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Friends

Kristine Binder

After a Full day of adventures, there was more to come. A quick trip back to the house, a change of clothes and it was time for more friends to arrive. A and I got back in the car and headed to the airport. L was coming from Florida. She was our first pick up. A few more trips around the airport and there was J and Mr.J from Ohio. Back to the house for a spectacular feast prepared by Mr.A with lots of wine, laughs and a feeling that I never wanted it to end. The following morning we got up and ready for a full day. We ate some breakfast and packed up for race day. The hour plus drive was caravan style down to Huntington Beach. We arrived beachfront at the expo….yes, the expo was on the beach! California living is …. Sweet! We met up with another friend and her adorable daughter. This made me miss my kids…for a minute! We walked expo purchasing things here and there just enjoying the experience. We decided to head towards the downtown pier area for lunch. Lunch was on the beach and was wonderful. Friends, food, and fabulous weather….who could ask for more? I took a few minutes just to soak in the sun and moment. A bit more shopping and lots of photos later and it was time to head to the hotel. Dinner and then bed! Tomorrow would be an early one! Peace.

The Ride

Kristine Binder
The day began with errands and the most delicious salt bagel. A wonderful long drive up the coast, the ocean at our side with time to talk and take photos. Mountains to one side and ocean to the other…what could be bad?! Pepperdine University….let’s hope my kids never see this campus! They would never leave…much less go to class!
As we turn to head off the ocean and into the mountains I am struck by the smell…salty sea water and eucalyptus. Amazing. We find the Shalom Institute and our riding area easily. I had forgotten the power of a horse. Just the mere presence of the animal is enough to make me weak in the knees. As I sit in the saddle on my new friend, I feel a strange sense of peace….one that I have not felt in a long time. I realize how much I truly miss my horse, Head Honcho. The days of riding and time in the barn quickly flood my mind. Long summer days meandering through trails just the two of us….makes me feel young again.



My Trusty Steed!

We head out onto the trial and the sheer beauty of it all envelopes me. My friend A is with me and has truly no idea the enormous gift she has given me. The power of the moment and the peace of this place is so overpowering that I begin to cry. I am glad that A is behind me and can not see the tears that spill from my eyes…each filled with so many emotions.

At one point I am so lost in it all that Charlie (my horse) tries to offer me rest in a bush! No way! I quickly regain my balance and my control. He is a typical teen boy…always testing the boundaries! The ride eventually has to come to an end and we must say goodbye to our friends as they head out to pasture.
We head back towards LA and lunch! I am starving! But not before I make A stop many times to take photos. There are several times I fear we might get into a car wreck with me screaming, “Stop! Is that a Sea Lion?!?!” “Wait! I have to have a photo of that plant!” A is patient and smiles sharing in my sheer delight of the little things. I am much like the dog in the movie “UP”….with many ”Squirrel!!!” moments.
Talk about moving from one world to another….we leave the mountains and head to Beverly Hills for lunch. Swanky! Walking down Rodeo Drive I am stuck by the beauty of the shops but think how much more comfortable I was on horseback in nature. We sit down to a magnificent lunch…tuna tartar that was…well…better than ….I will leave that to the imagination! I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Chris Rock passed and even waved to A! Kourtney Kardashian sat at the table next to us. Upon informing my children of this, I was scolded and hung up on for not taking a photo! I just wanted to appear as if I fit in…even if I didn’t look nor feel like I did!

Walking back to the car, I am struck again by a sense of peace. I was with my best friend and felt so lucky NOT to be a celebrity having to keep up with others. My friends and family love me for who and what I am….wrinkles, grey hair and all. Peace.

Arrival

Kristine Binder
Leaving home for my trip was exciting. The kids were a bit apprehensive and so was I but we were all a bit excited for our adventures.

The flight to LA left an hour late but arrived only 15 minutes late. It was a good flight…long,  but good. I deplaned and headed to baggage. As I exited the secure area, I saw A through the glass and took off running! The first hug was long and tight. I missed her so very much. We got my luggage and headed out….let the adventure begin!
We arrived at her house and upon opening the door I am hit with the smell of the giant eucalyptus tree in her front yard. Heaven! We dropped my things off at her house and then we headed to the beach for lunch. Lunch was the best cerviche I have ever eaten overlooking the ocean. After lunch it was time to tour the area. We drove through LA, and UCLA then headed to Hollywood and into Beverly Hills.

Hollywood was an adventure. We saw the Walk of Fame and watched folks prep for a movie premiere, Journey 2. The characters on the street were interesting to say the least!
Driving into Beverly Hills was a trip. I thought I had entered an alternative universe. It was so odd to see a place I thought only existed in magazines and movies. Big homes, fancy cars, celebrities….I knew I did not belong here.
We drove to Santa Monica for another yummy meal…Mexican this time…joined by A’s husband. He is such a wonderful man. Finally it was time to head home for bed. What a perfect (and exhausting!) first day! Peace.

Speeding along

Kristine Binder
Prayers are welcome as well!

So my daughter got her driver’s license this week. What a milestone not only for her,  but for mom and dad. Where did the time go? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was reading the manual and installing her carseat? I drove my car to three local police stations to check to see if I had done it correctly. Now she is no longer in a car seat but  in the driver’s seat.

She has waited patiently for the day and it finally came. Dad took her out of school for the morning and they went together for this momentous occasion. This was a milestone for just the two of them.  I got a text from her later in the morning that she had passed. I was so relieved…and terrified! What did this mean for her…and for me?

Her siblings were so excited for her….I think they were a bit excited for themselves as well…newfound freedom!  And that freedom was not long in coming!  After dinner that same evening, the 3 girls piled into Dad’s car and off they drove on their first adventure together. Windows open (in the cold) and music blaring…. they took off like a racehorse out of the gate….never a hesitation. They were on their way to get shakes…without an adult!

The entire time they were gone my heart was in my throat. Not one of my kids was gone but three of them!  What now? The loss of control  was so frightening. I felt like I was free falling and not sure where I would land. the moment they walked in the door, my sigh of relief could be heard for miles.

My daughter has grown new wings and longs to test them at every opportunity. She years for the freedom that driving gives her and the control of her destiny at that moment. She relishes the feeling of ‘grown-upness’. The privilege that she alone has above her siblings. I remember that feeling….fondly!

So I ask again, what now? things are different now. My kid is driving around behind the wheel of a large piece of machinery. She is in control…not me. I can’t put her safely into her carseat, buckle the belt and see her smiling back at me in the rearview mirror. Don’t get me wrong, having someone to help with driving kids to and fro will be nice but the trade off….but I worry. I know that she is a good driver. I worry about other drivers. I worry that she won’t react as quickly as I would. I worry that she has her siblings and friends in the car and is responsible for their safety. I worry that she will not pay attention and miss something. I worry ….I worry….I worry…..as now she drives off looking at me in the rearview mirror smiling a proud yet terrified smile. Peace.

Naked

Kristine Binder
We came into this world naked.

So…to be Naked. It scares many of us to death that are of a certain age and figure. I wrote a whole post about loving my body and feeling comfortable in my skin. I am comfortable and I am happy with whole I am. Why then does the prospect of being naked seem so scary? We were born into the world without ‘enhancements’ or even clothing and people thought we were adorable. What has changed?

As I start to think about this, my friend Molly has decided to try something revolutionary. No, she is not going to walk around sans clothing. She is going to go 60 days without makeup, tweezing, plucking, shaving, etc. All the things that we women think make us more beautiful.

My son asks me all the time why I wear makeup. Having a house full of girls he has learned that we don’t go anywhere until the hair and makeup are done. He wonders why this is important. He has told me that I am pretty enough without it all…as are his sisters. This conversation and Molly’s groundbreaking experiment got me to really question my own need for these things. I preach the gospel of Girls on the Run…. that all are beautiful just the way they are. So why do adult women, as well as teens and women of all ages,  feel the need to ‘enhance’? Men do not. Why do we wear high heels that are painful? Why do we wear push up bras? (Although I do not need this!!) Why do we feel the need to strategically ‘pull it in’, ‘push it up’ or ‘pop it out’?

I have issues even in my own home. I try to delay the wearing of makeup, plucking, tweezing, shaving, wearing of high heels for as long as possible with my daughters. There are other extended family members that get angry with me. They tell me that allowing my girls to play sports such a volleyball and basketball …well ….is not girly. They tell me …and my girls….that they should be shaving and plucking and doing all those ‘girly’ things at a young age. Why? Why can’t my girls just be who they are, look they way they wish and do the activities that excite them?

I have never been a big one for makeup. It is too much work….however I do feel naked without it. Why? Why does the thought of going a day without makeup frighten me so? I do not wear makeup all summer but then again, I am not working. I rarely wear ‘dressy’ clothes in the summer unless we are going somewhere special. So why then do I feel I ‘need’ makeup in order ‘not to scare people’ (which is what I tell my son)?

So many questions…so few answers. Why do you do the ‘girly’ things you do? Could you go a day/week/month without the ‘girly’ things?

I do not think I have the courage that Molly does and will live vicariously through her for now. She is a gifted, insightful woman. I look forward to learning more as she moves through this journey. To follow Molly’s Nakedness…
http://www.thenakedfaceproject.com/
 Peace.