Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #85 long & strong

Long & Strong

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 22-23: LONG & STRONG

You know when you say you are going to do the thing and then you do it. That feels so good and often pushes me beyond my comfort zone—always growth on the other side of that. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: 40 mile ride from Longmont to Boulder Reservoir and back, Longmont Bicycle group ride

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #84 first times

First Times

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 21: celebrating first times

Yesterday, after spontaneously receiving/accepting the job offer, the team invited me to their annual Xmas party. We often take ‘first times’ for granted and I did not today. What a gift to be invited and share this time with new colleagues. 

I haven’t started work yet (Monday is my first day…), and at the party the doctor handed me a small/meaningful Xmas bonus check and expressed gratitude for my willingness to be a part of this work family. WOW. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: Sforno Trattoria Romana, Boulder CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #83 tenacity

Tenacity

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 20: tenacity prevails

Post networking event this morning at the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, I decided to spontaneously pop into a medical office. After a delightful conversation about holistic healing, the doctor hired me on the spot, and I start a full-time salaried position on Monday. WHOO HOO!!!

Please say hello to a Physical Medicine Assistant (Manual Therapist) at Creekside Physical Medicine (multidisciplinary pain management). 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: Tenacity Dr, Longmont CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #82 in review

In Review

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 19: reflecting and celebrating an ‘in review’ of the last few weeks

-still nourishing myself (ooh la la, this gluten free veggie quiche turned out amazing today!)
-practicing part or all of the Ashtanga Primary Series every day (yoga asana…)
-meditating 25 minutes every morning (non-negotiable start to the day)
-riding my bike/driving without GPS (this is a bleeping miracle)
-very intentional & thoughtful community building (looking for depth & heart)
-pushing myself to find meaningful work (definitely slacked a bit today as my bike/weather was too tempting)
-being silly, playful, and breaking the rules on occasion ; )
-enjoying music making (playing the ukulele is so sweet)

Pretty beautiful to continue encouraging daily growth & expansion. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: gluten free crust, 8 eggs, asparagus, tomatoes, basil

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #81 heart opening

Heart Opening

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 17&18: holy something 4 letters. The last 2 days I pushed myself to look for jobs for 4 hours a day. It was incredibly draining but do already have leads from that effort. 

I knew I needed to do something inspiring tonight so I dragged my butt to Boulder to attend a kirtan. I was pretty much pulling my own hair out the door to get there and am so glad I did. Heart opening and community building. I met two people (Keith & Moritz) I hope will be lifelong friends.
om namaḥ śivāya!


xoxo amrutaa

photo: e-Town Hall, downtown Boulder

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #80 long & hard

Long & Hard

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 16: today after a long-ish drive back from Breck, I pushed myself to get on my bike and ride long & hard. Delightful. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: mostly gravel ride; Longmont, CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #79 breaking the rules

Breaking the Rules

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 15: absolutely frowned upon; loved every adventurous second with this wild soul! 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: breaking the rules w/Mary Kaczor, Breckenridge CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #78 warmth

Warmth

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 14: this day was about expanding & growing warmth at home.

She has already gifted us so much warmth. Decorated only with foraged berries, dried grasses, and dehydrated oranges. Her name is yet to be known, and her light shines brightly. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: Blue Ribbon Farm, ‘Charlie Brown’ tree

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #77 compassion

Compassion

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 13: all the signs pointed to compassion today. This morning I walked by the ‘Tower of Compassion’ and then immediately passed a Tibetan woman chanting ‘om mani padme hum’ with a mala. 


That being said, I am also grateful to have witnessed palpable fear. Many queer friends have shared (from afar) what a terrifying moment in time this is for them. Today I saw the horror in the eyes of a new friend. Stepping into compassion meant deep clear listening and tender loving care. OM MANI PADME HUM


xoxo amrutaa

photo: she/they/she, Longmont CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #76 showing up

Showing Up

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 12: After acknowledging that I still felt pretty down about the job rejections, I picked myself up and headed (cautiously in my first CO snow) downtown to the bike shop. 


Pushing myself to build community means showing up, and so I went and hung out with Casey. He graciously offered me some hands on teaching and seemed equally grateful for my genuine enthusiasm. Very much looking forward to riding with him/his girlfriend and leaving the jobs in the dust. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: Longmont Bicycle Company

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #75 uhhh!!!

uhhhh!!!

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 11: UHHH!!! I am not sure if making it to the final 3 of 100 applicants for a job makes rejection better or worse?!? What does make it worse is following that up with a straight up rejection on the same day. UHHH again…


I did however audit a delightful class ‘Psychology & Neuroscience of Emotion’ which started and ended with the option to respectfully bow to each other. It pretty much felt like a scene from the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters (Marvel movies) and these students were prepping to go out and model conscious being-ness through intrapersonal/interpersonal emotional attunement. Made my heart smile even through the pain. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: Naropa University, Boulder CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #74 yoga

Yoga

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 10: today I challenged myself to reignite a more intense yoga asana practice. Although meditating for 25 minutes every morning has been beautiful, so was returning to adho mukha vṛkṣāsana (handstand).


xoxo amrutaa

photo: vṛkṣāsana (tree asana); Rabbit Mountain Open Space, Longmont CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #73 al natural

Al Natural

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 7-9: joining the ‘naturist’ team felt natural and liberating. A joy to spend this time in nature with two delightful women; totally free to explore ourselves and the world around us. 

Being socially al natural amongst friends and strangers was a beautiful unveiling. We tend to wear shame, trauma, and fear on our bodies. This was an opportunity to reveal a different story. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: waterfall pool; Valley View Hot Springs, CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #72 silly

Silly

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 6: getting back to silly. Climbing things felt like a great way to start.

Now in south-central CO at a very remote hot springs (naturist–look up what that means if you don’t know…I didn’t) operated by a Land Trust. So cool and hello growth & expansion. Be back Sunday to unveil days 7-9. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: being silly climbing every ant, tree, structure on my morning walk yesterday

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #71 nourishing myself

Nourishing Myself

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 5: I can’t even start typing without laughing. Yet again the lightbulb goes off that nourishing myself takes so much work. Planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, cleaning. I’m still laughing. And I’m still trying. There have been magnificent meals that were super satisfying (like the photo!), and there have been meals (probably tonight) that I’ll just eat the cornbread side and call it a night. Still laughing…


xoxo amrutaa

photo: yummy french toast with basil, strawberry, banana, honey concoction 

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #70 2 thumbs up

2 Thumbs Up

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 4: today I pushed myself to reach out and build community.

~Longmont Climbing Collective (tallest walls in CO!); delightful.

~Longmont Bicycle Company (family owned!); found myself a gravel buddy. 

~La Mariposa (Taco Tuesday, $2.50 yummy tacos!); second week of a weekly tradition to bring a new friend. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: 2 thumbs up, Flagstaff Rd picnic lunch—Boulder, CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #69 riding into the unknown

Riding into the Unknown

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 3: rode my bike for 4 hours, with no GPS, on a trail system that is not clear, riding through towns I’ve never even driven through. Got absolutely turned around many times, asked for directions multiple times, and lived to write this. BIG SMILE. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: LoBo trail, Riding into the Unknown—Longmont to Boulder and back

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #68 kazoo break

Kazoo Break

Full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), pushing myself in news ways each day to grow & expand. 


Day 2: borrowed this gorgeous bamboo ukulele and sang my heart out with about 50 others. Who knew I was waiting my entire life for a kazoo break?!? Rolling Stones to Carole King—hell to the yes. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: community ukulele jam session, Longmont CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #67 full moon 2 full moon

Full Moon 2 Full Moon

Spending the last two weeks moving slowly and processing deeply felt very necessary.

After sitting (meditating) for a second time last night (full moon), my whole being told me it is time to push myself. With Devi as my witness, full moon to full moon (11/15 - 12/15), I vow to push myself each day in new ways to grow & expand. 


Day 1: exploring a new area without GPS—didn’t even get lost driving home : )


xoxo amrutaa

photo: hiking, running, exploring; Lyons CO

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Mary Kirkendoll Mary Kirkendoll

rewilding #66 romance

Romance

The moon as goddess. The moon as divine reflection. The moon as woman.


The romance of singing & dancing underneath her this evening was delicious. 


xoxo amrutaa

photo: full moon, Longmont CO

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