E2C_Travel
Not all travel is into the great unknown... some takes you 'home', to your people. I found my roots again after the pandemic with an aluminum love child named Bella and the 50 aunts and uncles who just can't seem to get enough of her. The Airstream community took me completely by surprise, but it's not the campers that create the connection -- it's the love of outdoors and nature, working hard to prepare an obscenely over-the-top family meal "just because", and genuine affinity for the stories that brought each of us here.
Any experience where you have an opportunity to learn the stories of others, try new foods, see how people live differently - each of those moments changes your life just a little. If you're lucky, your worldview becomes a patchwork of all those experiences. Mine has.
#mycuprunnethover
ABOUT ME
Part journal, part treasure map, part petri dish of thoughts about the future – this website is the synthesis of years of informal (and informed) study of the human condition… coupled with an unyielding need to explore every old tree trunk, breathe in as many back alley spice markets as I can find, admire the monarchs in every protected estuary along the coast, and climb the hillsides on gas-powered mules those few precious days the poppies raise their gorgeous orange faces to the sun. I'll do it all - every single mile - while my hands can still manage the camera.
The more time passes, the more I understand Thoreau's beloved Walden and his need to "live deep and suck out all the marrow of life." With Bella and an increasingly more amazing collection of people in my life... my physical footprint has been smaller these past few pandemic-impacted years, but my "heart-print" has never experienced more reach. To those who are with me, you are everything to me. To those who will join our treasure hunt, I promise we're going to see the world... and see it differently, #together.
E2C_Connection
So many amazing people come into my life and teach me unexpected things. They make my life fuller and more interesting in more ways than I imagined. These connections are what drive me - they’re my secret sauce, my signature strength. Every success in my life is, quite simply, based on my love of people and bringing people together to do wonderful things.
This summer I joined the Board of a publishing company that enables people to publish their personal stories online (here’s mine if you’re curious: Tonya's Cues & Views). Working with this commitment, I’m even more convinced of the importance of sharing our journey to connect with others. I see firsthand the difference connections make when people recognize how much we are alike… not different. With that as my goal, I look forward to sharing my journey and story - sharing my connections and creating new ones on the way. Exploring2Connect. Join me.#onwardandupward
Volume X-Avril-XXMM Happy Easter ~ Happy Passover ~ Happy Spring art credit: Jenny @ Glitter & Grey Perspective Shift. My good friend and Orangetheory coach, Vic, responded to the last message about the importance of Words with something I wanted to share. She…
Volume VIII-Avril-XXMM Words Matter. I ran an errand early this morning (and yes, I scored some toilet paper!) and as I returned home I encountered a stark reminder of how important our words are in influencing what’s around us, how…
Volume VII-Avril-MMXX I’m putting away the quill for a day. The content below came through a week or so ago from the incomparable Tony Robbins. There are a few talented people in this group who are formally tied to his…
Volume VI-Avril-MMXX SGN: Some Good News with John Krasinski, Ep2 (YouTube, 17min) Okay, you have to promise me that no matter what you’ll at least go to 8:25 and watch from there. I can absolutely fully commit to you that…
Volume II-Avril-MMXX SGN: Some Good News with John Krasinski (Facebook, 16min) And though it may be super risky to do this… these are my favorite moments in his Good News reel → 2:35, 3:30, 4:35, 11:20 It’s simple, right? “They” have…
Volume I-Avril-MMXX I was sharing with someone in my innermost circle how difficult it is growing for me while in quarantine retreating for wellness… People who thrive on PEOPLE don’t do so well when that life-fuel is removed from our daily routines,…
There are just some things I love about the South… This Christmas homecoming memory was classic.
Find your tribe; love them hard. I’ve said this 100x about my Orangetheory community. We have each other’s backs… through cancer, the loss of parents, career shifts, spouse shifts, bringing on babies. You name it, we’ve been there for it….
Sometimes pain paves the way to purpose. I’m grateful for every moment I had with them.
