#33: Marie Lopez
"Beyond contrary belief, I crave monotony and the quietude of boredom."
Today’s guest is Marie Lopez, a writer and artist usually based in Los Angeles. These responses were originally recorded in October, while she was plant sitting an herb garden in Antwerp, Belgium.
At a glance…
Location: Los Angeles
Big 3: Scorpio/Virgo/Virgo
What does health, or being healthy, mean to you?
Being intuitive.
I have a history of orthorexic tendencies. When I was younger I felt the need to exert control in my life as much as I could, wherever possible. I projected that desire of control onto my food habits. Back then, I thought power was a source of freedom. If I wanted a slice of cake, I told myself I had to run a certain amount on the treadmill or commit to consecutive days of pilates. That was a very punishing way of living.
Now, if I want a slice of cake, I have less “food noise” surrounding that decision.
Being intuitive in not only my health but also my life choices doesn’t mean I allow myself to be overindulgent. While overdoing it isn’t a crime, I try to be softer on myself. “It's what makes life interesting, finding the balance between cigarettes and tofu” — Gwyneth Paltrow.
Being healthy means having an open heart, being adaptable. I feel the most healthy when I'm not only kind and forgiving towards myself but towards others, too. My mother used to always tell me to “put away the whip” whenever I festered in negative self talk. I used to struggle with a lot of anger. I used to carry a chip on my shoulder that was really just a defense mechanism, a way of shielding myself from the world. I realized that I didn’t have to carry my grief alone. I started opening myself up to the world a bit more. While doing that inevitably can lead to heartbreak, I’d rather be a heartbroken person than a person stunted by a fear of closeness.
How would you describe your current lifestyle?
I've been struggling with finding my routine. I'm writing this from a hotel lobby lounge in Antwerp, Belgium. I'm in Antwerp all of October. Before that I was in Amsterdam and Paris. I live in Los Angeles but have only lived there a year. I'm still finding my footing in LA. I'm a bit of a nomadic chaos agent at the moment. Beyond contrary belief, I crave monotony and the quietude of boredom.
How do you start and end your days?
I start my day with warm lemon water with chia seeds and a black coffee, preferably brought to me in bed by a lover. I still struggle to eat food in the mornings but if I do eat something before noon it'll be 2 boiled eggs, maybe raw cheese, raw turmeric kefir. I wash my face with nothing but water in the morning, apply some kind of gentle Korean toner, moisturizer (I have a few on rotation but lately I've been loving Eucerin's French Urea formula) and sunscreen. I have my first cigarette by 11 am.