Deep Thoughts

Here's a journal entry from a Sunday night a few weeks ago: Today was the first Sunday in months that I decided to not get up early and go to the temple for Puja [Devotional Ceremony] . I really wanted to sleep in and stay home and practice by myself in my own space.  I'm noticing this huge catholic guilt hanging over me for only going to the temple once this week. I really like to go 4 times. I'm not sure what to do with these feelings, so I'm writing them down.  A few week's later, when Aj and I had our getaway in Mystic Hot Springs, I missed another puja. It happened to be on a day that a Tibetan Rinpoche came to town and gave an impromptu teaching for a practice that I've only received small pieces of. I was thrilled to hear stories and see videos and pictures of the experience from my sangha friends the next day. Just like I was thrilled to tell them and show them what I was up to with my love. Both experiences felt important and enlightening to a pe...

April is here.. which means BIRTHDAY MONTH! Not just for me but for my girlfriend too – so we're celebrating all month long. The first of four birthday weekends started with an epic day of skiing with the boys at Solitude Resort. It was a perfect day and I ended up with a perfectly windburned ski face (see last post for photos) and a skiers high that lasted well into the the night of hottubbing and Netflixing. On Saturday morning we got up early, loaded the glamping set up into my car and drove 2.5 hours south to a tiny town called Monroe, Utah. Hang a left after the Family Dollar and you'll arrive at a truly magical place – Mystic Hot Springs. I'm sure you've seen photos of it on Pinterest travel boards. The whole piece of land is a boiling hot spot. Porcelain bathtubs are built into the side of the hill where streams of natural hot springs flow down, filling the tubs with pure water and steam. It's incredible. At the very top, there are ...

Birthdays have always been my favorite. I'm one of those people.  Perhaps it is because mine is the first week of April.  Spring is here.  Flowers are blooming. Weather moves between rainstorms and sunshine.  Humans are planting seeds. Preparing for summer excellence.  Wardrobes are changing, plans are being made, life is born again.  So I've always felt lucky that I have an Easter birthday.  Not only because Jesus came back to give Mary some DOPE teachings but also, it's Buddha's birthday!  April is for my spiritual bros! This year's birthday was a little different. I feel like I'm growing into adulthood just a tad.  We brunched with a few close friends at my favorite - Oasis cafe.  I indulged in Eggs Bennie and a Matcha Latte. We all shared a German Pancake - HIGHLY RECOMMEND. I relaxed into being surrounded by good friends.  We spent some time in my psychic friend's little reading nook inside the Go...

And it isn't glamorous. This is something I've been wanting to write about for a long time but, I've never had the guts. I still don't have the guts but I'm going to try. I think it's important to put my story out there and if I can prevent any one else in the world from getting as sick as I've been, I'll put my fears aside and share openly. My Past : I've had an eating disorder a majority of my life. It manifested itself in it’s strongest form during my sophomore year of college. A time in young people's lives when our mental illnesses come to strong fruition. That manifestation looked like Jane not eating for about three months. Yeah, I know that is hard to believe, but that's what happened and I'll share more on that later because there's a bigger point I'm trying to make. At the end of those three months my mom talked me into getting some help. In one day three doctors diagnosed me with Anorexia- restricti...

I've been exploring what kind of blogger I am. I'm not quite a lifestyle blogger and not quite literary. Not totally philosophical either. May I be a blend of the three? Lifestyle bloggers are among my favorite but, they dictate a way to live as if they know it is what is best. I know nothing. I don't event know what is best for me . That's where the philosophical/ literary side comes in. My readers are coming along this journey with me as I figure out what how  to live my best lifestyle and chronicle that experience through blogging. A common post on any lifestyle blog is a prompt called "5 Things." Pretty straight up. It's usually products, but I'll do my best to avoid any consumeristic values with my very own "5 Things: Deep Thoughts Edition." Here's what I've been diggin' on these days: 1. Lion's Roar Magazine.  I've been reading this monthly magazine since I first started formally studying Buddhism. ...