Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Outside and Around the Home


I go outside                     



 I go outside to explore the world around my home.

  

 I go outside to connect with the elements. 





To ground into nature.





 To feel my body filled with inspiration, connection, love and peace. 





 It's a refresh throughout my day.




 I go outside because of the sounds, the sights, the feels the smells. 





Something that brings me joy, can help shift a negative mood, and something that I am ever so grateful for.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

With Each Stroke




Swimming In the Ocean
Goosebumps on my skin

I stared at the mountain
King Kong

I compared shades of Grey between Sea and Sky


                                                                   With each Stroke
I Affirm
With Each Exhale
I Affirm

My movement forward
Air passing out of my lips
They Say

I am Effervescent


I am Intuitive

I am Strong

I am Sensual

I am Creative

I am Magnanimous

I am Independent

I am Successful

I am Beautiful

I am Smart

I am Divine

I am Goddess

I am Sacred

I am Love

I am Healing

I am Powerful

I am Boundless

I am Water

I am Earth

I am Fire

I am Air

I am Space

I am Ocean

I am Stars

I am Sun

I am Magical

I am Playful

I am Fun

I am Inspiration

I am Infinite


She sat on the beach
She told me

When She hikes
With each step she takes

She does the same

Please do the Same

Sunday, September 13, 2015

My Body is A Garden: Reflections on Working with the Shadow Self





Tonight

I dig.
Dig deep
within
my soul.

I am  digging
into
my body
shoveling out
piles of dirt.

Dig more
dig more
dig more.

I cry
I sweat
I am dripping in the sun
I lean on my shovel
tired
worn.

Inside the garden of my soul
There
I find gold.

Out of the gold,
blooms
a red rose.

Love

They tell me

Now
You don't have to dig
Any more.

Now
it is
just time
to water
the rose.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Ocean Blessings



Today I Sang to the Sea




Today I sang to the Sea. I told it how I loved thee. 

I leaped to the top of a wave "I'm a mermaid". Again I did this Again. "I'm a Mermaid. I'm a Mermaid. I'm a Mermaid. 

A wave bigger than me, moved toward me and before diving under I opened my mouth "I'm beautiful". 

Seven big waves in a set, diving under, leaping above.

She settles. I  look at my friend and say "Isn't the ocean the best. Isn't the ocean so beautiful." I twirl around in the sea, the warm water moving in-between each of my fingers, my hair wrapping around my shoulders. Clinging to me.

He asks me what he should. Say goodbye?. I say, "Ask the ocean," and take another dive under. 

I come home, Yes I Wrote Home, Pua licks the salt of my face. Lick, Lick, Lick.  

I think of opening a business for cat tongue facials. She rests her head on my shoulder below my ear.

I am un-showered and carry the sand into my bed. I leave traces of sand where I go. There is blessed by the ocean. 

My organs absorbing the salt on my skin. Dive in. Dive in. Dive in.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Sunrise and Sunset, Today it will be Sunrise



   



     Whenever I watch the sunrise or Sunset, I know that I have at least done one good thing with my day. More so with sunrises because they are at the very beginning. If the rest of the day goes to sticks I know that at least I watched the sunrise.






 











   The Sunrise is a celebration of the birth of the day.  The animals, the sky, our environment all gets revealed for the start of a new day. Natures celebrations are always open for visitors.

    One winter, my cousin Jaina Bee and I watched the sunrise from our lanai every morning for several weeks. We would sit, drink tea and coffee, talk not talk, I would snap lots of photos, documenting every change of light, every change of red, orange and yellow.

    At the time, this wasn't an easy thing for me. I wasn't fond of getting up earlier than I absolutely had to, yet and at the same time my spirit didn't want to sleep, even if my body did.



 



















      Later on in life I would arrange my bed to face the east. I heard from someone that east was the directions yogi's faced when they slept. At the time I don't think I knew what a yogi was but it sounded smart and so I did the same thing. A couple of years later, I would open my blinds so that I would purposely be awoken early to the bright ball of fire rising up through the sky. Sometimes I would wake up for just a moment, look at a pink cloud or the glaring fire ball, breath out a feeling of beauty and peace and then go back to sleep, other times it would be the beginning of the day. An early start to witnessing beauty.




   








     Lately, I've been waking up at extremely irrational times of the morning. 3am, 1am, stuff like that. One day, I was so frustrated that I found myself walking in the wet grass to the car and then getting in it and driving to the nearest beach even though I wasn't sure how to get there.  My mind and body were stressed from lack of sleep and my soul knew that I needed to witness something beautiful to lift my heavy spirits towards the light.  The sky was black and for the 2 minute stretch of highway I saw only 1 other car. I found my way down a hill and to a secluded bay.



   
 







      Watching the Sunrise is a meditation of sorts, it is a process that takes much longer than the time that it actually takes to happen. For starters the sky turns from a dark to a twilight color to a lighter blue, more details of the environment then come to life, then the clouds start to change color, a peak of sun begins to appear spreading a bit of orange light across the horizon, then more bright fire, the sky turns red, highlights are cast around the edges of clouds, and its light casts everything in a warm glow. I found myself sitting there knowing that I was witnessing something absolutely amazing and at the same time witnessing something very simple. Something that happens EVERY day.




 




















     Even though the sun rises every day, to me, witnessing it is a celebration and a source of healing. It casted away the anxiousness in my heart from nightmares and I walked away knowing that the rest of the day could go to hell, and yet, because I got to attend this magnificent occasion, today was already beautiful.





























































Sunday, June 7, 2015

Its Been a while

The Best Right Now

The best thing about the past is that it's in the past,
The best thing about the people that never showed up is that they never showed up
The best thing about this moment is that it's already gone
The best thing about loving them was when I realized how much more I really loved me
The best is yet to come
The best is yet to come

This poem was powered by my inner teenager angst child turned sage inspired by being cooped up in a hot city while not feeling well and engaging in way too much social media of people enjoying the outdoors. I'm going to go watch the sunset from the roof now.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Cat Call Response Sing a Long by Mississippi Jones

   The other day I was having dinner with my dear friend, talented artist and overall awesome woman Mississippi Jones.  We're both feminists and were having a discussion about woman's history month and something else that I will share at some point in the future. Over yummy Thai food, she protected me from the chili peppers, we drifted off in the direction of street harassment.

   I mentioned to her that I don't respond when people harass me on the street, that I often don't know what to say. She told me she's a big responder and shared with me a selection of things to say back to someone who is cat calling or street harassing.

   I asked her if it was ok if I wrote a blog post about it and she said sure. Then this Sunday, I was totally excited when I found out that instead of doing her weekly song, which she has been doing for almost two years minus a couple of Sundays, she put together a Call and Response Song on what to say to street harassers.

I urge you to participate, not only is it fun and empowering but practicing can prepare you better for what to say the next time you get harassed if you want to respond back and of course if it is safe to.





                                                            
                                                               and remember!

Mississippi Jone's Response for Street Harassment
                                                             

                                                                  1. Really?!
                  
                                                                  2. I don't care what you think!

      3. I'm not here for you!

  4. Stop harassing me

                                                                  5. Go Fuck Yourself!

Also please share in the comments any response you have for street harassment.