Today marks the anniversary date I launched this blog, I Forgot My Mantra. The significance of the day is more than a number on a calendar for me. It represents the power of my thoughts and intentions, the belief that I am the agent of something other than running errands and folding laundry, and of course the sexiest part, expressing my creativity.
What originally inspired me to write was my husband Steve’s colorful life—think Catch Me if You Can meets Curb Your Enthusiasm, with a little dash of Wolf...
If I envy anyone it must be
My grandmother in a long ago
Green summer, who hurried
Between kitchen and orchard on small
Uneducated feet, and took easily
All shining fruits into her eager hands.
That summer I hurried too, wakened
To books and music and circling philosophies.
I sat in the kitchen sorting through volumes of answers
That could not solve the mystery of the trees.
My grandmother stood among her kettles and ladles.
Smiling, in faulty grammar,
She praised my fortune and urged my lofty career.
So to please her I studied- but I will remember always
How she poured...
I turned 21 on July 26, 1992 at our family beach house in Longport, New Jersey, a small coastal town about 7 miles south of Atlantic City. My 21st birthday did not by ANY means mark the first time I sipped alcohol. At the age of 18 I was savvy enough to procure a fool-proof Pennsylvania driver’s license that my older sister, by three years, Marlena sold to me for $300 with my picture and her information.
My Dad marked my 21st birthday by buying me a little black...
Publishing isn't Everything: Writing Regardless of Outcome
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”—John Lennon
I am going to go dive right in and ask some questions - Have you ever pondered the somewhat uncomfortable question, “what is your purpose in life?” Are you restless about your reality and what path you chose? Do you think about what you could have done? Are you so busy being busy that you forgot about dormant hopes and dreams from a younger and more hopeful past? Do you...
Every May for several years, my lover who later became my husband, and I traveled to Thailand for a heat-seeking tropical vacation in Phuket. We stayed at a small boutique hotel called The Chedi. Every morning we relished eating fresh mangos, coconuts and drinking Thai iced coffee laced with cardamom. For lunch we walked to Surin Beach for shrimp Pad Thai cooked in beach shacks typically operated by two family members. These little huts miraculously served 5-6 page menus filled with fresh local recipes and ingredients. I still wonder...
“I cried because I don’t even know what it feels like to be taken seriously — not fully, not in that whole, unequivocal, confident way that’s native to handshakes between men.” ~ Lindy West
Bring Back Normal: A Political Post
Note: I don’t consider myself a political writer but this is a political post. I know little about politics compared to some. I don’t have the latest raw data on the economy, stock market, and unemployment rates. But really, this post isn’t about tangential governments facts and figures, but rather...
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" -- Anais Nin
Begin Again: The Spring Equinox & Kim Snyder's Glowing Green Smoothie
I’ve been yearning for spring since the last leaves fell from the scrub oak trees outside my bedroom window. Each fall I notice Utah’s native scrub oaks seem to want to hold on to their leaves longer than the aspens and maples. On the flip side, scrub oaks are one of the latest...
On Valentine's Day I had the opportunity to write a guest post about finding love through the moon and intentions for my amazing friends at CosmoMuse. CosmoMuse is a 126 page seasonal astrological guide exquisitely presented in a “bookazine” style. Basically, it’s so pretty it needs to be on your coffee table. Their website features seasonal writings that inspire connection to self, others and the magic of the cosmos. Find out more about CosmoMuse in my Sotelties, (things I covet) section.
FEEL YOUR WAY
Finding Love through the Moon & Intentions
In my mid- to...
We all have a tale about how we met our significant other for the first time. What is your love story?
Was it love at first sight? Was it slow and unforeseen? Are you childhood friends or neighbors or roommates? Did you meet on a plane, in a coffee shop or at work? We all have a love story. This is mine……..
I remember the day I met my future husband. I rarely remember dates; in fact I still forget my own anniversary. But Tuesday, April 3, 2001 stands out...
The first time I had a cup of coffee I was 21 years old and it was at Salt Lake Roasting Company.
What I remember is the cafe felt like a humming library; utilitarian in presence - welcoming to skiers, students, business men and opera goers alike. It was and still has a comfortable, yet exotic environment. Salt Lake Roasting Company is progressive in its conscientious choice of beans, like shade-grown, sustainably harvested and single-origin varieties, yet old-fashioned in its presentation of coffee and colorful handmade pastries and cakes,...
