Today’s post is full of color, sunshine, Palm Springs entertaining, and the amazing Aqualillies! And a lot of realness. Because you don’t get the rainbow without the rain, amiright? So, in honor and shell-ebration of World Mental Health Day today, let’s dive in, shall we?

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Mental wellness is something I’ve learned a lot about this past year. And what I find most fascinating – and was demonstrated to me before my very eyes – was how even during a storm, there can be a rainbow. Literally.

So when Liz Martin, sweetheart blogger of The Charleston Weekender, entrepreneur and fellow Palm Springs-lover, approached Fred Baby and me about doing a photo shoot where the theme would be how to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud, it truly spoke to me.

This is the post I’ve been wanting to write since I posted these photos. Where I had been slammed down by anxiety after a panic attack at the grocery store, and unable to get out of bed for days. But it was too raw then and I was unable to make sense of things yet.

I think it’s hard for people to understand things they haven’t been through, whether it’s anxiety, depression, chronic illness, etc. For instance, you may be thinking, If you felt so bad, how in the world did you get dressed up and do that photo shoot?

The answer: Spoons.

I’m reading Yolanda Hadid’s book Believe Me about her battle with her chronic illness, neurological Lyme disease.

In it, she shares a simple but great analogy that a friend shared with her. Picture that you have a certain amount of spoons each day. There’s a spoon for taking a shower, a spoon for brushing your teeth, a spoon for putting on makeup, one for getting dressed, etc. Once you are out of spoons for the day, you’re out of spoons.

I accomplished that photo shoot by saving up all my spoons for about one hour of putting on makeup and shooting photos. Beforehand, I was in bed. After I was in bed.

My main battle is Hashimoto’s, and its lovely side effects of anxiety and depression pop up to join the party sometimes. They’re unwanted guests, but I’m learning more and more how to deal with these unwanted guests. And learning always to treasure the great times when my spoons seem plentiful.

In this post about overcoming a breakdown, I shared that since this shoot last December, I haven’t been over to anyone else’s house since. But recently, due in part to ASMR and Kundalini Yoga, I finally made it to someone else’s house: Liz’s Palm Springs vacation rental, The Atomic Hummingbird from Acme House Co., where we did our shoot with the Aqualillies!

It was a full-circle moment because I was at this amazing Palm Springs vacation rental house when the storms — and rainbows — first appeared. The day we shot these photos with the Aqualiliies was a dream come true.

I’ve loved the ‘lillies since I first saw them perform at The Beverly Hills Hotel five years ago. I even channeled Aqualilly vibes here! I’ve wanted to hire the Aqualillies for multiple parties I’ve hosted since, but the logistics hadn’t worked out.

Until now.

They were, of course, a total delight and everything you would imagine. Talk about being someone’s rainbow!

I’m so grateful to Liz for orchestrating this shoot and being the hostess with the mostest and to my forever rainbow, Fred Baby, for capturing the day so brilliantly.

And of course to the Aqualillies for the private show and making my dream come true.

It was a good day, with plenty of spoons, rainbows and martinis… It is Palm Springs after all.

We had a shell of a time! #NoGritNoPearl

Do you have someone who is your rainbow when it’s cloudy? Likewise, are you someone’s rainbow? Or do you try to be?

I hope this post is a reminder to anyone dealing with any mental or chronic illness, or any challenges, that while clouds will always pop up, if you’re patient, a rainbow will appear.

Try to do as the Aqualillies do: Just keep swimming.

We’re also stronger and better together when we lean on one another.

p.s. I bought these peppermint pool floats last December when we were staying here, and planned to do a holiday shoot with them there. But I ran out of spoons. It was a bittersweet moment to finally see them come to life.

Stay tuned to see where prints from this series will be available soon!

***Head over to Liz’s blog for a beautiful post about this day + some helpful tips!***

PHOTOS: FRED MOSER

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