How Mindfulness Can Bring You Home

At 20, I moved to Pennsylvania, where I stayed for 10 years.  I lived all over the state and loved it, especially Phoenixville, a small town 20 minutes west of Amish Country surrounded by luscious state parks, farms, and rolling hills for days.  I had finally found a place I could call home.  

At 30, I moved back to NJ for 3 years to be closer to family and friends, and from the moment I returned, I had lost that sense of "home" feeling.  Being close to those I loved was amazing, but I felt something missing deep down in my soul.  

In 2015, my father, who is retired and does free-lance writing, was involved with a documentary nominated in the Riverside International Film Festival. Off we went to Riverside, CA for 10 days. Growing up, I would tell my friends that I belonged in California and one day, I would at least visit there, if not move there. I started researching places to visit within seconds of booking our trip. We went to Joshua Tree, Carbon Canyon State Park, Santa Monica Pier, downtown Riverside, and so much more. We felt peace, tranquility, adventure, and more importantly, we both started to think, could this be a place we could call home?

When we got back to New Jersey, we talked about what it would be like to move to California. We decided to take 30 days.  Each day, we asked each other why we wanted to move, what the pros/cons would be, and if we still felt strongly about it.  We engaged in mindfulness daily to ensure we were making a thorough, non-impulsive, life changing decision. Each day we talked about why we wanted to move and why it would be amazing. Each day the pros outweighed the cons. And each day, we continued to say yes. 

That summer, we packed our bags, drove across the country, and moved to sunny southern California. We picked a house off the internet to rent and landed near the Sunnymead community in Moreno Valley.

My job had me traveling to Redlands, so through the San Timoteo Canyon I went each Wednesday to what I called "The Redlands". My co-workers at the time, which have now evolved into my amazing friends, would get a kick out of how obsessed I was with this little town in San Bernardino County, what I later learned was referred to as "the Inland Empire", or as the locals call it, the IE.  

Coming from Phoenixville/West Chester, PA, towns thriving with local businesses, restaurants, and amazing people, I never thought I could find another place I would want to call home. Until I discovered Redlands.

Redlands was everything we were looking for in a town. It had an amazing downtown section, filled with local businesses and restaurants. The town itself had an eclectic and inviting vibe. So many local parks, trails, and mountain views in each direction you looked. Within an hour or so in each direction you could be sipping endless mimosas at brunch in Palm Springs, hiking up to Bertha’s Peak in Big Bear, renting a duffy boat to sail around Balboa Island, or eating at beach front restaurants on the pacific coast. It was perfect. So, in the summer of 2016, we moved to Redlands.

One of the first things I began to learn about Redlands was that they are an extremely baby and dog friendly town, double win since our tribe consists of us, a toddler, and a puppy. We were so excited to explore everything Redlands had to offer.  Through our exploration adventures in our new town, I discovered some fantastic local businesses. Here are three of my local favorites and why.

Kith is an eclectic, unique, local woman’s clothing store and so much more that I just cannot get enough of! It makes my bohemian-hippie style fashion heart so happy. Their clothes are chic and they have revolving products and styles that all us local ladies love! The woman that work there are beautiful! They take their time helping you find amazing styles that are a “just right fit” for you. They sell awesome t-shirts with phrases such as “Do Hard Things”, which is one of my favorite shirts.  When I wear it around town, I always get compliments on it and love sharing with people where I got it. As a woman, when I shop at Kith, I feel empowered and beautiful in their clothes, love that I am supporting a local, mindful business, and genuinely get excited to shop there and give back. Oh, and when I bring my toddler shopping with me he loves to play with the pretend kitchen they have while I browse around. Such a kid-friendly business!

And speaking of uber kid friendly businesses, just a few doors down is Kissui, my go-to place when I have to shop for Luke and other babies/children! They sell beautifully made clothes, accessories, toys, and so much more! They have the best local mamas baby-wearing while helping you find anything you need.

As a first-time mama, living in a new town, 3000 miles away from my friends and family, I cannot tell you how amazing it felt to shop for baby products and have “real local mamas (wearing their babies at work!)” to ask my zillion questions to. They also have an area where you can change your baby, breastfeed/pump, and it truly is a store where you can feel safe to let your kid wonder a few feet away. They also offer baby-wearing and cloth diapering classes!

In addition to all those amazing things I just mentioned, Kith and Kissui use local people as their models! Their Instagram feed is filled with the most amazing, beautiful, local people, that shop at their stores and love wearing their products. I love seeing other fabulous woman and kiddos in Redlands rocking their fantastic clothes and accessories!

And after you have done some shopping at Kith and Kissui, grab a bite to eat at Cheesewalla, just a few feet away in the alley. I discovered Cheesewalla at Market Night a few years back and fell in love! They make the most amazing and unique grilled cheese sandwiches and the line is usually out the door because it is well worth the wait! They collaborate with local businesses, such as Augie’s Coffee House and incorporate their expresso beans into their BBQ Mac Grilled Cheese. That’s right, BBQ Mac Grilled Cheese.  Let that sink in as you google their location because now you want one. And my absolute favorite thing about them is “Free Food Friday”, where they drop off free lunch to a random local business. 

I mean, can these businesses and the amazing people that own and work there get any more mindful and grateful! These are local businesses that I feel are part of a movement that promotes mindfulness and connectedness within our community. I love that I am now a “local”, not just because my little guy has made it on the Instagram pages of Cheesewalla and Kissui, but because our mindfulness has brought us to a town that now truly feels like home everywhere we go.

Being mindful has helped us navigate our life on a journey that led us to this amazing hidden gem of a town where we can now plant our roots, and call home. Mindfulness is so simplistic in nature that I fear this is why people often shy away from it. The more aware you are in the now, the more you are able to remain present. And what it means to remain present, is to not let your mind wander to the future or back to the past, but to be mindful in the moment and emotions of the now. Feel each experience in the moment with your entire being.

Life is a wave of emotions. The tricky part is to find the balance between high and low tides. I truly believe your environment can either support or hinder this delicate balance of life and it is crucial to settle in a place that not only you can call home, but truly feels like a home within your heart, soul and entire being.

Redlands is truly a town filled with local businesses that are mindful, grateful and give back to the community in countless ways. You too can incorporate mindfulness into your daily life! It is never too late to be mindful. Here are some of my go-to mindfulness activities for individuals, kiddos and families!

Note: Danielle is not affiliated with any of the businesses or products mentioned above. She is simply a truly passionate person that loves supporting local businesses all over the IE and the world!