February 28: Willing Warmer Weather

Only 87 days until Memorial Day!

February 27: Stocked!

Thanks Amazon Prime for keeping me from getting hangry when stuck in traffic!

February 26: Covered

Finally have health insurance! 

Now I can really start mountain biking...

February 25: Weekly Wharton Fix

February 24: Restoration

...the important act of doing nothing

Last night I participated in a Restorative Yoga Class. We did six postures and a guided meditation in two hours. It was a huge change of pace from the twenty six postures we do during a ninety minute Bikram Class.

Quieting the mind...slowing down the body...embracing the stillness...is much easier said than done. 

At the end of class the instructor made an analogy. At this point I was pretty much in a relaxation coma, but this is what I took away from it...we are like lakes...on the surface, we can be calm or choppy depending on the season and the circumstances surrounding our lives at the time...but below the surface, we are calm. 

This is something I will be mindful of moving forward.

February 23: Breakfast for Dinner

February 22: Mini Ponies!

Oh hey girl, I like your pink jacket...

Today I pet a mini pony. I cannot tell you how much joy this moment brought me. I have passed mini ponies on my rides countless times. I have always wanted to pet one. Today, we stopped an hour into the ride so my friend could adjust her saddle. We started back up again and only a few minutes later, passed four mini ponies. Two were wearing jackets. The one in the purple jacket came right up to the fence and stuck her nose through the fence and let us pet her. Then she smiled and kissed my hand. It was better than I even imagined it would be. I am still on a mini pony high. I love mini ponies.

February 21: actions...

speak louder than words

February 20: Turnpike

February 19: watercolors

February 18: Saved!

adventures in online dating

message from ********** Why so introverted? Your profile reads that you are kind of a loner. What’s up with that? If you are willing to tell?  

Me: And your message reads that you are kind of an asshole. I have plenty of friends. I am just very independent. 

message from ********** Lol does it really? I guess I can be but I’d rather not have that displayed on here. Thank you for the heads up! 

message from ********** Thank you for the heads up I updated my profile.

flipping the switch

I have difficulty finding the off button sometimes. Whether it's my mouth or my head or both...once I am fueled by an idea, I struggle to let it go. 

I wish I had a place for these things. I would pile them up like stones until they formed a wall that was so high I could no longer see out and you could no longer see in. I would save them like the spare change that I toss into a jar, waiting to be cashed in and spent on the vacation I will never take. 

On a good day, I bite my tongue. On a good day I am able to sleep at night. Lately, there have been more good days than bad days. 

I’m staring at this pile of rocks...I’m staring at this jar full of coins...thinking...there's got to be some other way.  

February 17: Alias

February 16: getting my snow legs

February 15: hey you!

the illusion of progress

"Life is a juggling act, much different than a balancing act.”

Another pearl of wisdom bestowed upon me by a dear friend. I sat with it for a while, mainly because I didn’t understand what it meant. Here I am, nearly a month later and I still don’t get it.

But, what I have taken away from those words is that...there are so many things going on in in my every day life that it’s impossible to hold onto all of them at once.

The key is identifying what things will bounce back if I drop them and what things I should never let go.

February 14: Artist Date

I'm perfectly fine with dining alone.

February 13: Pax

February 12: Sustenance

Meals in the car...another day in the glamorous life of a field researcher.

February 11: Throwback Tuesday

Fun in downtown Baltimore...Shhhhhhhhh...

February 10: obligatory new kit photo

February 9: Another day...

another trail...with hot coffee waiting at the end!

the flame

If there is one thing that I hope you take away from this, it is that I have provided you with an opportunity to live outside your comfort zone...to try new foods...to hear different music...to have experiences you never would have had...to view things from the eyes of a day dreamer, an adventurer, a carefree soul. 

I know your struggle...the push and the pull...wanting to break free, yet longing for the comforts of home...yearning for new discoveries, yet fearing failure.

I have seen the fight in you. I have seen your bold spirit and I know it exists. Within you there is a flame...all I ask is that you promise me you won’t ever let it die. 

February 8: Solo...Solace...

Find peace within yourself...

February 7: A Dog's Life

"The dirtiest puddles are also the ones that taste the best." - Riley

February 6: Obey

Follow the rules...especially when they pertain to drinking beer...