Things I'm Loving – Zen Life and Travel

My husband and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day. We don’t buy each other gifts, and after 18 years together we don’t need a special day to show our love. We do that EVERY DAY. Ha! Just kidding – we totally aren’t that couple. We have a 3 year old – all Valentine’s Day means to me is how many Paw Patrol Valentines I have to get filled out for all of the play groups and class parties.

But, In honor of this day of love I thought I would share some things I’m loving right now. Enjoy!

The Moaning of Life

If you haven’t seen this show yet, add it to your Netflix list pronto! It features Karl Pilkington who starred in An Idiot Abroad, a British travel documentary/comedy created by his friends, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Go ahead and add that to your Netflix list too. You can thank me later. The Moaning of Life features Karl going around the world to find answers to some of life’s big questions. He tackles topics like happiness, kids, marriage, vocation, death, identity, and waste. He has a peculiar way of being deadpan sarcastic, totally serious and surprisingly insightful all at the same time. I could seriously listen to him talk all day long.

Minimalism

If you read my recent post about the 30 Day Minimalism Game then you know I have been into the idea of minimalism for a while. For me it’s not just about getting rid of excess stuff, it’s about how doing that actually clears my mind. Having less stuff around reduces my stress and helps me to feel physically lighter. It’s actually kind of amazing. It’s definitely a work in progress, and if you came to my house right now you would still see a lot of crap – but there is less than there was a few months ago. It’s a journey, not a destination. For further reading and watching I would recommend the following:

The 30 Day Minimalism Game
The Minimalists TED Talk: “A Rich Life With Less Stuff”
“Minimalism – A Documentary About The Important Things” – available on Netflix
“The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” By Marie Kondo – This Japanese de-cluttering manual was all the rage last year. It’s got some good how-to steps and also helped me work through dealing with the emotional ties to things (I used to have a lot of guilt getting rid of things like gifts, but I’m getting better at it)

Namaslay

I recently finished “Namaslay” by Candace Moore and I really enjoyed it. While it’s a yoga book primarily, I found it was more than “just a yoga book”. Throughout the book, the author shares her story of personal growth and overcoming a debilitating disease. I found it very uplifting. On top of all of that she has great “diagrams” of yoga poses from beginner to crazy advanced and offers sequences too. This would be a great reference book for yoga instructors or those doing yoga teacher training. It’s a visually stunning book too. Candace Moore also has a website and blog called Yoga By Candace and offers free videos on You Tube. Side note, I would LOVE to go on one of her yoga retreats! (hint, hint, Candace! hehe)

Cesere Brothers Photography

In 2013, we had the pleasure of meeting the Cesere Brothers at an art fair under the Banyan tree in Lahaina on Maui. I instantly fell in love with their gorgeous, vivid underwater photographs printed on aluminum. They were striking. I especially loved a giant photo they were displaying of a pig just chilling in the water. We took their card and ended up purchasing the pig piece when we returned home. I lovingly refer to it as “Pig In Water” although it’s actually named “Poke Pig”. It now graces the wall of my kitchen.

We have since purchased a second piece – “Breathe”. There is something about this photo that reminds me of how I felt on my first snorkel trip in Maui. It’s also a good reminder…sometimes it’s good to stop and just breathe. They have a gallery in Paia, Maui so be sure to stop in and check them out next time you are in Hawaii.