Category: Uncategorized

Be Kind.

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

This has been a rough few years for so many of us.  

When we are unhappy, stressed, or dealing with some epic shiznit, it can be easy to forget that we are all in this together.  We can forget to be kind. 

It can be too easy to be mean.  Snarky.  Rude.  

Thoughtless to those we care for.

We lash out in big ways, hurting other people because of our own hurt or in small ways, such as trolling the instagrammer who’s just trying to express himself.  We get cranky with the barista at Starbucks who forgot part of your order, not knowing or caring that  she is dealing with her own stress, too.   We make mean comments to the random stranger who’s selling their self-built skoolie or the Cowboys fan when you love the Seahawks.  

I rarely listen to the radio and almost never watch television.   I’d rather read a book, listen to a podcast or an audiobook that stimulates my thought processes and curiousity and helps my brain to continue to grow.  

But this morning, I was running a couple of early morning errands and had the radio on in my car.  The hosts of the morning show that was on were doing a piece called “Missed Connections” where they read posts people have published online to try to connect with someone they met randomly and wanted to reconnect with in a meaningful way.  

Some of them were cute, some were funny and some were honestly kind of dumb.  But as I listened, I found myself beginning to feel uncomfortable as the hosts made fun of the posts, demeaning those that had written them for  the lack of education in proper spelling and grammar, or the content of the post itself.

By the time the piece was over, I felt a little sick to my stomach and incredibly sad.  It felt like meanness for the sake of ratings and I found myself wondering if this was who these people really were or if the cruelty was audience-driven.

The people who post these missed connections are putting themselves out there and making themselves vulnerable to try to connect with someone who obviously left an impression on them.  Some are silly, it is true, and I admit that it is hard for me not to be a bit of a grammar Nazi sometimes, myself.  But I feel like it crosses a line and says something about our society when we feel like we need to publicly demean or diminish other folks to be “funny”.  

Maybe it seems like the relative anonymity of those that write these posts gives permission to poke fun at them, but if the person who wrote it happened to be listening, I can imagine how hurtful and embarrassing it would feel.  If the person they wrote it for was listening,  the odds of those two actually connecting would be greatly lessened because of the social embarrassment connected to the post.

This same radio station has a “feel good moment“ that comes on each day, and although I haven’t heard the station often, it seems like the vibe is fairly positive, so this particular show did seem out of character for the positive influence my impression is that they are trying to create within our community.  

But if I had tuned in to hear this show for the first time and it was all I knew of the radio station, it would be very likely that I would avoid listening to the station at all in the future. 

Ironically, when I turned the radio off, I tuned into a Tom Bilyeu podcast covering the subject of insulin regulation. Throughout the podcast, he was kind of an asshole to the woman he was interviewing, with moments of what felt very much like passive aggressiveness. He obviously didn’t agree with many of her views, but it was when he challenged her spiritual beliefs that I found myself becoming angry.

He spoke of absolute “truths” and how spirituality makes people more unhappy, rather than furthering the advancement of humanity. But this is obviously based upon his own belief system, and not that of the billions of people worldwide that have a greater sense of peace as a result of their spiritual beliefs, whatever those may be. He was using his personal truth as an excuse to be a dick. 🍆🍆

I know that I am still in the minority in believing that we should put kindness and empathy foremost in how each of us behaves with others, and it is true that sometimes, we have a bad day and we just come across as being a bit of an 🍆.

But shouldn’t we collectively be working on awareness of our actions as we (hopefully) move towards evolution? 🤔

 I believe that as we grow as a species, kindness as a practice will become the norm, rather than pettiness, cruelty, small-mindedness, and meanness.  We are beginning to see it now as thought leaders and “influencers” promote the value and benefits of being kind.  

There is also good science behind the benefits of kindness, empathy and compassion, too –  from the neurochemical release of “happy hormones” such as oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine to the way our mental and emotional states of mind and way of being affect our magnetic field and the world beyond.  Being kind is also good for our physical health, btw, as well as the overall well-being of our communities. There have been numerous studies done on this subject. 

One of my favorites, in part because I lived there in the early 90s, happened in 1993 in Washington DC.   Thousands of meditators gathered over a period of nearly three weeks to demonstrate just how powerfully our thoughts can affect the world around us.  They meditated collectively each day with the intent of decreasing the rampant violent crime in the DC area.  The results of this project later became known as the Maharishi Effect.  

A 27-member independent Project Review Board consisting of sociologists and criminologists from leading universities, representatives from the police department and government of the District of Columbia, and civic leaders approved in advance the research protocol for the project and monitored its progress.

During this period, crime in the area decreased ranging from 15.6% to 24.6%.  The statistical probability of this being random variability was calculated at less than 2 in one billion.  

If your mind isn’t blown by this, read the statement again.  If you are still skeptical of the power of collective consciousness, just look at the opposite end of the spectrum with some of the massive attraction and popularity of some unthinkable trends such as eating tide pods.🙄

The point is, each of us has a choice in how we view and approach the world.  We all have the ability to influence the world around us, but I believe that for those in the public eye, the responsibility of choosing wisely is so much greater.

Is it really necessary to question the cut of someone’s hair, tor the color choice of cabinets because it doesn’t suit your personal taste? We seem to have this idea that our personal opinions are the “truth” of the world but in reality, there really isn’t any absolute truth.

Everything is subjective and based upon personal experience. Everything. We’ve all come to our personal belief systems because of our unique amalgamation of experiences.  It is that very uniqueness that makes this world such an amazing place. What if there was no other bird on the planet besides a Robin?  I don’t think any of us would feel excited about birdwatching or birdsong if that was the case.

Just as importantly, we should ask ourselves if degrading or demeaning others make any of us feel any better in the long run?  Probably not, right? 😣. 

Just because you aren’t rocking a purple Mohawk doesn’t mean it’s not cool for being 💯 unique.  

Just because English may not have been your best subject in school, or you may be a little, socially, awkward, or a struggle to know how to connect to others, doesn’t make you in any way “less than” anyone else.  

Just because you wouldn’t choose mint green for your kitchen doesn’t mean many others wouldn’t absolutely love it.  

Just because your political opinion is far left, or far right, or somewhere right in the middle doesn’t mean that those that don’t share your particular affiliation or mindset are less valuable.  

Just because you were brought up as Christian, it doesn’t mean that Christ is the only way to find God;  just as professing that Allah is the one and true God does not make it truth to the Christian, Hindu, or Muslim.  

You are beautiful, wonderful, unique and amazing just as you are.  

And so is the Starbucks barista that you were a jerk to. The woman with a different spiritual belief system. The “missed connections” writer who is less educated or socially awkward.

And the great uncle who doesn’t agree with your political opinions, that guy with the purple Mohawk and yes, even that woman who chose mint green for her kitchen skoolie build.

I thought it was pretty, btw. 🥰

So maybe, just maybe, the next time you are tempted to leave a mean comment, throw a fit because your coffee is too hot, or isn’t hot enough, or the cashier at the grocery store is a little grumpy, try to remember that you are just one person in a really, really big world of people – people that are dealing with their own griefs and stressors and are probably just trying to make it through the day in the best way they can.

And maybe, just maybe, if you choose to be kind, not only would you actually feel better as a person, they might do the same the next time their own knee-jerk reaction is to be mean.  

Who knows?  Your kindness to your grumpy, opinionated uncle or the Starbucks barista might even start a movement that spreads and becomes the new normal.  The new way of being.  

How cool would that be? 😉

Much love and many blessings.✨🌈

– Terah💖

Relationships and the Journey to Wholeness

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

Let’s talk about love.  

Specifically, love and connection in our most intimate relationships – marriage or committed partnerships, whatever that may look like to you.  

I’m not necessarily talking about romance, sex, or all of those neurochemical butterfly-inducing aspects of meeting a romantic partner/soulmate/twin flame, etc., though we all find all of those delicious feelings to be absolutely wonderful. But rather, I would like to have a dialogue around finding and/or maintaining a healthy, loving relationship; hopefully one that is based upon a journey to two people becoming whole as individuals and as a couple.

This conversation is about relationships that are based upon mutual empowerment, shared values, a commitment to honesty, vulnerability, transparency and effective communication. This is about connecting to and creating a deep and abiding love that promotes continued growth, individually and communally, and as a result, also contains passion. Chemistry. Excitement and electricity.

Questions to ask when ready for committed relationship:

  1. What do I need from a relationship? Write it down. Be as specific as possible. What are your emotional/physical/financial needs, values and desires? What are your “love languages”?
  1. What am I bringing to the relationship? Be honest. What gifts, talents, and loveable traits – and what baggage, toxic traits or unhealthy patterns? We can not expect a “perfect partner” if we aren’t bringing an equal energy to the table. This can also help us to identify those things that we might want to work on before we begin looking for our soulmate.
  1. What will I not tolerate in a relationship? We can be a part of the process of our partner’s healing and growth, but it is important to identify those traits in another person that feel deeply harmful or unhealthy to us.

I’ve never believed in holding regret. It does not really serve our growth – if anything, it can create a cycle of victimhood that we never really grow past, rather than taking the lessons from each experience life brings us and applying those lessons to the future.

But I do wish that before I ever became involved with my first romantic relationship, I had some of the understanding I have learned in the last few decades – and the last few years, especially, as I have delved deeply into understanding the science of how we create our reality, both individually and collectively.

This particularly applies in acknowledging and addressing those unhealthy relational cycles that we perpetuate without realizing; largely based on childhood trauma or unhealthy parenting styles.

Growth can not happen without accountability, which is the opposite of victim mentality.

Of course, we can really only learn when the timing is right – when the student is ready, the master will come – but 😣 It could have saved so much heartache and stress had I known that we bring our past programs into every single relationship in our lives.

This is exactly why I write now, in the hope that a little of my knowledge and experience might create better for someone else.❤️

Recognizing those long-held patterns can be a catalyst for growth and even joy, if we follow a few not-always-so-simple but worth the effort steps:

  • Awareness: Acknowledge the shiznit. Create greater understanding and recognition around our past programs and patterns. The wounded inner child cycle will continue until we get to the oringination point of our core wounds. What we resist, persists.
  • Access/Heal the Past: Begin to acknowledge those memories, experiences, events and emotions that have been keeping us stuck in unhealthy patterns and self-sabotage. Identify triggering behaviors that put us in a place of dysregulation. Find ways to gradually increase baseline levels of dopamine, serotonin and endorphins if you have been chronically depressed or anxious as a result of those past programs. Spend time in nature to expedite the healing process, especially near trees, mountains, or water.
  • Self-Love. Showing ourselves the same degree or more of love and value that we have given to others can be one of the best gifts we can give ourselves. Identify those things about yourself that make you amazing and begin celebrating those gifts, talents and traits. Give to yourself the “love language” that you most share with others. Speak kindly to yourself.
  • Learn: Find the tools to begin to work through and heal that unhealthy way of thinking and relating to others. We live in a time where there is more knowledge and information available to us than any other time in the known history of the world. Sometimes this plethora of information can be overwhelming, but there is really no reason why we cannot find those tools and modalities that might work best for us to begin our healing journey towards lasting happiness. Finding a good therapist (I highly recommend someone with IFS experience) can be a wonderful way to jump-start your path to wholeness, too. I will share a few of the modalities and ways that I have found that seem to work well for me, but your journey is your journey and hopefully you will continue the process of growth and evolution long after you have read this book.
  • Connect: We humans are created for connection. Without it, much like plants without water, we either become dry, prickly things or we wither and die. The “baby warehouses” of Nazi Germany or the research done on rats and addiction illustrate this fact starkly. Touch creates oxytocin. Connection with others floods the brain with serotonin. Sex releases dopamine and endorphins. All of these neurochemicals increase our immunity, decrease addictive behaviors, make us generally feel good and have a host of other amazing benefits that I have mentioned in previous posts.

There are many folks out there that espouse the value of independence in finding our best path to healing. I do absolutely believe it is important that we have a sense of self sufficiency in every day life and enjoy our own company. I believe that an unhealthy Codependency does not serve anyone in the long run.

However, it is equally true that humans are made for connection. Made for partnership. Choosing a partner who will not only hold a safe space for us as we work on our self-growth, but that we can do the same for can make the journey to wholeness so much more beautiful and even expedite the process.

– TDrake @baselinehappy

This is where things can get tricky. We will continue to choose partners who perpetuate unhealthy past cycles rather than help us grow and heal to wholeness unless we have an awareness of our own childhood patterns of behavior and bonding. I believe this is habit on a neurological level and a desire to confront and move past our toxic history on a spiritual plane. Unresolved issues will continue to repeat themselves until we figure our sh*t out.

I wrote a while back about relationships and trauma bonding.  Trauma bonds are relational bonds that commonly form as a result of past toxic and/or abusive relationships, often beginning in childhood.  

I have heard some relationship therapists believe that 80% or more of adult intimate partnerships are based upon trauma bonding; relationships that are formed as a result of shared trauma or because the childhood wounds of two people match up.

Care. Consistency. Respect. Faith. How are you showing up for your parter?

For example; girl has avoidant or abusive parent and grows up with an anxious attachment style.  Girl grows up to meet boy who has an avoidant attachment style as a result of toxic patterns in his own childhood and they fall in “love’, but continue to perpetuate the unhealthy patterns of their youth because of this faulty programming.  

This seems pretty accurate based upon what I have seen in the vast majority of my own patterns and those of people close to me.

The way that the parents and caregivers of our childhood “teach” us sets up our neurological processes for the rest of our life. I believe that most parents and caregivers are doing the best that they can, based upon what they have learned, themselves. But just because something is a learned behavior, it doesn’t mean it is a healthy behavior – and there are so many ways that parents can fuck their kids neurological programming up from an early age without realizing they are doing so.

There are also plenty of unhealthy parenting styles that are not necessarily “abuse”, (the “coach”, the micromanager, the “helicopter parent”, the “tuned out” parent, the “follow the rules” parent…the list goes on) but can still leave us with destructive behavioral patterns that can be incredibly hard to recognize, let alone change. And so the cycle repeats itself over and over, often for generations – until someone along the line becomes aware enough to say “enough”.

Parenting is quite possibly the most important “career” in the world yet we do not require any form of marriage or child rearing education before we start creating another generation. 😑

At some point in every relationship, the intensity begins to fade.  Typically, it takes 18 months for the bodies’ elevated levels of oxytocin (the love hormone) to drop; a built-in chemical process that ensures (historically) that when we fall for someone, we will remain together for long enough to procreate.  

As these chemicals begin to wear off, unfortunately, often so do the “blinders” that we put on in the first phases of infatuation and we may begin to be triggered by our partner. The way that we once seemed to relate on every subject becomes a task of how to relate on any subject. If the relationship is one that is built upon trauma bonds and both partners aren’t working on healing and growth – as well as maintaining comparability and connection – inevitably the relationship fails. Sometimes it takes many years of unhappiness for us to move on.

Sometimes those programs and belief systems are so ingrained that we never do.

We just suffer and assume that is what a “partnership” is.  

But Babe.  That is the furthest thing from the truth.  We are meant to be happy, fulfilled and supported in our marriages, cohabitations or partnerships. Truly.

It doesn’t mean that our relationships won’t be challenging at times.  A healing/healthy relationship requires a great deal of honest communication, empathy, respect, trust, and understanding and love/self love to work towards a healthier way of being, both together and individually.  It requires making ourselves uncomfortable at times in order to give our partner what they need rather than what is familiar to us.  It is finding ways to love each other that are a collaboration; a meeting in the middle, rather than running away or waiting for our partner to make the first move.  

When we do find ourselves dysregulated or “triggered” by our partner, (or anyone, for that matter) if we can stop, take a few deep breaths and ask our minds and bodies “Why”, we can begin to access those deep wounds in order to begin to heal them.  In order to heal it, we must feel it.  

Conversely, if we don’t deal with our sh#t, we will just continue to remain a victim as we play out, over and over, the same rejection/abandonment/humiliation/betrayal/injustice wounds that we suffered as children.  What we resist, persists.

Again, if both parties are not on the same page for growth and forward movement, (change is hard the brain does not like change.) the odds of a successful and happy future together are slim to none.  

I recently posted a video short on my social media pages about “laziness” being the number one red flag to look for in a potential partner. It really hit home for me as historically, I have chosen partners who were incredibly unmotivated to grow or put in effort in nearly every aspect of the relationship. I chose these partners based upon my own unhealthy childhood patterns of needing to be the “caregiver” in a partnership in order to feel valued. This takes us back to that beginning statement about regret… Can you relate?

This is not only common sense advice, but there have been hundreds of studies done since the forties (and earlier) on relationship science and generally, they point to the same outcome of unhappiness or failure of a relationship when both parties aren’t doing the “work” to maintain a happy, healthy partnership.  

I would recommend looking into some of the studies done at the Gottman Institute in Seattle. #@gottman.com  Dr. John Gottman has been able to predict with nearly 94% accuracy whether a marriage will fail, based upon his “Four Horsemen” philosophy – Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling.  Dr. Andrew Huberman @hubermanlab.com has some excellent podcasts on increasing the success of partnerships and he also refers to the Gottmans as a go-to source for understanding.  

But let’s cycle back to the main point of this letter.  Healing our own trauma patterns in order to have successful relationships.  

Once we have begun the healing work of accessing and re-programming old, dysfunctional programs and patterns, we must begin to create a new personal and relational identity based upon healthier ways of viewing ourselves and how we navigate in the world.  We must embrace and live our new personal belief systems.  We must become a mirror of the change that we want to see in ourselves, our relationships and our world at large; a reflection of our healing rather than our brokenness. 

And that is a beautiful thing.❤️

Today and all days, much love and huge hugs.💖

– Terah

All One

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

We sleep.

When we sleep, we hold the illusion of separation – that each of us

Is a completely isolated 

And separate being, 

Drifting purposeless

On a giant rock in space.  

But then we Awaken.

 To realize we had been dreaming.  

And the dream often was a nightmare

Constructed by Illusion

By Ego

By the Dream itself. 

We dreamt we were alone.

We dreamt we were broken.

We dreamt we were “sinners”,

Destined for a dark hell.  

But it is the dream that is hell.

The dream that is the lie. 

The Truth 

Is that there is no separation.

No isolation.

No sin.

No hell.  

No brokenness.  

There is only the All That Is;

The All That Is is Us.

Separation from the Divine;

From “God”  

Is the illusion.  

This Awakening from 

The Dream,

This Remembrance 

Is the point of this existence.  

The Divine is Us

And we are the Divine.  

The Lover and the Beloved in one.

We are here to be the struggle

And the release.  

The conflict 

And the resolution.  

The battle and the peace.  

We are Arjuna in his struggle  – 

And Krishna/Shiva in his Wisdom.  

We are Christ and the Apostles.  

We are Mohammed, and Allah.  

The Divine 

Is every molecule of who we are

Of nature

Of the atmosphere  

The Divine 

Is the fabric of Reality

And Reality Itself.

Every experience 

We are given here 

Is an opportunity 

To remember this. 

Every sweet strawberry 

Tasted on the tongue

An opportunity to remember.

Every glass of wine

Every  lingering kiss 

Shared with a Lover

By a peaceful river

Or surrounded by green trees

An opportunity to remember.

We are the Divine.  

Every tiny hand held in our own.  

Every Child’s Innocence 

And Laughter, Tantrum and Terror.

The Divine. 

Every moment of Beauty; 

Every moment if Hope

Every moment of Joy.  

The Divine.

Every moment of Sorrow

Every moment of Despair

Every Conflict and Struggle.

The Divine.  

It is only in remembering

That there is no separation 

Between Us and God

Between Us and the All That Is 

That we find freedom.  

We are the Buddha

We are Allah, 

We are Elohim/Yahweh/God. 

We are the Mother, the Father, 

The Son 

and the Holy Spirit

And the Daughter.  

It is only in Awakening

In remembering 

That we can begin to 

Play with life

With reality.  

It is in remembering 

That we can create Magic.

It is in remembering 

that we experience Holy fallout.

It is in remembering 

that we fill our mouths and palms

With Joy. ✨

Today and all days, 

Beloved, 

My greatest wish 

Would be that you might 

Open yourself 

To the possibility 

That you are not alone.

That you are not isolated.

That you are not broken.

But that you are 

God Incarnate

Having a human experience 

On this beautiful 

Holographic Reality 

Of a planet called Earth.

I would wish you to see 

That you are Beauty.

That you are Wholeness

That you are a 

Rare and unique jewel;

A perfect expression 

Of the Divine. 

You are love

And you are loved.

The Lover and the Beloved

All wrapped up 

In one gorgeous package

Of infinite potential.

I see you.

I am You.

You are we

And we 

Are

Love.

– Terah

This One Precious Life

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

My love. 

If I could have only one wish for you today,

it would be that you could see

How precious

How beautiful, 

And how infinitesimally short

Life truly is.

I would wish that this understanding 

Would draw out your perspective

To fully realize that none of us 

Are guaranteed tomorrow 

And the only real certainty 

In this life

Is Death,

And that each day,

Each moment,

Each breath

On this magnificent planet 

is a blessing and a gift.

I would wish that this knowledge

Would help you to stop 

Giving your power to petty tyrants; 

To stop giving your precious energy

To those who do not value 

The investment and expenditure

Of who you are;

To stop being afraid,

To stop seeking 

The approval

And validation 

Of others

Who could not possibly 

Give you advice based on

Their own understanding

And experience in the world.

I would wish that the fullness

Of appreciation of life’s 

Beauty and brevity

Would cause you to

Begin to live your life

From the perspective of 

What feels most important to you;

That you would seek out those people,

Experiences, and adventures 

that feed your soul,

Quicken your mind

And fill your heart

With a love so deep and vast

That  joy

Expands into every 

Pore and crevice,

Every cell and molecule 

Of your being 

And pours from your eyes

In tears of gold. 

I would wish that

The preciousness,

The magnificence,

The awe-inspiring beauty

Of this life

Could help you to release your

Past pain and programming

To more fully love, value,

And appreciate

Those friends, family, 

And neighbors that

Also love, value

And appreciate you;

That you might remember 

To hold those loved ones 

So close,

To hug harder

To kiss deeper

To be present

To speak of things 

That matter

Things of interest

And importance

But also, 

Of lightness,

Of fun

Of Bliss. 

Because they, too have been allotted 

only a small portion

Of this earth’s history

And perhaps,

Tomorrow will see them

Moving on

Beyond this realm

To whatever is next.

Today, my love, 

This is my greatest wish 

For you.  

Because perhaps, 

The greatest sin

We could ever commit

Is to live a life 

Only half-lived

And die with regret

Bitter in our hearts

And on our tongues. 

Much love ❤️

Today and all days;

– Terah

Reprogramming

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

We hold within our minds, bodies, and the magnetic field that surrounds us billions of bits of information in the form of frequency. 

These frequencies are shared with those around us, and will draw to us that which we are most familiar with based upon the hardwired programming that began in early childhood. The RAS/Reticular Activating System or “Reality Filter”, found in the brain stem, plays into this, too. We take in billions of bits of information each second. The RAS filters and translates this information into just a few thousand bits of information that we can use and work from – but this translation is largely based upon our past experiences.

Where focus goes, reality follows, so if our subconscious programming says that narcissistic relationships are our comfort zone because of our childhood caregivers, well guess what? That is exactly what we will find. Ouch, right?

But what is really, really cool about this is that our personalities (personal realities) are never set. I’ve heard people say “it’s just who I am” – and I call bullshit. We are growing creatures and can change drastically any dysfunctional or outdated paradigm that we may have been living to create something truly beautiful. Which brings us back to awareness, the magnetic field, and why the heck we are here in the first place.

My personal belief is that we are born onto this planet by choice. That our souls know exactly what lessons we need to learn, and how we can distill the most pleasure from this experience here on earth.

 Sometimes, life brings contrast and it sucks until we figure out the issue, learn the lesson, or move beyond the hardship.  

But conversely, we all know that the vast majority of the time, life is a beautiful thing.  We are so fortunate to be here, enjoying the experience of being human with other humans.  

If  we did not have this human experience, how could we ever understand the way dark chocolate melts on the tongue, the aroma filling our mouth as we get a “sweet” little hit of pleasure-invoking dopamine?  

How could we know how it feels to really hug a loved one or hold a new baby in our arms?  

How could we understand the pleasure of co-creation with another human – or the pleasure of the act of procreation, for that matter?  

We would not appreciate the vibrancy of a bouquet of flowers, the awe-inspiring views from a mountaintop, made even better by a rigorous climb to arrive.  

“Sweeter after difficulties”

There are thousands more amazing experiences that come with the “Human Condition”.  But it is important to understand that in order to create a truly happy and fulfilling life in which we feel like a deliberate creator, we must address and move past those things that act as an anchor to our freedom.  

We draw to us the people and experiences that match our current vibrational state.  We attract  that will support and promote our growth at exactly the time that we are ready for the lesson. 

Sometimes, this is a wonderful thing.  A new career, relationship, home, life change.  

Just as often, we attract those people, circumstances and experiences that feel the opposite. Frustrating. Angst-causing. Triggering.

These “growth gifts” from the Universe” should be our best lessons. Our greatest opportunity for growth and evolution. It is the thing that makes us feel the most uncomfortable that can create the greatest learning and inspiration.

In the moment, being consistently triggered or dysregulated by a condition or someone else’s behavior – often completely without their awareness of the way you are affected – sucks major 🏀⚾️🥎.

Most of us react and withdraw because we don’t want to feel the deeper, buried pain that is associated with whatever is causing our distress. Our subconscious mind likes to keep the painful things repressed. Or we turn to addictive behavior or substances to suppress those negative feelings.

I know from personal experience. I struggled with an eating disorder for most of my life. As a child, I wasn’t allowed to “feel” my emotions if they were in any way negative. As a result, I looked for ways to repress my anger, my grief, my anxiety.

I wanted to feel numb, and the disorder did that for me – Until the numbness and trauma resulting from the disordered thinking and behavior became more painful than confronting those memories, and I began the process of reprogramming long-held belief systems that had been set by someone else’s faulty wiring. We really are organic computers.

Uncovering those hidden parts of our younger selves is a difficult and complex process, largely because the brain’s main function is to help us survive. The brain does not understand that the trauma we experienced as children keeps us in unhealthy patterning throughout adulthood- to the “computer” part of our mind, we survived so whatever programs were established should continue our survival. Easy peasy, right?🙄

But when we do the work to let go of those limiting belief systems, the rest of life can begin to unfold in a more beautiful way. In a more natural way. In a way that feels less survival and struggle and more deliberate creation.

Sometimes, we think we’ve worked through it all and that we are fairly “enlightened”.  And that is exactly when the Universe sends just the right person or experience to throw you completely off your game and remind me – uh – us 👀 – that growth is a process and a journey and we never completely reach the Enlightened destination.  

But. Back to that amazingly cool aspect of the human brain: When we go into those dark places, (anyone else have a brain that loves to do this at 2 am or so?🙄) and do the work – have those hard conversations with our skeletons and monsters – unacknowledged parts of ourselves to discover the deeper source of that dysregulation, Babe. Miracles and magic happen.

Once we get past the “oh sh#t” of “seeing” the connections between our dysregulated behavior and childhood experiences and patterning, it is frickin’ eureka. It’s aha, and the light of a thousand lanterns flaring at once to cast out the darkness where things were once hidden. It’s dopamine times a hundred. It feels like taking one more step towards flight; towards heaven, and we are able to shake off the fear that has held us to move forward in Love. In Freedom.

And that’s what it’s all about, ultimately.  

“In every relationship, we have the opportunity to set the level of joy you expect and the level of pain you will accept.” – Jay Shetty; Think Like a Monk

From our place of center and love, we are able to approach the circumstance, partners or others who had been “causing” our unhappiness to be deeply vulnerable and hopefully, that person will be able to honor our experience and move forward with their own increased awareness. But not always.

Sometimes, that other person is not ready to release their own wounds and they may struggle to recognize when they are treating others with less than value. Or they are not ready to learn to communicate. Or they become defensive, or hostile. depending on their own “core wounds”; your non healing may trigger and be threatening to their own sense of worth and value.

We may realize that the person who was in our life at that time was meant to be a catalyst for us to let go of those outdated and unhealthy patterns but we no longer mesh vibrationally and have to let them go with love and grace.

This is so, so hard when it is a long-term relationship or friendship. If you know, you know… but they are hopefully on their own healing journey and staying in a situation where you do not match ultimately will only bring pain to both parties.😣.

We need to let go of the outdated mindset of previous generations where we remained in a marriage until we died, often early as a result of the constant flood of adrenaline and cortisol in our systems from being in an unhappy relationship. It just makes no sense.

And speaking of healing…🙄

I have had more than a few such friendships and experiences that I let go of in the last decade or so, and that process has been expedited in the past few years as I continue to remain relentless about my personal growth and evolution.  Most, I have released, though I still hold so much love for them.

But sometimes, we reconnect down the road when they have begun their own healing journey, and it is a beautiful thing.

If you are in a situation where you find yourself consistently reacting to someone else’s actions or behavior, it is probable that those strong emotions are tied to some form or childhood (or young adulthood) trauma. If it’s in any way histrionic, it’s based in history. (Amygdala reaction Vs. Prefrontal cortex response)

Here’s a tool that could help you to discover the “roots” of your dysregulated state:

Get comfortable in a quiet place, seated or reclined, whichever is better for you.  Some find a scented sleeping mask helpful.   Scents such as lavender or geranium are particularly soothing to the autonomic nervous system and the slight sensory deprivation the mask provides can assist in connecting to those deeper parts of yourself. 

Put one hand over your heart and one on your navel.  

Take several deep, slow breaths through the nose, expanding the diaphragm with the inhale, allowing the belly to become soft on the exhale, also through the nose.  

If you are feeling distracted, a progressive relaxation beginning with the crown of the head and ending with the soles of the feet can be a helpful tool to take your mind a little deeper into the body.

Once you are feeling calm and centered, just ask yourself what you are feeling. How you are feeling. Notice any sensations that come up in the body, or pictures that arise in the mind. Compassionately observe without actively participating in whatever your mind or body experiences.

Keep breathing.  

Ask your body what it feels in connection to the person or circumstance that you have been reacting to.  

Watch what comes up, if anything.  If your trauma is particularly deep or is likely it will take several sessions to begin to access whatever it is that you need to acknowledge and feel into.  It is also possible that once you begin unearthing, you may have unexpected moments of realization as you go about your day.  

If you gain direct access to a memory or process/program that you know is the subconscious core of the emotional manifestation you are experiencing, just sit with whatever feelings come up.  Allow yourself to fully feel into whatever you need to experience.  Then give that beautiful aspect of yourself some love.  Can you feel the sense of sending love from your heart center to another part of your body?  

This is also a powerful healing technique when your body is out of alignment with your good health.  

When you are ready, slowly come back to your deep nasal breathing.  Feel your whole body, and the space around your body.  Do you feel a little lighter?  A little more space in your body or field?  

It is equally possible that you may feel a deep sense of grief and heaviness.  If that is the case, my love, I am sorry for this.  I also know it’s hard.  But eventually, it will be worth this temporary pain.❤️‍🩹

Allow yourself to process in whatever way feels best for you. Be gentle with yourself, and keep sending love – and forgiveness/self forgiveness and gratitude – to those parts of yourself. You deserve it.

If you need more information, tools/techniques for healing or just a little extra love, I am here for you, beautiful.  

Sending so much love and huge hugs, always.💖

– Terah

Once Upon A Time

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

I fell in love, once.

I had known love before,

Of course. 

I love easily

And much.

But I had not known

What it felt like to 

Be In Love. 

It’s different.

I fell so hard and so deep 

That when we were together

It was like the heat 

And the light

Of a thousand flames

Extinguished around me

And rekindled as one

Fiery torch that ignited 

Around the two of us.

Consumed us.

It’s heat felt like joy

Felt like completion

Felt like the stillness 

In the eye of a storm

It felt Meant.  

Like God Itself

Was contained

Within those flames.

When we were apart 

Those flames still 

Consumed me.

He consumed me;

My thoughts. My emotions.

My body. 

It felt like a piece of my soul 

Had moved out from my body

To take up residence 

Within his where it could 

Stay close to his heart.

It felt like that piece of my soul

Knew where it wanted to be.

Where it belonged.

But Souls don’t always 

Get it right,

It would seem.

Because as I fell

I realized 

That he could not be there

To catch me.

To hold my spirit safe

In its new home.

Perhaps it was too much.

Too much heat.

Too much need.

Too much want.

Too many complications

That created a wall

That I couldn’t find 

My way around

Though I tried

With a thousand 

Words of love 

With kisses

With touch

With my heart 

And my mind

To find my way 

Through the stone

To where he stood

Now apart from me

In another place

Disconnected.

Unreachable.

Unbreachable.

And yet I fall

My heart still searching

Still seeking

With only the darkness 

To hold me

With only the depth 

Of my sorrow to keep me 

From crashing

Through the earth

To shatter 

On Some distant 

Surface below.

Unresolved Trauma and Healing Ourselves and our Relationships.❤️‍🩹

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

Confession time.

You might want to grab a cuppa and a comfy chair for this one because I’m going to go a little deep. 

Full disclaimer – if you have been in the abuse cycle in your own life and relationships, this post could be a little triggering. But understanding our cycles and recognizing familiar patterns in others is power and allows us to move into a healthier space both in our relationships and in our own minds and bodies.

To quote Aristotle, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

For anyone who has read my work or knows me as a human, you know that a huge part of my purpose here on this planet is to uplift, educate and enlighten, especially when it comes to understanding the science (and spirit) of how we each create our realities – and that it all starts with our thoughts.  I hate the term “Coach” and I am no one’s guru, but I have had a fundamental understanding of the mind’s ability to alter our lives since I was a child and have been studying it for most of my adult life.  

I am full-on geeked out, slightly-obsessed, so-excited – can’t-keep-still-have-to-share passionate about it.  I literally read about, listen to a podcast or take a class in some aspect of the subject nearly every single day.  For years.  It really is so freaking cool and lights me up like nothing else.  Well, not much else. 😏

The human mind is an incredibly complex system of organic programs that are largely formed in our early childhood.  This can be wonderful if we had a healthy, loving childhood but can really f#ck us up into adulthood and sometimes for the rest of our lives if our parents did not have the tools to give us a healthy beginning to life.  

We can overlay this circuitry even as adults (neuroplasticity) which is also super cool, but only if we are aware of those programs running our lives in the first place.  These subsets run every aspect of our lives from what information we take in (Reticular Activating System) to our happiness baseline and the amount of Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin and Endorphins (happy brain chemicals) available to us – and conversely, the degree of adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones) that are chronically cycling through our system, causing not only higher degrees of perceived stress but also inflammation and ultimately, disease.  (dis-ease) 

The problem is, most of us aren’t aware of these programs controlling our subconscious mind and affecting our everyday lives.  The way we perceive and navigate the world is just our “personality” (personal-reality) and we rarely go beyond that unless we have some sort of a come-to-God, radical wake-up call such as the passing of a close loved one or a NDE, ourselves.  

This largely-ignored circuitry also creates our attachment styles and the way that we approach relationships.  This is where my confession comes in.  

In spite of years of study of neurobiology, the mind-body connection, quantum physics and how it applies to our ability to create our personal reality – and a healthy dose of psychology, because I believe healing past trauma is the doorway to everything else – I have had a major blindspot or achilles heel in my personal life as a result of the relational patterning of a deeply abusive childhood – my personal relationships. If you can relate, you probably understand this perfectly. We tend to repeat the emotional patterns we learned as children.

For me, since I was a “pleaser/enabler” with abandonment issues and a healthy dose of “Fixer” syndrome, I was both avoidant and anxious in most of my closest relationships.  

As a result, I’ve experienced what you might call a smorgasbord of abusive personality types from my very first “real” intimate relationship; a physically beautiful, wealthy specimen of man that I met when I was barely 19 years old and living on the East Coast. The chemistry was instant and I thought I was in love. I was certainly starstruck. He swept me off my feet in every way possible. Including, after I had moved in with him, knocking me to the floor when he punched me in the face. I had grown up in a family of martial artists. I had begun “playing” karte with my dad, who is my Shihan (master) when I was quite young and studied under other teachers as a teen. Yet I could never fight back – because my circuitry says that I don’t hurt those that I love. I just allow it. I had been physically abused as a child, so there was a degree of “acceptance”as a result.

I eventually left him, fleeing (for my life) back to the Pacific Northwest where I avoided relationships for many years. I was not going to repeat that experience, ever. (Incidentally, I went on to earn six black belts, become a “Shihan”, myself, and have owned and operated a number of dojos since. I’ve also taught battered women’s groups and held many women’s self-defense classes; partially because I love it and it’s a family thing and partially as an aspect of my healing process from that experience).

I think it’s important to pause here to say that just as I was drawn to different forms of abusive relationships because of my lack of awareness of my own unhealed and dysfunctional relational patterns, I believe that those we become involved with are in exactly the same space, but usually from the opposite end of the spectrum.  

The man I was involved with on the East Coast committed suicide a couple of years after I left him.  I believe he hated himself for the damage he caused, but did not understand his neurological patterning to change the circuitry that created cycles of abuse.  

When we think about suicide, it is not the Self that we want to see die.  It is those parts of our personality/egoic constructs that are no longer serving our growth that need to go.  Recognizing this can be the difference between living a long and nappy life – or not.  

Which is exactly why I write this now. It is not easy to be deeply open and vulnerable to an audience, but how else will we ever change as a society to create better if we don’t start a dialogue about acknowledging and altering our own patterns?

This goes for our parents or caregivers, as well. I think most of the time, people are doing the best that they can to parent with the knowledge they have inherited, themselves. We can not hold ourselves as a victim and our parents or caregivers as the perpetrator into adulthood because that just keeps us stuck. We have to forgive, move forward and take accountability for changing our patterns.

That said, le’ts go back to my own “blind spots”.

I kept my word to myself, because we humans are learning creatures. I never allowed myself to be physically abused again. But because I had not healed all of my trauma and was still “stuck” in old programs, I found other ways to repeat the unhealthy relational patterning from childhood. Both my biological mother and the stepmother my father married when I was young were narcissistic personalities. I only received affection when I was “doing” or being good – behaving in whatever manner they needed on any given day, which was an ever-changing and complex thing. So I repeated that cycle with my next relationship. And the next.

I learned from these experiences and each relationship I tried was “better” (which is to say the unhealthy or toxic patterns became less obvious). But even now, though I seek only partners who are able to show affection and love deeply, I find myself drawn to “conflict avoidant” personality types who tend to mirror still-unresolved issues from my early life. We draw to us those people and experiences that best help us to learn and grow, even if those people and experiences don’t always feel great until we learn to recognize the pattern or growth opportunity.

But those “aha” moments where we see ourselves and gain self knowledge are powerful catalysts, so though it is not always easy and sometimes downright hard,  I continue to go into those dark closets of my subconscious mind to face my demons, unlock and alter those programs and circuits that keep me from living the fullest and most whole expression of who I am.

I keep seeking wisdom and understanding of myself and the world to continue to grow.

Beautiful friend, whoever you are and wherever you are, I hope you will, too. Because through awareness, self-knowledge, compassion and most of all, love, we will not only become more personally and relationally happy, but will build a healthier, stronger and longer-lasting brain and body, and gain an amazing sense of freedom and self-mastery.

And while we are at it, we just might change the world, too. 🥰

I’d say that is well worth the discomfort of acknowledging and vanquishing – or perhaps just coming to an agreement with – the skeletons in our closet and the monsters under the bed that we may have ignored out of survival or fear.  

What patterns have you been ignoring that you would like to see changed? 

So much love and huge hugs.💖💖💖

  • Terah 

Keep Going

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

My love.  

I wish I could tell you that every day will be easy.  

Fun.  Magical.  

I wish each day would feel like warm sand in your toes;

The endless blue ocean stretched before you;

A cool drink in your hand and someone you love close by.

But as we all know, 

That isn’t the case.  

Life brings Contrast.  

Challenge.  Loneliness.  

Moments of grief.

Days that will feel nearly impossible. 

Times when you will wonder if living 

Is worth the effort.

I know.  I have been there.  

I have known nearly every despair

I have loved deeply 

And lost deeply

I have wept oceans of sorrow.

But even in the moments of grief

Of uncertainty

Of aloneness

I know that to keep going

Is absolutely F#cking worth it.

Because those moments are just that.  

Moments.  

Even when they stretch to hours, days,

Or weeks.

Even when there are months of your life 

That may feel like “WTF, God?”

They pass. 

If you can just keep going; 

Keep moving forward, 

One slow step at a time,

Those days will pass.

The dark nights become 

A glorious dawn

Illumined by the beauty 

Of a sun so bright 

The heart sings 

And weeps at the same time. 

Life becomes beautiful again.

We find joy again.

We fall in Love.  

Sometimes with another soul.  

Sometimes with ourselves.

Sometimes with Nature, 

With God, 

With All That Is.

We learn to surf.

We learn to paint, 

To sing, 

To garden,

To travel,

Or a thousand other 

new skills that

Crack us open

To Possibility. To Expansion. To Wonder. 

We find ourselves dancing at a street festival,

Surrounded by friends 

And neighbors.

Or eating Ice-cream 

On a wharf

In the summer sun

With a beloved.

We experience the miracle 

Of childbirth

The magic of holding

And welcoming into the world

A new life.

We become parents

And sometimes Grandparents.

We learn the joy 

Of “spoiling” a grandchild. 

We connect
Or re-connect 

with loved ones.

We find our communities.

We find ourselves. 

We grow.  We expand.  We evolve.

And in between all of these beautiful miracles

That we call “life”,

We continue to experience Contrast.  

But we know

That even in those

Dark nights of the Soul

Those times of Disconnection 

From Source and All That Is,

Dawn is coming.

And it is amazing.

So please, Dear one;

Hold On.

Keep Going.

Don’t stop

In this moment

Because it is hard.

It will get better. Easier.  More fun.  Magical, even.

I promise.

Much Love, today and always. 💖

  • Terah 🌈

Self-love and Enlightenment

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

“The pinnacle of self-love is not ecstasy, it is the heartbreaking process of undoing the life that our unloved self built when we didn’t know better. “

Becoming who we really are begins with learning to love every aspect of our lives – but most importantly, it is learning to love ourselves.

  It is an unbecoming of who we were when we didn’t know how to love ourselves.  

It is chaos before order; a difficult and messy unspooling of the heavily bound threads of dysfunction and neglect that we have wound around ourselves, all too often in a cocoon several sizes too small to contain our vast spirit.  

But unwind we must before we can step into the fullness of our purpose and truest self; before we can learn to spread our wings and soar. 

Before self-love becomes freedom, it must first be a burden that we carry with minds and hearts just beginning to open to new possibilities.  

We must carry the weight of the anger that we feel towards others for not being treated with the care, love, and respect that we should have asked for all along.  We must carry the weight of anger towards ourselves for what we allowed, often not realizing that there was ever a choice. 

Then there is the anger for not asking to have our needs met; for not insisting that we were worthy of care and respect. 

For those of us who experienced childhood trauma, this unraveling of emotions is an especially perilous journey, for dragons often lurk in those murky places of our subconscious minds that we fear to tread.  But the journey is a worthy one and the reward of integration with those lost parts of ourselves can not be understated.  

 When we have processed the anger, then comes the heavy grief of time lost – sometimes many years’ worth. 

Eventually, we feel lighter.  We learn to set boundaries and say “No” to those things that are not right for us.  We become deepy accountable to our own self-care and growth; a process that is not an easy one.

At some point, we begin to recognize the truth of the saying that we become the amalgamation of those that we spend the most time with.  

And so begins the painful necessity of cutting away or holding at at careful distance those people and things that have hurt us in the past, or don’t currently serve our highest good.  

Sometimes those closest to us decide to grow with us, even if their pace does not match our own.  Sometimes they don’t, and we must make the  difficult decision to allow them to continue their journey on their own, in their own way.  

In the beginning, this can create isolation.  Loneliness.  But as we remove those things in our lives that were creating darkness, light can begin to enter those empty spaces.  

Our tribe begins to find us.  

We fall in love with not only ourselves, our lives and those souls around us, but we draw in and create close friendships and partnerships that are fulfilling rather than stagnant.  We develop relationships that lift us and allow us to better lift others, in turn. 

We begin to create, or rather, to consciously collaborate with the Field to become the architect of our lives, shaping the fabric of our reality with intention.  We learn to see the infinite possibilities within and before us.  

We find our wings, and begin to soar.  

Today and all days, I hope you are on the path to find your wings, beloved.  You deserve every joy you can imagine, and I know you can create the life you wish for.  

Much love and huge hugs.💖

– Terah

Travel to Nourish the Soul

by Terah Drake, posted in Uncategorized

There are so many reasons that I love to travel.  Seeing new sights and experiencing different cultures, meeting people, eating good food, and getting out of my comfort zone and the routine of everyday life all feel like deeply important aspects of cultivating and growing the Who that I am, but also because seeing more of the world is a beautiful reminder of how very blessed we are to be alive and well on planet earth.  

I try to get out and find a new adventure somewhere within a few hours of where I live at least a couple of times each month, but I also take longer trips several times per year.  I haven’t had much opportunity for international travel since Covid, but I have had taken every chance to get out of town that I can get in spite of this, and road trips are the perfect example of the truth of the saying “it’s not the destination, it is the journey.”  We in the Pacific Northwest are incredibly fortunate to live in an area of breathtaking beauty, but it can be easy to forget that there is so much more to see in the world.  

One of the things that I particularly enjoy about road trips is just how diverse our country is, from the landscape to the people and cultures.  I would imagine for someone from another country, spending time in Louisiana, Montana and DC would be much like visiting very different countries where the people spoke the same language. Ish.  (To a non-native, the slow southern drawl of NewAwlins’ is basically a different dialect from let’s say, the clipped, rapid-fire, speech of a Bostonian.  

The dry landscape of Southern Utah and parts of Arizona; Sedona, in particular; where towering, castle-like red rock formations flow into deep desert often feel otherworldly to me – like being on another planet entirely. 

My daughter lives in Arizona and I have friends sprinkled throughout the Southwest, so have been fortunate that I have extra reason to travel as often as possible. This past week, I left the snow and wet cold weather of Washington to drive through Idaho and Utah; on my way to spend a few days with my daughter soaking up the sun, shopping, spaa-ing, and finding fun activities to do with her, her boyfriend, and her BFF.

The drive through Utah especially is always spectacular, regardless of the season.  This trip was a winter wonderland; steeply pointed, snow-covered mountains rising majestically from sloping valleys, picturesque farmlands, and clean, old-western-feeling towns and cities.  The first time I visited Utah, I had expected backward, highly dogmatic communities with little to offer but I have found the opposite to be true, at least in the towns and cities I have been through.  I love the hippy-alternative-outdoorsy-coffeeshop vibe of Ogden so much that I have considered moving there. 

One of my favorite things about visiting the Phoenix area in particular is the ability to find pretty much anything I could want at just about any time.

As an example, one of the days I began with a desert hike and green juice. At noon, we had a fabulous mimosa brunch followed by shopping in the afternoon, hitting the Asian market, pedicures, Lebanese food for dinner then neon-light night bowling, complete with fruity cocktails and a dance-club atmosphere. And yes, there was dancing between sets.😁

I drove up the 1-5 corridor on the way home; typically my least favorite route as it is pretty much always miles upon miles of brown. Brown hills, brown fields, brownish roads. Boring.

This journey was an amazing exception.  This year has brought nearly unprecedented rain and snow to Southern California.  As a result, the normally dry, lifeless low mountains and hills that perimeter the highway were vibrantly, verdantly green with patches of yellow and violet wildflowers just beginning to bloom.  It was breathtaking; like driving through the Scottish Highlands or the Big Island of Hawaii rather than California.  As I crossed from Northern California into Oregon, the feeling of awe continued as the softly rolling hills changed to craggy, pine-covered mountains rising dramatically in the distance.  Driving along the Umpqua river, a flock of doves rose from a stand of Madronas growing above the river, drawing my attention to a picturesque, rust-colored railroad bridge crossing the sun-dappled water.  

I found myself thinking that I wished I could send everyone back home a mental video of all that I see when I am on the road, but that moment was particularly poignant.  

As I continued North, the area of Roseburg and Douglas feels much like a modern-day Shire; softy rolling hills covered with homes, businesses, and churches built right into the hillside; sleek black cattle and cotton-ball sheep grazing contentedly on veridian slopes.  

I managed to hit the city of Portland right at rush hour.  Portland has been called the “City of Bridges”, with good reason.  12 different bridges span the wide Willamette river in the city proper and sitting in my tiny fiat on one of these bridges hundreds of feet above the water with a thousand or so other cars is both fun and a little scary.  

Driving anytime is a faith walk, isn’t it?  

But being so high above the river for prolonged periods, enjoying the panoramic views of the river, other bridges, and the city while praying that we don’t have an earthquake or engineering failure makes the whole experience just a little more illuminated.  

Incidentally, if you happen to be planning a trip to Portland and are, like me, a bit of a bibliophile, Powell’s City of Books is one of my absolute favorite places in the world.  Possibly just behind the Louvre and the Musèe d’Orsay in Paris. The fun vibe of #dragonflycoffee is worth a stop for a honey-lavender latte and delicious baked goods, as well. 

Most of the I-5 corridor between Portland and Seattle is pretty, but the skyline of Seattle is breathtaking.  I’ve driven through many cities and it still gets me every.single.time.  It really is that beautiful; well designed with Lake Washington, the Puget Sound, and the Olympic mountains framing the unique architecture of the highrises, sculptural buildings, coliseums, and of course, the quintessential Space Needle. 

I lived on the east coast for several years in my late teens and early twenties.  When I would come home for a visit, driving through the pines along the pass from Skagit to Whatcom county always felt like the symbol of being home.  We really are so fortunate to live in an area of such beauty – there aren’t many places where someone can snowshoe or hike mountains in the morning and be enjoying a sandwich from the East Sound Deli on the sun-drenched Orcas island by the late afternoon.  

If I can’t get out of town for a trip somewhere, there are so many quaint cafes, good restaurants, unique shops, and cool spots in Whatcom County that virtually anywhere can feel like a mini vacation.  

Whether traveling or at home, I love combining natural beauty, exercise, and fresh air with good food and exploring local shops.  A few of my local favorites are walking Boulevard Park in Fairhaven followed by pizza at Ovn and a delicious gf dessert at my all-time favorite Evolve Chocolate Cafe in Village Books 📖📚(or a glass or three of wine at The Black Cat).  

Sampling fresh raw oysters at the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company in Blaine followed by a walk along the harbor or a beach walk at Semiahmoo – and a glass of local cider or wine at Packers on the beach – is the perfect way to spend a warm spring or summer day.  

Northshore Lake Whatcom is a treasure that I am reluctant to share but if you haven’t been on the trail for a walk along the lake, you are missing something special.  The Fork At Agate Bay is a foodie’s paradise for dinner afterward.  This would be a great date day experience for something a little extra special.  

Lynden in North Whatcom county is a fun place to spend an afternoon if you love a Dutch vibe and good pastries.  The Lynden Music Festival in the fall is wonderful and well worth checking out, but there are often weekend musical events at bar and restaurant venues in this quaint town.  

Another important aspect of finding the smaller cafés, shops, and restaurants, no matter where you go, means you are supporting local businesses.  If I like the vibe at a shop I will buy at least one thing, usually as a gift for a friend or loved one.  Small gestures really can make a difference. 😊

There are a thousand and one other amazing places I would love to share and possibly will at some point, but the point is, just get out there and explore. 

Find your own sense of awe and wonder in Discovery.  Find one thing new to see or do every single day, if you can.  It will not only make you a better person, but it will help to grow a bigger, better brain, regardless of your age or education.  New experiences=New neural connections.  Win-Win-Win situation.   

If you are looking for a particular adventure, feel free to PM me.  If I can help someone find experiences that will feed the soul, I am all in.✨

Much love and big hugs💖

  • Terah