by Claire Star
Frank and the Tower from REI on Vimeo.
by Claire Star
I've always liked rock climbing and greatly admire those who manage to push through the fear of heights to scale cliffs and mountains all over the world. This documentary, presented by REI, shows the beautiful story of a man named Frank who goes climbing every day. It makes me want to find a tall tree to climb this afternoon.
Frank and the Tower from REI on Vimeo.
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by Nicole JordanDo you ever take yourself out on a date? I certainly do. In fact, I do this quite regularly. I’ll walk out of my way to my favorite coffee shop and read, see the latest art exhibit at a museum, or even have a meal on my own. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I’m not afraid to dine alone.
I think that this level of comfort that I have with myself stems from being an only child. I learned how to have fun on my own when friends and family were too busy to hang out with me, which wasn’t often. Yet I discovered that when my independence leads me to discover or learn something new, I feel a greater sense of gratification than I do when I’m with others. Maybe that’s related to the fact that I’m more of an introvert or maybe it’s because I have a sense of dispositional gratitude* that makes me more present-minded and susceptible to appreciation over the little things in life. I haven’t figured that one out. Regardless, my desire to have one on one time with myself to enjoy the city I live in has many benefits beyond a greater sense of gratification and discovery. One of the many benefits being my propensity to share those experiences with the people in my life, such as Claire and you guys, the readers of our blog. But what happens when say, I have a cold or painful cramps or I just feel lazy? How can I treat myself? That was the question I have been turning over in my head this week and I think I found the solution in candles. They create a nice aromatherapeutic ambiance that can be rather calming. These past few days, I’ve been burning a mix of warm comforting scents, like balsa wood and cedar, and fresh, clean ones, such as french lavender and vanilla, to make an ordinary day feel a bit special. What’s your favorite candle to burn? I’m currently looking for a new one to add to my collection. The candle pictured above is a Prosperity Candle, which is a social enterprise that invests in women entrepreneurs who have recently resettled from refugee camps in the United States. All the candles are made with natural ingredients, including American grown soy, and are vegan and kosher certified. It is available for purchase from The Little Market. P.S. Here's an interesting article that discusses the idea of dispositional gratitude. // Photo via The Little Market Tags: by Nicole, Happiness, Home, Life by Nicole JordanI find that the most effective ways to relax and unwind are often the simplest. As a child, arts and crafts or a game of dress up (which also involved a tea party with my cat) were always the easiest solutions for unwinding after a long day. And while I no longer play dress up (because I’m a grownup who knows better than to subject their pets to an afternoon spent wearing ridiculous outfits whilst drinking tea), I still find arts and crafts to be a relaxing way to unwind. However, with a busy schedule it’s been harder to find the time to throw myself into the art projects I once loved to do. Insert coloring books for grownups. After watching a news segment on the meditative and relaxing state that coloring can induce, I decided to try it out. And honestly, it’s fantastic. Instead of spending time actually drawing patterns on graph paper--which is what I used to do to unwind--I can now focus on the fun task of choosing colors to reflect my mood. It’s truly a fun way to get in touch with your inner kid (and way more fun than coloring in Disney princess coloring pages with old crayons at a restaurant). Would you ever try a coloring book meant for adults? P.S. Need more convincing? Here’s an article published by The Atlantic called “The Zen of Adult Coloring Books.” Pinterest is a great resource for free printable images like this one above. I bought this book a couple of months ago and still love it! Here are some of the photos I turned to for inspiration when I was still hand drawing patterns to color in.
// Photos via Johanna Basford, Flickr, 1max2coloriages, Amazon, Fox You, A Feminine Tomboy Tags: by Nicole, Art, Design, Happiness, Life, Meditation by Claire StarI’ve been feeling harried and overextended lately, as I rush from school to work or from dinner to my desk to continue studying. I catch myself believing that I don’t have time for the things that I enjoy, things such as a conversation with a classmate, a phone call to my best friends, a yoga class on Monday nights, or the latest episode of The Good Wife. I catch myself believing that I won’t have time to read my fun book until the arrival of winter break, or that I should give up all hope that Nicole and I will have our French girl Skype session, consisting of a required uniform of striped shirts and set menu of French pastries and good coffee. I catch myself believing that all the crunchy fall leaves will long be raked away by the time I have a chance to walk through them. I’m well aware that these believes are not conducive to happiness, nor does they lend to positive thinking. I know that if I continue in this vein, I will get stuck somewhere dark. I’ve been there before; I have no desire to go back. So, I’m choosing to embrace the time spent doing the things that I find enjoyable. I’m going to change the labels I apply to my actions so that they better reflect how I want to feel. I will no longer reprimand myself for the ten minutes each day spent reading my favorite blog, Cup of Jo, and instead appreciate the happiness I derive from the experience. I’ll accept the mornings where I slept later than planned, acknowledging that my body must have needed the extra rest. I acknowledge that this will be a gradual process. I accept that after my twenty (albeit short) years of living one way, I will not wake up tomorrow a completely changed person. That would be wonderful, but perhaps not realistic. And I want to observe the change as it happens, as I believe that it will remind me why I started in the first place. Inspired by the post “Save It For a Rainy Day” on Erin Boyle’s blog Reading My Tea Leaves, I’m choosing to embrace the time I spend doing the things that I find enjoyable. I’ll commit myself to taking the time to do at least one thing—strictly for the fun of it—each day. As of now, the list of things that makes me happy includes: - planning trips, either real or hypothetical (as evidenced here and here) - taking aimless walks with my dog, Freddie - finding the best coffee in Seattle - listening to music by Brandi Carlile - eating ice cream - browsing Pinterest - writing this blog with Nicole - taking pictures If I’m struggling, I’ll visualize the times and places that I was happiest, such as when I took the photos in this post, and remember the message conveyed on the Scottish Museum of Modern Art’s building, below. I’m curious: how do you prioritize the things that make you happiest?
Note: This post was inspired by the post “Save It For a Rainy Day” on Erin Boyle’s blog Reading My Tea Leaves. I highly encourage you to take a few minutes and read the post; I found those couple hundred words to be as equally valuable as the twenty-plus hours of reading I did this week for my classes. // Photos by Claire Star. Title borrowed Sheryl Crow's song by the same name. Tags: by Claire, Happiness, Life |
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