.Mindful Wanderings.

& how wild it was to let it be

[danfrederick]

Skateboard

Today I skateboarded.

Two months in to quarantine + the past two weeks have felt like the most difficult to deal with. As I fell asleep the other night, I made the mistake of allowing the dangerous thought, “What might I be doing now if there was no quarantine, no pandemic?”

The Golden Rule of quarantine, as I quickly learned after that seemingly innocent passing thought, is to keep yourself from wondering that “What if.” Although quarantine is not easy + it is a but scary to think that no one has really gone through this +, thus, does not quite know how to navigate it. On the flip-side, that means we are truly all in this together. No single person has all the answers (if we’re being honest no one has even one answer) so that means we will all figure things out as one. 

So this negative energy that began creeping in + weighing me down. I HAD to shake it. All I’ve been doing, every action I’ve made over the past two months has been to keep my mind + body busy so as not to get upset. This form of denial no doubt allowed emotions to sit, fester + start to stir. 

A dormant volcano.

That explains why I texted my friends that other day  i simply stated that I felt volatile, like I just might explode. Who else is with me? Who else has felt this heated energy?

So, multiple times today I contemplated putting in a sick day for tomorrow as a mental health day. It does really feel like I need to reset my mind to regain full focus. Never has a mental health day felt more accurate + needed. All the same, I never submitted that request. Another assignment arose. A training continued. The puppy started nibbling my ankles. The puppy needed to go outside. My sister burst into the house talking loudly about something.

5:00 hit. When I looked up again it was 5:15. I closed my laptop. I was going to skateboard.

The last time I got on a skateboard was at least four years ago. That was a very brief stint that lasted about a week. To be honest, whose to say today’s activity won’t be a brief stint as well? 

Still, I did. Up + down the long side street that passes by the driveway to my parents’ house. It’s never easy doing something new. As a perfectionist who is extremely afraid of disappointing others + myself, of never being good enough at something, the thought of starting something new can be draining. The thought of writing this post was draining. But I put my right foot on the board. Push off with my left + I rolled! I went all over 2.5 feet but I went + I kept going. 

The return of muscle memory from surfing. I could do it. Not great, no skate parks in my near future at all but I realized am still capable of doing things beyond my comfort zone. Little by little. So although I might still feel like I want to cry a when I sit down at my desk (my family’s dining room table) I can also take time to do something more with this time - learn to skateboard, write a blog post when I can. If we take a second to reach beyond our routine we will find stores of energy that are waiting for a chance to do something new + cultivate that. Then the “What if” thought changes to “What can I do next.”

I’ll keep you posted on how this whole skateboarding thing goes. If anyone has any tip, please share! + Let us all know what you’ve been doing to re-energize your mentality.

[danfrederick]

Texts from the Past - Setting the Table for Autumn on Nantucket: An Interview with Gabriel Frasca of Straight Wharf Restaurant

Currently working on a more formal digital portfolio of my writing (stay tuned!). In the mean time, the process has given me a chance to look back on past articles I’ve published, including this piece from last year about my favorite restaurant on the water & a truly amazing place to work. Hope you enjoy! (Then come out to Nantucket to experience Straight Wharf)

“Setting the Table for Autumn on Nantucket: An Interview with Gabriel Frasca of Straight Wharf Restaurant”

Written for Great Point Properties, September 2017

This past weekend, when the sun shone as if it were August, and football fans migrated to The Gazebo, Gabriel Frasca, head chef and one of the owners of Straight Wharf Restaurant, and I sat down to talk about the changing of the seasons and its relation to food.

Quintessentially, spring is the season of rebirth, but as she often does, Nantucket follows her own path.  While Spring hints at warmth and the coming of the island’s busy season, fall brings its own resurgence of life. When spring arrives to Nantucket “a lot is almost ready.”  Local crops and seafood continue developing, getting their fill of nutrients to reach the peak of their harvest. Due to our location thirty miles out at sea, Nantucket goes through what Frasca describes as a “delayed but extended season.”  “Fall is whatever you want it to be, it is a ‘pick your own adventure,’” Gabriel adds on.  There is an overlap between summer and the autumn months that lingers and offers “an embarrassment of riches—tomatoes, green beans, pumpkins and potatoes.”

At the notion of green beans and pumpkins, produce I associate with the fall, I ask Frasca if there are any seasonal clichés he avoids when creating the menu. If every restaurant is serving dishes embellished with cranberries and bursting with various squash, does he look for something different?  “Living on an island and being committed to cooking locally, we have ‘x’ amount of ingredients, thus, we alter our thinking to, ‘what is it about pumpkin that we are working with?”  A fun challenge arises.  Frasca continues, “Coming up with ideas is easy, execution is the challenge because things need to work together. Execution solves the clichés.”

After working with Straight Wharf this season, I can attest that cooking is very much a form of art.  Just as each artist strives to create a unique piece of artwork, while using the same mediums that have been implemented since pre-Renaissance eras, chefs use the same foods and spices as the next, but they infuse those combinations of flavors with their own voice and palette.

So what are some new flavors that might be appearing on Straight Wharf’s menu over the next few weeks?  What adventure are Frasca and his team picking?  They are grabbing at some new things.  Bartlett Farm tomatoes have been bountiful this summer but now peppers, potatoes, apples and pears are coming into play.  Right now a pear and celery salad is in the works—simple yet flavorful and full of textures token to autumn.

Aside from vegetables and fruits, Frasca loves working with fish.  The chef is often found preparing whole fish for dinner service so I had to know what he was thinking in terms of seafood.  Now that peppers and potatoes have had all summer to ripen, he will add a more Portuguese inspired palette to the Wharf’s fish dishes.  “Lots of kale, peppers and onions.  It is kale’s time to shine.”  “So will the tender lettuces become the tender kale?”  I ask out of concern to long time Straight Wharf guests.  Not to worry, even as the seasons change, consistency links one part of the year to the next.

When he isn’t bringing in crates of fresh picked veggies from Bartlett’s or educating the staff about the most sustainable catch of the day, Frasca now finds himself with more time to eat out now that the summer crowd ferries back across the sound.  He looks forward to eating at Ventuno because he has yet to eat there this year and the menu looks incredible. Club Car is also at the top of his list as it is filled with people he loves doing things he loves.  One of his two meals out this summer was at Club Car and it was awesome, he needs to get back.  Nautilus is another stop for him for two reasons, “A: They can do everything we don’t at Straight Wharf.  B: Lot’s of people I am very fond of and they do it all so well—excellent level of execution.”

Aside from the flavors, textures, and new ingredients autumn brings, my conversation with Frasca also reminded me that means a slower pace where we can pause, taste and share meals with friends we have become closer to during the craziness of the summer. One reason fall offers various adventures to choose is because the restaurant staff has become so close.  Together, in and out of the kitchen, they can embark on adventures together, supporting and encouraging each other into new culinary and hospitality explorations. Furthermore, when describing the restaurants he cannot wait to visit, people play a huge role.  Old friends draw him back to new places.

Now we all have a little more time to enjoy our little island. Spend Restaurant Week at your favorite spots, or let someone lead you down another fall flavor path.  Make a reservation, take the time not only to eat but also to taste, not only to go out for a meal but also share that meal with someone.  Judging by the wholehearted excitement in Frasca’s description of this season, any adventure you choose is sure to be a deliciously memorable one!  He is sure to be saying cheers to the season, Decorative Gourd Season mug in hand, and a subtle smile at the menu and people that have come together at Straight Wharf Restaurant this season.

[danfrederick]

Kiss My Face || Kiss the Sky

I love grocery shopping. Absolutely love it.

I love finding new, healthy buys or coming up with recipes and putting flavors and colors together. When I travel, produce stands and local markets are among my favorite places to explore. Markets are the hub of a culture, all aspects condensed into one social space. You have different ages, economy, politics, creativity, tradition, and ingenuity. Just thinking about markets near and far charges me with energy.

Bringing it back home to less exotic locales, yesterday I swung by the Stop & Shop at the top of my street. I went to pick up some things for the week and remembered I needed more lotion--this winter with its oscillating temps has been driving my skin crazy. So I perused the all-natural section of the aisle. A few dollars more but I knew I was going to feel good about what I was putting on my body, which ultimately is absorbed into our body. I went with a body lotion with olive and aloe by Kiss My Face. The meat subtitle of the ingredients made my feel instantly soothed, not just my dry hands but my whole being. 

I made my way home and felt elevated and inspired for the rest of the day, and this morning when I woke up and tested my new product out, the feeling returned. I felt ready to take on the morning, the Monday, the week, my life. Gym? Sure, be right there. Job hunting? I can do anything.

Last night my mom joked about my excitement, “Welcome to suburbia.” This slightly depressing comment caught me. No I will not make all-natural lotion be the high-light of my day but I will allow it to make my feel good and appreciate the little moments. Having moved home after living on my own, spending days researching the job market, it is all humbling but I still feel good. If I can let minor excitements fuel me, then I will. I thoroughly believe in little things making a big impact. Maybe that is walking on the sunny side of the street, your favorite song unexpectedly coming on the radio (Bruce Springsteen’s music, anyone?). What ever makes you smile, keep smiling and radiating that to another, roll with it.

When a lot of other things are out of my control, I can spend a few dollars are something that makes me feel soothed, like I am taking care of myself and this tiny step and keep moving forward. Aside from my grocery store trip, my day had started out talking with friends after going out together the night before, then heading to brunch on my own because I am a huge fan that luxurious meal, and swinging by the gym. My new Kiss My Face lotion might be a symbol of taking time for some self love, something I am not always great at, but it is a constant remind of noticing that seemingly mundane things that make you feel unstoppable, that make you want bring that feeling to others. In an era that is known for is fast-pace, multi tasking, modern distractions, and incessant hum of technology, find your thing that makes breathe a little lighter and stand a little taller. Find it and take on your day! Thank you Kiss My Face for my tangible symbol of a motivating Sunday morning, I could kiss your face with gratitude.

[danfrederick]

On the Hunt

So I am that classic twenty-something tossing around the phrase, “I am job hunting.”

I did not realize just how cliche this sounds until yesterday morning as I drove to the gym (like I said, typical  twenty-something who is job hunting), listening to Matty in the Morning, the radio station I grew up listening to. Matty, in his standard, yet humorous, blunt and dry demeanor, put me in my place. He went on a quick but to the point rant how he paid for his daughters to go to college, and they waited to “job hunt” until after they graduated.

To be fair I did have a job lined up, prior to graduating, and I loved my job and stuck with it. However, I was working on a seasonal, small island. Thus my job, the job I dreamed about since I was a little girl and later went on to study Art History, has a time frame. Last year I fulfilled another goal, to spend a winter backpacking around some of my favorite parts of the world. And, although I traveled, moved, learned, and grew, this winter I am feeling stir crazy.

I am sure some of you out there understand me. While I took time to live the life I really wanted, one that flowed together seamlessly and seemed like an organic progression of my life, I now feel pressure to have a career. Many of my older friends remind me that I am still young, I have time and it is good to take this time to realize what I want to do. Still, as I scour LinkedIn, make copious, minute details to my resume, and perfect the craft of the infamous cover letter, I am optimistic but wondering where the light at the tunnel is. Maybe is right there? I am sure that, in the long run, everything (most things?) happen for a reason. But, while I keep that positive frame of mind that is sending out good vibes through the invisible waves that carry my career information from one coast to the next, one company and one department to the next, there is a little voice at the back of my mind asking if I have always done all that I can.

That voice hangs out with me in yoga class, while I drive, or try to cook those healthy recipes I currently have time to make. While the optimism of my mind and dreams are stronger than that voice, it exists. It motivates me to stay diligent (”diligent worker” ... must remember that for cover letter). It also encourages me to switch up my perspective. Perhaps my rigid schedule of spending my whole day looking for jobs needs a little variety, hence me writing this now. Why not explore my writing and blogging a bit more? Why not tap back into my creativity. 

So here I am.  Writing to you. No matter who you may be, or how limited your numbers might be.  This is me and my thoughts and I hope for those of you who have been on “the job hunt” before, right now or in the future, can take comfort in knowing I am right there with you. It is a grind, but it is inevitable for everyone. You have done nothing wrong. You have so, so much to offer - all you need is one person in this world of billions to see, hear, acknowledge and value you. For more cliches, keep following your heart and doing you, because you get this one life so take that time, live on that island, and then put all your energy into making the next phase of your dream happening. Be a relentless dream chaser, no matter the dream or forms and paths that dream takes along the way. You have me supporting you, you fearless job hunter.

[danfrederick]

March for Immigration

Last weekend I wrote to you from under a mosquito net on my bed at a Caribbean style guest house in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.  It was the night following the day of the Women’s marches in the United States & around the world.  I felt a sense of guilt for being unable to physically march in solidarity not only for American women but women from every country, for the women of today, the ones who stimulated this history & those who will come in the future.  

This weekend I was back on US soil & not too far from Boston.  Yesterday morning--Sunday, January 29--I woke & like most millennials that morning, I checked Facebook.  The first blip to hit my newsfeed was a notification that a friend of mine was attending the Boston Protest Against Muslim Ban & Anti-Immigration Orders on January 29.  I was not jet lagged but had completely lost track of the date.  January 29.  Today! (well yesterday now).  

In December 2015 I went on a three week college sponsored road trip along the Mexican-American Border with a professor from Union College and five other students.  Prior to driving 1,400 miles with a group in a mini-van I only had passing thoughts about the border but was always curious.  This is a major part of American politics but growing up in the North East, this complex and conflicted topic hardly reaches our nightly news broadcasts and local newspapers.  

For three weeks we confronted it.  We went to East LA & learned about the Race Wars, saw the Great Wall--a captivating work of art that dwarfs any human, reminding them the history we are part of, humbling us that we are all in this together, long before we stepped out into this world and we will impact what is yet to come--among other sites that exposed racial tensions within the US and the fact that many races existed in what is now the United States of America, prior to European settlers spreading out across the land.  From there we drove south to San Isidro, just on the border of Tijuana.  This was our first direct encounter with the wall.

We went to a shopping center right at the border.  American shopped and Mexicans commuted over to work.  At first I was appalled, then I listened & thought.

The fact that the mall exists here is okay.  Striking & a huge juxtaposition to the settings that rises above the hills just beyond the militarized, hideous wall (more about the appearance of the wall).  When the shopping center was built, another one, with similar shops & layout, was supposed to be built on Mexico’s side.  However, in the end a lack of funding prevented the second shops from being built.

Here I began listening more.  For too long America has developed the idea of Manifest Destiny & the persona of saving all people of the world.  I remember learning about this in high school & being quite bothered by this sentiment.  Who were we to know what worked well for other places?  Yes, we might be able to build a democracy & develop an admirable history that American citizens should forever be proud of.  Nevertheless, we cannot possibly know what works for every nation of the world.  Climate, size, history, religion, economics, cultural differences, minute esoteric details & so on, make each place & its people unique.  

It was not until this past spring when I took a course I had long been itching to take--Social Entrepreneurship--that my thoughts from high school began to sort out.  With social entrepreneurship, specific steps are taken slowly & with great awareness.  A large part of developing a social entrepreneurial endeavor is spent on listening.  Listening to the people you set out to assist, hearing, seeing, observing and empathizing with how they live life.  When there is an issue of poverty or hunger, the listening comes into affect.  An outside observer who knows how to remedy a problem has learned how the culture operates so when the help has been given & the outside party has left, they have left a solution that feels natural to the culture.  Nothing has been changed about how the culture operates, thus they can sustain the positive change.  This tactic encourages other cultures to support themselves from within, build themselves up.

In El Paso, Texas we talked to two women through the fence while they stood inches away in Juarez, Mexico.  Both women agreed that they did not want to come to America.  They wanted to stay in their country.  If they left, if everyone left for America, then how could Mexico ever rebuild its economy & perpetuate a safer place to live.  They thought in a socially and culturally aware way.

Ultimately, I do not believe in a physical wall, especially one that is highly militarized.  I do not think that America needs to let in every person of the world, although I support the notion of asylum for those escaping life threatening situation & who hope to work hard & better themselves & their lives.  That is what the American spirit was built on.  I think workers permits are a wonderful idea for those who live close to the border.  I think strides need to be taken to encourage people around the world, not just the people of Mexico, to think more like the two women in Juarez.  Stimulate & inspire a desire for the people of other nations to want to stay & being the seeds of positive, effective, culturally & socially effective change.  Only the people can make their country what they need it to be.  It will take time & at the start might feel idealistic but just as outside forces need to listen to the voices, needs & traditions of others, the people within the same countries need to listen to each other, from those who feel voiceless to those with the most power & loudest voices.

So when I stepped off the T at Arlington, the Copley stop was closed due to the marching, & turned to face the street, hardly paying attention for a moment, my head shot up.  There before me was a street, a street I have walked on many times before.  A view I have seen over again without thinking much but is now imprinted in my mind.  

From left to right the road was full of people walking forward with signs & chanting in unison, “No Ban. No Wall.”  I was struck.  I knew I was heading to the march but I went on a bit of a whim, without a sign, turning my car towards the T station when I had other errands to run.

I was overwhelmed.

I went to see & listen, just as I had been taught to do as a young girl.  Listen to people.  Open your eyes & open your mind.  Having been educated about the border & being passionate about it, I felt a responsibility to attend.  Also as an American citizen in a vibrant moment, I felt responsible.  As the daughter of a father who dropped me off at school, from kindergarten to high school, & called out as I hopped out the door, “Love you… & be nice to everyone,” I felt responsible.  Aside from feeling responsible I wanted to be there.  I want to listen.  I want to hear as many sides as possible.  

Fill my ears.  Fill my heart & mind.  Get me to listen more & think more & then come back with well educated ears that have heard from every crevice & corner that I have the privilege of learning from.

Our president’s thoughts are easily accessible.  I will listen to him.  Despite how we feel as a nation, he is our president right now.  He too is a person & deserves to be listened to.  The other day someone said that he will follow President Trump until President Trump does something to really mess up.  So far I may not agree with President Trump’s sentiments but I will give him the respect I give to each person of the world.  Since I can turn the news on & hear from him, I went to the march to hear from every group that Boston is able to represent.

What I learned is that I might not be a physical protester.  There were some signs I found to be to radical.  I think the form of protest, marching & rallying is through conversation & writing.  Maybe that makes me weak but this is where I feel I can be most effective & true to my beliefs.  I will support, I will witness, I will love & welcome & nurture who ever needs that.  I will empathize.  I am here for anyone who needs an ear, who ever needs help raising their voice in a positive & effective way.  I am here for you, who ever you may be.  Open to all ears & waiting until I feel as educated & open minded as I need to be in order lift our country from this confusion.  Hopefully America will again be a beacon for other nations of the world to do the same, on their own terms & social sustainable way.

This is a highly saturated & loud time for America.  We have not seen protests like this since the ‘70s.  It is a privilege for us to get out there & share our feelings, but balance our vocalism with our ability to listen, learn, reconsider & formulate.

[ourlittle-kiwi]

Speak to your children as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful and magical humans on earth, for what they believe is what they will become.

Brooke Hampton  (via sunflower-mama)

need to remember this one day

[danfrederick]

Distancing

Writing is funny.  I often sit down with an idea in mind & then something completely different ensues.

There I was traveling in Costa Rica for two & a half weeks thinking I would easily have so much to write about, thinking I would have leisurely evenings to spend typing.

Then there is reality.  You just can’t escape that factor of life can you?

My first week in Costa Rica I was exhausted.  I hardly made it through dinner without yawning and feeling my eyes give way.  We would wake up around 8.00 am, walk across the street to the fruit market for fresh mango, bananas and smoothies made with coconut water.  Then photo class began, which I loved.  Two local photographers would take us to their favorite places around Jaco--mountain views, small towns, fishing villages, a surf board shaper’s studio, hidden beaches with incredible waves.  Grab lunch & explore town a little.  Throw on a bathing suit & paddle out into the waves to learn a more about surfing.  Maybe shower quickly before yoga.  Definitely shower after yoga, in the Costa Rican climate any yoga class naturally becomes a hot yoga class.  Meet up with who ever was hanging around outside at the school & pick a spot for dinner.  Coupled with the heat & never being good at taking naps (in daycare the teachers had to move me from nap time because I kept talking), I was beat.  Tired, but appreciating the day & the way that School of the World enabled me to fill it with things I was passionate about, things I wanted to explore more & dedicate time to.  All that passion & energy being released was wonderful and exciting and depleting.

To be honest, some nights I set out to write & ended up falling into conversations with the people around me.  Part of what I love about the hostel atmosphere is meeting new people.  When people travel, removed from the restrictions that come with the patterns of being at home & in a consistent, steady environment, they open up so easily.  Everyone has a story to share, even if they never thought so before.  Something spurred them to move, break away, pick a certain destination.  If I am ever able to get the permission from the people I have befriended in hostels, I would have a blog or book filled with inspiring, insightful, humorous, emotional, & varied tales.  True tales.  All coming together in a glorious collage of the modern day explorer & person.  Perhaps that is all yet to come?

On those nights I realized, I am here, be here, accumulate thoughts & gain new ideas, ways of thinking & looking my listening & communicating with the people who have all just walked into each other’s lives.

This distancing from home also frees us to look back at home.  When you’re running solely off of Wifi connection, speaking with the people you usually exchange information with becomes more difficult.  & that is a good thing.  I started reading more articles, clicking through news links & so on, trying to keep up with home.

I happened to be traveling at a potent time in modern day America’s history, the inauguration of Donald Trump, his first week of presidential action & the public’s response.  

Never have I considered myself a political person.  My parents never took a heavy interest in politics & I looked at that topic as a confrontational one.  I always wished I new more & invested more time, especially after this election. I had my topics that I always looked into: the environment, education & border relations.  Other than that, I veered away.  However, in another country, I take up the responsibility to stay connected.  

I surprised myself with how impassioned I became with the political activities transpiring back in the US.  I fed this interest as much as possible, without detracting from fully being in Costa Rica.  As a result, I wrote my last post & now that I am back on US soil, I am maintaining my momentum of political interest and ventured into Boston yesterday to look into the most recent marches on immigration.

So… distancing… It is uncertain but when you break away from your usual life lines you sometimes end up pulling back with even more life & more interest in your life & the billions of lives we share this earth with.  I am all about perspective but now & then I disappoint myself when I realize how caught up in one perspective I have become.  Here’s to another two months ahead of me to travel, distance, observe, listen & collect.  Distance from our individual home brings us all closer to our global home that connects every single human, no matter who, how or what they maybe & why.

[danfrederick]

March On!

Today women & men are taking part in one of the largest protests in the history of the United States. Over the past days countries around the world, including a protest in support of environmental protection in Antarctica, have protested in solidarity with Americans who stand up for equality. This is an awe-inspiring display unity & support throughout the human race, not only on a national level but also on a global level.

To the countries who participated on the behalf of Americans who currently face an uncertain future, thank you. Thank you so much. You are becoming part of something you can easily write off but with your voices we all become bigger. Your awareness & action to a cause brings global attention to issues of human rights that persist around the world. Today is not just about America & women. It is about every single person. The protests over the past few days, the scale they have reached, will hopefully continue to spark lights around the world, allowing other countries to avoid the point that the United States has reached.

Back home the women who have built me up, inspired me, become part of me are marching with numerous other women who have done the same for other girls. It is an endless & powerful force. A bond that has no cultural or geographic border. We will be loud. We will look out for & protect one another no matter our race, gender or sexual orientation. At the end of the day, no matter where or how we live, we are human.

One person will never take that away. As a little kid you are encouraged to cultivate who you are. We start with this concept fro, the beginning. In our innocence that has yet to be hurt or see hurt. A country will not be run in a way that takes away core values. The marches today, on US soil & abroad prove that.

Sitting on a bus for five hours from San Jose to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, I easily could have missed or tuned out the marches. Wifi was non existent on the bus & very minimal in this tiny, Caribbean town. But my mom sent pictures from Boston & I pulled up the headlines & images I could. Yes i am thrilled to be traveling but this is a monumental moment that i am proud to be alive for & will later tell my children about, the way I heard about the '70s. Arriving at my hostel, two young European guys asked where I was from. The US. I knew once the election results came in that when I was traveling, my nationality might be met with cynical remarks. One man doesn't ruin a history & tradition that far exceeds us & our time. So rather than pretending I was Canadian, i looked at them & said the US. One guy immediately laughed & rubbed his eyes as if he couldn't fathom the fact as well, "haha... ohhh, Donald Trump." I stood up & said yep, I wasn't thrilled but I am still here. Then I looked up photos & articles from the day because no matter where I go, I am American. The America that I believe in, not what a single person says it is. I will support what I know my country was intended to be & will be.

As I looked at articles & social media, I scrolled through Instagram, always liking to have a visual to go with words. A male friend of mine (hope he's okay with a shout out) posted a photo. His photo from Boston was followed by seeing the flame starting to grow. Out among these women is a girl, who knows how old or where she marched, but she is there & in the elections to come my friend, & the rest of us, will be voting for that little girl & every strong, empowered & empowering thing she has yet to become.

Not everyone was made to be a leader. This is a fact our nation now faces. Still, despite the outcome of the election there are leaders among us, the growth of the marches proves that. We are at a time of realization--unfortunately drastic things often happen to bring about insight & change. In this time radical, peaceful, voices will rise & it is in the time that we, as a nation & a world, cultivate the ones who will be true leaders.

As we move forward we must now, right now, start to take the time to know what we want the future leaders to see, hear & do. The marches are quite literally a step in a wonderful direction.

Last thought that jumped in my mind: It's probably the Art Historian in me but I am reminded of the idea of a renaissance. Now this might be a stretch & a lofty term to apply to 2017 but renaissance is rebirth & returning to art as a way of human expression. It is a time to cultivate, teach, experiment & create. Let us do all of this for each group & person in the world, coming together with more understanding for what humans need from each other.

[danfrederick]

A true sign of P U R A V I D A ... muchos gracias, Mother Nature!

[danfrederick]

Flying Over Rainbows

Originally Katie & I were going to fly to Costa Rica on New Years Day. Then we really thought about how that might go. So we pushed our travels off for a week. This was all decided in the fall. We realized we would just be leaving Nantucket, the island we call home, seeing our families & jumping right into the holidays. The extra week made sense, despite desiring more time to travel. What we didn't think through was weather. The first day of 2017 was a beautiful, sunny, warm winter day in Boston, even if most people were too hung over to notice. A week later? A snow storm took us all by surprise & our flight from Logan was canceled. A day less in the sun but also a day to experience winter & more fully appreciate where we were headed. Finally landing in San Jose I felt my whole being smile. Back in Central America. Back in Costa Rica. Back to Pura Vida. I always look forward to the moment when the airport door slides open & the air of a new place sweeps over you. Everyone outside looks so natural, following well known routines. For the traveler, the next step leads into an unknown you have anticipated for awhile. The warm & dusty air carrying muffled Latin music drifting from idling cars felt so familiar. After a few years away from Central America, the car ride towards Jaco brought a sense of return. I stepped into a big hug. A guy named Leo picked us up. He asked if we wanted the windows down. Please. Great, he was happy to have people who enjoyed natural air. I was happy to take it in. Pulling away from the airport Leo peaked in his review. "Look behind you. Yesterday the volcano erupted. Today there is a rainbow." Just beyond the airport a vivid arch of colors crossed I front of the mountains. It's shape was so clear and striking against the greenery rising in the background. A small rainbow where you could see from end to end but there she was extending an arm over San Jose. Touching the community below & around. We had flown out of a snow storm and over a rainbow. Not a terrible entrance and very much worth the wait. When you finally arrive, let it be over beams of color through clear skies. And pause to recognize your arrival.

[danfrederick]

Costa Rica December 2012 : while in Tamarindo with my family, I turned to my parents & said I was coming back, I'd stay in any hostel I just wanted to surf & be here. This would be my first time traveling alone so they encouraged me to figured my plans out a bit more. That December I spent two weeks taking Spanish & surf lessons at Costa Rica Surf Institute in Tamarindo. So much of those weeks still saturates my life. More to come!

[danfrederick]

reFRESHed & reSTARTing

Again with the apologies & excuses about lack of time. I am not going to dwell on that. Why spend the time typing out such things when I am use that time to write again?

Here we go!

A week ago I arrived back in Costa Rica. My first morning I found a hammock swing and started to hand write my first post. What was on my mind was how I was returning to Costa for the third time and soon Panama for the second. Travel is costly and since I was a little girl selling hand made jewelry farmers market in my home town of Cohasset, earning my own money and realizing it’s value, I have been aware of finances.

To me earning and spending money is a responsibility, one that used to often awaken my nerves. Now, however, I have learned that I love to work, I enjoy applying my efforts towards things I love in order to pursue other things that excite my passions. With that I have three top things that I find invaluable: education, music & travel. Education and music can take up numerous posts of their own and, remaining positive about and dedicated to keeping my resolution to write and post more, they will. For now, I am in Costa Rica, traveling until April. Let’s focus on travel.

The invaluable quality of travel: It has been over seven years since my family swapped house with a couple from Italy, over five since first going to Costa Rica, over two (wow!!) since studying in Viet Nam and beginning this blog. As the time increases I learn more from this trips, these periods of time of LIVING away from my most consistent home. It is this infinite learning that makes travel invaluable.

Travel brings reflection and contemplation for years to come. Traveling means stepping into the local culture and climate–as much as is authentically possible for a foreigner there for a short time–& genuinely taking interest in what you see versus what you want to see. Maybe the town doesn’t look like a Googled image and the hostel is crowded but you are there and there are people, stories, histories, & memories that exist where you now wander. Embrace them. You will learn about someone else when you keep your eyes wide open and in turn you will learn about yourself. Travel brings out the best and worst in me but I am more likely to notice this when I am removed from my norm. It is like learning something new & needing that certain person and voice to teach you for it to click. Gaining perspective ans vantage points to look back, think about in the present and go forward.

Last night I arrived back at The School of the World in Jaco after a weekend in Montezuma. A new group of students had arrived and as I cooked in the open air kitchen a girl named Charity introduced herself. She travels for a living.

She brought up the debate of traveling somewhere new & revisiting places. This is the question that got me thinking about this post a week ago. I couldn't out how to write my wondering & I think I was waiting for this conversation to happen. She talked about her friends who rush to travel a million places just to check them off a list. She herself used to keep a map and mark the places she went. One day she tore that map down. Traveling is not to say where you have been, it is to say what you have learned. How has a place enhanced your life? How have you enhanced that place? So for a few brief seconds I had worried that maybe I was not using my money wisely, spending it one tickets I had purchased before. However, every ticket, even to the same place, is unique. This trip is not the same as the ones before. This trip would not be what it is without the ones before. I am in new towns. Costa Rica feels like coming home. I know some things to expect & others amaze me & catch me by surprise. Travel again to the place that call you. When you land, land there, explore there, experience there, respect there. If you are where you want to be then the experiences will come again & again. The cost of a ticket is what you make it. If you let the worry go, you are paid back in infinite amounts and you are then able to pay it forward. First post in awhile... its like reawakening old muscles to dance or run. My thoughts will come more smoothly & cohesively soon. Thank you for reading before, now and in the future! Pura Vida!

[danfrederick]

Hey, I read your blog yesterday just as I would read a travel book. I really appreciated the way you expressed your personal journey from homesickness to cultural integration. I found a lot of similarities with my own experience abroad but I would never have been able to write it as well as you. Now that the end of your travel is approaching, I was wondering wether you feel to be ready to live on your own in any country following this experience or do you still feel strongly attached to the US ?

hello! I apologize for the delayed response. I never received notifications about my inbox. last night I sat down to write again but my tumblr app was acting finicky. I am traveling again, it is. New year, I know I want to write & finding your post as I tried to sort out the app issues as proven to me that writing is what I need and want to do. thank you so much

[danfrederick]

I enjoy reading your blog since December and I do not have any particular question but I just wanted to let you know that you are a great writer and photographer. I love your style: honest and simple. This is lovely :) hope you will continue updating it !

hi! for some reason I never got notifications about my inbox. years later just seeing this now as I sit in Jaco, Costa Rica. last night I tried to put up a new post and it didn't go through but finding your comment was just what I needed. I am getting back to writing now as I am traveling again for a few months. thank you so much for your words. the times when I think I am too busy to write I will look at this.

[danfrederick]

Overdue

It has been far too long since I posted here but I have been writing other places so here is a link to my work on She’s Fit to Lead.  Some other things have come up recently that are inspiring me to get back to writing here.  Expect more to come… possibly about those recent inspirations.

http://www.shesfittolead.com/7-lessons-from-my-mom-by-danielle-frederick-sftl-contributing-writer/

[danfrederick]

Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all but we went with it.

180 Degrees South

[coral]

Enjoy it. Because it’s happening.

Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (via feellng)