Life Lately: Around the Bay

Crissy Field

The past few weeks have been filled with a little of everything: a visit from my brother when he was finally introduced to the glory of Philz Coffee; another tubing trip down the Russian River when I got a little too much sun; a visit to Everlane; a viewing of Beautiful the Carole King musical, which I had been wanting to see back East on Broadway but was pleasantly surprised to learn had actually started in San Francisco; a day at a beautiful spa with girlfriends; and of course outings around San Francisco (finally) enjoying our Indian summer. Here's a round up:

Grief, and then Action (Orlando)

I was working on posting about my recent vacation, but I am incredibly sad over the attack in Orlando this past weekend. I can't imagine the terror that the club patrons and employees felt when all they were hoping for was a fun Saturday night out. And I shudder to think that if this were in San Francisco, my own friends and I might have been in danger.

I don't watch the news, but I do read it online, along with the reactions to it. On Twitter I heard about Teen Vogue's tweets concerning the tragedy and what we can do about it. There's not much we can control in life, but we are not completely helpless. I just emailed the HuffPo form letter to my senators and congresswoman - it took 3 minutes and a few more open tabs. Anyways, I'll share the tweets here so you can act on their suggestions:

6. And don't forget, if you're 18+, voting in this election could be crucial in advancing gun legislation. Research your candidate's stance.

— Teen Vogue (@TeenVogue) June 12, 2016

I took another piece of Teen Vogue's advice and spoke with my loved ones - we shared our grief while also sharing our own events of the day, appreciating the mundane parts of living. Here's another tweet that I appreciated in all the reactions (and yes, I'm a Hamilton fan):

"Look around, look around, how lucky we are to be alive right now." Definitely has new and profound meaning tonight. #tonyawards

— Rachel Sklar (@rachelsklar) June 13, 2016

It's hard to admit that we share this world with hate, terror and bigotry, but we have to remember that we can fight it with love and inclusion.

Original Thought, and Renaming This Blog

Lower Nob Hill

At a yoga session this past weekend, the instructor talked about our brains having no original thought, as well as how difficult it is to completely quiet the mind, even with yoga. Therefore, we could practice being aware of our thoughts and guiding them. After all, no one actually controls your unoriginal thoughts but you. (And also, when going through a challenging yoga practice, my thoughts were completely guided by what my muscles did and didn't want to do.)

Today we have so many platforms to express our thoughts and see what everyone else is thinking about every possible subject. There's so much content to consume, if we let ourselves. Social media can be great, but it also tempts many of us to spout off whatever is on our mind at a given moment, without any further consideration. Is that really the stimulation we want, for ourselves and those around us? For me, the practice of composing a longer post also helps me guide my thoughts and express them more coherently. It makes me slow down and pay attention, to be more mindful of what I send out to the world. Because of course it's also not just about  "me" or even "you" but the world around us.

And that is the overall purpose of my blog, and why I rechristened it this year as "Mindfully Modern." Throughout the content blitzes and hectic schedules, my goal is to remain discerning and to still be able to see the simplicity in life. Enjoy the world today, and reflect on it. Namaste.

from Singapore