Last year around this time, I was hoping to gather with a couple of my close friends for an intimate Thanksgiving meal. As we approached our chosen Friendsgiving date, I began to worry about the health of our families as the surge of the coronavirus reared its head. We ended up cancelling something my heart needed after such an isolating and emotional year. Now, we’re talking about booster shots and getting ready to come together again with more intention and more clarity. I relish in the time spent with my friends now, often thinking after, “shit, I didn’t take any photos to capture how magical that night was.” That thought used to leave this odd lingering feeling like I was missing out on my own experience because I wasn’t able to share the experience on social media. Somehow proof to the world that I’m enamored with my life and how I spend my time. I’m happy to say that feeling has dissipated now that I’m moving away from sharing my life on social media. This idea of connecting deeper, hugging harder, eye contact, touching, engagement, longer form content, slower mornings… it all feels like such a delight. I do think happiness and life is better when it’s shared, so here are my November musings.

Thanksgiving.

While we’re on the topic of gathering… Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday because its centered around things I love most: people and food. There are no gifts, no expectations. Just a big meal, delicious wine and the comforts of your chosen family. I still love it for those reasons, but this year, I took a hard look at the true history of this holiday. Not to my surprise, I found myself weeping over the brutality and complete disregard for human life that we identify as part of our origin story. As you can probably guess, it’s pretty fucked up. Fifty two years ago, the American Indians named thanksgiving the Day of Mourning. You may think this is a buzzkill, but I trust you have the emotional bandwidth to hold both the search for the truth and your traditions in the same heart and be brave enough to rewrite how you celebrate the days with your loved ones. Maybe that is just acknowledging this land (San Diego) is Kumeyaay land. To find out the native land in which you live, visit here.

Local farmers!

At the Harvest Festival, hosted at Olive View Ranch earlier this month, I met with our industry’s top chefs, purveyors and farmers. Not only was it a celebration of our craft, but an opportunity to connect and eat some amazing food. This may be one of the best food festivals in all of San Diego county. A few of the highlights were kissing a week old calf and Sam trying a beet for the first time and LIKING IT!!!! Thank you Travis Swikard. It just reminded me that I need to know and support my local farms. I’ve been trying to get as much as possible from my local farmer’s market. Fresh just tastes better.

Find your nearest Farmer’s Market.

Meaningful movement.

I found The Class during the early stages of the pandemic and it’s something I’ve recently come back to integrate my mind and body. It’s meditation. It’s movement. It combines the spirituality of yoga with the physical challenges of a bootcamp class for a one-of-a-kind experience. First two weeks are free! TheClass.com

The Art of Gathering

As we launch into this holiday season of hosting and parties, I’ve found meaning and depth in Priya Parker’s Art of Gathering. If you want to listen to her on Brene Brown’s podcast before diving into the book, you can do that here.

MIHO on Spotify.

The co-founders, Juan and Kevin, create monthly playlists. How kind is that? Music is such an important part of how we perceive the world, how it influences our moods or enchances an experience. Listen to this month’s playlist on Spotify.

Your takeaways? Get educated. Get moving. Get fresh produce. Get together. And listen to some great music while you’re at it.

- Lindsey