Here’s a playlist in honor of the planet Mercury to kick off your Monday: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6n4DqEB8mFMtxi56yadpof?si=RFmkerG6SqmddwZCks6mpQ&pi=u-dVoAKPDiS0-K

Do you like yourself? I like me. I’m not always precise at the edges or carving a straight path in life .. but I feel like my super powers lie in imagining possibilities and in trying (and sharing and gifting) new experiences and connecting ideas. And I love deeply and easily... but I don’t always color between the lines. I have a very old connection who suggested that unless I do a better job of accepting and coloring between the lines, I will perpetually be unhappy. I understand that creates more consistency but why would I choose to live in a world devoid of magic and delight? Why limit what beauty and goodness I hope for (for myself and others)?

Good morning ✌️ #coffeechain

Been deep in a contemplative headspace and realized I needed a different vibe for my playlist. I’ve been a little sad over a relationship transition of sorts, and in making that shift, I’ve been reflecting on all the good parts and growth and all of that. Observationally, I have some patterns that I need to keep working on.. I feel very comfortable around avoidant partners but it’s a dynamic that isn’t super healthy for me. I think this last go around I learned that if someone is self aware, it helps (a tremendous amount) but I am guessing it’d probably still take some couples’ counseling to navigate that dynamic seriously. I can half fake my way into a less anxious response (like my attempts to be fake-secure helped me better resource myself), but that doesn’t address the bigger challenge and triggering that happens. Also, I was able to be pretty fully myself around someone (and nothing terrible happened) and that was a good and valuable growth step for me. And my “picker” was good - like, this was a good potential partner, even if that didn’t quite materialize the way I wanted. So all good stuff.. just change is hard. And I was absolutely euphoric around this time last year so it’s hard not to feel the absence of that. I’ve doubled down on sending out love to friends and family, but also need to stay away from melancholy songs for a few days, lol. Skipping around through the planets, here’s a little playlist inspired by Saturn for Sunday: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3BLU2Yq18IqO3NTnSyShuF?si=ICZgQWiGTjm3w-ag7hk6kw&pi=u-VWbi044mSpq4

This afternoon’s playlist.. dedicated to comets and falling stars:

Spotify

SCM: Comets & Falling Stars

Playlist · Solara Noir · 41 items

Here’s my little afternoon playlist, in honor of the ex-planet Pluto. Whatcha listening to out there? https://open.spotify.com/playlist/67yTorEIO5jotUpnaswxr9?si=cuBG58qdTW-9kZ_uFXFRwQ&pi=u-cdofRfFfRYim

Good morning.. erm.. afternoon ✨ #coffeechain

Good morning ✨ #coffeechain

GM #coffeechain

And one more from the digital series: https://society6.com/product/rope-em_print?utm_campaign=2574&utm_source=sharedlink&utm_medium=social&utm_content=pdp_from_artist_studio

Spent the night dabbling on a painting. In the meantime, this is the second in a series of digital pieces: https://society6.com/product/shoot-yet-shot_print?utm_campaign=2574&utm_source=sharedlink&utm_medium=social&utm_content=pdp_from_artist_studio

New art prints https://society6.com/product/the-comets-tail_print?utm_campaign=2574&utm_source=sharedlink&utm_medium=social&utm_content=pdp_from_pdp

Day 60/60 The daily dedicated self-care/self-improvement project has come to an end. The next weeks will include an effort to integrate changes, to see what stocks. I added 8-10 new things to my morning: lemon water, lymphatic massage, affirmations, setting daily priorities, oil pulling, a short mobility sequence, a reflective pause, maybe prayer, and extra cuddles for my dog. These are achievable if I wake up at the scheduled time but a little much if I oversleep or have a bad sleep night. So let’s see whether things get more efficient with practice or they need to get simplified again. In any case, I think the result will be positive change. I think the overall aims are to keep finding ways to feel better in mind, body and spirit. I have quantifiable targets as well, but the other stuff is what gives them weight and meaning. Anyway.. cheers to a good experiment!

Day 59/60 This morning I used a list of things to try out and improved morning routine. I didn’t get everything in before work, but if I wake up on time, the new routine should be achievable without too much stress. I also added the beginning of a routine triggered by the end of my workday. I didn’t try out the modifications to the night routine yet. I may make those very slowly or wait until I have the kinks smoothed out in the morning. Not sure yet. I feel a surge and renewal of energy, although it feels much more disorganized than it probably looks. Despite the recent break, what I still crave is enough time to get my brain organized. I never seem to achieve that. It always feels noisy and chaotic on the inside. But this year is bringing new things to work on and towards and loads of possibilities that haven’t quite taken shape. On day 2, we’re barely touching the surface (let alone scratching it 😂)

Days 57 and 58/60 Day 57 was reviewing the list of hacks, along with starting to think about 2024 goals. Day 58 has been bucketing hacks into time slots (where I’ll be adding to an existing habit stack). I won’t be done testing out my new habit sequences and adjusting them before the 60 days ends, but I will at least have a sample routine sketched out on the next day or two. The testing and tweaking will follow in the weeks to come.

Day 56/60 Today will be the last day of new self care hacks as the last few days out of the 60 will be spent culling and revisiting things from the last two months as part of the transition into 2024 tomorrow night. My last hack is to set a North Star for the year and check in with it daily. I don’t know what that will look like exactly, but I have ideas. In the early part of 2023, I took inspiration from the fox (not a spirit guide per se, but an inspiration).. and then kind of drifted away from that, but it was helpful in the early part of the year. I also used an inspirational color (lavender) and gave myself a mood board and a vibe to start with. For 2024, I feel like taking inspiration from the otter and the color orange - focusing on joyfulness, play, social connection, and vitality. Not that I don’t have some serious goals but I want to bring in more lighthearted balance in 2024. I look back at 2023 and feel somewhat amazed and pretty grateful. This time last year, I hadn’t yet met the person who was the most influential and important to my year. I hadn’t crystallized my feelings around moving. I felt super anxious being around groups and I didn’t know if I was ever going to heal from certain things. And then all sorts of things and experiences happened, and all the emotions that go along with the rollercoaster of living. Life isn’t perfect but the place I am ending the year at feels far healthier and more optimistic than where I started it. How are you all feeling about the impending new year?

Days 53, 54 and 55: 1. Practice financial self-care by simply noticing where money was spent during the day and reflecting on it 2. Practice physical self-care with 5 minutes of muscle maintenance 3. Practice emotional self-care by doing some daily relationship maintenance Mom’s still visiting so my post will be short today, but in rather good news, my health stuff ended up having a positive result/report. Hurrah!

Day 52/60 Take a photo of something you notice every day. Keeping this one short and sweet. Gotta try and get some sleep before some health stuff tomorrow.

Day 51/60 Work in some form of massage. I was gifted a massage tool for Christmas so between that and hopefully a good foam roller, I think a few minutes of daily massage would do a world of good for my physical and mental well-being. Hope folks had a wonderful holiday! Mine was very quiet but my mom arrived today for a 5 day visit and I am so very happy to see her.

Day 50/60 Look up at the stars every night. There is something magical about the night sky and something that seems important about standing in awe of the spectacle of the night sky and the smallness of being a human in front of it. This one is easy to do on my nightly walk. Wishing everyone a season of peace, abundance, love and light. While I no longer celebrate it as part of religious ceremony, it was a handful of years ago that I realized what is so precious about this time of year - we selfish humans are inspired during this time of year to share our warmth, give in generosity, spread kindness and love and bring light to our homes and lives during what is otherwise the height of a season of darkness. Whatever your beliefs, I wish you all the goodness and light that this world has to offer. ❤️