2011 Word of the Year

isla mujeres, where I long to return.


Last year was the first year that I have set a word of the year. It was at someone else's prompt and I came up with "UNHURRY". At the dawn of 2010 I was in a state of recovery from meningitis and was in search of ways to make changes in life that would promote better health and peace in my day-to-day life. It was time to listen to the most honest friends in my life who were willing to tell me what I didnt want to hear, that I needed to slow down. way down. and for the most part I did. many days I still possessed "a hurried mind" but I worked hard to be in tune with the acceleration and figured out ways to put on the brakes. I can say that I was present throughout the majority of the year and while some real challenges came my way, my "unhurrying" served me well in sitting with them and allowing the emotions to rise and release.

Now 2011 is underway and I have felt great resistance into getting into the swing of things and have felt stuck in what I wanted to bring forth into this space. I had committed to myself when I began this site that it would not be another place of clutter in my life, I would not post out of obligation or expectation, but would listen to what I would want to offer up. and yet there is something to be said for expectation, it kicks you in the butt when you get lazy or lose confidence or direction. and sometimes just climbing in the saddle destiny unbound is the best thing you can do. so today I mounted and my word of 2011 showed up for me, blazon and ready to behold. TRUST. trust in my body, trust in the universe, trust in intuition. trust in the cycles of health, emotions, and nature. trust in what dear loved ones tell me that I sometimes just can't hear. trust in prayer. and trust that i will again one day soak in turquoise salty water under sunny skies feeling healthy and strong and eat fresh fish with my toes in the sand. just declaring this trust makes my lips taste salty.

Please share your word(s) of 2011 if you would like. its not a resolution, just an intention. xo

restoration: a quick jaunt down country roads

yesterday my father, daughter and I travelled up to hot springs for a morning hike along Big Laurel Creek on the way to pick up husband and dear friend from three days of backpacking. on the way back home we stopped in marshall for a bite to eat and a quick look around. these images are from a storefront on the main street of this small mountain town- a splash of color and charm in an otherwise all brick block. i am grateful for the little journey-just under an hour away and yet just enough unfamiliarity to recharge the travelling spirit. A simple monday morning journey down nearby country roads can work wonders, i highly recommend it.

restoration: the call of the woods

in hiding, originally uploaded by AnnieLaurel.

i feel it so strongly today, a longing to walk off into the woods and hide. i come by it naturally, my father told my husband recently that he is currently resisting the same urge. this morning i was surrounded by dear friends at a brunch gathering, folks I cherish and crave time with, and yet today the weight of their gazes was too much for me to hold. my little one felt it too. she wanted to go home and once we returned she wandered straight back into the woods (can you spot her? she is with her beloved kitty). her new found refuge. she too comes by it naturally.

restoration: The Perfect Protest

perfection protest, originally uploaded by AnnieLaurel.

I have joined Brene Brown's Perfect Protest in honor of the coming out of her new book, The Gifts of Imperfection.

What is born out of the messes in our lives- physical, emotional, spiritual- is what defines us and fills our stories with the juicy details we and our loved ones cherish.

restoration: taking a moment

childs pose, originally uploaded by AnnieLaurel.

After my hospital release last november for meningitis, the very first thing I did when I entered the house where I was to recuperate for a few days was walk over to the corner of the room and get into child's pose. no more cold, sterile linoleum- a carpet never felt so inviting. in that moment what had felt like the easiest of poses for years was painfully challenging and deeply cathartic. I knew that body was suffering and needed the deepest of restorative care.

I will never forget that child's pose because I feel like for the first time in 10 years of practicing I came to know the true essence of yoga. it has become the main thing in my life that serves as a way to check in with myself and will always meet me just where I am at on any given day. all that is required of me is that I show up and be prepared to listen. my practice guides me to where I need to go and where I need to stay.

I took this picture on timer a couple of weeks ago as a way of honor ing this pose and to serve as a reminder of how it continues to serve me. At first I was tempted to edit out the baby stroller and the dog butt, but upon second glance I liked what I saw, an image of me taking a moment for restoration amidst the swirling of my everyday life. what would your snapshot look like if you ceased the swirling around you and succumbed to a moment just with yourself and for yourself?

sweet sweet surrender.

restoration: the front porch

yoga dog, originally uploaded by AnnieLaurel.

for the next week or so my posts will be circling around restoration. as the changing of seasons is upon us, and the coming of the autumnal full moon, i am finding myself agitated by allergies and insomnia- things are all stirred up around and within. I was grateful to read an email from my acupuncturist today that states that in chinese medicine it is regarded as a time that brings up "the breath, letting go (as witnessed by the falling leaves), grief, nostalgia, and connection to Spirit." yes. yes. yes. each of those words rings truer than ever.

my front porch is the place I go to unroll the yoga mat, and restore amidst the trees. however, if I turn around for just a second this furry friend will take over my spot.