a prescription to see

Tuesday, March 5, 2013






when you're in the thick of something, it's difficult to put things in order. it's much easier a few paces back, in perspective.

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yesterday sienna and i watched the first few minutes of a movie where a man was walking down the street with his therapist. they were talking and sienna asked who the man was. i said, he's a doctor for problems. i literally could see the wheels turning in her head as this completely unknown concept was being processed.  just like you have a doctor for your body, if you have a problem and you need help figuring it out, you can talk to a someone called a therapist, who is like a doctor for problems. 

after asking about many mock problems that one might take to a therapist, including trouble with your little sister bothering you, she asked, does he write you a prescription? do you have to take medicine for your problems? yes, you do.

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my prescription to see clearly again 

• hang a sheet in your window or new curtain, gazing through, the outside world looks different.

• clear a wall and create a mood board. don't obsess, just throw things up that inspire and mean something, the rearranging will come naturally.

• take an exit you've never taken and keep driving around, through streets and neighborhoods you don't know.

• take a hike in nature. inhale.

• read poetry. pull neruda, octavio paz or ee cummings from the shelf. 

• work with your hands. garden, cook or create.

• purge. clean and reorganize a space.

• curate a vignette. a stack of books and a new clipping of a succulent does it every time. 

• go to the beach alone. feel the sand, walk and think. 

• look at pictures of fog or sunset light, it's visceral and let's the imagination wander.

• call a friend. talk to someone who knows you well and inspires.

• be in pursuit of something. the work towards a goal makes life sweet. 


What's your favorite prescription to write?

(photos: ye rin mok via clear north blog, eefje de coninck, me)

15 comments:

  1. love all of your ideas:) i usually try to exercise in order to see or think differently. sweat always does it for me. whether it is a body barre class, yoga class, or going for a long walk-i feel transformed afterwards.

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    1. it's funny you mention that, i just had a long conversation with my husband about my lack of passion for exercising. i told him that if i don't find a passion for it, i will never be able to commit to it long term. it's great that it's the thing that makes you feel best. what a win-win.

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    2. a year ago i never took the time to exercise aside from pushing the stroller with my girls. i owe it to my friend, kayo, who is a yoga teacher. she motivated me to start. she was living in ethiopia and moved to newport, ri two years ago. she had only good things to say about living in ethiopia. and i thought if she can find happiness in a third world country,she is doing the right thing-mentally and physically. she has a glow about her, an aura of positive energy and i wanted that same outlook on life. so that's where the exercise started for me.

      hope you have a great weekend! and i am so enjoying your blog!

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  2. so many of my own 'medicines' listed here.

    ...reading, sun-gazing, cooking/baking, laughing, talking, photographing, planting, thrifting, listening~ to songs... to nature... to others...

    thank you for the inspiration. just thinking yesterday morning that i'd like to spend more time reading poetry. i love the feeling i have when i do, but have never devoted very much time to it. your list gives me a place to start.

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    1. a few lines of poetry, the right lines, always bring inspiration. i just drove to la a few weeks ago and listened to an hour long interview with Richard Blanco, the poet laureate who wrote and delivered the inaugural poem this year. It was a great interview and so blissful to listen to poetry while driving. poetry on audible.com? sign me up.

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  3. great list! a few of mine:

    taking my dog on a walk in our drizzly weather
    wandering around a bookstore
    making a fire, opening a bottle of wine and having a long, meandering conversation with my boyfriend :)

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    1. yes, wandering a bookstore is one of my favorites too! I had a solo day today and hit three of them.

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  4. @karina - I know what you mean about exercise. I get up every morning and meet a friend at 5:45am. We jog some days, we do a sort of boot camp with a group of very silly people on the other days. While this may not be the hardest of workouts in this day and age of extreme workouts, we giggle none stop and I love it. I look forward to it as much as you can look forward to something that starts at 6am everyday. I come home at 7am with a good attitude which starts my day off right. If I dread it, I won't do it.

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    1. hey j, totally agree with what you said. but you are also so good at always making exercise a priority, i love that about you. clearly i did not inherit that gene. :)

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  5. What a beautiful blog and a beautiful post. I love your list. For me, it's ten minutes of silence, practicing my guitar, yoga, calling my sisters...

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    1. thanks mary. :) your list made me relax just reading it. and i agree, sisters are the best!

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  6. What a lovely post, Karina. I think my favourite prescription would be your number 7 - to clean, purge and re-organise. :)
    I also think that having a goal to works towards does wonders too.
    And a good night's sleep....
    Ronnie xo

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    1. hi Ronnie. ah yes, sleep. i catch up on it probably every third night. late night is the only time i feel like i can think and get stuff done. i checked out your blog, it is so lovely. xx

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  7. thank you for such beautiful inspiration to gain perspective! I must try a few of them out, especially when days become repetitive and overwhelming. on this week's agenda: create a mood board. such a fun way to explore "me!" have a happy week.

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    1. i try to rearrange my mood board each week, it is a great focuser. have a happy week too!

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