1 foreign country.

Winnie’s 43rd state.

My 50th state.

And an immense sense of awe as we traveled through the wilds of Canada in British Columbia.

Enjoy the Trail Mix recommendations as well as a guided walking meditation from Vancouver.

Port Angeles and Olympic National Park were a little more low-key, but still held important lessons. The synchronicities are always there if we’re open to them.

I’m a lucky girl to have gotten a visit from The Dirty Bird.

And a cool little slug reminded me to slow down, be curious, and connect to my surroundings.

Plus, the setting of Olympic National Park was ideal for recording a talk and meditation on anxiety. You can learn how to change your relationship with anxiety. And there’s nothing wrong with you for experiencing anxiety.

When I pulled into the Park entrance, the Ranger explained that part of the road was closed up ahead so I couldn’t get all the way through to the other side of the park. I was hoping to do some trails around the Paradise area, so I asked “I can still get to Paradise, right?”

“Oh yes!” said the Ranger.

Great . . . down the road I went.

As I pulled ahead past the entry gate, that question echoed in my head in me in a way that I hadn’t expected.

“I can still get to Paradise, right?”

It brought me - unexpectedly - to tears.

What the hell was going on?

I was standing in the middle of a large gravel pull-off area in the Umatilla National Forest surrounded by tall pine trees, wildflowers, and mountain views, talking to my best friend (code name, Bubba) . . .

Well, actually I was crying to Bubba . . .

asking her, myself, and the universe, “Should I just go back home? Has this all been a sign that something terrible is going to happen? How fucking stupid am I for being out here doing all of this shit by myself?”

As I share these adventures, I want to pass along little nuggets (think of it like trail mix—food to sustain you for your journey) that you may enjoy—music, podcasts, recommendations, etc. Read today’s Trail Mix recommendations and enjoy a guided sunset meditation from Flaming Gorge.

Have you ever followed in someone else's footprints without really questioning it?

It may seem like a good idea at the time because there can be a natural tendency to trust those footprints and the people who made them.

We believe that the person who made those footprints must have known where they were going or what they were doing.

Seems like a safe and logical way to go through life, doesn't it?

But what if that's not the case?

For two months I've basically been unplugged . . . from social media (except for doom scrolling, which is never healthy and a topic for another day), from emails, and from a lot of people in general.

I've been in cocoon mode. And I've given myself 100% permission to be there.

How? Or better yet, why?

Because a few years ago, I learned the hard way what happens when I don't listen to that little voice. That gentle whisper that's telling me "something needs to change here."

It’s possible to fly with a little more ease and a lot less exhaustion as a lawyer.

Wouldn’t it be nice to find a little more peace during the holidays instead of feeling like you’re “just making it through?” The secret lies in knowing your values.

A seemingly small trigger sent me into a deep dive about why I have always seemed to have a deep-seated feeling of never being good enough. This deep dive allowed me to release a very heavy weight. But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the practice of mindful self-compassion.