WHOOP there it is ^^^
I’ve been listening to A LOT of 90’s hip-hop lately.
My inner 14 year old still wearing overalls (with only one strap buckled) is jammin’.

Let’s just dive right in, shall we?

Consistency is HARD. Welcome to adulthood, right? As children I feel like we thrive on structure and it’s provided for us (if we’re lucky). However, as adults turns out we have to figure this sh*t out ourselves. Eye-roll. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about consistency. Consistency in action and in thoughts. My own consistency or more so, the lack there of. For me consistency is the foundation for feeling good. Consistency in actions such as exercising regularly, eating in a way that makes my body feel good, staying connected (beyond just social media) to friends and family, cooking, bloggginggg, and taking time for self-care. But as we all know actions begin with thoughts. My lack of consistency really stems from a thought pattern that seems to shift in almost a subconscious way. Before I realize what is happening my energy has shifted and I find myself in a good old RUT. Feeling good about yourself and the ways in which you get there is different for everyone. For me I’m still learning what my mind and body need in order to really feel like the best version of myself — at work, at home, and from inside out. For me exercising — consistently — is the KEY. It sets the rest in motion. Working out makes me feel good. HELLO ENDORPHIN’S. Cleaning – crazy Monica Geller style – also pumps my endorphin’s. YIKES. It’s a balance. And I realize that none of what I’m saying are Earth shattering breakthroughs by any means, but it’s one of those lifey things that I’ve really come to realize is true. Being active, breaking a sweat, being pushed out of your comfort zone, turning off your brain and letting the body take over is really a game changer to feeling confident, strong, centered, and clear. Good energy and consistency are like an ever growing snowball. The more consistent you are — the more confident and even keeled you become — the more good energy you feel — and give off. And you know, it like…grows. hashtag your vibe attracts your tribe.  So as much as I love it,  turns out my body does not like gluten or dairy. SHOCKING but also DANNNGIT. So many people (especially women) struggle with this. For a food blogger // lover of all things tasty, this is kinda major. And working in the restaurant industry for so many years where dietary restrictions got such bad rap, doesn’t help either. It was always such a headache trying to accommodate food-allergies, and vegans, dairy-free, vegetarians, peskatarians, and gluten-free customers alike. Not to mention the stress induced lectures and death stares you’d receive from the chefs. However that was like 10 years agoooooo  and nowadays chefs and restaurants and everyday badasses in the kitchen are learning how to accommodate everyone with flippin deliciousnesssss. It’s a new way of thinking when preparing meals and a new way of thinking about something always gets me a little giddy and Pinterest happy. It’s like a whole new world of g-free products – plant based everything – and ghee and collagen peptides and ancient grains and bone broth and vegetable proteins and- and-andddd. Yeahhhh. I feel like I’ve just started to dip my toes in the pool of all-a-dat, but I like how it feels. Even just the (renewed) awareness is refreshing.  I’ve always been a pretty balanced eater. I’ve also been a twenty-something for the past ten years who thought she could eat WHATEVER I WANTED. Truth is I do love vegetables and lean proteins but hello I looked at my meals as a sort of culinary adventure, especially when I wasn’t cooking them. I kinda love everything — which makes it super annoying… I mean a bit of a challenge when figuring out this new way of eating/thinking. You know the whole idea of working with your body instead of against it — using food as fuel to power you as opposed to just pleasing you. I truly believe you can find a balance of both worlds…the pleasing & the fueling that is.
LETS GO PLACES.
Specifically NYC.
That city and the people in it do some seriously goooood stuff for my soul. THAT IS ALL. 🙂  LESS is MORE. In the past year I bought a house & renovated it for about 6+ months. Nothing major but projects size-able enough that we kept a lot of our belongings stored in the basement for easier mobility when attacking our home improvement tasks. And ya know what? I haven’t missed 97% of it. In fact I completely forgot about 3/4 of it until I see it. Turns out I can really live well without it. I am by no means a hoarder, I pretty regularly donate & upcycle my things, and tidying up /decluttering come naturally to me. However, I’ve definitely fallen victim to the main stream culture of the ‘must buy more crap’ to stay fulfilled and happy. But the truth is — it just overwhelms and STRESSES ME OUT. Over spring break I had the opportunity to really start going through my things and getting RID of the stuff I didn’t absolutely NEED or LOVE. The line between needs and wants has become so incredibly blurred thanks to the perpetual advertisements we see on a daily basis. The physical space I occupy daily really effects my mental space. The feeling of having less in general is such a lighter feeling. There have been lots of movements recently in this direction — the tiny house trend — minimalism — ethical clothing — all with a similar thread of less is more + quality over quantity. I like it… a lot. Less of the stuff more of the real-handmade-artisanal-priceless-memory holding pieces, please.