Dancing in the Car

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the new year is only getting momentum now, a few weeks into it. I don’t know if it’s the fact that the sun has finally returned to California after a month of rain, Mercury retrograde ending, or celebrating my birthday this week, but I feel like I finally have some forward motion, and that feels good.

I wrote last week about how I chose SAVOR to be my word of the year. I feel like it’s already paid some serious dividends. When a good moment arrives (whether it be a gorgeous sky, a fun moment with one of my kids, a delicious meal, or just a moment of peace), I have found myself really leaning into it and squeezing all the juice out of it (so to speak). A few weeks into the year, I’m really enjoying savoring good moments. If you haven’t chosen a word for the year, this might be a good one for you too!

If anyone has taught me about savoring moments in nature, it is Mary Oliver, who has been called “the poet laureate of nature.” Tomorrow I will be leading a day-long meditation retreat inspired by Oliver’s poetry, and I am so looking forward to it. All the attendees will be receiving a copy of Oliver’s Devotions (my favorite poetry book of all time). I’ve been thinking about leading an online version of this retreat. If you’d be interested in such a retreat, please hit reply and let me know. You can watch my latest meditation video, On Gratitude and Savoring Moments of Good here. And I’d love if you could join me live next Friday on Facebook or YouTube for my latest meditation.

I just started reading legendary music producer Rick Rubin’s new book The Creative Act: A Way of Being, and seven pages in, I have written “YES!” in the margins 4 times. Rubin says “[r]egardless of whether or not we’re formally making art, we are all living as artists. We perceive, filter, and collect data, then curate an experience for ourselves and others based on this information set. Whether we do this consciously or unconsciously, by the mere fact of being alive, we are active participants in the ongoing process of creation.” I believe this so strongly, and seeing it in print makes me so happy. He continues, “[a]ttuned choice by attuned choice, your entire life is a form of self-expression. You exist as a creative being in a creative universe. A singular work of art.” Isn’t that an amazing thought? That you, just in living your life on a daily basis, are a singular work of art. This is something I’ve believed for quite some time, and seeing a massively creative person say it out loud is thrilling. It gives each day a different level of excitement to think of it in this way too. I can’t wait to read more of this book!

I’ve listened to some great podcasts lately that I want to share with you. Two different episodes of Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach’s We Can Do Hard Things podcast lit me up in different ways. The episode with Tracee Ellis Ross was a primer on living well and being a friend. And the latest episode with Dr. Becky Kennedy on Internal Family Systems was so enlightening. I may have to listen to it again to make sure I haven’t missed anything.

My twelve year-old son and I have been listening to music together in the car lately that he has picked out. I love hearing what music he’s into (and what songs from decades ago are finding a new audience today). We’ve listened to a few different Outkast songs lately, including Hey Ya!, which make me dance even in the seat of my car. I’ll leave you with it to help you get your weekend started.

Wishing you a weekend full of dancing, some moments of peace, and some moments worth savoring.

And, if you enjoyed this and think you know someone else who would too, I’d be so grateful if you’d pass it along!