Thursday Thankful List: Coachella and Other Things

Disclaimer: This isn’t necessarily a food post, but it is a peak into what I do outside of the sugar.

It’s very easy to get caught up in the routines that make up everyday life. Routines, while necessary to a point, have a tendency to coerce us into a process of normal, then boredom, then frustration, and then a quarter-life crisis. We forget our dreams and what we set out to do.

On this weeklong blog hiatus, I took a brief break from the routine to experience the music festival that is Coachella. Being my third time attending, it only reinforced the fact that Coachella really is my favorite place in the world to be. To this day, I haven’t seen a place where people exist in a state of pure, unadulterated happiness, hearing only for the music, dancing only for the desert, and living only for the moment. When I am there, my soul is happy.

In fact, during the festival, my friend turned to me and said suddenly, “Now I know why you are the way you are.”  A powerful statement because half the time, I feel that that I don’t even know why I am the way I am! But that’s the beauty of Coachella – it allows us to release ourselves and realize that we have so much to be thankful for and so many people to be happy with.

As I experience Post-Coachella Stress Disorder and slowly acclimate to the real world, I wanted to share some of the things that I’m thankful for, and that make me who I am today:

• Living in San Francisco: People come here from all over the world, and I’m lucky enough to be here from the start. With a stick of butter in one hand and a spatula in another, I set out to conquer the dessert world and there is no place I’d rather do it than here.

• Cheesecake: Seriously, this is the best dessert ever.

 

• My Mom: Any time I think I’m too busy or life is tough, I remember my mom, who moved here from the other side of the world, made it through a bitter divorce, works three jobs, and still makes time to be supportive and caring for my brother and me. It amazes me everyday.

• Not Giving Up: Whether running a half marathon or chasing people across the country or getting a food coma because I can’t NOT finish ice cream, my penchant for not letting go has been a blessing and a curse. But I will never regret the experiences it has brought me, and I’ll never stop going after the things and people I love.

• This song. Also this one (I told you I’m still in Coachella mode).

• This girl. What the hell would I be doing without her?

• Swimming: I forgot how much I love being in the water, so I’ll pay the exorbitant monthly fee to have access to a pool.

• Johnny Depp: If someone can survive in Hollywood for 20+ years and look that damn good, lord help us all. Also, his new movie comes out tomorrow and WHO WANTS TO SEE IT WITH ME.

As my yoga instructor stated, “Where are we? Here. What time is it? Now.”