Newsletter #3: Daily Reminders, Lists, Catching Up

 Newsletter #3: Daily Reminders, Lists, Catching Up

Late May/Early June 2022

It’s been awhile. I’ve been amidst the finals and end of school year and work to do and etc slump the past couple weeks, but finally breaking clear. Now I wake up slowly and make my bed. I make some tea. I stretch. I eat my breakfast outside.


Sometimes little messages can make my day. And sometimes they put me in a good mindset in the morning. Other times I look at them when I’m stressed and need a reminder of the big picture, or that I shouldn’t get caught up in stupid shit. 


They don’t fix everything, but sometimes little notes I leave places make life a bit better.


I’ve been inspired by an artist I adore, Anna Fusco (author of the zine Fellow, which features one of my quilts!). She published this list of statements which I felt quite aligned with – and have looked back on it for a feeling of grounding.



Something about this feels so attainable, rather than being goals that I have to reach, they’re reassuring me of what I already am doing. That’s part one of this newsletter – just something I wanted to share. Part two is a list of lists, a tribute to my love for lists. Enjoy!



Things I don’t want to stop thinking about: an appreciative list

  1. The blooming purple trees I see anytime I leave my house. I do not want to stop seeing these.

 

I can’t get enough of them.


  1. This text from my grandpa Jules:

I miss him a lot.


  1. This box of fabric that my neighbor Beverly left on my porch. She is quite the gem!


Things I am looking forward to

  1. I am going to Cal Poly for a month this summer to take some architecture classes! I feel so lucky to be able to do this and I cannot wait to create stuff and meet new people!

  2. Having more free time to try new things. Surf more. Get out of my comfort zone.

  3. Sunnier, longer days. Going outside and waking up early when the sun rises. 

  4. Sewing more. I’m going to make a jacket from an old blanket soon and it is going to be grand.


Things to do when I feel unmotivated or out of energy

  1. Play music. Dance. Be free.

  2. Sit in the sun and be grateful.

  3. Call grandma.

  4. Deliver surprises at friends’ houses.

  5. Send someone a letter in the mail.




On a recent two day trip I took to Ventura, I was reminded of some truly wonderful things. My aunts live in Ventura, and driving up and crashing with them for a night is my escape from everything. They live a life that is so true and so laid back, taking in everything around them and listening to it all. They walk their dogs to the beach and plant their garden and cook for their neighbors and sit in the sun and talk and have this way of living with nothing to do and so much to be grateful for. I don’t know where this amazing, appreciative lifestyle came from; whether it was a result of them losing their house in a wildfire a couple years ago, or just their pure grace. This time away from home is a place for me to explore things without feeling held down by stuff to do or a destination to be. And I’ve learned how important it is for me every so often to take time to spend time observing – looking around, taking in new places, enjoying simple things. And in the end, I have this hope that everyone will be able to take time for themselves, to be free and to listen to the world around them and take it in and be grateful. Because that is truly what brings me joy.


I had been driving on SR 150, a two lane highway that curves through the mountains behind Carpinteria, when I saw over the edge of a small hill, a sunflower field. In the middle of nowhere. For me, this is an appropriate reason to pull over and walk down a hill off the side of the highway. Man was it worth it. 



I was truly speechless. Couldn’t stop smiling. I honestly didn’t think that things like this happened or existed in real life. You only see them in movies or pictures, and you never think you will come across them yourself. For me, it came at the best time. It surprised me and showed me absolute beauty when I was thinking about how much ugly and wrong there is. It is so hard to live in a world with so much wrong and pain, but we must listen to nature because it is showing us that there is still beauty and there is still so much to be cherished. I want to practice living with gratitude for all the beauty around me and use it to ground me when I am lost. 


I hope that you are reminded of something that you feel grateful for and that you are also able to feel this beautiful bliss of life that we are experiencing. 


Respond to this email and write to me if you would like or if you would like to be taken off my email list, that is okay too!


Thank you for caring.


Kayla

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