"..craft a coat of armor for this thing called life, bind it together with love and laughter, truth and friendships. With that, you can be fearless. "
Hello from my east coast adventuring! Three legs to this journey from Florida -> DC -> NYC. Today I am going to ramble your ear off. The topics: fearlessness, travel healing, friendships, vegan eats, some rescue turtles and a bonus topic: Hamilton on Broadway. Yup, all that is in this post guys...
Hey guys, a bit of story telling today. I am currently traveling on the east coast on a mini adventure. First stop was the Garden of Life Blogger Summit - which I will share in another post. Today I want to talk about how this trip has been a beautiful challenge for me. And how sometimes in life we need to seek out people, places and experiences that fuel our souls and bring us to life. Especially when we are going through a transition.
We talk so much about fueling your bodies with the right types of foods, well sometimes we need to "feed" other parts of ourselves too. Spirit food. Soul food. Whatever you want to call it.
Adventures in Blogger Trips. In this post, I talked about my recent journey and challenges since my dad passed away in December. I have been feeling a tiny bit better every day, but I am still going through some stuff. So when my good friend Sophie told me about the blogger summit opportunity in West Palm Beach Florida, I texted back to her that I just didn't know if I was ready to:
A) Get on a plane and travel 3,000 miles away
B) Socialize with brand reps and bloggers
C) Crawl out of my cave of grief, exhaustion and anxiety
I felt kinda like this cutie... (more on these sweet rescued turtles at bottom!)
But I knew I needed a goal. And I always love blogger brand trips, so I knew this opportunity could really lift me up.
This was my shot. And I was going to take it. (FYI, that was a Hamilton reference..)
So, I said YES to this adventure.
Dread. The past month, leading up to the trip, I seriously considered canceling. I just wasn't sure if I was ready to be so far away from home, my work, my own bed, my healing meals and smoothies and my husband and kitties -- aka out of my comfort zone, literally.
Trip Day. The morning of the flight from LAX to Florida, I was trembling as I wove my carry-on suitcase through security. As I approached the metal detector, my heart started to flutter, heat rushed into my bones and the chalky brown carpet floor started to peel away and twist sideways in a dizzy flurry. But instead of letting anxiety take hold, I breathed. Calmed. Waited. And made it through. Fine. I snatched up my bags, pulled my sneakers back on my feet and trekked off to my gate. I waited for Sophie to arrive, because we were flying together.
Enter Sophie. Sophie bopped over to me as I stood at the condiments and cutlery counter at Lemonade. I was hunched over my to-go coffee cup, feverishly stirring my chamomile tea. Sophie, with her wide eyes, giant smile and caramel colored hair said, "Whatcha doin' love?" laughing and calling me out for looking like a stress case.
In that moment, I burst out laughing and felt happy. Like myself, basically. It is amazing how when submerged in the company of the right person you can literally feed off someone's positive energy.
Through this trip, I have felt like myself. Giggly. Goofy. Brave. Independent. Curious. Loving. Creative. Energized. Inspired.
The blue-green sea of the Atlantic and calming Florida rain storms have been a beautiful backdrop for some serious soul healing going on.
Friendship is Magic. I bet you know this feeling too. The one of being with your girl or guy friends are suddenly feeling light, alive and giddy. Lit up like a crackling fourth of July sparkler. Our energies mingle and bubble and fizzle and crackle into a sort of glistening rainbow-colored light.
Notice those friends who do that for you, and treasure them. Thank them for their company. Remind them how much they mean to you.
On the last day of the summit, Sophie and I had some time before out flights and we were able to pop over to a restaurant called Christopher's Kitchen, for lunch. It was ah-mazing. One of the best plant-based restaurants I have ever been to. My macro bowl was delicious and the MANY desserts we tasted were dreamy. So many chocolate goodies were nestled cozily in my carryon bag.
Vegan cupcakes from them too!..
But I Don't Want to Go Home Yet... I was feeling so good, and busted out some work projects ahead of schedule, so I decided to book a flight to DC to visit my mom.
And still... Then this happened. Guys, I snagged one ticket to see @HamiltonMusical with ✨@Lin_Manuel✨ this Tuesday. #omgomgomg#broadwaypic.twitter.com/0xuNWRg3nc
— Kathy Patalsky (@lunchboxbunch) May 22, 2016
I have been obsessed with the musical Hamilton over the past few months. The music is so good! And I love following the show's star and writer Lin-Manuel on twitter. So long story short, one last leg of my adventure. My husband got me an early 10-year wedding anniversary present..
I AM GOING TO SEE HAMILTON ON TUESDAY, GUYS. OMG OMG OMG.
So as I travel through airports, hotel rooms and reconnections with loved ones I reflect. And since I did not bring my journal on this trip, lets just blog journal out loud today! Unfiltered. Ready? OK..
Journal blogging..
How do you Heal? Maybe being safe and squirreled away for comfort isn't always how to save and heal yourself. Maybe pushing yourself out on a ledge of a pirate ship and jumping into shark and mermaid infested waters is the way to go. To live.
Say to yourself: You've got this. You can push through the pain and fear. This is your life. For good and bad. Blessing and challenge. Embrace every part of it. Don't be ashamed of your struggles. Live them. Share them. Keep going.
I was inspired to talk about fear because of Sophie. This is something Sophie wrote in an Instagram caption a few days ago that really got me...
"Fear is a dirty liar." - Sophie Jaffe
I love that. Fear tells you to stop living your life. Fear tells you what will happen. What is true. What your reality looks like. When really, YOU create your reality. Fear = dirty liar.
OK, so some things should be feared, like black widow spiders and a hurricane zone, during a hurricane. But most things you fear, you cannot control. And the things you can't control, you probably shouldn't fear in the first place.
For example, you fear public speaking. Why? You are afraid you will shake or panic or mess up or just look stupid? Well, put in some work to improve your skills and prepare. Fear just tells you to resist even trying.
Another example, you fear telling someone your true feelings about something, being real and honest. Perhaps, blogging about personal feelings. People might judge you. Well, what other people think doesn't change who you are.
Fear is a dirty liar. He says it is all about him. It is not. Life is about living. Fearlessly.
Yes, at times life will get shitty and life events and circumstances may flip your happiness upside down. But don't fear these downfalls. Don't fear pain. Don't fear truth. Instead, craft a coat of armor for this thing called life, bind it together with love and laughter, truth and friendships. With that, you can be fearless.
Thank you for reading this. I am so appreciative of you who skim all the way through my rants and talking out loud blog moments. I will leave you with the lyrics from one of my fave songs in Hamilton, Wait for it..
Wait For It
[BURR/ENSEMBLE]
"Death doesn’t discriminate
Between the sinners
And the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes
And we keep living anyway
We rise and we fall
And we break
And we make our mistakes
And if there’s a reason I’m still alive
When everyone who loves me has died
I’m willing to wait for it
I’m willing to wait for it
Wait for it"
Links to Love..
* Get the Hamilton album in iTunes. Hamilton show info here.
* And get amazing meals in Florida at Christopher's Kitchen
* All those turtles above are residents of the Loggerhead Marine Life Center. It is a non-profit education and conservation facility dedicated to the conservation and preservation of our marine environment. They rescue sick and injured turtles for re-release in the wild. Go visit it in West Palm Beach!
* Sophie's brand The Philosophie
I mean..
Bye loves!.
