scenes of saturday

 added twinkle lights to patio garden

added colorful glass floating hearts to tree for buddha

pink printed garden gloves for the dirty work

stacked wood near back door for easy access

got sir louis set up in front of fire

he appears content

my evening office set up for writing. note bonnard in background.

after 12 hours, oui TWELVE hours of slumber (someone was exhausted), i walked sir louis and headed to tranquil space to get my yoga on. yum! picked up some black beans, whole grain tortillas, and salsa and headed home. made a delicious vegan lunch and headed to mint for a much-needed massage. my body is so sore from the 3 yoga classes this week coupled with all the travel. topped it off with a divine steam and have a happy body. next, headed to hardware store in adam's morgan to pick up fishing wire to hang the glass hearts i picked up in mexico. stumbled upon a vintage shop, picked up two delicious noir goodies for $35, and headed home. tended my beloved patio garden for a few hours while the carla bruni pandora station serenaded me. finally settled in for some writing while sipping moscato. a delightful, productive, restorative saturday indeed. bisous. x

week in review

my office in mexico last week

week in review

taught 1 yoga class

1 yoga class

4 hours grad school classes

budget meeting with consultant

podcast interview with victoria moran 

interviewed for podcast

launched paris + provence podcast for retreaters

new teacher interviews

posted things i love

flew from mexico to dallas

drove to and from dallas to wichita falls 

flew from dallas to dc after 2 cancelled flights

2 spontaneous date nights with le beau

many soaks in the tub

paid bills
sipped lots of homemade juices by le beau

2 weeks worth of laundry

opened 2 weeks of mail

put art supplies back into their home

unveiled spring palette

rescheduled heaps of meetings due to flight cancelation

juggling class transitions

cuddled gramma

quality time with mum + pops

celebrated 8-year anniversary with le beau

restocked TranquiliT at both studios

got a much needed mani/pedi

posted podcast on mindful money management

posted tranquilosophy muse

 rescheduled tons of personal plans

prep for sunday's tranquil space foundation strategic planning session

weekend wishlist

productive meeting with jane goodall institute

choose topic for international social work paper

finish february tranquilologie

yoga + gym jaunts

productive, inspiring tranquil space foundation meetings

festive happy hour with tranquil space team

art journal

et toi? what's on your weekend wishlist?

bisous. x

tranquilosophy: cutest connection ever

while i mexico last week (feels like a year ago), i came up with a couple new blog additions. stay tuned as i crystallize and unveil them. hope you'll love 'em! one is launching today: tranquilosophy. basically it will consist of merry musings "on the wisdom of tranquility." 

today's tranquilosophy piece is on the power of connection. we all know about our innerconnectedness to all beings, right? it's a yoga thing - we talk about it a lot. basically a way of seeing ourselves in all beings and recognizing their inherent value. no one is free until we are all free. great, but how does this relate to the way i live my life each and every day? well, so glad you asked!

as an introvert, connecting with others takes more effort than it does for your average extrovert. i need much more time to recuperate from the output and keep my circle quite small and tight (despite sharing my life with you online). i know, sounds like a contradiction and i'm full of them. et toi? i think (hope) it keeps us more interesting. anyway, connections are interesting and i enjoy observing how they are formed. i love meeting kindred spirits and recognizing that innterconnectedness in others who cross my path. it helps me feel less alone or isolated in my sparkly (yet niche) world of pigs, pink, paris, and yoga.

my gramma is no exception. she's a woman who i've admired since my early years. she is crafty, incredibly witty, lived through two husbands, made travel a priority, taught school when her peers were homemaking, has a dreamy sense of humor and a smile that radiates. at her 95th birthday fete the room was packed with people she touched over her many years. while visiting her last weekend my mum snapped the above photos. note gramma having me gather all sorts of musical instruments for a concert (oui, those are cymbals on her lap) and dream sewing my sleeve while she slept in her rockin' velour jumpsuit. wow, muscle memory. by looking at my gramma's life, it's inspiring to see the results of our connections and how they have a domino effect on others. she made others feel special through her everyday actions.

observe your own. note the people in your inner circle right now. how are these connections? do they feel adequate, demanding, or inspiring? note the people you pass on your commute home tonight or en route to your favorite yoga class. do you smile? do you bump into others and keep walking or take notice? our connections with others can be incredibly rewarding or deceptively draining. our choice.

elizabeth posted a comment on our online book club page and shared this quote by the dalai lama: "be kind whenever possible. it is always possible." i leave you with this as our first tranquilosophy muse. choose kindness. and choose your connections wisely. bisous. x