This was my seventh trip to California and one of the best yet! Back when we were many years younger and thought we were invincible my husband and I drove from the east coast to San Francisco in less than 3 days. They only thing I regret about that trip was that I only took a few pictures, it was before iPhones or digital cameras came to be, so the memories are wonderful, but fuzzy. Since that first time we were in California together a lot has changed… different jobs, houses, cities, and we added two children to the scenario. I look at the image of us below, barely 20 and so much to look forward, oblivious to it all… and then I look at the images from this trip and feel like it was all just a dream, a magnificent dream in a far away land.
The whole time we were in California we kept asking the same questions over and over… first, Why don't we live here?! and second, why doesn't the rest of the world have vegetarian restaurants everywhere? It sure would be a lot easier for everyone to eat healthier if we had such options as vegetarian fast food, where you can order a vegan fried "chicken" burger with buffalo sauce and "blue cheese" and it taste amazing!
Okay, so wait, let's talk about the whole reason I was even in California… to spend the weekend with these ever so lovely people! I taught a two day workshop at Crescendoh, Jenny Doh's art studio in Santa Ana. It was the perfect way to end an absolutely wonderful adventure!
Each time I come home from a workshop I am filled with the same feelings of deep gratitude for the experience and opportunity to do what I love, and with such beautiful people. It's truly a special feeling that I do not take for granted. And although this gratitude is often tangled with a bit of sadness that it all went by way too quickly, it's part of the experience, and so worth it. There's nothing quite like sharing yourself with others that you feel connected to and them sharing who they are with you.
Once home I am always amazed just how easily life continues to carry on as it did before, and yet something inside or about me has changed. Every time I teach I come home changed and for the better… it's something that I find hard to put into words, so I won't even try, I'll just say this… thank you. ♡
I cannot wait to go back and teach at Crescendoh again!
"Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself". - Paulo Coelho