Living and Dying

For many years I’ve noticed this beautiful oak tree that is both living and dying at the edge of China Camp along the Bay. When I see it from a distance at certain times of the year, I feel sad that such a majestic tree seems to be in distress. Today I walked up close…

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bell hooks

This writing is from the influence bell hooks writing is having in my life. I’m wrapping my mind around my expanding understanding of what I thought I understood as gender roles. I invite the thoughts of those I may offend and acknowledge that I am taking a risk and might get something wrong. When we…

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Autumn Equinox

Today is the Autumn Equinox and I wanted to spend it breathing fresh air, reveling in natural beauty, and listening to wise messages from water, trees, and my local creatures roaming & flying around China Camp. A beautiful intention gone awry. Instead, I woke up grouchy. I kept my hoody hood up all morning. Hiding…

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Summer Solstice

I took a long hike in China Camp today to experience this iteration of summer’s arrival. This is my 13th summer settling on this land where the Coast Miwok are the indigenous inhabitants. The earth here on the summer solstice is hard and dry. Some of the well-worn trails of China Camp are hardened like…

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Meeting Myself in a Million Beautiful Ways

Today I’m celebrating my relationship with myself. I have been single for 16 or 17 years. I can’t remember anymore. All this time I’ve been in relationship with myself, having all the ups & downs, twists & turns by myself. Who can say whether it’s been easier or harder to be alone? I celebrate the…

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Tiny Moments

I’ve been wanting to say something for days, but I can’t quite get it out. It’s a quiet truth, one that’s easy to ignore and override. It’s that vulnerable risk that’s a little too scary to fully embrace. It’s the part of you that longs to be seen but is mostly shy. It’s noticing that…

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44

I’m finding a lot of peace at the start of my 44th year. Peace in the present moment, peace in being with myself, feeling peaceful in the body I’ve got right now, and peace with those in my life however close or far away they choose to be. There is also an abundance of feelings…

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Wild Woman

Written before the photo shoot. Who is my wild woman self? What does she long for? How does she move through the world? How does she move her body? How does the skin of her face rest and revive itself? How does it feel inside of her when pleasure rises up through her root chakra…

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Grey Hairs

A few years ago I decided to stop hiding my grey hairs. I’ve noticed my grey hairs growing in for the last maybe 5-6 years. For the first few years, I decided that I would use demi-permanent hair color every 3 months or so to cover the grey hairs and fade out gradually instead of…

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Adrienne Mehri Shamszad

Last night Adrienne’s voice, her songs and the music she and her band played blasted my heart wide open and made tears stream down my face. She sang poems by Rumi, Hafiz and other amazing mystic Iranian poets in Farsi and it made me understand the longing to be overcome by the love of god.…

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