Planting Bulbs.

My parents visited today. My dad carried a huge outdoor planter pot filled with two bags of Miracle Grow potting soil. My mom arrived with an assortment of delicata squash from the farmer’s market, a ripe pomegranate, pickled takuan from the Japanese market, and two bags of different daffodil bulbs, gardening gloves, and a hand shovel- all while balancing an orchid in her other arm.

“This is for that big presentation you gave last week.” It was a celebration orchid. I smiled with delight.

Growing up, my grandparents owned Sakai Rose Nursery. When my grandma passed away, my mom transplanted a few of her rose bushes, Columbine flowers, and orchids from her Richmond backyard into their backyard. It’s a tangible reminder of Grandma, vibrantly blooming with each season. Flowers have always been our love language.

“Don’t we plant these in the spring?” I asked, holding the bulbs.

“No.” answered my mom. “You plant them now, and wait through winter, and they bloom in the spring.”

So tonight at 8pm, when the temperatures were cooler, I planted the bulbs. Six inches deep, six inches apart. I didn’t use the gloves. I immersed my hands in the softness of the soil and inhaled the sweet scent of dirt and earth while listening to the crickets sing.

In my coaching work, I often encourage my clients to take the time now to do things that will support their future self. Meal prepping now may be inconvenient, but their future self will be so grateful to have a healthy alternative available during the busy workday. Walking early in the morning may feel difficult at first, but your future self will feel more energized and grounded.

I thought about this as I planted the bulbs. I was planting them for my future self. A deliberate act of curating beauty for a soul that’d be hungry for a reminder of new life and rebirth after the bleak days of winter and endless rain.

When these daffodils bloom and brighten my porch in the spring, I’ll remember tonight. How my current self took the time to bless my future self. How they were planted under the moonlight with faith and fortitude, in the middle of a pandemic.

How You Spend Your Days is How You Spend Your Life.

According to a Nielson report, United States adults watch five hours of TV per day on average.

I’ve been without a TV for nine years. This was an intentional decision and commitment I made to myself in order to curate my time to support a lifestyle of learning and creativity. Do you know what happens when you don’t have a TV?

You get bored.

Really bored.

And without anything to numb and distract yourself with, you get to know yourself in new ways.

Because of this choice, I’ve gained back 16,425 hours of my life.

We’ve all heard about the 10,000 hour rule. The amount of time it takes to truly master a craft. Instead, I’ve adopted the 10,000-hour-rule of experiments. Building, writing, creating, iterating, connecting, sitting, exploring, adventuring, meditating, communing, launching, speaking, painting, reading, testing hypotheses, pitching, marketing, collaborating, stretching, jumping, laughing, filming, recording, storyboarding, shipping, and designing.

We all get 24 hours in a day. And each of us has agency over how we spend that time.

I understood that if I was consuming the same media and garbage that everyone else was consuming, I wouldn’t have enough blank space and silence to create. This one decision gave me back 16,425 hours to use towards creating the life that I’ve always wanted for myself. I’ve stolen these hours from comfort. But ironically it’s enabled me to live a more comfortable and fulfilling life.

I believe boredom is the birthplace of creativity. Try it for yourself. Turn off your TV. Turn off your notifications.

Put your phone on airplane mode, and watch your creativity take flight.

Sunset Surrender.

Milagra Ridge Trail, Pacifica

“You who let yourselves feel: enter the breathing
that is more than your own.
Let it brush your cheeks
as it divides and rejoins behind you.
Blessed ones, whole ones,
you where the heart begins:
You are the bow that shoots the arrows
and you are the target.
Fear not the pain. Let its weight fall back
into the earth;
for heavy are the mountains, heavy the seas.
The trees you planted in childhood have grown
too heavy. You cannot bring them along.
Give yourselves to the air, to what you cannot hold.”

— Rainer Maria Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus Part I

Getting Back In the Saddle.

When I first learned how to ride a road bike, I was afraid of riding alone in busy intersections so I packed my bike and literally drove three blocks to my friend’s house to start our ride. I practiced clipping in and out of the pedals in the parking lot. I remember the day when I had enough balance and control to simultaneously drink from my water bottle while riding in the backroads of Redlands. The sun was rapidly setting and I laughed with delight. I felt invincible. That tiny win unlocked the childlike part of myself that had fearlessly ridden and performed risky tricks on a bike as a child. Only this time, I was a 22 year-old clipped into an aluminum road bike and rediscovering my joy.

I’d forgotten about all those mini markers of progress, but when I rode the coast on Sunday they all came back as sweet memories. It’s valuable to remember where we once started. What it was like to be a beginner.

These two wheels have taught me the importance of getting back on after setbacks and crashing before the fear sets into my bones. At the beginning of this year, a wasp got trapped under my sunglasses while descending and stung me near my eye. In the subsequent days my face was so dysmorphic and my eye was literally swollen shut. In a panic, I was driven to the ER where I was pumped with IV antibiotics and Prednisone. With quarantine and riding solo, I’ve had to stay calm and feel confident fixing mechanicals on my own. These situations have terrified me in different ways, but I always do my best to get back in the saddle. To not let fear win and keep me paralyzed. It’s a powerful metaphor for other parts of my life.

A lot of things won’t work. They may crash and burn and lose air. And that’s ok. The most important thing is to get back up. To not let fear win. To stay the course, keep your eyes on the Bigger Destination, to be generous along the way, and never forget the small wins that got you to where you currently are.

The Leaf is Singing Still.

Feeling the freshness of the fall season today at Purisma Creek Redwoods. So grateful these Redwoods are still standing after all the wildfires.

“Take your busy heart to the art museum and the
chamber of commerce
but take it also to the forest.
The song you heard singing in the leaf when you
were a child
is singing still.
I am of years lived, so far, seventy-four,
and the leaf is singing still.”

— "What Can I Say" from Swan, by Mary Oliver

RIP RBG.

Another fun illustration I did using mung beans.

Even aMUNGst many obstacles, RBG was inarguably one of the most influential women in history who paved the way for gender equality and women’s rights. Her legacy will never be forgotten.

Mung beans are also a powerhouse when it comes to nutrition. A mere 1/4 cup (dry) contains 12g of protein and 8g of fiber. Sprouted mung beans boast even more antioxidants that assist the body in fighting off free radicals and preventing chronic disease.

My nourish bowl: No oil air-fried sweet potato fries, broccoli, cauliflower, radish, kale, avocado, lentils, and sprouted mung beans.

Sprouted mung beans can be easily added to stir fries and nourish bowls or sprinkled on top of salads to support a healthy gut microbiome and keep you full, satisfied, and energized.

There is much in the world that is beyond our control. But it’s important to remember what we do have control over- what we feed ourselves, how we move our body, where we get our information from, and who we vote for.

Don't Miss the Magic.

If you’re too consumed with things that are urgent, you lose the ability to focus on things that are important.

If you’re too caught up in everything that’s going wrong, you’re unable to see the beauty.

All we have now is the present moment.

Don’t miss the magic.

Plant Protection Against COVID-19.

Although this miso soba bowl contains many antioxidants and fiber, the superstars in this meal are shiitake mushrooms and broccoli sprouts.

We all know that wearing a mask can decrease our risk of getting COVID-19. But can eating certain foods also help protect us?

Turns out, yes.

70% of our immune system resides in the gut. By eating certain plant foods- specifically mushrooms, cranberries, blueberries, broccoli sprouts, green tea, and kombu (seaweed), you can increase your body’s ability to fight infection and disease.

Sketchnotes from today’s presentation by Dr. William Li at the Plant Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference.

In one study, adding 100 grams (1/3 cup) of blanched white button mushrooms per day to the diet for one week increased salivary Immunoglobulin A (IgA) by 144%. IgA is an antibody blood protein made by the immune system and found in the mucous membranes (respiratory and GI tract, as well as saliva and tears) that help fight bacteria, viruses, and toxins.

Another study showed that polyphenols in cranberries (administered via 15 oz of juice per day x 10 days) resulted in a 16% reduction in cold and flu symptoms, 57% less GI distress during cold and flu season, and increased interferon-γ secretion by 172%. Interferon-γ is important for activating macrophages and stimulates natural killer cells and neutrophils.

There is also evidence that broccoli sprouts helps increase our natural killer cells. In one study, health volunteers were given 2 cups of broccoli sprouts in a shake (or a placebo) daily for 4 days. They were given the nasal flu vaccine on Day 2. The sprout eaters had 22x more natural killer T cells and were found to have fewer flu viruses in their nose. So not only are broccoli sprouts powerhouses for anti-aging, anti-cancer, and longevity, but they protect our bodies even more when teamed up with a vaccine.

A snapshot from my parent’s kitchen table: Green tea (chock full of EGCGs) and homegrown broccoli sprouts. Not shown: miso soup with tofu, wakame, and made with kombu. A sample of how to fit these powerhouse foods into an actual meal.

We’ve known all along that whole plant foods support healthy digestion, weight, and prevent and reverse heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Now with the pandemic, there’s even more reason to include these specific foods into your diet to increase your immunity and support your body’s ability to fight off infection, viruses, and toxins.

It may start with adding in a cup of green tea into your morning routine. Adding blueberries into your oatmeal. Slicing mushrooms and adding them into your soups or stirfries. Making miso soup with kombu. Starting to sprout at home! The journey doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. The first step begins with adding in more whole plant foods to your existing meals and snacks. Then adding in a few more. With each step, you’re transforming your health, your gut microbiome, climate change, and the state of the world for the future generations. It’s a win-win for everyone- including the animals and the environment.

Coronacoaster Diary.

Tracking the trends of the past few months for me creatively, horticulturally, and of course, in snack obsessions. I’m teaching my brain to visualize data in a new way while simultaneously learning a new sketching program on the ipadPro. Today’s meta-lesson was about freely experimenting and being ok with being a beginner again. Giving myself room to play and have fun. And most of all, feeling free enough to create from the heart.

When’s the last time you tried something new?

Learning How to Learn.

My first piece of artwork using the program Paper53.

One of the most important meta-skills in life is learning how to learn.

I’m excited to be collaborating with some amazing and talented artists for future projects this year. They are extremely well-versed in digital design, data visualization and visual thinking in general. Of course! This is their specialty and profession. I had to remind myself of this as I navigated and fumbled around a new app, Paper53. I watched Youtube tutorials and took a Skillshare course with Shantell Martin. She used one of the fat markers and doodled squiggly lines and reminded me to “PLAY! HAVE FUN! TRY EVERYTHING!”

I had to gently remind myself that my education was in calculating tube feed rates, being able to look at a set of lab parameters and determine what formula to give a patient, how to calculate energy needs using adjusted body weight, and now, using motivational interviewing to promote behavior change. My education wasn’t rooted in color palettes and shading and formatting.

I relaxed. Every master was once a beginner. And so I played, and got frustrated, and started again, and found my rhythm and also the humor in learning and being a student again. It’s humbling. But everything truly is ‘figureoutable.’

Ancora Imparo. Still, I am learning.

It’s a long road. Today I took a few steps, and made this piece of art on Paper53 which was really fun. (Also, kudos to all the psychologists and therapists out there. We need you, especially during this time).

Sacred Vessels.

Today’s art was brought to you by dried beech mushrooms.

“Our bodies
are not projects
that we must work on
to fix or improve
or starve

Our bodies
are sacred vessels
made to liberate
educate
propagate the hopes and dreams
of future generations
who recognize
America is not great-
She is sick

All along the world has told us
we need to change our bodies
But now, we must use our bodies
to change the world.”

— Julianne Kanzaki

Please vote.