thanksgiving | no phone, no laptop, just mountains + family
I spent most of last week with my family in a cabin tucked away in the mountains. I decided a while back (with much encouragement) to take complete holiday. laptop free. phone free. WORK FREE. It sounds simple, it really does. Even I thought it was kind of a small order, but as the weeks went by... the to-do lists grew and the editing pile built. So, that week I learned two things.
1. It's okay to sprint, as long as you aren't trying a marathon at that pace.
2. Some times the second mile isn't in reach, and THAT'S OKAY. You just have to let certain things go. You can't manage it all. No one hates you for being a small person, with 24 hours a day.
After a long-haul 4 a.m workday/night, I woke up Wednesday morning and quickly packed. We hit the ground around 8:00a.m. At about 8:15, I deleted instagarm, facebook, and snapchat, and turned off notifications for emails, messages, whatsapp, and phone calls. I was officially off the grid.
The get-away was wonderful. I took about 100 photos the whole week... which is shockingly low in my books. I went on my first few hikes without a camera in years. Feeling a new sense of bravery climbing rocks and looking over edges with the lack of camera-anxiety. I wasn't quite aware just how much I don't try or do with my camera strapped to me.
Even when I wanted to, I couldn't reach for my computer to check an email, or edit even when I was in the "mood." Instead, I did lots of yoga, reflection, reading, and card-playing. I am slowly trekking my way through Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley. Gosh, what spark to light before coming home! Seriously, this book has me dreaming big, ready for action! Highly recommend it even though I haven't even finished it yet.
For actual Thanksgiving, we all slept in till our hearts (and bodies) desired. We aren't a major traditional-food kind of a family, so we opted out of turkey and stuffing for our family favorite: Raclette, the description for which is:
"Raclette was mentioned in medieval writings in texts from Swiss-German convents dating from as far as 1291,[4] , it's a particularly nutritious meal, originally consumed by peasants in the mountainous Alpine regions of Valais (Switzerland), Savoie and Haute-Savoie (France). It was then known in the German-speaking part of Switzerland as Bratchäs, or "roasted cheese". Traditionally, cow herders used to take the cheese with them when they were moving cows to or from the pastures up in the mountains. In the evenings around the campfire, they would place the cheese next to the fire and, when it had reached the perfect softness, scrape it on top of bread."
"A modern way of serving raclette involves an electric table-top grill with small pans, known as coupelles, in which to melt slices of raclette cheese. Generally the grill is surmounted by a hot plate or griddle. The cheese is brought to the table sliced, accompanied by platters of boiled or steamed potatoes, other vegetables and charcuterie. These are then mixed with potatoes and topped with cheese in the small, wedge-shaped coupelles that are placed under the grill to melt and brown the cheese. Alternatively, slices of cheese may be melted and simply poured over food on the plate. The emphasis in raclette dining is on relaxed and sociable eating and drinking, the meal often running to several hours."
AND lastly, in so many words, these are a few things, this year, I am thankful for:
My family, including time with my brother in law, Josh.
Freakin Memphis and its amazing creators
Opportunity and the risk friends and clients have taken to support me
Planes and tickets that have taken me around the world this year
Best friends who don't let Facetime feel less than an in-person coffee date
Memphis water
Friends' babies that make me want to hold a baby. (that's you, Clark Daniel and Liam Knightly!)
Evergreen trees + wildflowers that sneak up in places they shouldn't
The Michalaks, The Mustards, Sprinkle of Glitter, Our Tiny Tribe, and Safiya Nygaard (to name a few of the youtubers who inspire me weekly.)
Butternut Squash
Twinkly lights and brick walls
My faithful car that has carried me far
Here are a few of my captures from Thanksgiving in the Smokies:
