2016 was a challenging year. Shocker. Who DOESN’T feel that way?
I’ve named it “the year of peaks and valleys” because I had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I remember standing at the very top of Mount Batur, an active volcano in Bali that you start hiking at 3am to make it to the top to see sun rise, smiling with my eyes closed, feeling the sun on my face and thinking that life’s divine plan will always have my back. I didn’t have a worry in the world. Then there are the memories of me crying hysterically alone in my room for hours, missing my family on the other side of the country, missing my boyfriend that just moved out of state, hating my day job, feeling at a crossroads in my career. Lost. Completely lost.
I had some of my most life changing moments last year and although it didn’t always feel good, it taught me a lot about myself. Through it all I would have honestly gone mad if it weren’t for one thing…
Friends.
June 6th, 2016 was one of the best days of the year. I’d returned to Los Angeles from tour in April and those two months back where rough. It’s hard to catch your footing career wise when you’ve been gone for a year. I felt scared and defeated. Something I’d worked so hard previously to over come. So, one of my best friends, Ariana, and I took a day to ourselves and had a much needed girls date on a random Wednesday.
It’s pretty hard to mess up a girl’s day. As long as you have your sister with ya, you’re good to go! But… if you add flower crowns, country music and wine tasting it can only get that much better 😉
So, that’s what we did. We stopped by Trader Joe’s to pick up essential picnic goodies: a soft cheese, a hard cheese, raisin rosemary crackers, fruit, dark chocolate peanut butter cups and we couldn’t resist a beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers. Then, we made our way north up the 101 to Malibu Canyon.
Malibu Wines is so gosh darn cute. First off, the scenery is perfect, especially in the spring/summer. There are several look out spots with picturesque views of the canyons covered in green grass and vineyards. The décor is ADORABLE with water fountains pouring wine, giant porch swings, retro trucks and wheel barrels full of flowers. Malibu Wines also hosts fun events like yoga and mimosas once a month, movie nights on Thursdays during the summer and live music in the evenings every weekend! So fun! Lastly, they have an awesome tasting menu. A tasting flight is usually somewhere between $12-$15, you get to try several of their seasonal wines and take home a pretty wine glass. Pretty much, this place is awesome. I’ve never had a bad experience here. It’s a blast.
Being there at 3pm on a Wednesday, we were two of ten people at the winery. We made camp at a table, picked out our tasting flight and giggled while eating yummy goodies and making flower crowns. A group of young women came over to our table and asked us if we wouldn’t mind making them part of our flower-crown-extravaganza because they were celebrating a bachelorette party. We quickly made some news friends, all of us gushing over pictures of a wedding gown that bride to be was showing us. They were more than grateful and we were so happy to make someone’s day brighter.
Eventually Ari and I had a girlie photo shoot around the winery (us ladies love that shiz!) because literally all of Malibu Wines is a photo opportunity. We were like two little girls eating candy, drinking grown up juice, making new friends and playing in a secret garden. It’s moments like this that remind me that happiness is found when you are completely present: not when you’re thinking about all the things that you “can’t” do, the things that you “should” do, that your bank account isn’t where you want it or beating yourself up for no reason. Happiness is giggling with your best friend in the sun, making flower crowns like you use to do in second grade and letting yourself BE.
One of my favorite quotes is from a previous yoga teacher of mine. She said, “let yourself BE. You are a human BE-ing. Not a human DO-ing.” And she couldn’t be more right. When things get rough (and it will because this is life) let your friends listen to you, give you a hug and then remind you of all the things that really matter – Being alive. Being grateful. Being healthy. Being HAPPY.
I think back to that day and how happy the two of us were driving home with the windows down, blasting country music (“Sunny and 75” NEVER gets old) and singing every word along with Joe Nichols. What made that day as special as it was? It was living in the moment with love, grace and gratitude. It was having no agenda and celebrating everything just as it was.
Your friends are your chosen family. They are the angels that lift us up when we’ve forgotten how to fly.
That is why friendship is the best medicine 🙂
