A round of what I've been catching up on...

Being Brave in Sadness, Brave in Love. "that we must sit with the wholeness of who we are and what we experience, that we must honor the beauty and the pain, that we can be sad yet grateful, angry yet compassionate, broken yet held in wholeness. This is life."

My hooping hero. A lot of practice in my future to live up to this.

One of my favorite writers on selling your sofa and going after your dream. Do whatever it takes. I'm selling my bed, that's basically the same thing. I wonder what I can sell from my dad's house...

Yup, another manifesto. For growth. "The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them."

An incredible story on how yoga cured cancer. The reminder to consciously breathe resounds in my head daily, but that an abundant amount of oxygen can kill cancer cells is really just mind blowing.

“I’m grateful for anything that reminds me of what’s possible in this life. Books can do that. Films can do that. Music can do that. School can do that. It’s so easy to allow one day to simply follow into the next, but every once in a while we encounter something that shows us that anything is possible, that dramatic change is possible, that something new can be made, that laughter can be shared.”

~ Jonathan Safran Foer

I'm obsessed with Manifestos. Newest.

relax, release, breathe deeply.

I'm a time bomb of emotions lately, which is my only explanation for why I haven't been writing a lot. A lot of things are happening. I'm leaving. I'm leaving a place I love because I feel like I don't belong here any more, and that gets proven to me in small ways every day. I'm leaving because I got accepted to a fellowship at basically my dream organization and I'm finally going after my dream after years of suppressing it. Maybe it won't turn out to be what I want it to be. Maybe I'll be back. Maybe it will be everything I want and more and I'll find a new home out there. The only thing I'm sure of is that I'm not myself anymore, and I need a change.

I'm so totally excited for this opportunity. In January I'll be living in Half Moon Bay, California working at Not for Sale. Come visit, send love, keep reading. I'll also be writing on their fellowship blog. I might be leaving Boston but I'm starting a new chapter in my life in what could possibly (hopefully) open doors for the rest of my career. No pressure or anything.

"I believe that as long as we all follow our heart, continue to stand in our truths, take full ownership for our stories and be ok with who we are, we will eventually reach our fullest potential." - Via Beeyond Yoga

Loving this. Via Positively Present.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my absolute favorite people in the world, Whitney Handrich.Whitney was my first friend at Northeastern, and the reason I met my college boyfriend, and everyone else I know today. We were on the MEISA board together (fellow music industry majors) and spent a ridiculous weekend in Stockton, CA (we don't recommend that ANYONE ever go there, ever.) I'm fairly certain that we are the same person. We both have a passion for music that was slowly killed by academia, and now we want to save the world. She visited me in Vietnam and then took a year abroad herself. She's now in Spain and I miss her every single day. We've lived together, danced together, laughed and cried together, saw some great shows together, watched that 70s show, ate cheddar pretzels and oreos, and both have a serious love for trees. We've even worked together and held the same job at different times. I think of her every time I see a squirrel. Our mutal wanderlust will probably keep us from ever living in the same place at the same time again, but that's part of why we get along so well. Happy birthday lady, I love you so much!

Red Sox game with the boss.

What one looks like after a night at Apocalypse Now, in Vietnam.

Vietnamese Dance Party

<3

Kristoff has done it again.

It's safe to say he's my number 2 crush. The first, of course, is this man. Please don't make me choose.

Ironically, the first paragraph of this blog post related to none other than, the blog post itself. Jesus, it was like she was writing a letter directly to me, stopped me right in my tracks.

I think I'm still trying to forgive myself for compromising too much.

You could have done better but I don't mind / You just kinda wasted my precious time / But don't think twice, it's all right. - Bob Dylan

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One way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that. - Joseph Campbell

Via Abby. I'm glad we like all of the same things.

Nicholas Kristof is by far my favorite journalist. His passion moves me and I'm incredibly grateful to him for bringing light to the human trafficking movement. This past week he joined another hero of mine, Somaly Mam, to raid a brothel in Cambodia- an incredibly dangerous task as most brothels in the county are armed and run by people in the military or police force (and most of those mentioned are also customers.) He documented their steps on twitter, but you can read his article here. Additionally, his past few articles also hit home for me, on girls education, and an organization changing lives through literacy. When I read articles like this I miss Vietnam more than I can put into words, but I know that the work I end up doing will bring me back to my favorite part of the world. It chills me that Kristof sees progress - not something many human trafficking advocates can see in their day to day work. But still - there's just so much to be done. If you want to read more about Kristof's efforts I urge you to read Half the Sky, an incredible movement he started with his wife to "emancipate women and fight global poverty by unlocking women's power as economic catalysts."

His priorities lie directly with mine, now the question is, what am I doing about it?

"none of us are free if one of us is chained"

my L.A. ink

I've been away for about two weeks on what turned out to be an amazing journey. A few crazy days in Vegas with one of my best friends from college. A few lazy days in LA with an amazing cousin I haven't connected with in years. A night in San Diego, wandering the Gaslamp Quarter by myself. Meeting tons of new people, making new connections. I love a good vacation. I think it's necessary to leave your comfort zone every once in a while, experience something new and explore what's around you. Those few days when I wasn't a slave to the grove put a lot of things in perspective for me and I feel refreshed. Exactly what the doctor ordered! (Metaphorically, of course.) Since I'm still catching up on my life, I have a ton of interesting things to share. Beware, I have more than two weeks of google reader to catch up on... Enjoy!
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I have a soft spot for anything New York. The video is simple, but I love the familiarity of it. And the song is beautiful. And, not for nothing, but I'm pretty sure 2:18 is Asbury Park...?!

I'm fairly certain Christopher McDougall is a genius. This article touches briefly on his theory - we should be running barefoot. I bought his book for my dad and he read it cover to cover faster than I've seen him read anything in my entire life. He sent it back to me (which was obviously my plan) but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I can't wait. I know a few people with the Vibram Fivefingers and I've heard mixed reviews. I know a few guys who love them and I know others who have horror stories. I think the problem with the latter is that they haven't changed their form. It's not just running barefoot, it's changing our entire way of running, and it's a process that takes time. I can't wait to read the book and venture out into my own exploration on the 100-ups and the pose method. Easier running with no injuries? Count me in. For more inspiration on distance running, a little Marathon training love from a track star. I love her ambition and her sense of humor; “I have to go be in a coma now,” Fleshman said, adding “All I want to do is lay down and be fed grapes and expensive cheeses by my good-looking husband.”

“You are what you are. Now, you just have to convince yourself that what you are is perfect and great. You don’t need to be better. You just need to be you.” - Fleshman, in the article above. This doesn't just apply for marathon training - this needs to be remembered for every day life.

"Deep practice is built on a paradox: struggling in certain targeted ways- operating at the edges of your ability, where you make mistakes- makes you smarter. Or to put it a slightly different way, experiences where you’re forced to slow down, make errors and correct them- as you would if you were walking an ice-covered hill, slipping and stumbling as you go- end up making you swift and graceful without your realizing it." -Daniel Coyle. I forget the first place I heard this but like the above quote because it can be applied to so many things. Personally, it reminds me of yoga and how the whole point of the practice is to make mistakes and push your body to places you didn't know it could go. It's only then that you get stronger.

Start a Revolution. I can't even explain how much I love this. Recreate yourself as you choose.

This video makes me so happy. Thanks Abby!

I taught this girl everything she knows. Okay so that's a lie. But I did teach her how to drink.

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray." -Rumi

Believe it or not I have more to share... look out for part 2 soon!