My outsides are wrapped up in a vintage Pendleton blanket my Dad found (this thing is so good and warm that if it were anyone else’s I’d steal it in a heartbeat).
It’s well after midnight.
My insides are full of red wine and lemon poppy seed muffins.
I am also filled with the kind of tired happiness that can only be felt on a Sunday evening. With a weekend of motion behind you, and the upcoming week rolling out ahead of you with empty promise.
Read MoreI meant to share this much sooner, but with all of my out-of-the-country travels, and still not having a working phone, I am just now getting around to it.
Last month I was featured over on the Linenbeauty blog! You can check out the interview here.
There are so many amazing dialogues over there with inspiring women pursuing slow living and simple paths and I feel so flattered to be amongst them.
In our interview I mention a little bit about The Wild and Wonderful American Road Trip, and the portrait of me is actually the only film photo I’ve shared so far from the 34 rolls of film I shot on the trip. I have chosen not to release any of the images digitally until some of the projects I am working on with them are completed, but there will be an opportunity to see more of them soon!
Thank you all for reading and engaging with me on these ideas and topics. As always, I love talking to you about them, don’t ever hesitate to reach out over instagram or email!
Read Morei posted this on instagram a few weeks ago, but i wanted to share it here too. so if you’ve already read this post, feel free to scroll on! but i wanted a chance to reach some of you who maybe don't follow me on instagram but do here. because, i have to tell you, sharing this has led to some of the best conversation and thought provoking dialogue with so many unexpected people.
i am so continually appreciative of the authentic and genuine people who i get to meet and interact and talk with on the internet (and in real life!). it's why i write what i write and share what i share. to foster more meaningful and mindful connections with people.
Read Morei have been on the go a lot over the past few months, and though i've been a traveler for years, i feel like i am just now getting to a point where i have the whole packing just-what-i-need thing down!
so today i wanted to share a little bit about how i implement my slow living mindset into what i pack when i'm traveling. starting with some of my toiletries, because i noticed that's where i have the most opportunity for setting the tone of my trip and implementing a healthy and intentional mindset.
Read Moretiny houses, simplicity, intentional living, minimalism -- all types of limitation that bring freedom. all topics that have been on my mind for a while now, but ever pressingly this week.
i loved coming across these photos again, from an adventure in Ireland in 2015 where i had the privilege of staying in this cute camper in the middle of The Burren. the contemplative space that the month of January usually brings with it has had me looking back into various archives and it's been a happy and welcome time of recollection and rediscovery.
in fact, looking back, i recognize this experience as one of the earlier placed logs on the ever growing fire that is my desire to live more simply and intentionally.
Read Morei reach the end of the shadows and that is when i feel the sun warming my back, reaching me finally, as it had crept higher than the trees. i feel its heat through the worn wool grey sweater i often wear (admittedly one of the more unflattering pieces in my wardrobe and yet something i've held onto for eight years now. which is a thing i am always fighting—my attachment to material things).
the suns fingers slide down my body, starting at my hair, falling down my back, slipping down my calves and then being kicked off by my heels.
Read Moregood morning friends!
i am posting a series of videos in my instagram story this morning (which you won't be able to see online, you'll have to go into the app!) so be sure to go watch those, you can find me @agirlnamedleney!
i made them to talk more about my heart behind this event i am hosting with The Village Magazine and Jacqueline of BoldHeartMama on July 29th here in my home city, Richmond, Virginia.
Read Morei am so very excited to announce that i will be cohosting a slow living event with friends from The Village Magazine on July 29th here in my hometown of Richmond, VA and you are all invited!
what is slow living and what will we be doing at this event?
(well, for an initial introduction into what slow living means to me you should head to this page on my site.)
The Art of Slow Living.
it’s a phrase that’s becoming more mainstream, hashtagged and popular these days, but what does it really mean?
what does it look like to #liveslow?
Read Morei ran.
and i ran and ran and ran.
the driving feeling that manifested physically beat inside me repeatedly until i acted on it.
i constantly wanted to run away.
runrunrunrunrunrunrun.
the feeling i had, which i interpreted as a need, was constant.
and yet even when i acted on it, even when i did run in some form or another, arriving never eased the command.
it didn’t let up.
“you still need to run” something inside of me would say.
“you have to escape”
“you don’t belong here”
wandering flushes a glory that fades with arrival.
Read Morethe history carried within things is much more evident within their imperfections.
of objects. of ourselves.
by which i mean:
it is by the worn deck of a boat that you can gauge how many storms it’s weathered.
the lines by a woman’s eyes that tell of how many times she’s smiled because she’s chosen to see the good in life vs. the bad.
the calluses on a mans hands that showcase how hard he’s worked at his craft.
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