i'll take it | Brooklyn

We'll take it: spring, summer, the whole thing. 

“More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out
of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor’s
almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving
their cotton candy-colored blossoms to the slate
sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees
that really gets to me. When all the shock of white
and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave
the pavement strewn with the confetti of aftermath,
the leaves come. Patient, plodding, a green skin
growing over whatever winter did to us, a return
to the strange idea of continuous living despite
the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then,
I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf
unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.
”

— "Instructions on Not Giving Up" - Ada Limón, 1976

Yes it's true, we wait for these suckers every year. They make my heart so happy. I don't know if it's the anticipation of change finally coming or all the pink, but they particularly made me swoon this year. Winter was really tough; I worked through some messes and lot of hurt. Like I tell so many of my friends: "it's just a season - and all seasons have an end," I had to remind myself of that too. I had to find a way to teach my heart to be patient through this difficult season. 

Spring (and summer) eventually arrived, and my insides are relieved. Life's better through rosé colored glasses, right? 

Since we're in the happy place, we'll be sharing some recent adventures soon! California roadtrips, Miami beach escapes... and ICELAND! 

notes:

- photos are from a spring afternoon at the beginning of May with my friend Mara at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. i always keep a close eye on their cherrywatch, and this year we went toward the end of the bloom, which is why there are so many flower petals on the ground -- like pink snow! hint: Tuesdays are free! 

- i love this poem - i heard it read at my gym nonetheless! (it's not your ordinary gym...) it struck a chord with me, so i had to share. 

spring in bloom, brooklyn

I don't know if there's much more that captures joy than the joy of spring finally arriving. After a much-too-long winter, the anticipation of it all was just killing us. But by the time we got our first day of warmer weather above 40 and the flowers started to bloom...we knew we were going to make it after all. Summer is finally in view on the horizon. You can smell it in the air. 

The transitional seasons in NYC are always a bit tricky, but they are the most enjoyable. We can't wait for the leaves to change color in the Fall or for the flowers to bloom in the Spring...but it's so hard to predict when exactly it will happen! We wait and wait and wait...and then by the time I actually make plans to go take that iconic walk through Central Park, either the leaves have mostly fallen or they haven't quite changed colors yet. I suppose the best practice is to be ready for things to change and bloom. To be present in whatever season we are in. Such is the seasons of life (good things bloom...eventually)! 

One of our favorite ways to experience Spring in NYC is heading to check out the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. And they've got this nifty map you can use to keep up with the bloom status. Needless to say, we've been watching this like a hawk for the past 4-5 weeks. (Yes, I always have 100 tabs open on my computer.) I watched it last year and still waited until it was too late :/ 

We were determined not to miss it this year and spent a quiet, sunny afternoon strolling, reflecting, and enjoying the pink wonderland. Once a new season finally blooms you've got to kick up your heels and enjoy it in good company. Meg's childhood Irish dancing days did pay off.

“I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.”

— Pablo Neruda

There were lilacs too!! And people with selfie sticks. We didn't have one, so we showed them!! (I mean we did the best we could.)

notes:

- i think i may go back and spend my whole weekend there laying in a bed of fallen pink pedals. pink really is the best color ever, right?

- Pablo Neruda does something to my soul. (see full poem)

- if you're making a day of it, there's a killer Basquiat exhibit in the Brooklyn Museum next door. 

the dust of snow

Within 48 hours of returning from Southeast Asia, I packed up my car and drove to DC.  I had just returned home yet I wanted to get away and explore some place different.  Despite plans for skiing, mother nature had a different idea which resulted in some forced rest and relaxation that I am sure my jet-lagged body appreciated.  To somewhat make up for last weekend, I'll run away again this afternoon to a new locale and I am attempting to hatch a plan for the end of this month as well.  I’ve already sent out emails to start solidifying some summer excursions - beach, mountains, repeat.  The wanderlust bug is real and not to be ignored but the intensity of it as of late (…and my dwindling travel budget) has led to some introspection.  What is it exactly that I am escaping from?  I mean I live in what some (very biased folk) dub the greatest city on earth.

In a few short months, I will start up school once again and my life will drastically change.  I am in an accelerated program which will require 20 credit hours a semester while maintaining my current full-time job.  I’ve known about this for quite some time but the reality of the situation has begun to sink in.  Add to it that I am another year older in a week or so and the need to be anywhere but here is amplified.  

I don’t want to be that person though who is completely focused on the proverbial next best thing while taking for granted what is right in front of my face.  In an effort to reclaim the present, I took a break from my computer screen and moseyed outdoors into the snowstorm du jour.  Because what better way to regain perspective than to make myself a little uncomfortable and get right in the midst of this place I call home.

With the snow blowing in my face, I made my way down to the waterfront and meandered along the mostly abandoned path.  The slipping and sliding of snow beneath my feet forced me to focus on my surroundings enough to quiet my usual nonstop inner dialogue.

I only encountered a handful of people who also wished to tread in the wintry wonderland: a fellow snow marveler/wannabe hermit who shared which paths have not yet been graced with footsteps or plows, a gentleman who persisted on inquiring where a bus was going despite my best efforts to explain that I had absolutely no idea, and a lady with seven of the same dog in varying shades of brown but all thoroughly wet from an afternoon of play.  Our brief interactions reminded me that we all have some place we're trying to get to, someone we want to become.  

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

--Dust of Snow, Robert Frost

notes:

- brooklyn bridge park is a ghost town during a snowstorm.  there were robins flying and chirping about (see the above picture).  if you're in nyc and need to get a little away from it all during our next bout of never-ending snow, i highly recommend meandering these paths.

- i also recommend warming yourself up with some tea and sweets at one girl cookie. as i type this i am really regretting that i didn't pick up a whoopie pie. 

thoughts from my shower

Some days I don't realize what's really happened until I'm taking a shower. Does that ever happen to you? I don't know if it's the running water that soothes and closes off the rest of the world that allows for such clarity to seep in. Or perhaps it's that I finally stop thinking and give myself a break, and all of a sudden my mind is able to connect things together. Anyway, my conclusion: my most cohesive thoughts and clearest ideas often come in the shower. 

Like the other day, I conned my sister to come over to my new place after work...luring her with wine, because I needed her to edit a project for me (she's so fancy like that). What happened? While cooking dinner and chatting, I drank all the wine and Em put together the Ikea couch I had stacked in piles in the corner. She saw it there- I had unpacked it, stacked it up, but obviously hadn't made an attempt to figure it out. I was fine with letting it sit there for days- I had conquered so many to-do lists with the move and my brain was quite fried. I was like: why are beads of sweat coming down her face? I didn't ask her to build it; she just did it. She knew it needed to be done, and, like a boss, took the task into her own hands. (note: I don't think there are many people who could have built this thing solo. Emily, folks...she's an assertive one.)

Every time I anticipate feeling overwhelmed with dealing with so many things by myself, I'm not alone. I've had different people swoop in to force me to purge clothes that for some reason I still have from my high school years in Georgia, accompany me as I unload and explore a new hood, eat cupcakes and champagne with me, send me links to all their favorite apartment ideas, organize me, dance with me, dream with me. Meg is like a mega organizer. Emily is a do-er. Caitlyn stopped by to eat lunch and catch up, and after our (delicious) kale salads, we were on the floor talking the highs and lows of relationships. Meanwhile, I didn't even notice that we were unpacking more boxes and building some lamps. (let there be light!) Like where did all of these angels come from?? Seriously?? #soblessed 

Who needs a boyfriend when your sister can set up your internet on your TV, build your couch and bed, edit your videos, and pick out your wine glasses at Ikea when you're in the middle of a sugar-crash-meltdown after eating 2 bags of Swedish Fish? (Guys, there's like soooo many rooms in that store before you get to the kitchen stuff. Ikea is exhausting. The BIGGEST sugar crash.)

I've always (tried) to prioritize people in my life. I try not to be too distracted with my own world to pick up on when a friend needs me to hop on over with wine in my sweats or send the sensible text filled with messages that only emojis can express. I'm not perfect at it, but I crave to love those dear to me. And when I was in the shower at the end of that day exhaling all the grime-- all the sweat from my 6 layers of clothing I wore out in the snow after dance class and the wine stains that dripped on me accidentally throughout the evening and the residue red lipstick from the biz meeting at the top of the day... I'm like: oh, wait. I may live alone in this new apartment. But I'm not alone.

Oh how I'm loved. Oh how lovely is community and family. They show up to do one thing, and they take care of what needs to be taken care of.

It makes you suddenly realize after shampooing and conditioning your hair (I mean dreadlocks by the end of the day when scarves are involved, am I right?) -- maybe the love you give to others isn't going into the infinite abyss. And maybe the love and care given to me is not going there either. Maybeeeee the love given and received is noticed and it means something. We were planting lupine seeds and we didn't even realize it. It's this wonderful circle effect that I hope keeps on giving.

And on that cold snowy night, when the temperature was barely two digits and the sun was only shining several hours a day... there was so much warmth. I sat on a couch that was built with tunes playing on the TV that I couldn't figure out, drinking wine in my towel after this shower, and I exhaled months of stress. I found a new happy place. 

notes:

- a visit to ikea brooklyn can be a pleasant and cheap field trip. i'd suggest taking the free water taxi, planning to eat once you get there (especially if you're into meatballs), and avoiding the weekends.

- making good friends is not overrated. 

- don't let to-do lists rule your world. 

holiday gift guide for the wanderluster

In case you're still in need of some holiday gifts after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday... (So many opportunities to buy people! How American) here are some ideas we've come up with for those adventure seekers out there!

1. PASS TO BROOKLYN BOULDERS. This may be our new happy place. Since we're in the city the majority of the winter instead of out on the open road hiking huge rocks, this indoor rock climbing community was a great find. We signed up for the Rope Course last week and have since been hooked. (It all starts with trust falls...what a team-building venture...) It's got an amazing vibe with colorful graffiti and lots of nooks and crannies to explore, so you never feel like it was crowded (although we were warned it would be different on Saturday/Sundays). With the Lumineers and Jose Gonzalez lingering in the background, I never thought I would feel so zen dangling by one hand from the ceiling with a rope hooked to me. 

PS we found all the hot males in the city of new york. SSSHhhhhhh. For multiple reasons, this experience would be a great gift for your wanderlusty-but-stuck-in-the-city friend. They are having a HOLIDAY SALE too. 

2. A WARM HANDMADE ITEM FROM THE MARKET. Something warm, cuddly, handmade, and Fair Trade from a holiday market is always a great gift. My mom got me this Nirvana Designs hat from The Union Square Holiday Market over Thanksgiving. It's not only unique and VERY WARM, but the purchase of this hat supports women in Nepal. (kissy face for free.)

3. HIKING GEAR. There's all sorts of accessories needed for upcoming adventures, whether it's new boots, ice cleats, water bottles, warm light-weight layers, or an actual tent. We'd suggest this REI backpack and this. It's lightweight and perfect for hiking, running, and staying hydrated. Meg's gotten a lot of use out of it in a few short months, as you can see in one of our last days of summer on Bear Mountain. 

4. WANDERLUSTY DREAMY BOOKS. Let's face it- reading about other people's adventures is escapism at it's BEST. (When you're not hanging out with us here of course.) These are some of our favorite reads this year during those drudgingly cold morning commute rides to work when you'd rather have a backpack with sunscreen in it than your computer and work notes. You may not be able to splurge on flights just yet (hint: keep reading), but these will give you the time to dream up where you want to go next and inspiration to start saving those pennies! 

The Lost Girls. Three friends quitting their workaholic jobs in NYC around their 28th birthdays to travel the world for a year...not relatable. At all.

WILD. Cheryl Strayed's memoir of impulsively leaving everything she knows at 26 to hike the Pacific Coast Trail solo without much training or experience. Women foraging their own trail & feeling their feelings...also completely unrelatable. 

5. GOPRO. I'm obsessed with mine. Not a prime filmmaker YET, but it's a fun toy to be able to take with you on ANY adventure and not have to worry about dropping it or getting it wet. 

6. DIY DAY OUT OF THE CITY. We are alllll about this. And this gift can be on ANY budget! Exploring a small town on the coast like Isle au Haute, Maine or a new place in the city (how very lupine of you) or that massive roadtrip in the Southwest... (we've got ya there too) to somewhere unseen and unheard of (please share!). The uncharted territory is the best. Experiences should not be bound by a price tag! Check out how far you can get on public transit, where the local campsites are, and pack up that backpack! 

7. PLANE TICKETS. And of course this is the ultimate gift for any globetrotting wanderluster if you're ready for the big one!! Plane tickets to a bucket-list destination would be AMAZING. You can get us a pair for Iceland, thank you. (So thoughtful!) 

So, what's it going to be? What are you asking for for the holidays? And more importantly, what are you GIVING?