To Be Understood. To Be Understanding.

bon_vivi_ant_eats • Inhale love, exhale gratitude. Grateful to catch these views • Location: Loews l Santa Monica, CA

We are all desperate to be understood, we forget to be understanding.

There are some things you cannot understand yet. It is good you work hard to resolve issues but understand that what you resolve will need to be resolved again. And again. And yet again. You will come to know things that can only be known with the wisdom of age and the grace of years. Most of those things will have to do with forgiveness.

Life becomes more meaningful when you realize the simple fact that you will never get the same moment twice. There's this possibility that everything that you have gone through can be used to make you gentler, kinder, more compassionate and loving with yourself and others. At any time, you have the power to begin again and to rebuild. Do something every day that reminds you of your wholeness and of your power to heal your life.

Every thing in life is temporary. So if things are going good, enjoy it because it won't last forever. And if things are going bad, don't worry. It can't last forever either.

You do not have to apologize for being sad. You are being true to yourself by honoring your emotions. If it makes you happy, it does not have to make sense to others. Whatever it is, it deserves to be expressed and felt. You go on by doing the best you can. You go on by being loving. You go on by being true. You go on by offering comfort to others who can't go on. You go on allowing the unbearable days to pass and by allowing the pleasure in other days. Be human to the fullest.

Some things and some people are written in your soul with permanent ink. Inhale love. Exhale gratitude ♥

Climate Change. How to Make the World Better.

We are cups constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.

Perhaps why my goal is to always have a cup full of drips of #happiness.

I believe it is best to open your mouth only if what you are about to say is more beautiful than silence. For the longest time, my random snippets and potpourri of loose ends sat on the pages of exquisite #journals. It has only been recently, in the last year after my diagnosis, that I took to writing and sharing. All I have to say is I am grateful for people who lift me up, friends, family, and even random strangers.

Happiness is always a choice. Learn to let go. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made. Forgive others for the pain they’ve caused you. There’s virtue and strength in forgiveness. There’s freedom and beauty in fluidity.

Because when you relieve suffering in the world, you activate your goodness and make the world a better place. This is my idea of climate change.

Do good and it will come back to you in unexpected ways. It is as simple as practicing #gratitude. Gratitude is part of the importance of sharing. Say thank you every day. Through your gratitude, you remind yourself of how blessed you are. Through your gratitude, you make the world better. This world can be heartbreaking, so find time everyday to #celebrate the small moments in your fractional life. Relish in laughing insanely. Humor helps you take life less seriously. Humor also helps you take life more seriously. Laughter is the way we heal when we see the world in a new way. With laughter, you have a new perspective that allows you to love generously, often and so deeply.

All you have to do is this. Crush hard on strangers. Fall in love with moments. Smile at people you’ll never see again. Fall deeply in love all over again. Even when you get your heart broken, celebrate your pain and #vulnerability and openness and courage. Watch movies and cry; even have a steak the size of your face. Spend the day holding hands. Say I love you every day of your life. Cuddle like a bear hibernating. When in doubt, eat homemade #scones (even the gluten free version) with tea ♥

♥ bon_vivi_ant_eats • Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Scones l Carb Count: 28g • **Nutritional facts are estimates only**

Alone You Are Lost. Together You Are Home.

Dating is not for everyone. There are so many ways a relationship can fail, it's amazing that we are not all alone.

You will always be too much of something for someone: too needy, too fiercely #independent, too optimistic, too small, too loud, too soft, too wild, too #passionate. Apologize for mistakes. Apologize for unintentionally hurting someone - profusely. But don't apologize for being who you are.

With that said, relationships fail not only because it is the wrong person, but also if you yourself are not yet the person you need to be.

You can make all the excuses for why you aren't in a place to be in a relationship. The honest truth is, whether you can admit it to yourself or not, if you are not capable of loving and giving up a part of yourself, you cannot love another person the way they need to be loved. You must always leave people better than how you found them.

Everyone seeks insight into love's deepest mysteries - how it feels when you find it, how it changes you, where to look for it. The potential for love exists in corners, in the most unlikely as well as the most obvious places. It's something you never imagined existed, something magical, a little scary when you think about it, and bigger than you ever dreamed. The unforgettable truth about love is that it is plentiful as oxygen. You simply have to breathe it in.

In my experience, love is chancy. When I lived in Arizona, everyone was obsessed with love. #Phoenix is a city full of saguaros, golf balls, transplants, and people with broken hearts. I have had my share of plenty of heartbreaks myself living there. I don't think as humans we can love each other without complications. Broken hearts have meant, for me, that you tried for something. Really there are all sorts of men out there. Eventually someone comes into your life and won't take everything from you. He doesn't care if you shave your legs every day, he already loves your body and already knows your entire life story. And there's a certain way he'll listen to you, lean in, and respond in a way that says "I have all the time in the world for you, my love." You can look into his eyes and feel the certainty that is there. The permission to have someone adore you for as long as you want them to is certainly acceptable terms.

:• Of all the music I have heard, love is what calms my soul. Sending you love notes from the Music City • Location: Grand Ole Opry l Nashville, TN ::

The one thing I know is that feelings are rarely mutual, so when they are, drop everything, forget belongings and expectations, forget the games, the days between texts, the hard to gets because this is it. It is what the entire world is after and if you've stumbled upon it by chance, by accident, take a deep breath and step forward. Let the rules, opinions and common sense crash down. When you find someone who loves the way you do, it isn't that you finally met. You have been in each other all along.

Eventually, love found you. That's your partner. That is the perfect person for you. Alone you are lost. Together you are home ♥