THE ROOT 9: 12.3

It's easy to get caught looking back. We glance in the rearview mirror to understand where we've been, or what's just passed. But imagine trying to drive a whole journey fixated only on that small reflection. You'd miss the winding road, critical signs, and upcoming turns.

By now, you may have picked up that I love metaphors. While acknowledging the past is important, true progress comes from monitoring the dashboard of the present and scanning the horizon of the future. Are you checking your fuel gauge, ensuring your energy isn't running low? Are you minding your speed, recognizing when to accelerate or slow down? The dashboard gives us real-time data – our current resources, our pace, our immediate environment. The horizon calls us forward, shaping our direction and destination.

Perhaps this weekend offers a perfect chance to consider where your focus truly lies. Are you so busy replaying past moments that you're missing the opportunities unfolding right in front of you, and the path stretching out ahead?

Not Your Grandma's Garage Sale

A couple of weekends ago, I saw a group of friends running around our neighborhood putting up simple signs for a garage sale on my walk back from the gym. Now, when I think of garage sales, I usually picture a suburban Midwest scene filled with homeware and appliances that wouldn't typically pique my interest.

But when I walked by the building where these tenants were holding theirs later in the day, it had such an effortless, cool, and energetic vibe. They had a friend DJing with a simple mixing set, snacks and drinks laid out. It felt less like a typical garage sale and more like a lively hangout by their garage.

This got me thinking: why not turn my inevitable closet cleanse into a fun social event with friends? It doesn't seem too complicated; all you'd really need is:

Especially with summer being a common time for reconsidering leases or moving, transforming your "move-out" clean-out into an event could be a memorable way to tackle something you've been meaning to do with friends. It’s one of my goals for June / July – I’ll keep you posted!

Lake-Friendly Thrift Hunt

The Bay Area is teasing us with warmer weather, making me begin to romanticize a weekend at the river / lake and getting a chance to bask in the sun on the water, without fear I’ll be too chilly to truly enjoy it.

Though I don't fish, I'm increasingly being drawn to the idea of a simple weekend by the water - laying out two lawn chairs, packing PB&Js, fruit, trail mix, and yes, a protein bar (I am who I am), and a good book in hand. In a quiet and solitary spot, of course, to make this the ideal escape. It's been way too long since I truly sat still in nature - as much as I love running and hiking outside, I don’t pause as much as I probably should to soak it all in - and I'm craving that restorative energy.

And, when I envision the weekend, I’m wearing vintage overalls that have a story of their own and a swimsuit peeking out, since it’s hopefully warm enough for a dip. My search on Etsy and other retailers has yielded some charming finds (see snips below), but I have a hunch overalls are a "try-on-to-love" kind of thing. It may take a while, but I love starting a new thrift quest for a specific thing. A pair of overalls that fit just right and have character are next on my list 🙂