Day 12 #reallifephotoaday Okay, so this is not a photo from today but in light of American Mother’s Day and how complicated it is for most of us I’m posting this instead... I am a Mother and also the daughter of a mother who has tried to break me beyond reason, so it’s complicated. My goal in my life has been to mother well not just my own children but anyone one in need of comfort, compassion and a listening ear. To be a shower-upper. This probably is a direct result of not

Day 10 #reallifephotoaday My face! #therealbeautiful No make up, wake up hair, all natural. I have a lifetime of wrestling with love for myself that is neck deep in childhood trauma, but for the most part has developed into a trust and deep love for who I am most of the time. Recently I’ve noticed I don’t like the way I look in photos. At first I thought it was just the way aging can catch you by surprise and you see the signs of a different face emerging from the face you’

Day 9 #reallifephotoaday my dog hair tumbleweed. It’s a constant battle and I think the hair is winning. I realize I don’t care all that much #therealbeautiful I reason I’m posting the reality of my daily life is not to shame myself or get myself to do something different. Because now the secret is out and you all can see my real life. I’m also not doing this so you will feel SHAMED by the way you are living. I want to shine a light that says WE ARE OKAY JUST AS WE ARE. W

Day 8 #reallifephotoaday my kitchen! It is well loved and used often. Many parties, sing-alongs, and deep conversations have happened here and will keep happening. I embrace all those dishes as a sign of the love that lives here. That’s the #therealbeautiful #reallifephotoaday #theRealBeautiful #vulnerabilityproject #thisisreallife

Day 7 of #reallifephotoaday I have a deep inner NO inside of me. This isn’t the kind of NO you’re excited about when you develop it- The no that establishes boundaries, protects you and your choices, sets intention (I have learned to do this) it is a NO that speaks after every good thing offered, every adventure longed for, art considered. It is a NO that constantly says this is not for you. #therealbeautiful that I have noticed is I can now see this restricting of good thing

Day 6 #reallifephotoaday My bedside table: books, balms, tinctures, jewelry etc. Everything I could need or not need it’s the #therealbeautiful of a life lived. How are you living into the real you with all it’s bumps, bruises and reality? #thisisreallife #therealbeautiful #reallifephotoaday #vulnerabilityproject

Day 5 of #reallifephotoaday Yesterday after doing some archery I went on a jog/walk in the woods while I was jogging I remembered this big old cedar I like to visit and immediately knew I needed to go the long way to greet her and maybe even hug her. Side note: I often hug old growth trees when I’m hiking with my friend @tamarabpottery but I don’t think I’ve ever done it alone in a park full of people, but I did and even more rare... I selfied it (how bad I am at selfies is a

Day 3 #reallifephotoaday This one is hard to post. I introduce you to my oven. Say hello! It’s old, smokes a little and I’m afraid to clean it. Why? Because the last vintage oven I cleaned I popped a light bulb inside it and scared the crap out of myself + oven cleaning. This is #therealbeautiful #thisisreallife #therealbeautiful #reallifephotoaday #vulnerabilityproject

Day 2 of #reallifephotoaday and #therealbeautiful So many choices to post today but here’s what I went with... under my book shelf spotted the tumble weed of dog hair (at least that’s what I hope it is) and a left over Frank Ocean party favor from 3 weeks ago while putting on my shoes. And I will resist doing anything about it for the rest of the day. #reallifephotoaday #theRealBeautiful #vulnerabilityproject #thisisreallife

Years ago I got so overwhelmed by all the conversations I was having around social media inside and out of my practice: How it can make us feel like shit, erode our confidence, remind us of our loneliness, question our relationships that in February of 2013, I posted for about a month the real life I was living: piles of laundry, stacks of dishes, dirty refrigerator, etc. I couldn’t take the developing nagging feeling to “present “ well that was filling my life and the lives