Tag: social distancing

This Etch in Time

Hi friends,

Happy May! We made it through April, and I know for many of us it wasn’t easy. The weather has significantly improved in Salt Lake, renewing me with more vitality and optimism than before (thank God). Spring is lush and almost fully actualized. Signs of forward movement are popping up here and there. Businesses in the city have started to re-open, and work in NY may start sooner than I anticipated…

While a lot still remains uncertain, I can’t help but feel that a potential ending to this chapter is near? Which makes me hesitate at the thought of returning to life as normal. Some of the hesitation regards anxieties about public health, some of it is about the flawed normalcy of our society, and some is about losing my personal freedom over time.

I feel extremely blessed for the outpouring of time I received through this quarantine. I know that everybody’s situation was different. Some might’ve been busier than normal, some continued to work, some had families to take care of, etc. But I am grateful to have received that which I was so deeply needing — rest, and renewal, time to be and play and go inwards, inwards, and more inwards. I excavated some old wounds, brought some healing upon them, spent time doodling, writing and making art for myself.

I felt a freedom similar to that of summers as a kid. Months that seemed to stretch on forever, days fading into one another with no sense of order. It’s ironic that within all the limits of this quarantine the word that keeps resonating with me is freedom.

How I was able to find that within the portals of the mind. By letting go of expectations, demands, and through lots of self-compassion.

And as terrifying as it sometimes was to be left with myself, to work through anxiety, and trauma from the past, I will hold what came out of this tenderly.

I just wanted to share a token of gratitude for this strange chapter and what it taught me. For allowing myself to melt into one day and the next, for being messy and untethered, for crying tears of joy, for marveling at the beauty of a tree on my walks around the neighborhood.

This etch in time has bound itself to me forever, like the scars on my legs; each with a story to tell.

xxGabriela

Weekly Motivation in Video Form

Hi, friends!

As I sat down to write this week’s newsletter I came across a lot of resistance. I’m exploring intuition and creativity during this time, and practicing letting inspiration guide me on a daily basis. That brought me to recording a video (linked below) in lieu of the typical newsletter. I hope that you enjoy.

Recent Creations:

It’s National Poetry Month, so I’ve been reconnecting with writing poetry, a form I sort of abandoned a few years back. It’s been nurturing to explore different art forms and connect with my subconscious through that exploration. While the prose I write for this newsletter comes from the heart, it feels more analytical than when I write poetry. Sometimes poetry feels like a seperate form of communication, like it doesn’t necessarily have to make sense to the logical mind or have an ending that ties thoughts neatly together. It’s a collage of sentiments, more so an energy than a statement, if that makes sense.

This is a narration of my poem, “A Journey Calls,” along with a paper collage I made to go along with it.

Below, last week’s newsletter in video form. I was feeling nostalgic for outside, for the freedom that nature provides. This is a compilation of nature shots saved in my phone. ❤

Social Distancing Journal | Weekly Motivation #55

Hi, friends! This is a video I made, narrating my latest Weekly Motivation. This is a weekly newsletter I send which you can check out and subscribe to here: https://shoutout.wix.com/so/bbN4ijkMg. It documents what I’ve been experiencing during these times. I used all the nature shots I had in my phone and hope this soothes and comforts you.

Social Distancing. Wisdom & Creativity

Despite the social distancing happening right now, there have been moments I’ve felt a greater connection to all, as we collectively experience history in the making. There have also been moments where the isolation feels gloomy, and the desire to physically gather is palpable.

As we feel the world halt and change, we are all in some way, being pushed up against or totally outside of our comfort zones, forcing us to adapt, and thereby, to grow. This moment has taken us on a self-development journey whether we like it or not, as we face ourselves and face society in new ways. It’s powerful.

I pray that the lessons learned from this chapter will better our world in some way as we better ourselves. And as an eternal optimist, that is what I choose to believe. My personal coping mechanism to life, grief, and uncertainty is to mold the fuck out of it. To see a challenge as a way to practice what I’ve learned. Each experience can be alchemized into medicine if we let it.

My medicine lately has been learning to accept where I’m at each and every day; whether I want to be a sad (or happy) couch potato, or finally finish projects long overdue. I’ve been practicing listening to the desires of my body and intuition, the way I often listen to my mind without question.

There is a new gentleness in that, a new adventure. My body has been loving early bedtimes and daily exercise. I’ve never been a runner but I started jogging around the park regularly, and have fallen in love with it.

I relish the fresh air as it infiltrates my lungs, an accelerated heartbeat, and the sensation of my feet bouncing on the wood chips along the track as it brings me closer to the finish line.

And sometimes, it just wants unadulterated rest — sweatpants, snacks, and movies.

As for my intuition, I’ve been tuning into its guidance to decide what activities to partake in throughout the day. Lately it’s been a lot of cooking. I’m enjoying expressing my creativity within the boundaries of resourcefulness, using only what I have available to make beautiful meals.

And I suppose that’s a metaphor for this experience, and generally, for life. We use what we’re given. It’s through creativity, and the intention to make something beautiful, that we find the nurturing we need.

What are you cooking up?