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Last week, my friend Kate (who I first met when I reached out to her to see if she’d like to be a Homie of the Day here) and I hosted our second Taking It Offline event.  Taking It Offline is an ongoing event series for women in NYC who are pursuing (or considering) their personal, creative or professional passions online. It was a wonderful evening and so nice to talk with a number of creative and inspiring ladies doing a range of things in the online arena.  From arts businesses to fashion design to fitness blogging for the working professional to online marketing strategy and freelance writing (there was even another joint sister blogger!), these ladies were awesome.  I’m already looking forward to our next event.

If you or anyone you know would like to join us next time, sign up for our mailing list here.  Taking It Offline is also on Facebook and Twitter.

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When I was about 17, my boyfriend introduced me to the saying “six of one, half a dozen of the other.” For some reason I could never quite wrap my head around this phrase. Six to one and a half a dozen to the other? Six and one and a half of a dozen the other? It just doesn’t really make sense to me; even now I had to google the saying to get it right. Bottom line, I’m told it basically means two things are the same, interchangeable. But in my mind it continues to have some meaning related to being half of a whole, like in the way June is six months into the year. Anyway, this year I’ve been listening to music a little differently than I have in the past. Each month (minus March), I’ve created a new spotify playlist and just dumped any music I’m currently listening to into it. As we’re now at the six to one marker, I thought I’d compile all the songs into one playlist. Here it is.

Bold colorful zinnias.

(image via here)

“To be mature you have to realize what you value most. It is extraordinary to discover that comparatively few people reach this level of maturity. They seem never to have paused to consider what has value for them. They spend great effort and sometimes make great sacrifices for values that, fundamentally, meet no real needs of their own. Perhaps they have imbibed the values of their particular profession or job, of their community or their neighbors, of their parents or family. Not to arrive at a clear understanding of one’s own values is a tragic waste. You have missed the whole point of what life is for.”

 Eleanor Roosevelt

I receive Gretchen Rubin’s daily Moment of Happiness email in my inbox each morning. Yesterday’s message was the above quote by Eleanor Roosevelt.  I spent the whole day thinking back on it and trying to consider whether I’m prioritizing the things I value most.  The idea also reminded me of something I heard before about personal finances, and how your spending habits serve as a reflection of what you’re prioritizing in your life, consciously or otherwise.

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(image via here)

The one where I’ve climbed to the top of a steep outdoor staircase, the others in line behind me, and it’s my turn to transfer onto the wobbly, metal platform adjacent to the stairs.  Most of them are encouraging me, even cheering me on. But I’m stalling and anxious until, at an unpredictable moment, I clumsily make the transition.  Once I’ve reached the other side, the only one who acted impatient and unsupportive started telling the rest of us who we were & what she thought of us.  To me she said, “You are the same as me.”  This was certainly not a compliment and I didn’t receive it as such.

When I woke, still aware of the terror I felt by the height of the stairs and the unsteadiness of the metal platform, as well as my indignance at her words, I thought of my family and the saying we learned together: First you mock the position, then you’re in the position.

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As If It Were A Dream is an ongoing series in which I will pair an image with some of my own writings. Previous installments: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

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Replica of the Statue of Liberty at the Brooklyn Museum

F:  What do you do to make yourself feel better when you are run down?

L:  Is this a veiled hint or just a well-timed question?!  When I feel run down, I try to make time to do nothing, though I often push it too long before forcing some downtime.  I’ve also thought of Dr. Junger’s, “No worry, no hurry” many times since you wrote about it.

F:  What is your favorite part about your morning routine?

L:  Coffee

F: How was your weekend? What did you do?

L:  The weekend was fun.  I went to Connecticut with a bunch if friends, then rented a car and drove to Ithaca to see another friend. I haven’t driven a long trip like that by myself in a long time & it was really nice.

F. What is your favorite poem?

L:  I’m not sure that it is all my all time favorite but the first poem that came into my head is this one by W.H. Auden.  I’ve seen it titled “Funeral Blues” as well as “Song IX” and “Song for Hedli Anderson.”

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

-- W H Auden

F: How are your plants doing? Take a pic for me to see.

L:  They are doing pretty well.  I still haven’t done a re-pot & I think I moved one into an area with too much light.  But I moved it back where it was and have been giving it some extra attention and I think it’s bouncing back.  I also bought a basil plant a the grocery store and it was dead within a week.  I think it’s about the third time I’ve done that; I don’t know why I can’t keep those alive.

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(Cedar Point, Ohio via here)

I went to a presentation yesterday in which someone compared a long-term project to a roller coaster ride. He emphasized the need to just go with it. While this is a comparison we’ve all heard – many times, probably – it somehow struck me in a deeper way yesterday. The point was less about expecting “ups and downs” and more about surrendering to the ride with a sense of acceptance and grace, rather than one of resistance and panic.  This made me think of the soothing voice of Mary Maddox over at Meditation Oasis.  I continue to keep her guided meditation podcasts loaded up on my phone.  If you’re interested, you can listen to one here.

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(image via here)

This past weekend was pretty wonderful. I went into it with almost no plans, then really delightful and special experiences just kept popping up along the way. Coincidently, I decided last week that I was going to try to get into Vine, Twitter’s 6-second video sharing app. I actually find it really difficult to film an appealing video in this way but, at a minimum, I’m momentarily committed to giving it a go. Here’s a little look back, 6-seconds at a time.

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F:  What is your favorite thing about summer in New York?

L:  That it can go from this…

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…to this, in one day.

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F:  What is your favorite yoga pose and why?

L:  Probs gotta go with the double D.  For real though, at this point I might say headstand, mostly because I continue to be amazed I can still do it.  And it still feels good.

F:  What is your favorite thing you have purchased lately?

L:  I locked myself out of my apartment the Friday before Memorial Day.  Luckily I got back in within a few hours but the in-between time was mostly spent outside on a gross and cold rainy day.  Later that night I decided to make an evening of going to Whole Foods and accidentally spend close to $9 on bulk dark chocolate covered almonds.  They’re gone now but it was a happy accident.

F:  Are you reading any good books?

L:  Sadly, no.

F:  Have any new podcast recommendation for my morning commute?

Did you listen to this episode of On Being?  I’m really getting in to this podcast overall.  This one, Whale Songs and Elephant Loves, is also phenomenal and I’d love for you to listen to it.

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(Image via Pinterest)

It’s not quite beach weather around these parts but that’s not stopping me from celebrating the unofficial start to summer this weekend. I’m hoping to find myself a little out of town at some point. Maybe go to a bbq. Do some reading.

If you have a bit of downtime (now or later), I highly recommend listening to this episode of On Being: A Shift to Humility: Andrew Zolli on Resilience and Expanding the Edge of Change.  If you’ve been feeling a little bummed by recent things going on in the world, I think this conversation realistically speaks to what we’re collectively facing.  I’ve been thinking about the interview all week and have replayed portions of it a few times.  I truly & sincerely hope you’ll check it out!

Listen here