Spooky Season Musings ‘23
I have been struggling to write a post lately. I have a hard time breaking the rules I create for myself. Other rules, I see as being flexible or even non-existent. I did however, create this silly rule where I need to have a long story to tell about a recent adventure for it to be blog-worthy. The funny thing is I always have stories to tell, we all do. Life is an accumulation of stories.
I decided today I wanted to post photos from my Halloweekend and give myself the space to talk about my life outside of the container of a trip or adventure.
So, what the hell has been up with me lately?
I have been finding ways to be healthier and have fun. I increased my movement, going from some extremely sedentary days where I would never leave my apartment to moving 1-3x a day inside and outside! I am doing this with friends who’ve agreed to join me in this movement experiment and be my accountability buddies. We’ve all experienced a positive boost in our energy, mood, and sleep hygiene since increasing our movement and time outdoors.
On Friday 10/27, I got KBBQ in SF with friends. We then went to a Bag Raiders DJ set where I danced my ass off and made friends with other ravers in the crowd. I made a random birthday boy’s day by gifting him and his friend bubbles. He pulled me to the side and said, “This may be TMI, but my therapist literally told me to get bubbles earlier this week and have more fun. You just made my birthday!” I believe the universe works in such great ways. It places people in our life sometimes for a moment or longer who can help us love and heal ourselves and spread joy.
Saturday 10/28, before I went on a five-mile solo hike in the beautiful Redwoods that make up Oakland’s back yard, I sat in my car and finished reading The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras. I cried many times throughout this book because it spoke to me in so many ways and the author writes in such a poetically-enchanting style. I also cried at the end because it was finally over, I started this book in January and it sat on the back burner as I read eight other books.
On my hike I stretched the fibers of my muscles in ways that I missed and knew would lead to a soreness I craved. I filled my lungs with the familiar smells of forest floor decay. Then I shut out the sounds of my surroundings to listen to two-hours worth of The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. As my body burned 984 calories I felt my heart pump blood through my veins, my breath deepen as my lungs filled with air, and my sweat glands release layers of cooling water, a harmonious physiologic orchestration – a reminder of my vitality.
Later in the evening, I got to bond and drink wine with a good friend while we got ready to go to a house party. Side note, I need more of this and am grateful to her that she made the effort to spend time with me and be vulnerable. At the party I reunited with more friends and the dancing continued.
Monday evening 10/30, I hosted my book club at my apartment building’s hot tub. The weather that evening was perfect and we all had a great time discussing The Long Way to a Small and Angry Planet, other books in the series, and our lives. We soaked and massaged our bodies, enjoyed an amazing spread of fruits, desserts, and other snacks, along with refreshing wine and non-alcoholic seltzers. As side conversations started to form I shared a vulnerable story about my previous pets with one of my friends, who later that evening when I was in bed, thanked me for normalizing mental illness. It was a reminder that to us both that we are not alone and the more we talk about this the easier living with it will be. I still meet people to this day who do not know how to love, be friends to, or even raise folks with mental illness.
On Tuesday 10/31, I got to see LEISURE (my ABSOLUTE favorite band) live for the first time. I had been following them since 2017 or 2018 tweeting at them and sending them IG stories practically begging them to come to the U.S. They were always responsive and friendly which gave me hope they would actually make it here. I still do not understand why LEISURE is not more popular, they are incredibly talented vocally, instrumentally, and lyrically. I went with my good friend Matthis who rallied on a school night to see them and support me.
I have so much to be grateful for and so much love in my life, I hope I can keep finding a way to balance the good with the bad, the ups and the downs, and everything else life throws my way. <3
