Things I liked in December (very belated)

*a non-comprehensive list

Hi friends, please excuse the lack of a voiceover. My throat is feeling a bit hoarse, and so I’m going to skip the recording for this post and give my voice a break!

Dear Kula Diaries,

Last month I gave myself a break at the end of the month, so I failed to compile the monthly list of stuff that I’ve enjoyed or appreciated. I’ve really enjoyed this monthly practice — as a fun to way to share cool things with other folks… and also as a way for me to reflect on all of the goodness that has existed. It’s really easy to focus on the things that were super challenging throughout the month, but, quite honestly — running a business is challenging enough, and sometimes I need a break from thinking about stuff that hurts my brain.

This list is my answer to that: stuff that does not hurt my brain.

So, here goes… my favorite things from the month of December (and there were a lot of them):

Oola Distillery Tour and Restaurant

During my mini break from work, I made a reservation for us to go on a distillery tour at Oola Distillery, Seattle’s oldest craft distillery. I am not a seasoned drinker, but I do enjoy a few sips of bourbon per month… and my husband has been excitedly learning how to age a cocktail in a small barrel in our house. Plus, the science of distilling is actually quite fascinating and I love the opportunity to learn about other folks who own a business.

When we arrived at the distillery, we were met by none other than KT and Kirby — the husband and wife who own and founded Oola Distillery. They were welcoming and warm and friendly, and we immediately felt at home. As it turned out, there was only one other couple on the tour, so we essentially received a private tour and tasting with the owners of the distillery. Kirby was ridiculously passionate about distilling, in a way that only a fine artist could be — and so it didn’t surprise me when I found out that his background was actually in fine art!

The tour itself was really informative and fun, and Kirby’s explanation of the distilling process was the very first time that it really ‘clicked’ for me — I hadn’t previously understood the different boiling temperatures of various alcohols and how they evaporated at different points in the process, but he easily and concisely explained everything.

Then, we got to have a few sips of their gin, vodka and bourbons — heavenly! We decided to finish the evening by driving to their brick and mortar restaurant, which is located in Capitol Hill. The couple that had been on the tour with us also decided to do the same thing, so we ended up having the best time at dinner with our new distillery tour friends! The signature burger and fries at Oola Restaurant in Seattle is probably one of the best burgers that I’ve ever had in my life — I’d drive an hour back down to the restaurant just for that!

Not my photo — I snipped this from their website! Sorry, Oola!

I took a grand total of ZERO photos of our entire experience, because I was too busy actually enjoying myself, and because I’m still pretty strict about my no-cellphone on the weekends habit, but I managed to steal some photos from Open Table to include in this post. If you live in the Seattle area, going to the distillery for a tour + combining it with a trip to the restaurant is a really fun combo.

This TEDx Talk by Kula Community Member, Alison Young

I won’t repeat Alison’s TED talk here, but suffice it to say — I really connected with her powerful and moving story that combines both hiking and music. I think that you will be equally inspired by Alison’s story. You can also find Alison on her website here

An update on Jasper

I’ve been providing regular updates on the progress of Jasper, the feral cat who is currently residing in my house. My husband and I rescued/trapped Jasper in late September, and we have very gradually been working to domesticate him. Jasper is a very wild cat, so he is extremely fearful and timid and we had to use a leather glove to pet him for the first few months.

We’ve made some major progress over the last few weeks. Jasper is now living freely in our home (with the door to the guest room open). He spends his time moving between his small hutch… and underneath our dining room table… and relaxing on our couch. He still does not like to be approached, but we are able to pet him with bare hands if we approach in a ‘low and slow’ method.

I can hardly believe this photo exists! Me, petting Jasper on a chair in our bedroom. For the record, it looks like I’m pinching him — I was not lol! I was giving him a gentle shoulder massage.

He’s also mostly amicable with the other cats. Niko hisses at him, but doesn’t fight with him and Cinder seems to ‘mostly tolerate’ Jasper. Esa has taken a protective role over Jasper, and we’ve seen them playing together a few times. A few days ago, I came out of our bedroom and discovered that Esa and Jasper were on the couch together.

We are 3 months into this process with Jasper, and we’ve heard that it can take from 6 months to a year for a feral cat to assimilate into a domestic environment. But, things have been pretty promising lately, and I’m really looking forward to watching Jasper continue to progress. Little bits of his personality are starting to show, and he is very playful when he is in his room and loves tossing toys around and running back and forth.

Podcast: Desert Skies

I’ve endlessly touted the praises of Midnight Burger, but recently, we caught up to the most recent episode in Season 4, and we needed another podcast to tide us over. Through some internet searching, we discovered a podcast called Desert Skies:

The description on their website says it perfectly, “Desert Skies is an Astral Plane Fuel and Service Station dedicated to providing those new to this side of existence with the provisions needed to make their journey safe, simple, and memorable. You’ll have everything you could possibly need when you embark across the Celestial Spheres.”

Desert Skies follows the adventures of Tendy (the Attendant at the service station) and his partner Mac (the Mechanic), plus a variety of other colorful characters. The podcast is a combination of hilarious, witty, brilliant and deeply profound. Even more impressive is that the creator of the podcast voices every single character himself. The soundscape of this podcast is brilliant and the conversations are seamless — the fact that it is one person recording all of the voices is completely mindboggling.

Aaron and I have been listening to Desert Skies for a few weeks now on our commute to and from the Kula HQ and I’ve laughed hysterically and also cried. It’s a beautiful story of friendship and of life and death and what it means to really be alive. I’ve been deeply touched by the stories in each episode, and I hope you love it as much as I do.

(You can find the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or on their website).

Another podcast: Sorry about the Murder

I very briefly mentioned this podcast a few weeks ago, but I feel like my mention didn’t really do it justice.

Sorry About the Murder is, indeed, a very Canadian murder mystery about a murder at a hockey rink. It’s silly and witty and the writing is hilarious. The story follows a Zamboni driver named Frenchie who is arrested for murder and must clear his name.

You do not need to be Canadian in order to appreciate the humor in this podcast. We binge-listened to the entire show in a couple of days, and I found myself feeling very glum when it was over, because it was just so delightful. It’s one of those shows where the characters are so special that you become attached to them rather quickly.

I haven’t been able to find a sequel to this show, but I genuinely hope that one is made, because this was one of my favorite audio fictions.

You can find Sorry About the Murder on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or anywhere else that you listen to podcasts!

Other random stuff I wanted to share

Community: My friend Beck, who shared her story here a few months ago has officially launched her YOULA community. Beck is a tremendously inspiring individual who has put excessive and endless amounts of work and energy into crafting a beautiful group for connection and discussing topics that seem overwhelming to think about. You can find Beck’s newsletter here and you can visit her website here to sign up for her YOULA program. It’s a really groundbreaking program, and I’m tremendously proud of her!

Opportunity: My good friend and fellow company founder, Lia Daniels, is teaching a 6 week coaching class for The Kula Academy! Lia is the founder of an incredible company called Noofah, which makes a travel-friendly hybrid washcloth/loofah. It’s a really brilliant product, and we’ve sold hundreds of them over the past few years (maybe more than that!).

Lia and the Noofah!

In addition to being a successful company founder, Lia is also a professional coach, and she’s teaching a 6 week class for The Kula Academy that will include a few one-on-one sessions with her. This is a really unique opportunity, and I’m so thrilled that Lia decided to share her time and knowledge with all of us. You can sign up for her class here:

Stuff I’ve been doing: Over the past few weeks, I’ve been giving myself more space for nothingness. I’ve been doing a lot of painting… staying off my phone as much as possible… writing less… walking more… playing music more… painting more… dancing more… and, in general, trying to do things that help to keep my brain open and receptive for all of the infinite possibilities to arrive. I found myself in a very unsustainable place of severe burnout towards the end of last year, and while I don’t usually pick a ‘word for the year’… I’ve very clearly decided that my ‘theme’ for this year is: spaciousness. This means that I want to keep my brain as ‘open’ as possible. If I am constantly filling my brain with things, then there is no empty space for newness to arrive. And guess what? I LOVE the newness! I love it when an idea pops into my head — and I love following that idea and watching it morph into whatever it wants to be.

I’m doing more things that feel fun: spending time with friends, going to a dance class (this week!), performing my violin at a local assisted living facility as a volunteer, cleaning up my house, cooking new things, and I’m even planning a (big) vacation so that Aaron and I can celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. There are days when it feels really challenging to let go of the working, but I am finding that the more space that I have within my heart, the more open I am to the infinite ways in which things can happen. Namely, if I stop trying to make things happen, good things happen. If I trust the path, things go smoothly.

We took some friends out onto the lake for a very chilly paddle + hike to a waterfall!

Friends — I’m sending you all so much love this week, and all weeks. I really appreciate all of you being here so much and for taking the time to read my posts. I look forward to seeing you all in real life… in an e-mail… in a zoom square… or just in each other’s hearts sometime very soon.