Late Thankful Thursday post

Late since I was driving back to Denver.  My day began with a few yoga classes conducted via zoom.  A delicious breakfast burrito purchased at El Chile Toreado.  Such a wonderful breakfast burrito.  

On my last few visits to Santa Fe, I have been attempting to find the ultimate burrito.  Breakfast, specifically.  I love Counter Culture's burrito.  Or I am finding it used to be my favorite.  Tom loves the burrito at Santa Fe Baking Company.  It is ok.  Not my favorite.  Alicia's is fantastic.  The eggs were so fresh but I could have used more green chile.  The green chile at El Toreado is spectacular. I would but quarts of it to eat with chips.  It is fantastic. 

I think I like components of each of the burritos.  The green chile from El Toreado, I do enjoy modifying the breakfast burrito from Counter Culture.  I guess if I am going to inhale those calories, I want to make sure I love the burrito.  

I drove back to Denver.  Uneventful drive until I made it to the Springs.  At which point, it bottlenecked and became a parking lot.  I think I will manage to leave earlier next time to avoid this frustration.  The drive from Monument to Denver was relatively quick.  I hit rush hour in Denver when I arrived and headed to a local Italian spot for take out.  I was thankful for the easy drive and arriving in Denver while it was still light out.  Then, I spoke to my sister, Jade, for about an hour which was great to catch up. Sometimes, I know that she screens her calls.  Likewise, I do at ttimes based on what i have going on.  Talking with Jade, typically, is an hour plus conversation.  I felt very thankful that we were able to take the time to chat yesterday.

I am thankful for my health.  Yoga has been terrific this week.   A few new clients and opportunities to sequence, slow it down and introduce breathwork.  I love it!

I am grateful for kindness and acknowledging the beauty of other cultures.  Growing up, we were exposed to ethnic food.  My parents, both, encouraged us to try new foods.  For example, going to Beijing's Chinese restaurant in Kansas, we were discouraged to all get the sweet and sour chicken.  They forced us to share and try new things.  I am so thankful for my adventurous appetite.  

Tom and I found a new spot in Santa Fe.  Dumpling Cafe.  The atmosphere is lacking but the dumplings were insane.  So fresh and flavorful.  We also ordered what I thought would be a sushi roll.  When we returned to his house to eat (as noted, the atmosphere was lacking.  Translation--no alcohol), we were surprised to find a sticky rice cake.  It had ham in it.  Interesting.  I wouldn't have chosen that particular dish to try in all honesty.  I wanted the sushi roll!

Be thankful.  Be generous.  Be kind.  Mostly, stop to listen and enjoy what others are saying without thinking of your response.  

This weekend might be difficult.  Try to focus on healing, on understanding and love.  Radiate from the higher frequencies and thrive.

new energy

Accepting that new habits are a must.  Creating new things in your life.  Refusing to think that this is the new normal.  I cannot only think about change.  I need to take actionable steps to achieve it.  Or recognize that measuring tasks is essential.  It enables a way to be accountable.  

Decide.  Change it and do.  

I have been thinking about creating new opportunities for myself in terms of business.  I sometimes get wrapped up in what I could be doing, what I should be doing and how I should be motivated.  It relies on doubt, shame, guilt.  Limiting beliefs which do nothing outside of keep me stagnant.  Why is it that listening to a podcast can help point out why I am struggling?

It is time to embrace, fully, working for myself.  It is okay to make mistakes, learn, assess and change.  Realize that I expect more of myself and want I am able to achieve.  

I am listening to a podcast.  It is inquisitive and helpful.  However, can also be annoying too.  The preachiness of it.  Does that make sense?  I honor the opportunity to grow, learn and assess.   Yet, some of the rah rah motivations are annoying.  I want insight, perspective and motivation.  But I prefer doing it without all of the cheerleading or filler.  I want the motivation without the cherries.  

There are thousands of resources out there.  YouTube, Canva, social media, printing out your own menus instead of relying on your distributor.  Ad nauseum.  So many resources to aid in success. Focus on creating new habits and making it your best life.  It is time.  No more waiting around for the ideal circumstance or time.  Make it your best life today.  

Decide.  Lead.  Create the right story.  Determine your beliefs.  I am thankful for today.  Are you?  Find value in what you desire.  

Thankful Thursday and other reflections

It's been a million years since I have had a gratitude post.  Specifically on a Thursday post.  I used to follow a blogger that always posted about thankful Thursday.  I appreciated her candidness and genuine voice.  Her cadence and rhythm spoke to me.  

I lost the habit of doing a Thankful Thursday post.  It evolved into a throwback sort of thing.  Throwbacks are fun and I participate on IG and FB often.  Today, I want to return to the gratitude post.  I am determined to do 2023 different.  Not just sit back and follow what has worked in the past.  Let's change it up and strive for more.

I am thankful for being in Denver.  Denver has been my home, off and on, since 2001.  I broke up with Denver in 2011 but knew that I would return one day.  Phoenix and Santa Fe housed me for a few years.  I had lived in Phoenix for a few years outside of college.  I had achieved a support network of restaurant people and felt confident returning to see what had changed.  My tolerance to the heat, lol.  When I was 22, I lived in Phoenix without air conditioning in my car.  For two years, somehow, I managed that feat.  Looking back, I must have convinced myself that it was normal to sweat in your bra daily.  

They say it is a dry heat.  It is freaking hot!!!  Trying to drive around the city without air conditioning ten years later was not remotely happening.  A few times the a/c would go out and I would freak out, find the nearest mechanic and handle it.  The yoga scene in Phoenix is legit.  I have always enjoyed the yoga community there.  As much as I enjoyed Phoenix and my support network, I knew that I wanted to return to Denver at some point.  I knew that I wanted to check out another spot and slowly make my way north.

Santa Fe has always had this mystical attraction for me.  I would visit twice a year and explore the restaurant scene and hang out with Melody.  In 2014, I tried to live there.  As attractive as it was as a tourist, I had a challenging time fitting in.  It is a small town.  There are incredible restaurants and a fantastic mystical vibe.  Yet, I yearned for being in a city.  The return to Denver was complete in 2015.

I came home and rebuilt my support network.  I added to it and cultivated other friendships.  I am thankful for my friend group.  They are supportive, encouraging and fun.  They inspire me and the longer I remain here, the more our friendships evolve.  A few people have moved away.  Others have taken other jobs in industries where I am limited in seeing them.  Isn't this the nature of life?  I am thankful for my lifelong friendships which stem from the restaurant industry.  I have been blessed to meet many incredibly talented people who remain in contact with me.

This year, I am considering returning to Santa Fe.  In many ways, it makes sense.  Tom is there.  Melody is there.  I love the food.  I would frequent my favorite green chile place weekly.  Soaking at Ojo Caliente would be a monthly ritual.  There are many activities that I enjoy.  

Still, in Denver, I am able to get a body scrub, Thai massage, etc.  I have a favorite pedicure spot.  Walkable from my house and close to a wine spot.  There are other amazing things in Denver and truly, I am thankful for my life here.  Yoga is here.  I have created a community that is growing and expanding.  I do like several aspects of my life here.  I struggle to decide what is best for me.  The independence of my life in Denver is intoxicating.  I feel comfortable meeting friends for lunch, dining solo or checking out new spaces.  I am sure that I can create that in Santa Fe, too.  

I am conflicted.  Should I stay or should I go?  I am happy spending time with Tom in each place, and I want to explore where that will lead.  So far, we are both committed to making it work.  I appreciate that very much. 

There are many things that I am grateful for today.  Clean water.  I forget how much I appreciate access to water.  My washing machine has been on the fritz (my landlord has not made time to rectify this for a few months.  She was out of the country but has been back over a week.  I am ready for it to be fixed).  Still, it is more of an inconvenience/irritation.  It is manageable.  The nearest laundromat is four blocks away.  

What are you thankful for?  How are you celebrating 2023 so far?  Any hacks or suggestions?  Make it your best year yet!

2023

Bring on a new year!  Super thankful for this cold day which motivated me to finally sit down and write.  I could not distract myself with meeting girlfriends for lunch or treating myself to sushi.  (I did that yesterday and it was delicious.  Thank you Okinawa).  I do not know why it has taken me so long to return to reflecting.  I am not trying to avoid anything.  I am hoping to create new habits that are productive.  

2022 ended in a good way.  Upon reflection, I recognized that I had a terrific year.  I feel that I am still recovering from the years of the pandemic and how it was affecting every aspect of life.  I was fortunate in that I am near a park where I was able to walk daily.  I had a small group of friends that I would see on a regular basis.  Still, the pandemic affected all of us in some way or another.  I think people are still recovering from those two years of lockdown, uncertainty and the pivot.  

Travel returned.  I had not flown since March 2020 when I flew back from Barcelona.  Instead of flying to Florida, I opted to drive to St. Petersburg to see Sara Jo, Shari and her sisters, Brie and Melody.  The trip last February provided the opportunity to see Hailey/Cory and Melanie's family in Dallas, a brief stopover in NOLA and a return night in Pensacola and seeing my family in Kansas.  Returning to NOLA to explore the food scene and check out a Mardi gras parade unintentionally.  It was wonderful.  I had lunch at Cochon Butcher, Seaworthy for happy hour and a local spot near the Airbnb for dinner.  Waking up at 3:45 to make it to Florida by the afternoon was rough.

St. Petersburg was fun.  In hindsight, I wish I would have spent more time exploring Florida and the beach. It was a whirlwind of a trip.  The mix of conversations, yoga and drinking wine was epic.  My favorite meal was the Portuguese spot.  It was one of spots that I had researched.  Sara suggested it our first lunch and it did not disappoint.  We tried the "best Greek spot" in Largo.  We walked in and knew that we were anticipating a different sort of great.  The retsina tasted like pine sol.  Watching Sara Jo gulp it since it was in a champagne flute was comical.  Thankfully, the nearby village that boasts of greek food was wonderful.  It was my departure lunch before heading north.

Many trips to Santa Fe.  Again, road trips which seemed manageable.  I could dictate the majority of the experience.  Either choose to surround myself with a bunch of people or choose more solitude.  Plus, I love Santa Fe and wanted to expand some of the yoga business.  It all started with the idea to do yoga pop ups in Santa Fe and seeing where that would lead.  I would love to see that aspect flourish and grow.  There is something about building community in multiple places.  

That sort of evolved.  Started with a yoga focus and changed.  I sat down on a bar seat at the Sage and realized that I knew the gentleman sitting next to me.  We had met, years before, through a mutual friend.  Because I am who I am, of course, I struck up a conversation with him.  I wanted to get caught up on his life and talk about our mutual connections--friends, food scene, similarities.  He asked me for my number, and I believed it all to be platonic.  I had no issue exchanging numbers.  Before I returned to Denver, he asked me if I was available to meet him for a beverage or an appetizer.  Since then, we have been talking daily. 

Eventually, I felt more comfortable flying.  There were less qualifications regarding testing and flying.  I didn't want to have to take another test to determine if I could fly or not.  It was my own issues to deal with.  My college friend, Jean, invited me to celebrate her 60th birthday with her in Washington state.  I couldn't resist the opportunity to celebrate with Jean.  I am grateful that I made it happen.  A wonderful weekend of great food, conversation and wine.

In October, I was invited to a client's wedding in Santa Barbara.  I felt honored that I was included and thankful that I chose to make it happen.  I would have regretted not attending their beautiful wedding.

This year will be different.  I feel more capable taking on more challenges.  I want to live bigger.  Dream bigger.  Accomplish more and challenge myself.  It is time to move out of the haze of the pandemic years.  I see a relocation or travel in my future.  More writing and cooking at home.  It will be a splendid year!

Here is to an abundant 2023.  Make the best of it!!!