4 cancer diagnosis with tumors in the pancreas, liver, and lymph nodes.

Of course, we were all in shock, as mom is known for extreme self-care and is in great shape, and yikes, this is serious news. I extended my visit, and our newly banded and very determined tribe of 3 (my parents and I) began a thorough tour of the Ors offices with little good news about treatment options, total overstimulation of information, and the consistent reminder to move fast on treatment. My brother had also planned to be there over the next week—another crazy coincidence—and we pooled our family strengths, knowledge, and incredibly supportive medical connections to move into action with a sense of humor and grace.

As the information continued to unfold and connect us, we were able to find a great doctor and team at a holistic cancer clinic with a treatment plan and protocol that felt good and right for her. Looking back, it all lined up so quickly and powerfully that there is no doubt now that it should have been any other way.

Mom is now in her second week of an intense and complex treatment that, to greatly simplify, creates conditions in the body that cancer cannot survive and thrive in. A huge part of the success of this protocol comes from nutrition and juicing. I believe this label says it all: “Not for Sissies (Hardcore)” Mom is drinking 4 of these a day, very strong I could barely get down half a bottle. Yes, that label captures not only the taste and strength of this very potent microjuice but also the experience of being diagnosed with cancer, weighing all the options, and moving forward to take responsibility for your healing.

The photo above shows mom on day 5 with a full juice in front of her, an empty one beside it, and a sweet "bring it on" kind of smile. I bet she will not like this photo, but I believe it captures the experience perfectly. I remain inspired and impressed by her gusto, her open mind, and her spirit towards the whole experience; it has shown and taught me a lot.

I am incredibly grateful for all the loving support we have received on this journey and that I was there and able to be a part of what will no doubt prove to be a powerful healing experience for mom and our entire family.

I recently returned from a 5 day silent meditation retreat deep in the back country of beautiful and very serene Ojai, California. Going into silence after a busy year is an annual ritual that brings me peace and clarity to wrap up the past year and jump start the new one. I always gain insight, usually in the most unexpected ways , yet one of the most challenging aspects of meditation for me is to consistently bring a beginner’s mind and childlike wonder each time I sit.

My new year’s day began with the perfect reminder as I was spending some down time hanging out with the eclectic mix of peacocks, geese, roosters, and chickens. They were the sweet noise in our silence on this historical family house and farm we were staying on, based at the entrance to a very secluded park with rugged terrain and great trails.

As I was standing there, a local hiker and his toddler son approached the pen, as this very spirited peacock started doing his peacock thing and got beautifully puffed up, animated, and loud. I found and listened with my delighted beginners mind as the questions started rapid fire and dad calmly explained "when the peacock gets all fancy like that he's trying to impress the girl peacocks" .... dead silence from the boy who continued to stare and try to understand .... dad continues after a few minutes with "kind of like when daddy wants to make mommy really happy he puts on a suit and brings flowers" . The boy seemed to get that easily, with no further questions. Then the peacock turned around, started shaking, stomping, and showed us his other side. Dad quickly and easily explained, "As you can see, this side is beautiful too, like when Daddy is grumpy and wears his sweatpants and Mommy loves him anyway, everybody has other sides, and you can just see his clearly." With that, Dad got no more questions.

In our mutual silence, we were then treated to a great peacock show, and I walked away with a shiny new view not only on peacocks but on the two sides to everything. Grateful to start the year with a beginner’s mind.

I have always been a big fan of parades, and the more "small town creative" the better in my book. The annual Christmas parade in my new world of Los Osos, California, was themed "Christmas Under Construction" this year and made light of a current nuisance we are experiencing, our little slice of coastal heaven is undergoing some serious street surgery for sewer installation, and the construction is creating a bit of chaos everywhere. It seems we have embraced the inconvenience and are celebrating our progress towards completion soon.

I was pretty inspired by the creative use of standard everyday construction icons throughout the parade and thought these two were quite something. Who knew a horse could be turned into a unicorn by a strategically placed traffic cone and another horse decked out in full parade regalia fashioned out of construction vests and dazzling with a construction tape tail bow?

Grateful to be part of a creative community with a well placed sense of humor and a new twist on a holiday parade.

I recently left Portland and moved back to California to follow my heart and live in a small coastal town in an area I have always loved. It has been a big transition in every way, and I am now beginning to realize the magic of simplicity in a new way.

I have been making a conscious effort to be outside hiking somewhere new and amazing for sunset each night and have found many beautiful and totally isolated places along the coast and mountains.

This is now a favorite, a spot next to the Cayucos Pier with nobody around, dolphins playing in the water close to shore, and the special, sweet sound of a young boy practicing an instrument. He is out on the pier, playing his trumpet with his whole heart and soul. He brought his music stand and all; he was pretty good, and the sound of the ocean waves crashing was the perfect background. I will always think of him when I am here now and am grateful for the magic and the music of the moment.

I woke up Sunday feeling kind of off, but I made my way into the dance studio as usual anyway to move with Kari Winn, one of my favorite teachers. Kari has this incredible gift and always brings the right insight, wrapped in the right package, at exactly the right time. Kari created the intention to celebrate Memorial Day, and our movement today would honor Zach Sobiech and celebrate his gift to the world.

Zach Sobiech was 14 when diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Zach underwent many surgeries and chemotherapy treatments. At 17 and with only months to live, Zach turned to music and posted a video on YouTube to say goodbye to his family and friends. Zach's song, “Clouds'” went viral and has touched millions, 'Clouds' is available on iTunes and other online music stores. The proceeds benefit the Zach Sobiech Research Fund for Children's Cancer Research.

www.childrenscancer.org/zach

Zach Sobiech was 18 when he left this world on May 20, 2013. Our hearts and prayers are with his family and friends. We are forever touched by his wisdom and his story Thank you for sharing your life and music with us, Zach.

We celebrated your life as we danced and bounced around our beautiful space with big joy and arms up up up, rare sun streamed through the windows and Zach's catchy yet incredibly profound song Clouds blasted, I am certain he was feeling it . Grateful as always for Kari for continuing your tight focus on all the amazing things happening in the world and giving us space and freedom of movement to come together.

I just returned from an inspiring and pretty magical trip to Scandinavia, and a good friend asked me for the highlights of my trip. There were many, of course, and as I was sorting through photos on the long journey home, this experience really made me smile, an afternoon at Louisiana, an amazing museum of modern art in the Danish countryside outside of Copenhagen.

Everything about the place, the location on the water, the space, and the vibe is perfect. I happily stumbled upon a great art show with lots of rare Warhol and many other great pop art icons. Very inspiring indeed, but I have a passion for kids’ art and love watching them create with totally open minds. I found pure joy in the kids’ wing, especially this great space and this impressive wall of paper/scissor art.

I could not resist and had to sit in the pink chair next to my new friend and make a few just to represent my ever-present inner 5-year-old, grateful to be reminded of the power and beauty that the simple tools of scissors, colored paper, and a glue stick can create.

We are winding down on our first full, sunny, beautiful weekend in Portland in months; everybody is outside—kids in yards in inflatable pools, runners literally everywhere—and we were all out seeking and relishing every drop of sunshine we could get. Gardens are lush and happy in full bloom and there are daffodils dotted all over, today the seemingly endless grey rainy skies even seem almost worth it. I have never been much of a weather person since I spent most of my life in California there was no reason to be, but once again the contrast brings an entire new lens.

As I was out on a long awaited sunny run this afternoon, I found this incredibly sweet yard "poetry post" featuring "Daffodils," a poem by William Wordsworth. There are two spring poems available in printed copies to take on the go and get your poetry fix. A very unexpected and perfect Easter treat. I am incredibly grateful for a taste of spring and a thoughtful neighbor in Portland.

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I recently attended an offsite for work, and when we were packing up to leave, we had lots of fresh fruit, yogurt, and "healthy leftovers.” I took most of it to give to a local homeless shelter I support, but I never made it that far. I found myself driving through Portland with a front seat full of food to give away and gained even more awareness of the intense homelessness crisis here. It was a bitterly cold day, and at almost every corner was a person in need; most were young and appeared broken and hopeless, and sadly for humanity, they were very grateful just to be acknowledged.

I passed out food and drove on until I met Zach and Bella. I got out of my car, and Zach and I talked for a bit, and he shared his story with me. I was so touched by his vulnerability, his honesty, and his energy that I asked for his phone number so I could check in and help as much as possible, and I went home with a gnawing tummy.

I have been watching for Zach and Bella ever since, and they were on my mind a lot today, so I texted him to check in. They seemed shocked, and I was happy to hear that all is "ok" and that they are now living in a car with his girlfriend and Bella, trying to get back on their feet after losing a job and thus their apartment. We hatched a plan to meet in the morning so I could drop off a care package and check in. So grateful to be in a position to help and to have a chance to support with compassion and a new awareness. After all, every person standing on a corner with a sign is a human, has a story, and a soul, and sometimes we need a reminder of that... Thank you Zach and Bella

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Europe for business, always a welcome and refreshing change to be out of the country, and with the impending presidential elections, this trip took on an all-new twist.

Sleepless in Germany I turned on the TV to find the second presidential debate under way on the BBC. I watched in disbelief as the "binders of women" and other crazy facts and phrases were dropped like weird little grenades the potential leaders of the country would later use against each other. Then the somewhat harsh but seemingly objective BBC commentary began. No wonder the rest of the world thinks Americans are crazy. Almost everywhere I went after that, I was coaxed into somewhat intense political conversations about my voting preference, the candidates, the election, and what was going to happen to America.

One night, a tough taxi driver wouldn't let me out of the car until I promised I would vote for Obama, as he appeared to be convinced that if Romney won, the whole world would collapse instantly. He seemed quite certain that my single vote might make or break the election. It's fascinating to experience firsthand how humans across the planet perceive American culture and lifestyle. In India last year, as I was confirmed as an American, the common response was "Yes, America—a black man living in a white house,” followed by a mocking chuckle and head bobble.

The progressive nature of Amsterdam seems to have the perfect outlook, as there were quite compelling posters plastered everywhere showing the morphing of both candidates’ faces into one and advertising the "Presidents’ Night,” which was billed as a giant party including comedy and, of course, an all American breakfast.

Although I am not at all a political heavy, I am painfully aware there is a lot at stake here, yet something about my recent international travel experiences makes this whole nonstop election mania seem a lot less serious. Just think while we are waiting for election results on Nov 6 people all over the world will be watching and potentially even celebrating in ways we cannot even imagine, And at this point a heavy dose of comedy and a big breakfast just might be the best approach.

As I was completing a project in India recently, I had a unique opportunity to witness the Monday morning arrival and energy in a corporate office in a radically different culture. I sat in the lobby early for a meeting and watched the usual rush of somewhat hesitant people swipe their badges and dash upstairs to begin their week. There's nothing different about that.

Soon a man arrived with a huge smile and a box of flowers, marigold garlands, incense, and prayer beads and began a ritual at the abstract Ganesha altar in the corner at the base of the stairs. Ganesha is one of the deities widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as the Lord of New Beginnings and the Lord of Obstacles. I can’t think of any office that could not use that fresh perspective each day!

It was beautifully fragrant, and instantly the energy of the office and the way the new rush of people entered the building and started their week was calmer and more aware as they each stopped and took a moment with the altar.

Grateful to experience the Monday morning ritual in a different world and take note of the importance to stop and take a breath and a moment each morning.

I am in the midst of a huge life transition. ... just moved from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, and everything is new and shiny. I am going from a house with huge gardens that I lovingly grew over the last 7 years to a temporary apartment with stunning views of the rooftops in downtown. Many have amazing very unique rooftop gardens that most people don't even know of - from the street.

I am particularly grateful to see the chef across the street come up and harvest the herb garden several times each day—a big slice of joy in my all new world and a rooftop perspective I would not normally have.

So beautifully stated....