rainy day on 6a

            I’ve heard before that sometimes you have to leave a place or a person to appreciate its/their true beauty. After five years away at college, away in the world, I’ve come home to live on Cape Cod. I came back seasonally to live at home and save money working in the summer, but this time it’s different. I’m a college graduate and I’ve moved home after living out of a backpack for five months, traversing a new and foreign continent. I’m looking at the Cape through completely different glasses and I’m seeing lots of sunshine, even in the clouds and rain and muggy summer weather.

            Yesterday as I drove down route 6A, Cape Cod’s oldest and most scenic main road, I was mystified. Maybe it was the soundtrack of Kid Koala’s distant, blurry, and jazzy tunes floating around in my car. Or maybe it was the freedom of the day, one open for exploration and new conversations. Maybe it was the fact that I had just been reunited with one of my best friends. But through the misty rain, I found myself smiling both inside and out.

I stopped at a handful of places I’d seen or hadn’t noticed on the curvy, tree-lined road. I took a few unexpected turns, letting my impulses lead the way, and wandered into beautiful boutiques filled with love and thought and art and creativity. The HandcraftHouse tickled my fancy from the moment I pulled into the parking lot. Heavy wind chimes reached inside of me and touched my bones, singing to me through my ears and each of my cells. Decorative wind-swept rusted iron trees reminded me of nature’s elements, and the power of endurance and patience leading to inevitable change. I smiled at these inanimate objects that seemed to me so full of life, and delighted in the imagination and care that went into each of their stories.

            Then I meandered down the road to Dennis, where I stopped by the Cape Cod Chathouse, an adorable house refurbished into an art gallery and meeting place. It is tastefully and minimally decorated with simple and beautiful furniture, deep colors, and framed artwork. I sat in a window box with a big cup of lemon ginger tea and listened to the rushing of cars down the wet road mixed with an eclectic mix of Led Zeppelin and Madeleine Peyroux. I sat and thought and smiled to myself and wrote and read a little bit and felt content and lucky and sent some vibes of gratitude to the present moment.

            It’s not too often that we find our days so open-ended, I know, but I think a day is made great by beginning to notice and appreciate the little things. You may be stuck in the hot summer traffic, but maybe you can find a great song on the radio with a positive message, or find some wonder in the brilliance of the green in the leaves on the trees. It’s all about how you open and shift your mind. And good news friends—you’ve got the power.

back in the "real world"

After a wild and wacky 6 months, I'm back in the States, with regular internet service, a cozy bed, and a regular yoga routine on a real yoga mat again. I'll elaborate more on my travels in the coming posts, but I just spent the past five months backpacking around South America with one of my best friends from college after graduating. We started in Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia, where we hiked and experienced the most beautiful and remote scenery these eyeballs have ever seen, traveled through Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and then worked our way back down through nearly all of those countries again. Six countries in five months taught me that traveling can get tiring! After moving back home with my parents on Cape Cod, I'm getting grounded and happily establishing myself in a steady community once again.

Finding my breath in front of a glacier in Glacier National Park, Argentina

It's a transformational time in my life and I'm gratefully accepting the challenges and changes. My mother just recently took over ownership of our local yoga studio, the Centerville Yoga and Wellness Center. I feel lucky that I can help her to grow a business in a field that I am incredibly passionate about. It makes my heart smile so bright when I think about the possibilities ahead! I am learning, slowly and surely, that while owning a business is a whole lot of effort, I think it's going to be worth it. My mom's and my vision is to revamp the energy of the space, which has already been growing for six years, and create a space for community--a place where people can gather together, talk, practice, find peace, friendship, and inspiration. We offer yoga classes, massage, counseling, and loads more to help bring balance into people's lives. Goodness knows, there are plenty of things that try to blow us off track in this crazy life!

As I close on one giant journey through another continent, I'm excited and energized to be embarking on another entirely different one at home. I look forward to using this blog to share stories and experiences, new yoga learnings, teachings, and videos, thoughts on life and cool things and people I encounter along the way. I'll share photos, music, positive energy and messages, and I hope that you feel free to send me a message and contribute as well if you feel pulled to do so.

I hope you're having a kick-ass summer so far, you rockstar. I look forward to writing again real soon! Stay TUNED!