Joys of J (ep.28)
And another few magical island months go by…
A few favorite shots below 📷.
Kauai continues to be a such beautiful teacher in embracing pain, light, beauty, happiness, patience, and beyond. It’s quite ironic that it takes leaving the island for me to sit down and actually write this next episode. The irony being that so much of my time spent there is so deeply present sharing my favorite new discoveries over in person chats rather than through tech formats. I’m realizing that because of the super rich community and spectacular 360 nature backdrop that once the work day is over, I’m itching to turn this thing in and get outside. And I am so very grateful to be living in a place that provides that itch.
I feel so many feels as I step foot back on the mainland for the first time in 6 months for a visit. Fear, anxiousness, and Covid running rampant when I boarded that flight to Oahu in December and now returning to a wounded yet healing forever changed world. One thing continues to be abundantly clear, I am so grateful to have such wonderful family and friends and look forward to giving you all the biggest of hugs over the next few months!
With that, on to some of my favorite reads and listens of the last few months..
🎙️ What Podcast Episodes Have Got Me Thinking
“The secret to manifesting is to feel good. We often think that when I get that thing I’m going to be happy.. it’s the opposite it’s when I feel good what I desire is on it’s way”
“When your agenda is so wrapped up in your desires you block what could be, you block major possibilities that otherwise could be way bigger that what you even anticipated or thought you could receive.”
“I’ve learned that fear is simply an illusion based on past experiences that we project into the present and onto the future.”
“I learned that real happiness doesn’t come from getting but from giving.”
“So much of what holds us back in life are the long-held resentments stemming from childhood.”
“You see, the way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us. If our thoughts and energy are not supportive, then our life won’t be supported. Therefore, we must take responsibility by consciously supporting ourselves in every given moment.”
“Whenever we place our happiness and peace in anything outside of ourselves, we'll inevitably feel unfulfilled and stuck.”
“Vulnerability is a muscle that has to be exercised.”
“I have learned this for certain: if discontent is your disease, travel is medicine. It resensitizes. It opens you up to see outside the patterns you follow. Because new places require new learning. It forces your childlike self back into action. When you are a kid, everything is new. You don’t know what’s under each rock, or up the creek. So, you look. You notice because you need to.The world is new.”
“There are so many different ways to be human.”
“...goals help us get a lot done. But they often remove our attention from the experience to the achievement. When we arrive at our goal, we think, then we will be happy. When we finally get there, we can celebrate and have fun. When I get that job, I'll be fulfilled then. When I get married, I will be happy. The Eden we pine for is not under our own feet or bike tires, but over the next mountain.”
⭐Full running list of all of my favorite podcast episodes can be found here. Should keep your ears busy for approx 124 hours.. ha!⭐
💡What Companies I’m Loving
Have been loving on this concept for years now. This idea that there should exist some sort of FriendBnb for friends to share their vacant homes with one another and choose whether they feel the need to charge or not. We all have friends scattered across this globe in desired areas to visit and while my NYC apt or Kauai home (in this case ha!) is going to be vacant either way, I’d be happy to have a friend stay while I’m gone than have them drown in offensive third party/hotel fees.
I understand folks often sit on polarizing ends here in terms of their comfort level sharing their intimate spaces with others but I do see this as a spectacular solution for those that don’t mind doing so!
I’ll preface with wherever and whenever possible, my vote is and will always be IN PERSON. However, being that this new post covid world has exposed tremendous physical restrictions it’s also opened up a world where those of us lucky enough to continue to work remote can decide what environment fulfills us and have our career fit into that versus the other way around. And for that, I along with many I’m sure are grateful.
With that, platforms like Topia definitely intrigue me as they seek to provide the next best thing to being in person with these more interactive virtual spatial ecosystems for humans to connect.
📖 What Book I’m Enjoying
“How does the brain remember faces? What makes us choose one decision over another? Where does language come from? Can we really measure intelligence?”
This little guy below will help provide answers to all of the above and more. Big psychology geek over here and have found this book to be super valuable in laying the foundation of psychological concepts regarding the human mind in a way that’s easily digestible.
❤️ What Poem I Love
My eyes, ears, and breath were glued to Allie Michelle as she read aloud her very own piece which I’ve shared below. After she finished, it was almost as though I had to gasp for a breath since I’d been unconsciously holding it for much of her read… super powerful and wanted to share with you all here.
You can also watch her read aloud on her IG by clicking here.
what if this was your last breath?
i’ll say it again
so you really think about it
what if this was your last breath?
take a breath
and as your lungs taste oxygen for the final time
watch as
death unravels the fabric of your story
beneath his bony fingertips
to take an honest look
at the life that you lived
you watch with wide eyes
the chapters that unfold
revealing your mark on earth
from the first second
your body was birthed
every love and loss
trial and triumph
the pages are turning quickly now
and you beg for more time
as all of these precious moments
flash before your eyes
he pauses
and slightly turns his head
then asks you about your biggest regret
is it that you held back in life? he says
in a moment the truth
could have tumbled from your lips
did you water it down or swallow it?
were you brave in love?
did you give all of your heart
or did you keep part of
it tucked away
afraid if it were seen
you’d be left alone in the dark
were you courageous in your choices?
or did you convince yourself
comfort was the smart thing
and that was all you were capable of
as though every atom and cell in your body
wasn’t an impossible love story of creation?
did you hold onto things?
and let yourself be hardened
by suffering
or did you allow forgiveness
to soften the sharp points of your pain
because all that destroyed you
was merely revealing
what was indestructible in you
when we avoid death
we avoid life
when we avoid death
we avoid life
when we avoid death
we avoid life
wake up
death whispers
as he laughs at our hesitation
because he can see
that we only occupy
a few magic seconds here
so now there’s only one page left
before you exhale that final breath
he eyes you curiously
and says
“what would you do
if i left this page blank?
would you stay awake
or let yourself be owned
by what you were afraid to face?
would you hold back?
or would you finally live the life
you wish you had?”
exhale
⁃ Allie Michelle