the act of seeking out

 all images taken this weekend at Golden Gardens and Kayak Point

Sometimes I feel like I lead a double life.

The virtual one and the real one. The virtual life looks a bit different than the real one, yet it is all the same. It really comes down to what I share...isn't that the same for all of us really?

If using the Internet as ones sole point of reference...one could say I go a lot of places, complete a lot of projects, cook all the time, have a garden filled with beautiful flowers and enough downtime to photograph it all. Wow! What a life...could I be that girl? When I look at my own blog and my own Instagram feed I am often struck by how pretty, fun and full it all looks. It gets me thinking about perspective and how what you choose to share becomes the narrative.

So hows about a bit of truth with your morning cup of tea.

I am a homebody and not particularly social. I have a very small group of friends and most of them live in other places. I spend long stretches of the day not speaking to another human being. I work from home so my interactions are few. This lifestyle is mostly delightful to me as I have never been an extrovert. This does not mean that I am antisocial. Actually quite the contrary. I enjoy other people. I enjoy people watching. I enjoy engaging in animated conversations. I just don't seek it out.

I decided to make some changes in 2014. While I didn't feel the need to become a social butterfly. I did and do want to get out more. I want my everyday life to be more like the life I see in my own pictures. I want the fullness to be the rule rather than the exception. I treasure my quiet simple life...I truly do...but there's so much good stuff that comes with getting out and I can't expect all that good stuff to come to me. So far I have exceeded my own expectations. Both with Keith and without him, I have explored this great city...I have embarked on a road trip, I have visited new places and dined with new people. I have cooked different kinds of food and listened to different kinds of music. I have watched documentaries on subjects for which I never previously cared. I have played with my dog and wept with strangers. I see Keith doing the same...stretching himself in ways that make me proud and happy.

One of my goals is to visit a whole list of parks here in the PNW. The parks here will blow your mind, they are really that beautiful. Every time I visit one I return home feeling joy. Fresh air, trees and a nice long walk will do that I guess...who knew? 

In addition to the parks here are a few other things I want to do this summer:

Take a cooking class.
Have tea with a stranger.
Go to more movies.
Have a picnic with Keith in our backyard
See Mt Rainier up close
Rent a cabin with a hot tub;)

invent a signature cocktail
do a bit of painting
wear more dresses
take a yoga class

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?”  
-Mary Oliver