Posts in SPIRITUALITY

Holiday Grounding 1.0: The Comparison Conundrum

Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed.

-Mary Oliver

I spent Thanksgiving week traveling up the coast of California. It’d been a while since I carved out some space and time from work to rest, refuel, and get inspired. Bustling cities and new scenery are food and drink for my constantly grazing right brain. Beauty feeds my soul and feast I did all the way from the stunning beaches and glamorous people of Malibu to the magical cliffs and redwoods of Big Sur to the charming European-influenced smattering of architecture, shops, and restaurants in Carmel-by-the-sea.

SPIRITUALITY, DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE., CREATIVE LIFE, PERSPECTIVES, STRONG STORIESKatie GustafsonDecember 1, 2016carmel by the sea, christmas, comparison, enneagram, holiday, mary oliver, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, ShrekComment

Obsessed with Gratitude

Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.

-Rumi

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! This is by far my favorite Thursday of the year as well as one of my absolute favorite holidays. I savor the vibrant smells and tastes of seasonal comfort foods, the cozy roaring fire that cracks and burns in the fireplace, and I adore the fact that in this beautiful country of ours, we’ve managed to preserve the fourth Thursday of every November to remember, cherish, and give thanks.

CREATIVE LIFE, DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE., LIFE PATTERNS, RESOURCES, SPIRITUALITYKatie GustafsonNovember 24, 2016Gratitude, gratitude journal, holiday, mario batali, thank you, thanksgiving Comment

Matthew Perryman Jones: Finding My Voice

My song was my salvation.

-Matthew Perryman Jones

Backstory

I have been a massive MPJ ( Matthew Perryman Jones) fan ever since I heard his unforgettably haunting voice pair with simple guitar chords at a local church in downtown Nashville probably close to fifteen years ago. I remember thinking to myself, “Now, THAT is how a hymn is supposed to sound.” It was this stunning mix of clarity and brokenness; youthful, yet carrying the weighty wisdom of an old soul. I didn’t know who he was, but I hoped I’d always have access to that voice somehow. Thankfully, his burgeoning career as a singer/songwriter has opened up a whole new world of music and truth for fans and friends, alike.

CREATIVE LIFE, RESOURCES, SPIRITUALITYKatie GustafsonNovember 3, 2016anxiety, depression, enneagram, Matthew Perryman Jones, music, songwritingComment

Legacy & A Broken Hallelujah

Please think about your legacy, because you’re writing it every day.

-Gary Vaynerchuck

I have a confession to make.

Despite years of deep south steeping growing up in Mobile, AL, I have never been a huge fan of country music. In fact, I always felt like the odd man out during those fragile years of middle school when the cool kids where discovering the likes of Alan Jackson, The Judds, John Michael Montgomery, and most curiously to me, Billy Ray Cyrus. I was totally stumped, yet went along with it as my awkward stage lasted painfully longer than everyone else’s and I had just switched to a preppy new school. The part of me that wanted to be liked was much bigger than the part that couldn’t be bothered.

ACHIEVING SUCCESS, DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE., PERSPECTIVES, SPIRITUALITYKatie GustafsonOctober 20, 2016adele, amazing grace, andel adams, country music, dolly parton, gary vaynerchuck, legacy, nashville, oprahComment

Finding Family: The Broken Road Home

You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.

-Frederick Buechner

I’m not sure if it’s the fall weather encroaching or the fact that I’m becoming more nostalgic with age, but something has been at the forefront of my heart and mind as of late and I can’t seem to shake it. I don’t want to shake it. It’s beautiful, complex, frustrating, exhilarating, heartbreaking, fun, weird, grounding, dangerous, and safe all at once.

LIFE PATTERNS, PERSPECTIVES, DESIRE. CONNECT. THRIVE., SPIRITUALITY, RELATIONSHIP INSPIRATIONKatie GustafsonOctober 7, 2016bloodliness, elizabeth gilber, family, home, longing, richard rohr, spiritual directionComment