#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.
Health Gossip with Marie
Scorpio/Virgo/Virgo
Los Angeles, CA
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.
