10.27.2016

When Your Mood Falls with the Autumn Leaves

I love the Fall. I love the stunning sight of the trees changing colors, stomping in piles of crunchy fallen leaves, the rich textures and colors of layered fall clothing, and being cozy at home.

But truth be told, in this time of seasonal transition when the sun goes down earlier, the sky turns grey and windy, and temperatures start to drop, sometimes my mood goes down with it.

It’s a really uncomfortable place to be. All I want to do is mope, lie on the couch in my pajamas and mindlessly devour an entire box of Cheez-Its (my favorite junk-food vice) and wallow in my sadness.

But fortunately, over time I have learned how to move myself out of a melancholic mood more quickly than I used to. I'm sharing a few of my own quick and simple practices, just in case it helps any of you reading this:

10.20.2016

throwing away memories

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I'm still in the middle of decluttering. I have been re-listening to my audiobook of Marie Kondo's "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" to motivate me. She's adamant about following the exact order in which one should tidy one's home: first clothes, then books, then other categories, and lastly, photos and other sentimental items. But I've had this nagging feeling that I must start with the photos first (I can almost hear Ms. Kondo scolding me for doing this, but that's ok). I've been staring at six dusty boxes of old photos on the bookshelf for months. I feel like they are energetically causing some blockages because they are old memories that I need to release before moving forward. 

10.07.2016

Packing Lightly for Travel and Life



I've just returned from a lovely two week trip to Scotland, where we visited family and went to our friends' wedding.

As always, packing for my trip before I left took hours. Since I'm petite, it's not practical for me to haul big suitcases around (not to mention it looks funny when I carry a bag so big that I could fit myself into it). My go-to luggage is a lightweight carry-on bag (plus a tote), which means space is limited and I have to decide carefully which pieces to pack, which always takes me forever to decide.
Every piece must be well-considered.

10.04.2016

How I Learned to Make Tea (the Proper Way)


(Note: This post is actually my homework from a writing class I'm taking. The assignment was to write about someone I love and describe them to the reader. OK, but how to describe my husband? Where should I start? I thought about all the things that I find unique about him, and what kept surfacing was his passion for a good cup of tea :-))

I’ll often lie in bed in the morning, half-dazed from my alarm clock’s repeated attempts to wake me up. But when I hear “Good mornin’!”, feel a kiss on my cheek and hear the clunk of a ceramic mug on the bedside table next to me, that’s my final cue to wake up. If I don’t, I’ll soon hear the voice bellowing from the kitchen, “Drink your tea while it’s hot!” 

In the earliest days of our relationship, I offered him a cup of tea at my place. But I only had a half-crushed old box of Lipton’s teabags that was left by an old roommate in my last apartment. For some reason, I’d never thought to throw it out when I moved, even if I wasn’t really a tea drinker back then. I made him a cup anyway, to which he politely said “thank you”, drank two tiny sips, and quietly placed the cup down for good. I didn’t think much of it. But that was a few days before I knew I would marry him, and discovered that he takes tea quite seriously.
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