Kimberly Wilson's Blog, page 12
July 27, 2022
Save the Dates
Over the next few months I’m offering a variety of events to support your tranquility journey and you’ll find the scoop below.
Save the dates, register, and show up. I can’t wait to connect with you!
Pet Loss Support Session on Tuesday, August 16 at 7:30 pm ET. Free. Register here.
Fall TDJ Style Pop-Up {live from Paris} on Saturday, October 1 at noon ET. Free. Register here.
Fall Virtual Retreat on Saturday, October 15 at 2 pm ET. $99. Register here.
Hip Tranquil Chick’s Sweet 16 Birthday Celebration on Monday, November 14 at 7:30 pm ET. Free. Register here.
Holiday Pop-Up on Saturday, December 10 at noon ET. Free. Register here.
All registrants will receive replays *except* for the pet loss support session.
July 26, 2022
Hip Hip Hooray
On Friday morning, my alarm went off at 4:30 am. It was time to take another anti-bacterial shower and mentally prepare for the day ahead. The top image shows me getting out of the car before heading into the hospital with my new “accessories” in tow.
These two images show me pre-surgery donning a so-not-my-color “gown” and a “fall risk” wrist band.
From that room I said goodbye to Tim and was wheeled into another room to start the anesthesia—a nerve block and epidural.
About 15 minutes later I ended up in the surgery room where the anesthesiologist told me, “Now you’re going to sleep.” I tried to fight it as long as I could because all the lights, surgical team, and instruments fascinated me. I think I lasted a few seconds.
I woke up next in recovery phase 1 where I was monitored and given Ginger Ale and Saltines (my favorite part of surgery). After a couple hours I was transferred into recovery phase 2 where I stayed until late Friday evening.
The first time the nurse tried to help me up, we heard a pop and gave each other that “uh oh” look. I’d dangle my feet over the side of the bed and get too nauseous and have to go horizontal again. This lasted for hours and finally she said I should stay overnight.
During this process another radiologist came by to snap a photo and that’s what you see below. Apparently my femur cracked while getting the implant so the surgeon had to band it together (see the zip ties?!).
Friday night was rough. I was admitted to the hospital and had to buzz anytime I needed help—water, anti-nauseous meds, pain pills, Saltines, the bathroom.
The doctor popped in Saturday morning and said he hadn’t seen a hip like mine for awhile. Apparently my soft tissue was “balled up” and something about my socket being bad. I was heavily medicated, so I only remember snippets of the conversation.
Later the physical therapist knocked on the door to start our therapy and when I sat up I felt sick again. I had to rest a bit and then she helped me scoot down the halls with my walker to the hospital’s rehab gym. When we started the stairs I got nauseous again and had to sit down. Then I threw up and was ready to go again. Funny how much better one feels after getting sick!
She showed me a few exercises and then the occupational therapist stopped by to help me get dressed. That is such an ordeal!
I wanted to stay another night to stabilize but the doctor wouldn’t approve it, so I was discharged. While being wheeled out to Tim’s car in a wheelchair I started to feel nauseous again and threw up most of the way home. Ugh!
The last photo below is me after getting out the car (not easy!) and scooting down the sidewalk in my hospital socks.
Overall I’m doing okay. The pain is minimal considering what I expected, but the effect on daily life is huge. While I recover Tim has to bring me food and drinks, help me get clothes, socks, and shoes on, walk and feed the dogs, drive me to PT, help me up and down the few outside stairs to our condo, pick up the many things I’m dropping, and bathe (we’re trying this shortly—send good thoughts!).
I know for some of my beloved readers this may be a surprise. I’ve been dealing with hip pain for approximately six years. Two years ago I pulled something in a basic ballet class and have been hobbling around a bit.
That’s when I started seeing orthopedists, getting cortisone shots, taking anti-inflammatories, and planning for a full hip replacement down the line. I wanted to get through last year’s road trip, this year’s renovation, and the June ballet festival beforehand. Now I have open space to rest and recover, so the timing worked out well overall.
A BIG thank you for all the kind words over the weekend. You helped lift my spirits! Bisous. x
PS Seems like that hip pop wasn’t anything to be concerned about and I think the nausea was caused by anesthesia and the narcotics so I’m transitioning to Tylenol.
July 18, 2022
Tranquility du Jour #585: Creativity in Life
In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I chat with Beth St. Clair about her work with improv, creativity, leadership, and stepping into your being. A fun and encouraging listen to finding more creativity in your every day!
http://traffic.libsyn.com/hiptranquilchick/tdj585.mp3Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #585: Creativity in Life
Subscribe in your favorite podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon.
Visit kimberlywilson.com/podcast for more.
New to Tranquility du Jour? Learn more here.
Upcoming Events
Mid-Year Virtual Retreat replay
8/16 Pet Loss Support Session
10/1 TDJ Style Event {live from Paris}
10/15 Fall Virtual Retreat
Coterie Waitlist: Opens late 2022
Beth St. Clair loves helping employees activate their creativity at work. As a trained improvisational performer, Beth brings the principles of improv into her work as an executive coach, leadership consultant and sought-after keynote speaker.
Beth brings nearly two decades of experience in coaching, leadership development and team effectiveness to help her clients succeed. She is the Founder of ActUp and focuses her work on individuals and teams who want to use improvisational principles to increase their results at work. Her programs are fun, engaging and consistently see results.
She has delivered applied improvisation programs for Deloitte Consulting, Delivering Happiness with Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh, and All State Insurance, among others. Beth was a selected speaker at Disrupt HR and TEDx IUPUI.
Prior to launching ActUp, Beth was a consultant for Deloitte Consulting in Washington DC. Beth earned her MBA from Indiana University. She is certified in DiSC and MBTI personality assessments and is also a certified leadership coach through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI).
Mentioned in the ShowTea with Kimberly: Mid-Year Reflection
Let’s ConnectReceive inbox love through Love Notes: invites, inspiration, and more.
Browse my 6 Books and planner.
Follow along on Instagram and YouTube.
Shop seasonless, vegan, locally-made, eco-friendly fashion: TDJ by Kimberly.
Share a review on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, or Goodreads and you may hear it shared on the show.
July 10, 2022
Tea with Kimberly: Mid-Year Reflection
After yesterday’s Mid-Year Virtual Retreat, I was so energized and recorded a little something for you.
A BIG thanks to all the amazing ladies who joined us and shared their intentions, dreams, and creative sparks (shown below). You were truly delightful!
Thanks to your support, I’ll be donating $1000 to Pigs & Pugs Project, Borneo Orangutan Survival, IFAW Global’s efforts for the animals in Ukraine, and am a proud 1% for the Planet member. YOU make a difference!
Now, grab a cup of tea, journal (or journaling worksheet below), and a pen for a dose of mid-year reflection in my latest Tea with Kimberly video!
July 4, 2022
Tranquility du Jour #584: Journey to Stage
In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I share my nearly yearlong journey to the ballet stage, the challenges, the joys, the time and energy commitment, and more.
Download this worksheet to take notes and reflect on four journal prompts.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/hiptranquilchick/tdj584.mp3Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #584: Journey to Stage
Subscribe in your favorite podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, or Amazon.
New to Tranquility du Jour? Learn more here.
Events
Mid-Year Virtual Retreat: July 9, 2-4 pm ET
Coterie Waitlist: Opens late 2022
performance video
There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others. —Martha Graham
2019 “Performance”
Broche Ballet
BAE
Vitality Ballet
The Whole Pointe
The Dancer Next Door
Adult Ballet Collective
#560 Interview with Jojo on the Ballet Lifestyle
Journaling prompts:
1. What helps me feel most alive?
2. What childhood passion would I like to reconnect with?
3. Is there a class, camp, festival, or workshop that I could sign up for?
4. What level of discipline could I commit to?
Receive inbox love through Love Notes: invites, inspiration, and more.
Browse my 6 Books and planner and TDJ clothing line.
Follow along on Instagram and YouTube.
Share a review on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, or Goodreads and you may hear it shared on the show.
June 21, 2022
Tranquility du Jour #583: Reclaiming Wellness
In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I chat with Jovanka Ciares about her new book, Reclaiming Wellness. Learn how to prioritize wellness, why planning is an essential part of wellness, the healing properties of plants, and more! And, you’ll also hear the follow up to my June in Paris podcast.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/hiptranquilchick/tdj583.mp3Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #583: Reclaiming Wellness
Subscribe in your favorite podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon.
Visit kimberlywilson.com/podcast for more.
New to Tranquility du Jour? Learn more here.
Upcoming Events
Mid-Year Virtual Retreat: July 9, 2-4 pm ET
Coterie Waitlist: Opens late 2022
Jovanka Ciares is the author of
Reclaiming Wellness
and several other titles. A certified wellness expert, integrative herbalist, nutrition educator, and coach, she offers lectures and workshops in Spanish and English. Ciares studied nutrition with bestselling author T. Colin Campbell, PhD, at his Center for Nutrition Studies (in partnership with Cornell University) and herbalism / plant medicine with Tieraona Low Dog, MD. A native of Puerto Rico, she lives in Los Angeles. Visit her online at http://www.jovankaciares.com.
Video Interview
Find Our GuestFacebook: http://facebook.com/jovankaciaresInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jovankaciaresTwitter: https://twitter.com/jovankaciaresYouTube: http://youtube.com/user/jovankaciaresMentioned in the Show
10 Types of Wellness video
Spring Parisian {Mis}Adventures
Podcast #582 June in Paris
Receive inbox love through Love Notes: invites, inspiration, and more.
Browse my 6 Books and planner.
Follow along on Instagram and YouTube.
Shop seasonless, vegan, locally-made, eco-friendly fashion: TDJ by Kimberly.
Share a review on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, or Goodreads and you may hear it shared on the show.
June 17, 2022
Spring Parisian {Mis}Adventures
When a spot opened in a women’s writing retreat in Paris and that I was first on the waitlist, I took it as a sign to take the plunge (despite having already booked an April adventure) and joined.
I planned to devote time to editing the second draft of my memoir in my favorite city AND attend a Marie Antoinette ballet happening at Versailles over the same weekend. With a few clicks, I booked a second flight to the City of Light this spring with visions of sitting in cafes and working through the 200 pages of edits.
Best laid plans. The truth is that I did no writing during this latest trip (somehow writing time turned into social time) and I got sick twice.
See that pretty glass of wine in the first photo? It’s a yummy Riesling from Heinz Eifel in Mosel, Germany. Absolutely delicious. Somehow I thought it would be a good idea to “treat” myself to two glasses before a long haul flight.
Note to self, never ever do that again.
After sitting upright for nearly eight hours as we crossed the Atlantic overnight, I developed an unforgiving migraine that left me horizontal for my first few hours in Paris.
Then, thanks to food poisoning from tasty vegetables on a Seine dinner cruise, I spent my last night heaving into a porcelain bowl.
A few hours later, in my sick belly hangover haze, I booked a ride to Charles de Gaulle Étoile (metro station). As we drove toward the Arch de Triomphe I commented how I’d never passed the monument going to the airport. Then the driver pulled over and I thought it was to get a good photo (shown below). Instead he said, “Here you go!”
That’s when I realized my error and rebooked him to the Charles de Gaulle Aéroport. Oh my!
Despite these challenges, I relished in sensory experiences: eating Laduree macarons and Nina’s cake in the Tuileries, enjoying jazz at 38 Riv, seeing the ballet, finding Swan Lake tea at Mariage Freres, savoring lemon sorbet as the sun set on Rue de Rivoli, sipping thé vert à la menthe (green tea with mint) in Luxembourg Gardens, visiting the Rodin museum again (celebrated my 40th there), taking in the Dior museum where I purchased 25 gold trimmed postcards (fun giveaway coming shortly), playing pétanque.
Although I have zero athletic ability, I somehow found a bit of skill (and playful competitive spirit) with pétanque (note the joy in the photo below).
Even with sick bellies, migraines, and jet lag, Paris still soothes the soul. She’s like a decadent piece of pink cake covered with strawberries and sprinkles that you just can’t get enough of.
I’ll share more on next week’s podcast. Thanks for traveling along with me! Until next time. Bisous. x
Links to Explore
My Paris Faves
June in Paris Podcast
April in Paris
A Peek into Paris
Paris in November
Tea with Kimberly video: Time in Paris
June 12, 2022
The New Pink Palace
From late January through mid-May the Pink Palace was under renovation. What began as a conversation last May with a remodeling company, Case Design, turned into signed contracts, design meetings in October, and an updated home in May.
Yes, one year from start to finish for my tiny 600-square-foot home!
I’ve lived here 18 years and don’t plan to move on anytime soon, so I decided it was time to let the 1980s (when the condo building was renovated) vibe go. Au revoir particle board cabinets, clunky energy consuming appliances, silver fixtures, broken bathroom tile, and open pantry.
The contractors removed everything from the kitchen and bathroom except my cast iron tub.
The new kitchen list includes: energy efficient appliances with a smaller footprint to maximize counter space in the kitchen, closed pantry with drawers that slide out, hanging glass shelf, subway tile, black and white octagon floor tile, gold fixtures, marble countertop, black sink, updated lighting.
The new loo list includes: energy efficient washer and dryer, marble shelf, marble sink and ornate cabinet, toilet, black mirror, inset shelving covered by a mirror, subway tile, black and white octagon floor tile, gold fixtures, updated lighting.
Additions to the renovation included a new living space and bedroom floor in a very light engineered wood and a fresh paint job, including blush pink (Benjamin Moore Orchid Pink) accent walls in the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Jose did this work and was also our go-to painter for my yoga studios years ago.
I also worked with a local gardener, Nancy from The Enchanted Garden, who uses wildlife friendly plants and organic methods. She turned my garden patio into a beautiful space.
In this year’s Love Notes I’ve shared the challenges of packing my kitchen and bathroom belongings into bins, realizing I have more tea than one could ever drink, being displaced for a few months, commuting from West Virginia to DC weekly, and living out of a suitcase in West Virginia and at a friend’s apartment (thank you, Beatriz!).
I felt surprisingly disoriented throughout the whole process, so I held tightly to grounding go-tos such as ballet, baths, tea dates with friends, journaling, and connecting with you through the podcast, blog, Love Notes, Instagram, and especially the Coterie.
Voilà, we moved back home with a few suitcases in tow mid-May. Then removed the plastic covers from everything, unpacked all the bins and restocked the kitchen and bathroom, washed and dusted everything (why does construction dust get everywhere?!), hosted the Coterie Fête, and have finally settled into the new space with a sense of ease and joy.
Thank you for being part of this process. Bisous. x
June 8, 2022
Tranquility du Jour #582: June in Paris
In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I share a peek into my latest jaunt to the City of Light for a writing retreat.
Hear how I ended up here again, what’s been on the agenda, and a number of the sensory delights (plus links)!
Download this worksheet to take notes and reflect on four journal prompts.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/hiptranquilchick/tdj582.mp3Direct download: Tranquility du Jour #582: June in Paris
Subscribe in your favorite podcast app such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, or Amazon.
New to Tranquility du Jour? Learn more here.
Events
Mid-Year Virtual Retreat: July 9, 2-4 pm ET
Coterie Waitlist: Opens late 2022
April in Paris blog post with many links
Rodin Museum
Au Vieux Paris
Ballet at Versailles
Packing for Paris 2018
A Few of My Paris Faves
Journaling prompts:
1. How can I nourish my senses this week? Think colorful produce, flowers, a museum, gardens, farmers’ market, trying a new activity (hello, pétanque).
2. What’s on my summer wish list?
3. What would I like to see and do when/if I visit Paris?
4. How can I carve out more space for dreaming?
Let’s ConnectReceive inbox love through Love Notes: invites, inspiration, and more.
Browse my 6 Books and planner and TDJ clothing line.
Follow along on Instagram and YouTube.
Share a review on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, or Goodreads and you may hear it shared on the show.
June 2, 2022
Coterie Fête
Recently I invited the Tranquility Coterie loves into my tiny Washington, DC “Pink Palace” to commune over cups of tea, tasty veg treats, and community.
We had ladies join us from Arizona, California, Florida, Delaware, Oklahoma, Michigan, Rhode Island, Paris, and the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area.
Mom and I spent Friday and hours before the Saturday afternoon event baking, cleaning, and setting up. I included a self-care station and creativity stations (shown below), along with a TDJ Pop-Up. Gizmo wore his pink bow tie and I wore the TDJ maxi wrap dress.
The DC Fête is a new offering I added to the year-long program this year and I’m so grateful for the experience. It was comforting to meet people who I’ve known online for years and, of course, a total treat to see those I’d previously met or knew well (hello, mama) again.
Also, it was a fun reveal of the Pink Palace renovations (more pics to come). They were to first to see it and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Thank you to my Coterie loves for joining me and each other to celebrate YOU! x
PS Yes, I kiss Gizmo on the lips. Don’t tell.
