I was on my usual power hike through Forest Park on Saturday. I caught up with my sister on the phone on the way up to the view on top of the hill. It was a lovely conversation, one that ended with a pep talk to each other…a reminder to take the time we need for ourselves.
My sister is a mother of four. While I don’t have kids, I’ve gone through quite a few changes these past months that I didn’t know were coming. And, it has made the time both challenging and wonderful.
The first time I saw “Pura Vida” was completely unromantic. The phrase was in an email signature from a waterfall hike tour company I reached out to. I read it on my couch—swaddled by my robe, blanket, and cats—a valiant effort that ultimately failed the battle against winter’s warfare.
Flying solo, I had two personal goals:
I think many of us mean well when we start a new year.
Whether you’re into that whole goal/resolution/intention setting thing or not, when we turn our calendars and write the wrong damn year on everything for at least a month, we know that it’s a different time. And that in itself can move us to change.
I’m not sure why we build these walls around ourselves, especially to keep out the people closest to us…our families. As we get older, more independent or whatever, these walls become longer or deeper or taller—layers and layers that stick together on their own somehow.
There are a lot of things we should protect ourselves from in this world. Family probably shouldn’t be one of them, right?
Then, something happens. Like a trip to the hospital. And we scramble over these walls—hell, we’ll do anything to get past them—because we’re not sure if we’ll ever see the person we love on the other side again.
There are some people who truly shine, don’t they? There’s a radiance about them we can’t quite put our finger on, and we turn to them, captivated by their spirit when we need guidance and positivity.
Laura Plumb is one of those radiant people, and I have wanted to invite her to be a Life Enthusiast for the wonderful years I have connected with her.
Between her incredible Ayurveda food blog, Food: A Love Story, her wellness courses and trainings, festival appearances, Ayurveda TV, and jet-setting to India, I wasn’t sure if Laura would have the time to join my wonderful band of enthusiasts on The Life Enthusiast Chronicles. In typical Laura fashion, she smiled warmly and made it happen.
Britt Skrabanek 