jenny's top 8 no. 4
I’ve been thinking…
so much about mental discipline lately. I have been thinking about gratitude, about what it actually means to manifest; I have been thinking about all the mental habits that block our way to joy and service.
I have a brain that loves extremes. I often wake in the morning filled with pure joy; I look at the sky, hear the birds rejoice for about one minute, and then it starts, THE LIST. The list is all the ways that I need to be fixed, all the things I am not doing well enough, all the thing I have done “WRONG,” all the ways I am in “DANGER!!!” These days I try to be gentle with the list because it’s ultimately a result of trauma, and it’s not cool to be mean to our trauma. I know this from decades of being mean to my trauma.
And also I fall in love with life constantly. I fall in love with moments, things, people, places, ideas. Yesterday I went to a very bad movie with a best friend and I loved it - I loved eating candy with her and laughing at how bad the film was. Honestly I kinda love the fim for being so bad. I love life and it terrifies me and both of these things feel like the absolutely accurate response to living.
So the question is, what plant am I going to water today? one is a weed and one is a rose - Jenny’s weed and rose brain. Anyone who has even woken up in the middle of the night knows that you can not argue with weeds, you cannot reason them away, but you can also grow beautiful roses amongst them and try to pull them out when you have the time.
What if just for today, the question is… How do I water the roses in my life?
Here are some of mine, just for today… Laughing with people I love, calling someone to say I love you, working with a client, writing, taking a walk, laughing more, doing a positive inventory of all the things that went well before I go to sleep, drinking lots of water, and being kind to myself when I absolutely do not do some of these things. AND posting JENNY’S TOP 8, even though you may think it’s silly or dumb or who the F does this person think she is (See, WEEDS!) and I’m gonna do it anyway.
xx from Jenny’s brain of weeds and roses
This brand is why I continue to play the lottery! I first saw it at The Four Seasons Maui and it stopped me in my tracks!! To me, it is luxury lifestyle 2.0. I want the cashmere sweaters like, A LOT!
I have been obsessed with clothes my whole entire life. I am obsessed by the elements of play, belonging or not wanting to belong; they are echo’s of life’s desires and life’s exhaustion, they are art and psychology on the daily. Calle Del Mar is everything I thought a glamorous adult should be like when I was a kid. It’s dress up for daily living!
I was so excited to see that they are located in Atwater, next to the old Thank You For Coming RIP space, but I’m too scared of all that desire!!
2. HIBI 10 MINUTES AROMA
Tessa introduced me to this at Noted Ojai. I call them incense for the OCD challenged. You strike a match, let it burn for ten minutes and viola, you have a lovely scented home, no flame, and re-centered soul (I’m joking, but maybe)! They smell soft and lovely and there are so many scents to choose from! I love Oak Moss, Japanese Cypress, and Yuzu!
Google it. Get it. Go to Ojai and stock up at Noted!
3. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF TRAUMA by Peter Levine
I have been waiting for this book!! I adore this man. Peter Levine’s journey through trauma and the unfolding of Somatic Experiencing, COOOOOMMMMEONNNNN! Who wants to read it with me?
I have wanted to become an SEP ever since I went to graduate school and I am so happy that last year I finally took the plunge. Somatic Experiencing has changed my life. You should let it change yours too!
4. LA HOMEFARM
I popped into LA Homefarm on my way home a couple of weeks ago, as I often do. On this day the magic was particularly strong. I left with arms full of lilacs, a vintage painting that reminds me of Nantucket, Alice Carbone Tench’s Italian cookies that i purchased directly from her and her daughter, and a very full heart!
The fruit table looks like a painting at The Louvre. The buckets of flowers stop me dead in my tracks. The blackberries taste like a daydream. The AWAN Vegan ice cream the only dessert I ever want.
I have been watching Ally’s relationship with her painting expand and contract for the decade that I have been lucky enough to love her. It is such a gift to witness each other’s creative process; to me, it is one of the most important parts of being human, making material what happens within us, what happens through us. When I went to the opening of her recent show Imperfect Harmony @gallery33sm within @thegeorgian I was blown away and so excited for her, and the world. Ally’s heart and vibrant search for life’s endless joy and calm centeredness radiate in these images. I think she is a treasure!
This image, Guilt: Beyond Resistance 2024 is one of my favorites. Stay tuned for her What I Loved Questionaire in the upcoming weeks!
SWOON. SWOON. SWOON. Cheryl Humphrey’s hand dyed mediations rock my world. They are thoughtful and meticulous, delicate and direct. I am grateful to the couple of pieces that I live with. I am in awe and love with her new series that recently showed at Sarah Brook Gallery in Hollywood.
7. RITUAL OIL
So much sensation in one bottle. I was at recent thing that I was not that into BUT they put this oil on my wrist at the beginning and I spent most of it thinking WTF is this oil? And when I found out, I ordered it instantly. I ordered it from Australia and it was more expensive than I was ready for and I do not regret it even a little bit. It smells amazing. It feels amazing on the skin. Done and Done.
8. DICKINSON
I HEART THIS SHOW SO MUCH! A 90’s coming of age story through the lens of Emily Dickinson. I should say that I adore and love Alena Smith, who created this show. We have really known each other since the early 90’s. I am just finally watching it now and I like to call her and give her updates. My most recent update was how exciting it was to be reminded that life is for living. I’m not kidding, this was the voicemail - this show reminds me of my youth, of all the passion I thought was meant to pulse through our lives from beginning to end, and I fear that we are getting too obsessed with regulation to remember that we are here to be truly alive for a short time. Also it’s fun, funny, the acting is so good, and I could go on and on. I am so excited to see what she does next!!!
