Hello Again, and A Little Note

Hi Guys! This feels so long overdue and I don't know where to begin. But let me try. Last month, Tales from the Cusp marked its fourth birthday. Four unforgettable years of learning, sharing and creating. I really, deeply hope that you all had the same wonderful journey I've had so far, and I want to thank you for sticking around and supporting the blog all these years. Four or so years is usually the time, unfortunately, when many blogs put out a note telling readers, "This is our last post". This is not one of those posts.

If you haven't heard from me for months, it's because so much has happened and in many little ways and a few big ones, 2017 has been the most incredible year for a long time. I've had to take time to sort things out and find parts of myself that I had forgotten or was too scared to be. I'm sorry that is so vague. But to name a few things: I started painting, I made this short film, I turned 40 (!), and there's SO MUCH MORE.

Among some of the exciting things on the horizon is a new look for the blog. We've also got some new topics to dive into and lots and lots of new tales to tell. My hope is that 2018 (and beyond) turns out to be a happily productive year for us. So I guess that means it's time for me to get working!

I hope God blesses my plans, and all of yours. Thanks for reading, and waiting!

Much love,
Ina

The sage advice my mother gave me

It meant little then, until I became a mother. Then it meant everything.
BY INA AMOR MEJIA

As a young girl, I had a constant daydream about myself as a mother. I feel like I was born with the desire to have children, and my expectations of that looming destiny never waned. I even knew what sort of mother I would be. All of it hinged on an image of myself, babe in arms, with every hair in place, feeling serene and content. This had a lot to do with my mother, Annabelle.

A Birth and A Death

Eight years ago I gave birth to my son, and witnessed something I will never forget.
BY INA AMOR MEJIA

I don't tell this story. It's one of those things that you keep in the deep parts of your mind but never forget. I was at the hospital about to give birth to my son. It was day three and my amniotic fluid was running low, Jamon's movements were starting to hurt. The contractions were moderate but I wasn't dilating. I would end up having a C-section with my doctor doing two things---delivering my baby and removing a dermoid cyst that might have been there since I was born. But this story isn't about me or my son.

List of Simple Pleasures

An ode to the little things that make us smile, inside and out. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

ONE TIME I READ an article in a magazine, where someone talked about the joy of finding money left in her jeans. It was an actual magazine too. The tactile pleasure of holding and leafing through I've been missing these days. I thought about making a list of old pleasures and simple joys, and asked a few of my friends to add to it.                        

HERE IT GOES

Forehead kisses. - Sari, Dancer

Reading that one sentence in a new book 
that takes your breath away. - Megan, English Teacher

Tears from laughing so hard. - Me

Hearing your child say, 
"I'm not scared anymore." Kate, Entrepreneur

Popping the life out of the bubble wrap that came 
with that thing you ordered online. - Michal, Interior Designer

Total silence. - Zarah, Marketing Executive

Seeds sprouting in my garden. - Doogie, Entrepreneur

Perfect scrambled eggs. - Pietra, Chef

Bonfires. - Nicole, Travel Agent

Good skin days. - Laarni, Banker

Jumping out of bed in horror thinking you're
so late then realizing it's a weekend. - Anna, Magazine Editor

Delicious, sleepy stretches in bed. - Tina, Photographer

Making eye contact with a cute guy then catching him turn 
his head around to take a second look. - Katherine, TV executive

When you've cooked something and your kids
go for seconds and thirds! - Janice, Stock Broker

Long talks over coffee with my
90-year old mom. - Johanna, Voice Artist

Looking up just in time to see a shooting star. - Dianne, Musician

Long, patient hugs. - Bella, Dentist

A dense but milky flat white with a hint of coffee. 
- Alan, Newsroom Consultant

Street musicians. - Jessie, Graphic Designer

Receiving postcards from friends 
after the unbearable waiting. - Beverly, Writer

Running to the sea. - Jasmine, Dive Instructor

Spontaneous conversations with people you don't know,
like standing in line or in the elevator. - Karen, Content Marketing

Finding old letters. - Annabelle, my Mom

And finally, here's a favorite quote:

"To live content with small means. To seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion. To be worthy not respectable, and wealthy not rich. To listen to stars and birds and babes and sages with an open heart. To study hard, think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions. Never hurry. In a word, to let the spiritual, the unbidden and the unconscious rise up through the common. This is my symphony." William Henry Channing

*Photo by Ina Amor Mejia for the April 2016 issue of Southern Living Magazine

A casualty of life

What motherhood taught me about my better self. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

THE LAST TIME I FELT INVINCIBLE, I came from doing fifty laps in the pool to prepare for a swim match. I remember beating my coach’s stopwatch. Thirty minutes later, I sat in my bedroom, smelling like chlorine, my hair sopping wet, my shoulders hot like coals. A current of endorphins sweeping through my body. I felt like I could do anything. That was twenty years ago. Time passed. I stopped swimming. I stopped dancing. I stopped doing and feeling a lot of things. I just, stopped.

For the Weekend

Three kitchen to-dos, one new craft, and a lot of reflection. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

I'VE GOT SOME EDIBLE PROMISES to keep this weekend, starting with the yogurt Caroline has been bugging me to make. Yes it's true, it's really easy and tastes incredible. I also promised Gabby some hummus, made with dried garbanzos this time, so we'll see how that goes. And a twist on the Spanish Fabada.

  

Also happy to share with you the latest DIY I've done, the faux leather catch-all tray you see above, which is now up on this great new site Preen. You've probably seen similar trays somewhere on the web, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. This tray was made without any special leather crafting tools whatsoever. Check out the DIY here. 

Finally, I'll be thinking about some recent events in the news. Especially about that little Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, who drowned with his brother and mother and other migrants desperate to escape the horrors of war. I'll be thinking of his father, who survived, and all the stories like his that unfold tragically as we speak. In my heart I believe, as I know many of you do, that we must all try and help those who suffer, anywhere in the world. We simply cannot ignore it.

Here are 5 practical ways you can help refugees find safety in Europe. 

I wish you a thoughtful, peaceful and restful weekend. And here are more links from around the web. 

CHECK IT OUT

Why there's more to life than being happy

LOVED THIS SHORT FILM

How to take a detox bath

A BEAUTIFUL COVER PHOTO OF A YOUNG ACTRESS

Can you guess how many trees there are in the world?

THIS SMALL HOME IS SO BEAUTIFUL

Proof that Kanye West is always sleeping

AND 20 FASHION MISTAKES YOU MAKE IN YOUR 20s 
(hello number 5)
line

Thanks for reading!

Florence & Rome photo post

The David, tripa, and the Pope's digs in 27 snaps. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

THE FOLKS FROM OUR HOTELS from ten months ago have been emailing me incessantly about new room deals. Yes, I miss them too. And I can't believe it's been nearly a year since our whirlwind Euro trip. Some of it is a blur, but many things remain particularly clear. Actually, unforgettable.

After Paris and Geneva we took those crazy-fast Trenitalia trains to Italy. The moment we arrived in Florence I knew I had made the mistake of not booking more days. This small, magical city, bursting with art, where every local we met loved to say, "No problem!" And then glorious Rome with its contagious energy. I still smell the cigar smoke wafting in the cold air, I remember the sounds from the abbey outside our hotel, and the feeling of being staggered by the Vatican.

Some photos...

Hello Pluto

WE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE JOURNEY of the Solar Impulse these past few weeks. And I'm sure you've heard of the first images of Pluto taken by the unmanned spacecraft New Horizons. These are exciting times. The first images, historic in many ways, left me yummy shivers last night. I mean look at it. Pluto has been this enigma for so long, and to see it so clearly, and the darkness of space beyond it, just renews the realization of how so much remains unknown to us. In celebration of this incredible event, here is a very cool thing to check out: an interactive page from the BBC called How Big is Space. I promise, it's a lot of fun.

Once again, hello Pluto. And finally a favorite quote: 

"For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love" - Carl Sagan 

Two days in Geneva

Just enough time to linger in the old town and visit Bains des Paquis. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

SOMEONE ONCE TOLD ME, that if I were to visit several cities in Europe all at once, then Paris should be the last stop. Otherwise, everything after it would prove to be a disappointment. I consciously ignored that advice. Yes, Paris is unrivaled. But other European cities have their own unique character, their own something to love. Geneva has that something.

Paris in the Fall, Part 3

The city's 18th century passages and a food tour of St. Germain. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

WE  WERE IN PARIS almost five months ago, late in October. But it feels like we returned from our trip only yesterday. On our third and last day in Paris, we spent the morning wandering the city's les passage couverts (covered passages), and the afternoon eating our way through the St. Germain neighborhood---memories of which are particularly vivid. But someone forgot to tell us about this little detail about the time.

12 Sexy Things

THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED to my daughter, and I'm hoping she'll find it interesting one day, when she's old enough. But she'll probably find this post right here and give me this look. This is clearly just my opinion, but house plants are sexy. House plants and eleven other things. Please feel free to agree.

In honor of Valentine's Day...

Resolutions: A Mood Board

THIS YEAR WILL BE NO MORE in a few days, and once again I'm looking inward and forward. No matter how crazy the final weeks of the year get, it's vital to make sense of everything, to make lists in your head or on paper. To visualize, to plan, and to hope. Always to hope. 

These are twelve big resolutions that I think might be meaningful whatever those hopes are. I've chosen a photo (11 great ones from the web and one of mine. Photo above by Florian Klauer) for each resolution, coupled with some wise words from people you might know. Are you ready?

Paris in the Fall

Day One of our frenzied (and fantastic) Eurotrip. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

FOR MONTHS I PLANNED our trip to Europe, with nothing more than sometimes dismal wifi, Google street view, and the stories of other travelers I did not know. By some miracle, I found time to do this amidst the frenzy of my actual life, until this planning became, well, my sort of other life. Pouring over guides, and maps, and subway routes, I planned until I knew the places like the face of some beautiful stranger I had been staring at for a long time. 

Finally, after what seemed like a day of plane rides, Gabby and I arrived in Paris, our first stop in this two-week holiday. But the adventure began hours ago, late the previous night, somewhere above the Indian Ocean.

Hello again

IT  SEEMS LIKE FOREVER since my last writing here and I've missed it a lot. I mentioned my crazy schedule recently, and it's because so many things were going on at the same time the past few months, including planning for a trip to Europe that I just returned from last night, after what seemed like 25 hours, three plane rides, three airports, a long layover, and a very weary and dirty pair of Chuck Taylors. 

I am so glad to be home, and so excited to tell you the stories from Paris, Geneva, Florence and Rome. These are a few random shots from the trip. I took almost a thousand, no kidding.

Can't wait to show you more photos. Hope you're well, and thanks for reading!

Could this be the Trick of Life?

THERE ARE SOME OF YOU out there like me, for whom sleep is a complicated thing. There are two moments that are vital: late at night right before bed, and first thing in the morning when I awake. Night and day are defined by the peace of these moments. And there are a number of things that can disturb it---a looming deadline, an illness in the family, a massive case of self-doubt...or anything wrong in the world that I've come to worry about. Things, and the thoughts of things become intrusive, sometimes relentless in the worst of days. But I think I've found a hack for it...

Cure for the foggies

SORRY THIS IS A FEW DAYS late but we had a typhoon to contend with. I've been meaning to write about a recent, and very deliberate trip we took as a family. My uncle passed away a few weeks ago and we were all heartbroken, tired and searching for some kind of healing. We're still all of that and will be for a long time.      

We drove up to Baguio very early last weekend and I had been dreaming of this trip for weeks. I left my laptop and blackberry charger after half-heartedly charging my phone, hoping it would die midway and I could be truly off the grid.

The long goodbye

I WRITE MOSTLY ABOUT HAPPY THINGS, but sometimes it gets tough as you probably know. One of the toughest things is when you lose somebody you love. My uncle, Tito Boy, passed away last week. And as hard as it is to write this, I can't pretend that everything is alright. He's the man in the middle in the photo above. My Mom and Dad and brother Roby, are on the left. Also in the photo is my beautiful late grandmother (we called her Mita), my cousin Lani, my Aunt Nona and my late godfather, Dexter.

Back to school, ready or not

It's hectic and a bit nuts, but also, an exercise in gratitude. BY INA AMOR MEJIA

IT'S BACK-TO-SCHOOL WEEK in our neck of the woods. Summer is officially history and we're going full swing into another school year of homework, craft projects, birthday parties, meal planning and wardrobe arguments, mostly with my daughter, Caroline, who is fiercely opinionated about what she wears. For the record, she's more immune than I am to those ubiquitous looms. When it comes to her red riding hood jacket however, there's no fight. And she wears it most days as the start of school here always falls right at the beginning of rainy season. 

I remember life as a student, when it was hard enough to get myself out of bed so early in the morning. Now I have to get myself, and my two beloved crazies out of bed. Jamon, our most complicated sleeper, has yet to get his act together. Here's what he looked like around breakfast this morning...

But I can't complain. I felt a bit anxious about the kids being away at school when all of this began. But now I relish all the free time it allows me. Even though I miss them. And even when I spend most of it working! And Gabby and I always remind ourselves (and the kids) of how grateful we should be that they can go to school at all. Because so many children in our country and elsewhere, can't. Not decently, not freely, and sometimes, not without fear. I dream of the day when that will no longer be true for any child, anywhere in the world.    

In the meantime, here we are. We're a bit of mess here right now, but we'll get there. What about you? Ready for school yet? Vacation over yet? Or is it just starting?

Have a good one, and thanks for reading. 

*Plus, funny and true: Parents at the start of school vs. the end. And please visit UNICEF to know about how you can support the effort to protect the rights of the most vulnerable children in the Philippines.        

We are not the same

'TIS THE SEASON of the welfie. That selfie hybrid where you take a photo of yourself working out at the gym. Admittedly, all the wave of welfies at the start of the year pushed me into a frenzy of yoga stretches, old ballet moves, pre-dinner brisk walking, and swimming in Gabby's old tri-suits in frigid 6 AM pool water. It was, in Stingo's words, a kind of "small-scale madness". Well the photo above is not a welfie. I am not working out. In it I am gaunt and sleepless. I am not well. Something happened to us.

Where is summer?

CHILDHOOD SUMMERS are the best, because they are carefree in a way like they will never be again. Growing up in Ormoc, a quiet city by the sea, summers meant endless play in my grandmother's spacious house, and in the family farm that was fifteen minutes away. It meant climbing old trees, lazy hot afternoon siestas, star gazing picnics, and swimming in the sea 'til we became like salt dolls.

Sometimes my parents would take us on the slow boat to nearby Cebu for short vacations. And then later to Manila or the foggy northern city of Baguio where city folk took refuge from the heat. Later in high school and college, summer might bring a boy, and sometimes some heartache. But it was always an adventure.
 

Whatever it brings, summer is not about when, but where or how and with whom. This year I feel blessed to be able to take the kids away from the city. Hoping they make good memories so that summer becomes eternal in their minds. And maybe I'll climb those trees again and take lots of siestas. Again. And I will swim in the sea, my old friend, if it will have me. I will swim in the sea, and the sea inside.

What are your plans this summer? I hope you have a good one, and thanks for reading.

Also, check it out. This beautiful secret (for now) beach, this perfect local summer snack, printed espadrilles, this breezy top, and the top ten free free things to do in New York.

*Photo by Ina Amor Mejia