May 5-May 11
Hi friends,
I’m coming to you on a Sunday because the week has been full in the most wonderful ways. I’ve loved sending this to you on Fridays—like a little bouquet at the end of the week - but lately life has shifted, and I’m intentionally allowing the pace of this space to change with ebbs and flows. I’m so curious how the timing lands for you and if it feels different to read this on a Friday, or a Tuesday, or at the end of a weekend, like today. I’d love to know what you think!
As always, thank you for meeting me here, and for being part of this practice with me!
This week’s OOH LA LA! list includes: riding my bike, rain clouds, new creative tools
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Last weekend I had the great joy of riding my bike over 45 miles around the city alongside 30,000 other cyclists as part of the Five Boro Bike Tour. I enjoyed cruising down a car-less 6th avenue, through beautiful Central Park, across the gnarly hills of the Queensboro bridge, along quiet neighborhood streets, and even on the Brooklyn-Queens-Expressway, a long highway that I’ve only ever visited in a car before the ride.
More than anything, the greatest pleasure was experiencing the bliss of my body on a bike. When I’m riding my bike, I feel happy and free - my mind quiets as it anchors into my body - and pedal by pedal, I am soul-renewed, like a cosmic car wash or a gentle cycle in a karmic washing machine.
My bicycle is a key to an inner secret garden, a place so lush and expansive, but only accessible when I’m pushing pedals on two wheels. Biking over 45 miles in five hours made me remember what’s possible - what the body can do beyond what the mind believes - but more than that, the peace that’s waiting for me when I pursue what I love.
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The weather in New York is lingering in the liminal space between winter, spring, and summer. While I prefer the warm sunshine, I can’t deny I love watching the rain clouds roll in on a stormy day. On Thursday, I was stuck in task-mode, moving about my day with my next to-do in mind, until I looked up and saw the thick, dark sky. The swirls and shapes of heavy rain-clouds with their green-gray hues looked to me like a painting of ocean waves and it brought me back to my body, to the day, to the moment. What a bummer it would be to miss such a wonder.
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I got out of bed yesterday at 6:30 AM - on a Saturday! - because I was so excited to go play at the experimental animation bootcamp I enrolled in for the weekend. For months (maybe years!), I’ve been searching for a creative medium big enough to hold my ideas, and it feels like I could finally be onto something! Immersing myself in this experience and learning new creative tools has made my brain feel exponentially alive, energized by the potential to make my ideas into something tangible I can share. I’ve also remembered how I love to create within a quick, deadline-driven container. In this setting, I feel like a participant on “Project Runway,” as I race to finish my vision before the time runs out. With the end in sight so soon, my overthinking tendencies soften, and I leap into the air, trusting that my ideas are right and wonderful and enough.
Thanks for reading!!
As always, I’d love to know about your OOH LA LA! somethings.
★NEW!★ I’m trying out suggested prompts for each issue. If you’d like, comment below and tell me something you love!
Or, reply to this email with your own OOH LA LA! list or moment and I may share them in next issue! Feel free to include photos or art to accompany your description. I’d love to know your current wonders, pleasures, and delights!
XOXO,
LJ!
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