i woke up from a 20-minute nap and i was different somehow

i will take the path through the dark
though they're hot upon my heels
i will sail those thousand seas
for i am nothing 
without love

from the song Those Thousand Seas by Claire Tchaikowski


forgive.  smile.  play.  take the time to understand your enemies.  bear forth your broken heart for all to see, then watch as you pull it together and realize your radiant self.  cry.  grieve.  admit defeat and vow revenge...but then soften your anger into sorrow.  take a walk by yourself in the woods--on the beach--and rediscover the cosmos in the curve of a fern or shell.  hum.  sing.  scream at the top of your lungs or sob into your bathwater until it aches.  call someone you haven't in awhile.  ask them questions that have nothing to do with the weather.  express gratitude.  pray with your feet.  drown in booze and wake up thick with regret...then venture out into the sun and sip on tea.  move.  breathe.  eat fruit.  contemplate dyeing your hair...and then don't because no one else needs to know you're in crisis.  touch yourself.  find yourself ravishing.  release and crumple back into the sheets.  cook.  clean.  rearrange the furniture.  cut your toenails and your pants into shorts.  dream.  imagine.  you're traveling...where to?  who do you meet?  what do you say?  how do you feel?  when you are standing alone, are you the same?  when you are together, do you change?  reflect.  meditate.  illuminate the dark spaces that you've always feared.  and love.

love.

love.

above all: love.

thanks

Abundance is eating an entire basket of fresh raspberries still warm from the California sun.

Abundance is swimming under the stars with someone you cannot stop kissing.

Abundance is a luxurious shower with hot water and grapefruit-scented shampoo.

Abundance is uploading and listening to a gorgeous song that carries you through your day.

Abundance is the laughter shared with your mother in the early morning.

Abundance is packing a healthy lunch that will fuel your body and brain come early afternoon.

Abundance is receiving a wonderful massage from someone who genuinely cares whether you are in pain or not.

Abundance is sharing tea and strawberries with someone who leans in to kiss your cheek every so often.

My life is so rich

so full

so exquisitely bursting at the seams with abundance

that I cannot help but express my deep gratitude.