“The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Optimism is life’s way of giving us light. It is a beacon that shows us our path and opens up a down feather lightness for our lives to cuddle in. It allows us to sort, shift, and discover the parts we need and love best from moments that seem heavy, dark and unending.

As our personal fountain of hope, optimism not only inspires and allows us to relax into ourselves, but it’s power lies in it’s regenerative process. Good thing optimism begets optimism, we all need it in unlimited supply.

It’s easy to forget that thinking and feeling optimistic about yourself, a situation, or your life in general is only a thought away. But it is the hardest to do when we are completely wrapped up in believing our negative mental thoughts. And that is precisely when we most need our own positive reinforcement.

To cultivate more optimism in my life, I try to do very small things that can reap huge rewards. A few times throughout the day I’ll stop what I’m doing and sit silently. It’s like a small check-in with how I’m feeling, where I am, and what my thoughts are thinking. I notice and then proceed. If I was thinking something really negative, I may laugh out loud at myself to break the hold negative thinking can have. Or I might say the word “hope” or “intention” in my mind to break the downward spiral. Then, I let it go. This is hard, so it helps me to visualize the negative thought literally being enveloped by a balloon or a bubble and floating away. Sometimes I even imagine myself waving at it. Buh-bye!

Optimism helps us see—see our selves as part of the greater whole and the humor in all that we do. It enables us to more freely create for the world (like giant thumb’s up sculptures in gold) and bring joy to everyone who experiences our work. Optimism allows us to be and give our best, which in turn is the best gift we can give our selves.

“Did you see that last episode of Iron Chef?” is a question I often get. When I tell people the truth (nope), they get disappointed. But honestly, I would rather be in the kitchen myself poking around, trying out different ingredient combinations, and experimenting on my own time. The drama of cooking shows turns me off because there is already so much drama for folks when it comes to food. Watching a show that tells me feeding myself is an insurmountable challenge isn’t my idea of relaxation. Call me crazy.

Most of those shows evoke a feeling of achieving the impossible in the kitchen. The kitchen, the primary room of the house used for taking care, feeding, and nurturing our bodies (and for some of us, our minds and spirits) has instantly become a battleground. This idea of cooking as a form of impossibility has been embedded in the psyche of our culture for too long. Coming home and cooking something that actually tastes good and is good for you seems more like climbing Mt. Everest than just making food.

If I really want some food drama, I’ll make something I’ve never made before using only what I have in my pantry and fridge (watch out, it can get crazy!). But honestly, the challenge for me, and for a lot of us, lies in feeding ourselves well, regularly, while gracefully dealing with the confrontations the rest of our lives can impose upon us.

Last year, I experienced a shift in how I approach food. Living back east where the access to good food—and other things that nourish like clean air, spending quality time outdoors, and taking in breathtaking scenery—are harder to come by than they are back in the Pacific Northwest. This has forced me to be much more aware of not only how I spend my time, but also what I put in my body. When I’m able to nourish myself with beautiful hikes, leisurely afternoons having tea with good friends, and breathing in fresh, pine needle air, I can honestly eat worse. An extra glass of wine, three more cookies, extra butter on a fresh slice of baked bread doesn’t have the same effect as they do when life is a bit more hectic.

But this is just me. The way I deal with adjusting to a more intense pace of life is by pulling back every so slightly and cooking really good food each night. Instead of photographing or thinking too much about it, I’ve been simply enjoying it.

Recipes that I make up on the fly (for, you know, a little extra drama

Take twelve full-grown months. Thoroughly cleanse out all bitterness, hate, jealousy, negativity, confusion, and low points; wash them down the kitchen sink for a clean start. Using your best, flavor filled, love infused words, gently massage all the bruised and cut up areas. Pay special attention to the deepest cuts, filling those gashes up past the brim. Marinate until ready to use, gently adding more love infused words daily until it’s ready to prepare.

One month at a time, take out of the marinade and cut into thirty or thirty one equal pieces. Each day, take a new piece out to prepare; allow the rest of the pieces to keep marinating.
*Important note: do not attempt to make all the pieces at once. Each piece is unique, different and a meal on it’s own.

Into each piece, add equal parts courage, patience, trust, kindness, honesty, intention, rest, meditation, work, and play. Season with extra fun and good humor.

Enjoy with friends and family; share with those less fortunate; and give the rest to those who annoy the heck out of us but teach us so much. Depending on the season, serve warm or cold.

(Our new nephew Clark!)

Here’s to a wonderful fresh start and gorgeous new year! xo

In the meantime, let me show you a few of my favorite details and moments from the day.

We shot at several locations including the Durango Train Station, The Irish Embassy Pub, and Andrew’s parents house. The places were so different, each created it’s own narrative for us to enjoy and relax into. It was fun.

I designed an “edible bouquet” filled with mostly seasonal produce and fun things from the farmer’s market and grocery store. Working with a visionary florist at Wildwood Flowers, a unique and beautiful bouquet was born! I also designed what I called “salsa boutonnieres” for all the guys to wear. They were made with chili’s, oregano, and other fun ingredients that would normally go into a salsa. Plus they popped with amazing color, something I was going for to compliment the gorgeous, austere mountain backdrop.

For the guests gift, I hand made ceramic bowls. I think the best part was that all 50 were unique in shape, so no one received the same bowl. Initially I wanted to make them porcelain, but the kiln I had access to didn’t fire that hot. They were a hit and really lovely on the tables. The florist also made the little red “poppies” out of cut paper and real Black Eyed Susan centers that the guests could take home. More color!

My ring is a Victorian piece (early to mid-1800′s) we got at Anoinette’s in Portland before we left. The center is turquoise ringed by tiny diamonds. Initially, it wasn’t used as an engagement ring, but I like the idea of weaving the past and present while creating something altogether new. My band is a simple, solid gold circle and also an antique.

We had great food catered by The Yellow Carrot. (If you are ever in Durango, make sure you eat here for lunch!) Our menu was southwestern/Mexican, a favorite amongst the crowd. We even had margarita’s as our cocktail!

The best surprise of the night was all the guests had compiled their favorite recipes, photos, and stories into a book for us. I was speechless and beyond touched!

I also made a hula hoop with ribbons tied all around it. Initially, I wanted to hang it for us to get married by or under (as opposed to a traditional archway with flowers). But things change and it ended up being a lot of fun during the dancing. Think giant maypole with the bride and groom inside!

My dress was made by a lovely pair out of LA, Alix and Kelly. The great little faux-mink coat I’m wearing I found at Nordstrom. To see the rest of the pictures and more of Abbey’s gorgeous work, check out her site here. Cheers!

Picture your truth

Some days the fear-tiger’s roar is much, much louder than other days.

You know those days where you find yourself fretting over every little thing and then projecting those fears ridiculously far into the future. It’s frustrating because not only does it feel terrible, but it’s absolutely, totally and completely unproductive. A pet peeve of mine!

When I can’t seem to get the fearful thoughts out of my head, it’s usually because something in my daily life tripped me up a bit. Fear sees those as opportune times to slip right in the open crack of my self-doubt and take root.

The other day, it was someone telling me that I should have been able to score a job with Smithsonian or anywhere in the government in two weeks tops. (Read: what is wrong with you?)

Yeah. Right.

My logical brain literally chuckled and was comfortable with the irony of the situation. But it also stirred something in the shadows of my heart that I had been ignoring: my self-doubt.

Just when I thought I had her under control (a funny concept, control), she rears her ugly head and decides to stick around for a few days. At least until I finally faced her.

And you know what I found when I did? She’s actually very pretty.

Self-doubt is a tricky thing to face, because it feels like it’s going to be deathly ugly AND it feeds off of anything you give it. Except it’s actually not ugly and it doesn’t feed off love. It softens with love. I literally feel a physical shift, an opening in my chest, a release from what feels like a tight grip when I focus intently and directly on a fear.

Here’s what I did: I took my fear by the hand and we took a walk. It’s easier for us to talk when we can move our limbs and breathe deeply. Then, I simply started to list what was important to me: teaching, connecting, expression, growth, truth, flexibility, safety, community, creativity, and open mindedness. As I listed, fear started listening. I could tell because she softened. My heart softened. The roaring in my mind quieted down. These words came from my heart. They weren’t sentences, just words, born of feelings and inner truths (and I mean that in the most authentic-non-hippie-way possible). An expression of myself, I feel afraid when I loose sight of them. Fear just signals the need for a gentle reminder that I haven’t lost sight at all.

This week, try taking your self and your fear(s) for a walk, especially if it’s something that overwhelms you. Breathe deeply. Then feel or recognize your own words in the center of your chest and let them out. When you get home, write them down. You may even want to take a picture (hello camera phone!) that represents one or each of your words.

Let’s show fear how beautiful she really is, shadows and all.

Send me a picture and/or just a word of your favorite truths, and I’ll add them to the virtual “truth” wall I’m making to share with you. It will be spectacular.

Please share on Facebook or email it to: tricia [at] eatingisart [dot] com this week. I can’t wait.

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This was also this week’s Photo Note(able) bi-weekly inspiration I send out. I’d love to have you join and sincerely hope you do! As always, I never ever share your information with anyone. Sign up here or on the side bar and see you next week!

I’ve been quiet. Not for lack of things going on, changes, transitions, or even transformations. But because I’ve been taking a step back and allowing all this change to finally settle in.

It can be a challenge to just be quiet when you have a blog. There’s a little voice that always says, “just post SOMETHING!” Sometimes I listen to her blindly. But more often, I’ve been flexing a different muscle and speaking with her instead. I ask her, “what should I say? What would be authentic right now? And how does this relate to food?” This line of questioning, of course, inevitably leads to other questions. And then I can feel stuck.

“If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone.” -John Maxwell

In the grand scheme of things, a lot does come back to food. How we feel in the long term, energy levels, and getting a good night’s sleep are all affected by what we put in our bodies. But food is also just a gateway, an entry point into figuring out other stuff that can feed you even better, even nourish you deeply. And that’s where I’ve been lately.

Then I hear myself asking, “how do I talk about that?”

The other day, while filling out paper work and getting background checked/finger printed to do some volunteer work with the Smithsonian design department, I had a few moments to step into a gorgeous garden behind the castle building on the Mall. It was an oasis, a respite, a physical manifestation of the inner space I’ve been actively trying to cultivate.

Amidst the busy schedule, the straight hustle of city life, freelancing, temp work, volunteering, informational interviewing, socializing, and spending Q.T. time with Andrew, I’ve been finding my groove. My stride. And prioritizing a lot that seemed nebular before. With lack of time comes focus.

I’m shifting, reprioritizing, and thinking. The natural cycle that happens over and over throughout our lifetimes. And I’m really looking forward to reacquainting with my voice after this transition to share this space with you.

“Don’t waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whissssss….sssssssizzle…steeeeeeeeeeam

The spicy sounds and smells of Thai food envelop the entryway as you saddle into the tiny, galley restaurant called Shop House. The food was tasty, and I would go back. But that’s not why I’m pretty excited about it. Since moving from Portland, the land-of-never-ending-delicious-fresh-local-organic-food-that-doesn’t-break-the-bank, I’ve been spoiled. Very spoiled. I can not tell you how many times Andrew and I have tried a new restaurant here only to leave vowing we’d never go out again and we should have gone to Chipotle. Yeah, that bad.

So when I heard about Shop House, the Thai-inspired restaurant Chipotle is testing here in Dupont, I had to give it a try. Banh mi sandwiches, rice bowls, or cold noodle salads with rotating sauteed vegetables and an option of tofu, chicken, or pork. It was good however, it still went down like a big burrito from Chipotle: satisfying but nothing too off-the-cuff fancy. On the flip side, as a chain, Shop House could change the landscape of “fast casual” food as we know it, introducing entire communities to things like brown rice, garlic eggplant, and pickled green mango. Affordable veggies with a Thai-twist? Yes, please.

Shop House 1514 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC 20036

Here’s a short list of things that I really appreciate:

1. Small town coffee clubs.

2. The joy of writing a Photo Note(able) note to you every other week.

3. A class that has changed the way I approach yoga forever.

4. One of the most amazing collaborative musical projects I have ever seen.

5. Good books that are hard to put down like this and this.

6. Sitting down to enjoy simple and delicious meals: massive salads, grilled spicy tofu, baba ganoush, red cabbage sour kraut, sesame molasses bread, peach crumbles, cold soba noodle salads, smoothies, and crunchy, tart apples. Looks like some recipes are in order for you all here soon.

7. List making.

What’s the number one little thing you’ve been appreciating lately?

Hello there! It’s been a few weeks, but I’m back and now a M.R.S.!

Before I got married, I used to wonder: does marriage change you? Here’s a few things I’ve realized now that I’m a married woman (along with a few pictures I was able to capture while there. The real wedding photos will be posted as soon as I have them from my lovely photographer):

1. Marriage doesn’t change YOU the person. But if you’re with the right person, it enhances you. It makes you live up to your highest self.

2. When I wake up in the morning I may think, “wow, I’m married!” and then I go eat breakfast.

3. Looking into Andrew’s eyes, there is a new and profound understanding of the meaning “team”. It’s really awesome to have someone’s back as much as they have yours. And it feels really good.

4. I teach yoga exactley the same way as before. No change there.

5. He still makes amazing breakfast and does the laundry. I still bake pie and clean the bathroom. No change and a very fair deal.

6. It’s really fun to call him my husband to people we are just meeting. I drop that term as often as possible (and so much better to say than Fiance).

7. Now that the wedding is behind us, it is exciting and fun to think about the future. Dreaming with someone you love is really the best. A great change.

8. It’s not just me anymore, which is a wonderful change. This pushes me to think outside my comfort zone much more and do not only what’s best for myself, but for both of us.

(New Mexico wins the for the best American license plate. Ever.)

9. I have loved watching my husband grow into himself, learning to be comfortable with who he is. It’s been so rewarding to see him achieve some spectacular goals he set for himself as a result of looking inward. What I look forward to most in our marriage is both of us championing and encouraging each other as we grow throughout our lives. There’s nothing better than having someone encourage you when you feel discouraged, lend a hand and a shoulder when you’ve fallen, and feel as excited and giddy as you during those joyous moments. We all change and grow daily. My wish is to recognize and honor that growth in both of us, feeding it with care and compassion, and sharing our new found selves with each other often. That and have as much fun as possible (no change there, either!).

Thank you, Andrew, for the honor of being my husband, XOXO.

Peaches are, undeniably, my favorite summer fruit. You know the game we used to all play as kids—if you could only eat three things for the rest of your life, what would they be? Peaches have held a long-standing, coveted position on my list. They reek of summer, taste like heaven and are one of the types of pies we’re serving at the wedding.

Ah yes, the wedding.

This would explain my long absenteeism this month. We’ve been busily making, creating, detailing, planning, calling, emailing, checking, double checking, calling again, and last-minuting for the past few weeks and will continue to do so up until the big day: August 20th. We’re so excited! The pie, the celebration, the mountains, and being surrounded by family and friends will be amazing. But the best part? Being able to call Andrew my husband and planning our lives together.

LOVE!