Travel (The Fun, The Adventures, The Mishaps)

Henna Party: The Best Times are Spent with Good Friends

Henna Hands

I wrangled a couple of girlfriends together for a henna party in March. I thought I was going to have to twist some arms, but everyone came willingly. I was a little worried my friends might think it was cheesy when I learned that in some local high schools henna goes in and out of fashion with sixteen-year-old girls. I don’t think of myself as super girly, so I was conflicted about wanting to try it. Not knowing what to expect, I was most intrigued to have someone paint on me. I love any excuse for proprioception.

Henna is an Indian tradition, usually used at times when women gather—before a wedding, during a pregnancy, or a naming ceremony. Henna Feet

Two women, Shruti and Snehal, came to our house to do the henna—every image was done freestyle. They could create a pattern from a picture or produce their own design in minutes. No matter what design we picked or where we placed the henna on the body, they fashioned fabulous art. It wasn’t what I expected though. I’m […]

Henna Party: The Best Times are Spent with Good FriendsMaggie Downie2017-12-29T21:10:58-05:00

Come Purge with Me

Over the weekend I was in central Pennsylvania, which is known for the best potato chip. The secret ingredient is lard, which makes everything better. I know this because my Grandma’s pie crust has lard and it is delicious. Pie crust aside, I know this because I love food. I love it too much. So much that trying one bag of potato chips seemed insufficient, so my friends and I decided to have a chip taste test. Kay and Ray’s was the winner, but we got to go through multiple bags and multiple brands. I’m pretty sure I still feel the grease dripping out of my pores.

With this as just one example of how poorly I’ve been eating, I’ve decided it has to stop. I need to make a change for my waistline, but more importantly for how I feel. And even more importantly for the parts of me that I don’t feel—arteries, kidneys, liver—but that I want to fuel in a better and healthier way.

Starting Monday, May 9th I’m going back to my December Detox. See the link for full details. I’m making a few tweaks. I’ll be eating sweet potatoes, quinoa, some rice, and legumes if […]

Come Purge with MeMaggie Downie2018-01-13T16:22:55-05:00

Zentangle Better than Meditation

The PE Team and their Zentangles

Adult coloring books are all the rage lately. I snicker each time I see one because apparently part of me is still twelve years old, and that part imagines that I’ll open the “adult” coloring books and discover naked images to color in, but that’s never it. They are usually beautiful patterns or serene scenes. I tried it. I hated it. It felt like an added stressor, something else to do, and I always felt like I could have picked a better color. Plus, it’s boring. So I gave my adult coloring book away.

Meanwhile, in a similar vein there is Zentangle. While they don’t like the word “doodle,” conceptually, it’s basically mindful doodling. You wouldn’t think you need a lesson in how to doodle, but you do, at least if you want your doodles to look like art. The images you create look cool and intricate, even though the patterns are simple to make.

Zentangle Better than MeditationMaggie Downie2017-12-29T21:30:51-05:00

The Magic of Christmas

And, my mom is rocking this little toddler bathrobe too.

This is a picture of my mom. She’s about three. While she was napping one day, my Grandma decorated the Christmas tree. My mom woke up and discovered the tree aglow. Someone got this snapshot, which is impressive because everyone wasn’t running around with a camera on their phone.

You can see the awe, wonder, and joy that Christmas can bring on her little face. It’s not only Christmas. We can feel wonder at other times and in other places. Usually for me nature inspires those feelings more than anything else.

I pick the places I travel and the activities I do to find a little bit of that astonishment. When you’re 8,000-feet on a snow-covered mountain at night and you look up at the stars, your jaw drops in amazement. I regularly seek the sense of wonder, awe and joy my mom is living in that photograph. It can be harder to find during the daily grind and on a day-to-day basis, but it’s there.

And Christmas is a time of year […]

The Magic of ChristmasMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:24:28-04:00

Once Grateful for Boys, Now Grateful for So Much More

One of the moments when I just couldn’t stop smiling.

Tomorrow at my family dinner we will go around the table and express our gratitude for something. I always cycle through the same three answers. I’m grateful that I can travel. I’m grateful for my health. And I’m grateful for my family and friends.

All true, but I thought it might be worthwhile to think outside the box and come up with something different this year. For help I grabbed a gratitude journal I started keeping in 1998. While my intentions are good now, and I mean to keep a gratitude journal, I tend to only use it a handful of times a year. But twenty years ago, I was reasonably consistent.

Here’s a sampling of things I appreciated in high school:

Words

Long Walks on Beautiful Days

Being able to Clock Distances in your Car

A Man Running Back and Forth between a Stop Sign and a Stop Ahead Sign

My Brother’s Huge Bear Hugs

Listening to Other People’s Memories from Before I was Alive

Seeing Nick S Because He is so Good Looking but I Have Never Talked to […]

Once Grateful for Boys, Now Grateful for So Much MoreMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:24:29-04:00