11 Midweek Musings

Hey, hey, hey!

It's the second official Midweek Musings blog and this one keeps it real real. We covered my favorite holiday: Halloween and I close this list out with my most anticipated seasonal festivity of the year...

1.  Soft beachy waves - I'm talking hair. It's always been my favorite look, but honestly it makes me feel so much more beautiful and put together. I don't like using heat tools and haven't mastered the heatless version, but stay tuned. For now, it's taking my ceramic hair straightener and using it to softly curl the hair away from my face using ~2 inch strips of hair. 
2. Hawaiian music - surprise, surprise. Nothing new about this one. I just love the sound of this music. It brings me straight to warm nights under fluffy moonlit clouds in sundresses. I could work, cook or sway the day away to this music forever. In fact, I've been writing an entire book to it 🤭
3. Actually using free resources - dude, the internet is loaded with some B.S., but it's also full of so many free goodies to help you on WHATEVER journey you're on. What a blessing. I've started actually using the things people are putting out (be it answering suggested questions, listening to free meditations, or kickstart workout plans) - I'll take it! If it's good and I need it, I'll invest from there. People are here to help and there is so much you can do without spending money. Help yourself!
4. Weight lifting - okay, honestly I hate this, but I know how important it is for the longevity of the body. My partner has been training me with sooo much patience (I am not a good beginner and love to throw a lot of fits). There is seriously not a light enough weight in the gym for me right now, but little by little (3x/week being as patient as I can), I hope to be at least comfortable in there, doing my thing, building my health, strength and stabilize my joints and body.
5. Witchy shit - not to call him out, but Sean's biggest qualm about me was my witchiness. Like so many, he thought it was dark and weird. Instead of accusing him of the patriarchal indoctrination he'd been accustomed to (though I mentioned it), I made light of it. Suggesting that every good thing he ever manifested was... well... witchcraft. Because it's true. We're all witches and warlocks and whatever else you wanna call it because we are a perfect alchemy of earth, air, water and spirit. Working with those elements (aka life itself) is what enables us to create real magic. Taking thought to action to result. It became funny and fun and I even held some bets with him (ie: if you close this deal, it's because we're witches and we casted a spell). I've been proving stuff to myself, even! So I'm back, baby. Better and more connected than ever.
6. Not picking up the phone - I used to have this urgency, codepedency, people-please-y wound that would cause me to pick up the phone no matter what I was doing because I "could" or "should." Gone are the days. If it's an emergency, I'll know. They'll text. They'll call again (and if they do, it better be a fkn emergency - can you tell that's my biggest pet peeve?). My life is on my time.
7. The song "Water" by Tyla - I haven't heard a mainstream banger like this in a longggg time. As soon as I heard it, I stopped in my tracks and was like, "play that sh*t back." It's tribal-esque, it's sexy, it's beautiful, it's refreshing. It makes me wanna love and vibe and love and vibe.
8. African decor - I didn't know this was the name for it, but I've been screwin' around on Pinterest trying to create my California life aesthetic (since I'm spending a lot of time here again) and realized this is the term for natural colors and textures with bold black patterns and accents. It's almost Bali, but edgier, louder, and a bit more fun. 
9. Cranberry juice for UTI's - this is NOT medical advice, alright? So don't sue me. But instead of taking antibiotics when I felt a UTI coming on, for the first time in my life, I just drank 8 oz of sugar-free cranberry juice daily for about 4 days. It was intense and I did get a prescription for antibiotics as backup just in case, but brother, I cleared it! And without murdering my gut health! WOOH!
10. Keeping it real - who knew you could do this? I thought I was authentic all my life, but truthfully, I valued a sense of belonging and likability wayyyy more than authenticity. Because I care about TRUE authenticity and alignment now, I've let go of the need to fake it when I'm uncomfortable, laugh when it's not so funny, stay when I want to go, smile when I want to cry. I'd be lying if I told you this feels good or easy. In fact, sometimes it feels awful, anxiety-inducing, fear-validating. I've upset others and spiraled myself into panic, but I know this is a retraining of myself and the people who love me. For those who aren't willing to stick around, we weren't meant to be. I gotta keep it real, and the real ones get it.
11. Zombie Joe's - this is LA's greatest theatrical art. Yeah, I said it. A few years ago, a few friends and I spontaneously bought tickets to this mysterious and vague Halloween show. We figured it'd be a little spooky, but had no big expectations for $22. We walked through a wonky, dark little maze with a masked actor behind every corner until we entered a small room. The space was intimate. We were probably one of about fifteen. The show started with a man jumping down from the ceiling completely naked and the rest is history. I'll let the world see this for themselves, but know it's now an annual tradition - a cult classic between me and my favorite weird people.