Above photo: İMoss Media 2007
Ah. Summer. To some it may seem nearer its end than its start. It's been such a whirlwind of activity I recently, and frequently, forget what day, month and year it is. I'm finally settling down long enough to write this issue for all of us to enjoy. I wish I was coming over to each of your houses for a BBQ. Beers on a porch swing, steaks on the grill, laughter, stories. Celebration.
Speaking of... I'm celebrating the earning of my masters degree. No kudos necessary! Anyone can do it. What I did notice, and it surprised me, was how good accomplishment felt. When we are young, there are lots of firsts and prizes. For me, I competed in athletics until my late 20s, so I was accomplishing tangibles a lot--many more than I knew or paid attention to, much less celebrated. I focused on the losses. Getting my masters wasn't a prize, it was an achievement of my authentic self. It was something I really, really wanted and I received it with such warmth and appreciation that I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude. Like I'd given myself something for the first time. Perhaps I did? Do you know what I mean? I don't have kids so maybe this is something you feel when you see your child do something remarkable like form words or walk or laugh. I was filled with awe. It woke me up to notion that life is pretty damn satisifying when we live authentic.
It is that desire for authenticity drove the content of this issue.
I sought out a guest who embodies this way of life, Kira Salak. A superb writer and adventuress whose tales are hard to believe until you read her prose. Then you see that they and she are as true as true gets.
The story on Cock&Bull is about a woman who helps people find themselves, whether they know they're looking or not... This is part of a longer piece, so I will put half now and half later... Also, I linked in two very popular nutrition articles on this page by request! Hope you enjoy those!
Thrive is just for you! Things you can do RIGHT NOW to start feeling great. I sometimes feel like a broken record with bits of my advice-- get your Bs and EFAs, drink waters, etc... yet, people still don't do it, so this list is to keeeeepppp inspiring you to commit to everlasting change!
The Treasures are hand-picked with love and care, as always, just for you.
Last but not least, I hope you see that all the photos this go round are from guest photographers! Including the work of other artists is, for me, what this e-zine is ALL about!
I wish you sunshine, cold beers, peace and long, involved talks filled with raucous laughter! Drop me a line if you can find the time. adrea at artistslookingahead dot com.
P.S. Do you notice the cool new way you can sign up? Please do! It'll make sending out updates soooo much easier! Please forward to all your pals and peeps!! Thank you!!!
love,
