One lovely Blog Award

This post is dedicated to my friend Roda who has nominated me for the lovely blog award. Once again I find myself humbled and yet so rich to have been consider worthy as a nominee. It just never gets old and I think it is a great way to support each other and bring exposure as well as sharing and discovery to the table. Maybe even some magic and if you have not yet checked out her blog at growingself from Roda you will be in for a treat. This is how she notified me about the award. 

Wow, right? So amazingly sweet and I do hope that she had just a little glimpse of how much joy she has brought to me, how much appreciation I have for her and what an incredible light she has been amongst this wonderful community. Be prepared to leave her blog smiling, visit to find inspiration and wisdom, as well as an overall wonderful feeling and gratitude that your paths have crossed. You will soon discover that it is people such as Roda that make all the difference. Thank you so much my dear friend.

Here are the Rules:

• Each nominee must thank the person who nominated them and link their blog in their post.

• They must include the rules and add the blog award badge as an image.

• Must add 7 facts about themselves.

• Nominate up to 15 people for the award!
Seven facts about me and let’s see what I can say, perhaps a little different. (I guess I just put the pressure on myself, way to go)

 1. I believe that I’m an old soul and often things feel all too familiar, even though I know that I have never experienced them.

 2. I have a passion for motorcycles, to the point that I choose my first motorcycle over a car. 

 3. Im an optimist and there is always a silver lining and a message that must be learned, no matter how bad it gets

 4. I’m a bookworm and love to hold and smell the pages of a book. Yeah I am that weird and I wear it proudly, so much that I am changing my stars late in life in the pursuit and hopes of becoming a storyteller. This blog has allowed me to do so as I continue to learn and grow into who I am ultimately are meant to be

 5. I believe in magic and it is all around us if we believe

 6. I dream of a thru hike some day in the near future and escaping all conventional norms. It will take something radical but it will be when I will most alive. 

 7. I love all creative aspects and it often serves as an outlet for my ever creating mind that takes me away to land far far away.

There is no pressure to participate or to feel obligated. I want to pay homage to the following blogs and share how much they have inspired me. Some new, with a variety of topics all close to my heart they deserve recognition and I’m honored to be given the opportunity to share them with you. 

Here are my nominations

honeyinmycoffee.wordpress.com
budisana.wordpress.com
thetravelhipster.wordpress.com
celestialk1.wordpress.com
boneandsilver.com
miscom.wordpress.com
wiserlady.com

Have fun discovering. Xo ❤

Shortcuts?

How do you feel about shortcuts and what has your experience been? Personally, I have never learned how to take shortcuts. It was always all or nothing and doing it right the first time. Maybe there can be something good about shortcuts, perhaps they could present an easier way, but in my upbringing shortcuts were out of the question. They were viewed as cheating or doing a poor job which would require additional effort to get things right later. Perhaps a matter of opinion, perhaps no right or wrong and perhaps it comes down to a personal choice. Shortcuts, just like anything else remain debatable as we decide on our own truth. For me it is this quote that strikes a chord and rings true….

“There’s no shortcut to any place worth going”. -Unknown

Point Lobos State Reserve

A must see when visiting the Monterey area in California and this picture was taken on the trail at Whaler’s Cove. You can hike the rim and marvel at the rugged shoreline that has been carved over time by wind, water and storms. The trail was dotted with various wildflowers native to the area, along with beaches and natural breeding areas for harbor seals. Stretched out, I watched them sunning in the warm sand and charge their thick flubber with heat. Being warm blooded creatures just like us the flubber serves as protection to keep warm and most of their body heat is lost through their flippers and hands. 

Point Lobos is one of the few State Parks I know that actually closes around 5PM. I never realized this until we returned from our hike. Of course we had stayed past that time and found a locked gate at the entrance. Luckily there was a little side gate that is shorter and that we had to scale to climb up and over it. I had a little brush with poison oak while doing so, not immediately identifying the plant and being more concerned of making it out of the park and over the gate before somebody would come and scold us. I felt as if I had done something illegal and I was in a hurry to get out of there haha. People were still trying to come in and it was those people that pointed out the poison oak to me. Luckily nothing ever happened as a consequence and I was fine. 

Das Plönlein

This picture resembles a piece of my home in Bavaria Germany and showcases the world famous building called the “Plönlein”. It is located in the medieval town of Rothenburg o.d.T. which is only twenty minutes from my hometown. It remains as one of my favorite hangouts when I’m back in Europe and there is something special about this place. Walking through the old cobblestone roads that evening, the bats where flying through the warm summer air. It was late at night and the “Nachtwächter” (Night watchman) was leisurely strolling through the many romantic side roads that intertwine the center of town to keep the city safe. The special ambience of this place that takes you back to long passed times, will always capture my heart by day and night and hold a special spot within. 

Capitola

Arriving at our final campsite, we found a beautiful spot on the beach. We spread our towels to plump ourselves in the sand to soak up the rays. From time to time when it hit too hot I put my feet into the still frigid Pacific Ocean and it was enough to cool off in a heartbeat. I never mustered up more courage to go further into the deep or allow the rushing ashore waters to emerge my feet above my ankles. To me personally the water was freezing, despite seeing several people swimming without any bodysuits. I am a bit of a pansy with cold water and it takes me awhile to adjust to the cold, wading in inch by inch before I’m fully submerged. As if the shock would make my heart stop and I’m sure it could very well do so. And besides, maybe the people swimming were more hardcore and members of the polar bear club. I was not going to be the newest member, not now and most likely, not ever. Brrrrr….. A flock of brown pelicans was nearby, scouring the water surface and diving head first from the sky to catch their meal. It was funny and amusing to watch as one by one would fall to make their splash that was dotting across the water surface. I knew that they were fishing but it looked playful to me as one reversed cannonball (head first) after another appeared in front of my eyes. It was Saturday and the beach was starting to get crowded. Families and couples, children and single people, everybody was out to enjoy a little ocean breeze. We started walking around the shore and decided on a little stroll along the cliffs that looked like a weeping walls. Water was slowly running over the steep face, turning parts of the wall into a lush moss cover. It was neat looking and beautiful. Along the shore was an unusual rock never before seen that consisted of seashells that had collided with the rocks and became fossilized. Fused together and shaped over time into a unique, beautiful treasure of their own. Some left their shapes in the rock, while others became one with the rock. It was strange and beautiful and after renaming it this stretch will be known to us as fossil beach. I had to have one as a keepsake and the search began. I found a few worth keeping, only to leave each behind after finding another one that spoke to me even more. In the end we determined that we had found the best one. 

This part of the area was secluded and it was mainly due to the rocks and the little sand that actually offered a beach. The ocean was closer on the narrow stretch and we had it mostly to ourselves while leaving the crowds behind at the main beach. I didn’t know how serene these moments were until we came around one of the cliffs and hit party town Capitola. It was very crowded with some sort of event going on and within a few feet the scenery turned from one extreme to the other. The quiet, peaceful solitude turned into people sitting on top of each other like ants with little space to themselves and definitely no privacy at all. Not that it bothered anybody and the people visiting to join the others on that beach didn’t mind, perhaps even enjoyed the packed atmosphere. It was not my cup of tea. I deal with crowds on a daily basis and to recharge my batteries my adventures usually consist of escaping the crowds. But we were also hungry and it was time to scour the area for something decent to eat. The restaurants were equally packed and we decided on a little corner stand serving hotdogs and polishes, as well as a dog called the “Cheesy Bavarian”. Bavaria is my home, but now, and unable to tell you what a cheese Bavarian was, I was intrigued to order one. Obviously it had to do with cheese but I never did find out how the cheese made the correlation to Bavaria, hahaha. 

On the way back to the beach, we spotted the ice cream parlor down the road and what better way to finish off the meal with a little dessert on the side. It was busy and the place was hopping. The employees clearly overwhelmed by the hectic gave a grumpy impression and were quick to shove you out the door. It was business, a job that wasn’t enjoyed and it was clearly felt as such. It almost dampened the whole experience as it made me think of how many people are stuck doing the things they have to do vs. being able to do the things they love to do. However, the ice cream was delicious as we sat in front of the parlor and a little boy to the left of me took my mind off quickly. Without a doubt and only one look at him you were able to tell of the huge sweet tooth that little one had. Ice cream cone in hand, he turned is face towards me in the most serious, meaning business kind of way. But that was not the point and I could only imagine where his mouth must be as this entire region of his face, including parts of his nose and cheeks were covered in ice cream as if he had dove in and just smashed the cone into his face. Mixed with the serious look on his face that said something like “What are you looking at” I couldn’t help but laugh out before I had the chance to consider my reaction. It was a priceless moment and the combination of his love for ice cream and meaning business took me by surprise and offset the prior grumpy moments inside the shop. 

We made our way back to the beach, through the crowds, carefully placing our footing not to step on anyone. Finally we found ourselves on that narrow little strip between the weeping wall and the ocean that had shrunken down even more due to the tide coming in. In the nick of time and not a moment too soon we crossed this section and made it back to the main beach. Unaware, the tide never even crossed our mind, nor did we expect to find another town around the cliff, we could have easily gotten stuck there, being separated from our campsite. But we didn’t and I’m glad as this would have meant to miss out on the beautiful campfire on the beach. Yet again and once more it is something a little bit wild and dangerous that sticks out in our memory and will stay with us forever. I can already hear one of us saying “Remember that one time as we walked over to Capitola and nearly got stuck there because of Tide?” The whole scene already plays out in my mind as if I’m looking through the all telling crystal ball to reveal the future or to look back into time. One little sentence to revisit the moment that will trigger a smile and a wish for more memories to be like this.

Blog-Versary

I stumbled across a post from one of my followers the other day and I hadn’t seen her around for some time. Come to find out that she changed and restarted her blog for what she said was the seventh time. It made me think about my own blog and it’s hard to believe that a year has gone by since I started myself. Four total views last May grew into six views the following month until it picked up more momentum and my tiny voice got a little louder. The rest is history as I continue to grow both on the blog, in my writing style and as a person. I was thinking about her words and her being unhappy with the direction her blog was going in. 

I had pondered my own, knowing that my blog started as “My journey” through life, the intention was that it served as an outlet for my thoughts and feelings, things that often fell flat of understanding in the real world. I believed there were others, feeling the same or at least questioning the same that I was. There had to be and no way could I be the only one. Still, I needed validation and I craved reassurance that I wasn’t going crazy. Most of all I wanted to speak out in an effort to comfort those who were in the process of finding their own voice. Lastly it was following my passion of writing, to practice and use this blog as a platform that would eventually and hopefully develop my skills. I wasn’t very confident in the beginning I must say (no wonder I had only 4 views) and even though I am happy with the progress of English as my second language, I didn’t know if I would ever be able to weave and draw my readers into the fairytale of storytelling. For the first time in my life I felt with certainty that I knew what my dream job would be. I wanted to be a writer, a storyteller to be exact that could not only serve as an outlet or a point of reference and understanding, but also would be somebody that is a reminder that magic exists and wonder lives within all the little things that surround us. To be an escape for others who live vicariously and if lucky bring joy and a sense of contribution and help to their lives. 

Her simple remark of starting over for the seventh time because she decided to change the direction once more, brought on all these thoughts in my own head. I too had thought about the direction of my blog. “My journey”, my life experiences, my spiritual awakening, coming to terms with challenges and day to day struggles, the things I originally thought that I would write about most, took on a different direction all together. The travel pictures of my vagabonding adventures took over and dominated my blog scroll. I used to call them fillers for when there was little time to write about my journey and for awhile I think it made me struggle with the content of my blog. Even though I know that some of you do enjoy those pictures. It was satisfying in a different sense but I feel the deeper meaning of this blog was lost to some extend. 

Many can take a beautiful picture, but what’s the connection, what makes it personal and what makes somebody care for it? You can go on google and have all the pictures you could want, beautiful to look at but without a connection to the one taking those shots. Little relevance, kinda like whoop dee doo, maybe even evoking a loss of connection. You are not going to go back and look for that same artist, but then maybe you do. I wasn’t sure if people would enjoy or would look forward to this content when coming to this blog site. Many blogs that I follow stick to one subject and are more streamlined in that sense. Comparing again, I felt that my blog was all over the place, which was dependent on time and what was on my mind. 

I contemplated the benefits of starting over and I believe I have come to terms with my own decision. I’m ok if this blog is multi dimensional and embraces diversity as well as variety. I realize that my travels, my hiking, painting and my art are all a part of “My journey” and so it shall stand. I believe it needs to be there to show that there can be balance to a life that is not always easy. We all struggle in our own way, trying to find our voice, to contribute and rewrite the content of what matters in our own book. I hope these posts can encourage to find that outlet that keeps us sane. To pursue it with such intend and passion that sets our very soul on fire and is the only way in the end. 

It’s part of the process and the progress and I think a mere face lift to my blog theme with an about page as well as different categories could remedy this for an audience who might not care about all the subjects I write about. And thank you to all of you who regularly stop by and take the time to read and comment, for your support and for your own journey, the light you are to this wonderful community all that you contribute. 

Happy Blog-Versary. Xo ❤

A stroll on the beach

Gibson Beach, CA

 

High Tide

This picture was taken the same night we enjoyed that beautiful fire at the beach. We walked along the cliffs earlier in the day, unexpecting and enjoying the view. That was before the tide came in and swallowed the passage to Capitola, CA. With no sign left, the beach was submerged and took on an entirely different feel with the fog. Beautiful, mysterious with just the right amount of leaving a haunting memory planted deep within. 

Wherever the path may take you

Wishing everybody a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and safe steps in wherever the path may take you this weekend and always. Sometimes we have to carve out our own destination if the trail is faint or does not serve our purpose. Don’t be afraid of doing so because in the end, how could we ever be lost if we stay true to our hearts. Trust the divine and the plan it has for all of us.

Have a great weekend everyone ❤. Xoxo

Muscle Relaxer Therapy

I’m not much of a pill popper and I would rather heal everything the natural route. Sometimes that’s just not optional. Tonight is one of those nights and what started two days ago with the feel of my right shoulder being a little sore, has escalated into severe pain. Initially I thought that perhaps I slept funny, but this was not the case and it was only the onset of much worse to come.Today, I know that somehow I dislocated my shoulder and the bone of the normally round shoulder blade looks lime it shouldn’t. Desite my high tolerance for pain, this one is painful. The ice pack is resting in the my shoulder and I hope it will freeze the pain into submission. I took a muscle relaxer, as everything is starting to tense and I can barely write and keep my eyes open. Nothing has really helped so far and my fingers are crossed for tomorrow and working the whole day. 

Have a beautiful Memorial Day weekend everyone. Hugs xo 💙