Astonishingly lovely drive to Sonoma to visit John Curry and Janice Crow, two artists who are friends with Susan who were having a show of their work over the weekend.
I loved so much of their stuff –– took several photos of pieces that might just work perfectly with the decor in my unmaterialized San Francisco space with LLS –– and Janice was sweet enough to give me a copy of her lovely book I GIVE YOU MY WORD. Wonderful watercolors and text.
Extraordinarily warm weather on a Sunday afternoon made for a VERY crowded beach scene –– only time we’ve been challenged by parking at Crissy Field –– but well-worth it for Belle’s joy in the water.
Last night, after lots of clean-up work, and master-mind meetings to plan out this extraordinarily busy work week, I watched Tom Ford on Oprah’s Visionaries.
Tom Ford has long been a peripheral figure in my novelistic imagination.
For several years, I’ve had another novel in my head (not the one that Hollywood is currently really into) where he plays a part in the plot (or almost does). Tom and I have never hung out, but he was a serious one degree away from some of the real life characters that I’ve always been intrigued with capturing in prose, although for one reason or another haven’t. The timing’s never been right, and there’s something about the darker energy of it all that appeals to me less and less. (Maybe in a few years, like the ever-expanding universe, it’ll contract on itself and come out a broad farce.)
In any case, I watched him on Visionaries with mixed emotions. There’s all the usual stuff I find relatively insufferable (“Where do your inspirations come from?” is a question that only someone who’s never had a single inspiration would ever ask. Have you noticed that interviewers still feel compelled to ask that and the answer is always, ALWAYS “From everything. Everything inspires me!” It feels so pro forma, like when they ask you at the airport if you packed your own bags.)
The big highlight for me, however, was that he revealed on camera that he takes up to five, yes FIVE, baths a day. I can’t tell you how much I love this.
First, it’s not because (or just because) he might be a hygiene freak. Instead — and he didn’t use this word, I am — it’s about ALIGNMENT.
Basically, in times of stress he takes to the tub.
As someone who’s going deeper and deeper into living the crackpot philosophy of ALIGNMENT FIRST, ACTION SECOND, I was so impressed.
I personally have a major connection to the water. There’s a preponderance of it in my Western Astrology Chart (Sun, Rising, Moon all water + lots of other planets splashing around in that element …) and Belle, of course, is THE champion advocate of plunging into ANY body of water available.
In LA, I loved the Beverly Hot Springs so much, and even though Kabuki doesn’t thrill me as much, I’m still a fan. (Still on the search for the perfect SF hot springs situation — why are people afraid of making the water HOT enough!)
What I found inspiring/ironic/synchronistic is that I was contemplating re-defining my day with multiple meditation breaks. Specifically, I wondered what would happen if I listened to the exactly 15 minute Abraham-Hicks meditation on my iphone multiple times in the day. Maybe whenever I felt stressed and/or what if I just made it a “thing” — “like I have 5 meditation breaks every day … don’t you?”
90% of the time while listening to any of the Abraham meditations, I conk out within 7 minutes. No joke. It doesn’t matter how much sleep I’ve had or whatever else is going on before and after. Suddenly, I’m just asleep. (Some would say it’s because I have a lot of resistance; others would say I’m just so relaxed and peaceful that it’s a sign of my being totally in the flow.)
It’s an intriguing notion and I do have the freedom to explore this today/this week. I have a MASSIVE to-do list but literally two scheduled classes to teach. (IE, my time is mine to structure/unstructure as I please.)
(I’m also having a Course in Miracles flashback of those exercises where they want you to remember the spiritual practice of the day on an hourly basis.)
What will the result be of all this ALIGNMENT?
Will five naps a day elevate my Brand to Tom Ford Level?
Will I feel the need to not only bath constantly, but to take showers with my models as well? (I’m not kidding, that’s Tom in a spread for OUT for his new perfume or something.)
I may be about to indulge in an excessive alignment practice or two, but there’s one thing for sure: at the very least, I will end up being VERY clean and VERY well-rested.
