PMV changed my life in ways unimaginable and there isn't a day that goes by where i don't pause and express gratitude for his love, patience, intelligence, humour, kindness, honesty and respect.
As time flies by - seriously,
how the heck is it already December?! - I'm taking a moment to stop and
review the past twelve months. It has been one of the best and busiest years of my life and as a result i wasn't online, researching or blogging as much. I was however busy throwing myself headfirst into new experiences, meeting new people and gaining new perspectives. The photo above is me wandering barefoot on a beach in one of my favourite places and was taken by one of my favourite people.
Some of the highlights from this year include:
Gaining some new friends
Seeing old friends move away, take risks and explore new opportunities.
Disengaging from negative or toxic individuals.
Traveling to Ireland for the first time in 3.5 years
My mum having a successful recovery after major surgery
Getting engaged to PMV, my loving, respectful and hilarious partner in consciousness/mischief :)
Getting my Canadian Permanent Residency
Traveling to new places
Taking up Bikram Yoga and practicing regularly throughout the week.
Landing a new, bigger and better job that's a ten minute walk from my home with a boss who actually treats me with respect.
Learning that as i left my 20's behind that I still have the capacity to surprise and challenge myself. That doing so may not always be easy but the results have been more beneficial than i could ever have imagined.
2012
was a year where i made an active effort again to dispel 'that which
does not serve me', whether it was negative/toxic individuals or
situations; and realised that i have the power and capacity to direct
and shape my life. It's
a strangely enlightening experience to sit down and work out what in
your life (people, habits, situations etc) is beneficial and what makes
you feel sad, angry, inferior, manipulated
etc.
You may not always choose your circumstances but you can choose how
you react to them. I strongly believe that if something is contributing
to your stress/upset/unhappiness, you have the power to change it. Do
it. Trust me, it may not be easy and it may take time but the results
can be astounding.
I'm so grateful to those who
are present in my life (be it near or far away) and have found that
taking stock of the things I'm thankful for has actually allowed me to
focus on the positive which in turn appears to have invited more of the
same into my life.
Thank you for reading and stopping by even though i haven't posted much this year.
Setting up camp in the middle of nowhere at 2am in total darkness made for a tired and grumpy Green of Eye. It was worth it, as i discovered upon waking the next morning to blue skies and epic views like the one above.
For many years I swore blind that I'd never entertain the idea of marriage.
PMV strolled into my life with his boundless compassion, kindness, intelligence, generosity, humour, positivity, creativity and love. Needless to say I've since reevaluated my opinion on the subject and I'm incredibly grateful to have this amazing gent in my life.
A much needed weekend away with good food, 12 year old Jameson, a roaring fire, hot tub and falling asleep to the noise of the Pacific crashing against the cliffs beneath our cottage
You know how every day should start?
Naked hot tubbing, peach juice, huge breakfast. Not necessarily in that order.
A tattered crackle manicure clutching a seemingly Roman Dirge inspired icecream
Only in Canada: flipflops on snow in May!
Some of the coolest gates i've ever seen which were made by Foggy Mountain Forge.
The pillars of the gates were flanked by dragons and the pièce de résistance? An enormous spider centrepiece.
New shoes inspired by listening to lots of Kate Bush
"It's the red shoes, they can't stop dancing, dancing And this curve, is your smile And this cross, is your heart And this line, is your path"
"Perfect love is rare indeed - for to be a lover will require that you continually have the subtlety of the very wise, the flexibility of the child, the sensitivity of the artist, the understanding of the philosopher, the acceptance of the saint, the tolerance of the scholar and the fortitude of the certain."
There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn't know you had.
“You
are beautiful like demolition. Just the thought of you draws my
knuckles white. I don’t need a god. I have you and your beautiful mouth,
your hands holding onto me, the nails leaving unfelt wounds, your hot
breath on my neck. The taste of your saliva. The darkness is ours. The
nights belong to us. Everything we do is secret. Nothing we do will ever
be understood; we will be feared and kept well away from. It will be
the stuff of legend, endless discussion and limitless inspiration for
the brave of heart. It’s you and me in this room, on this floor. Beyond
life, beyond morality.
We
are gleaming animals painted in moonlit sweat glow. Our eyes turn to
jewels and everything we do is an example of spontaneous perfection. I
have been waiting all my life to be with you. My heart slams against my
ribs when I think of the slaughtered nights I spent all over the world
waiting to feel your touch. The time I annihilated while I waited like a
man doing a life sentence. Now you’re here and everything we touch
explodes, bursts into bloom or burns to ash. History atomizes and
negates itself with our every shared breath. I need you like life needs
life. I want you bad like a natural disaster. You are all I see. You are
the only one I want to know.”
Phenomena - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (0.03) Disparate Youth - Santigold (4.08) My Man - Regina Spektor (8.49) Genesis - Grimes (11.36) No Intention - Dirty Projectors (15.47) Land Of A Thousand Dances - Wilson Pickett (20.00) Ray Gun - Thin Lizzy (22.21)
Just Like You Imagined - Nine Inch Nails (25.24) Triumph Of The Heart - Bjork (29.11) Making Plans For Nigel - XTC (34.28) Ghost Train - Electro-Tones (38.38)
The Cult Song - Shannon & The Clams (40.42) Can't Seem To Make You Mine - The Seeds (43.43) Swerve - Shabazz Palaces (46.15) Banned From The Roxy - Crass (51.24) Shea - Scheer (53.39) Camel Walk - Southern Culture On The Skids (55.59) Nosebleed Section - Hilltop Hoods (58.31) Aquarius - Boards Of Canada (1.02.05)
"Amid the chaos of that day, when all I could hear was the thunder of gunshots, and all I could smell was the violence in the air, I look back and am amazed that my thoughts were so clear and true, that three words went through my mind endlessly, repeating themselves like a broken record: you're so cool, you're so cool, you're so cool. "
