bellus vita

Born in England to an American mum (although Austrian decent) and British dad.
Half of my family are in the UK and half in the US. Spent half my life in London/Europe and half in Philly of all places. After University - worked in Film Producing amongst some pretty other amazing, once in a lifetime (too hard to explain) jobs for about 7 years!!
(I come from a pretty artsy background so working in film felt pretty natural despite my education in Psych/Soc.) Nevertheless, I'm a big believer in.... "It's not what you Do in life, but what you do With It that matters the most." I'm not one to get caught up in job titles, earnings, material things, fame/celebrities (although had the fortune to meet/work with many). I believe that it's important to utilize your life and be an active citizen.
Maybe I'm a nerd or maybe just spent too many years in the educational system that I can't ignore certain truths - but yes, on a daily basis I actually do think about things like our environment and that fact that people are really homeless on the street. So I gave up my very Exciting job, moved back to Philly and just finished a grad degree in nursing.
I started volunteering when I was 13 & have kept it up for 20 years - and I'll say this-
there are so many organizations left with so little help... Volunteer primarily with homeless children and kids from poor, inner city backgrounds who have HIV and, to say the least,
a pretty rough life. Yet it's not depressing because nothing makes you feel more alive and positive than seeing these kids radiate with joy just because you walked in the room.
I am probably one of those people that could actually live my life doing aide work in a developing country and/or open my own local clinic one day. Yet, having said that,
I can assure you...I'm neither a saint nor a bore. I've definitely had my fair share of doing some pretty insanely wild things, time and then, Time Again - and often look back wondering how I/anyone manages to pull through it all in one piece. I just think it's possible to live an exciting, adventurous, fulfilling life while still staying balanced and recognizing the world around you... Not one to say that other people should follow a similar path. I think everyone has their own defining, talents/qualities and gifts to offer the rest of us - but I do think it's important to not get too self-absorbed.
Anyway, who knows where life will lead... As much as I aspire to certain things -
I leave life open to possibility/spontaneity and to the people/circumstances that come along the way and alter it's course. I'm as much a big city girl who loves how vibrant it all can be as I am someone who loves the outdoors/nature. I love being active, seeing live shows, happy hour, dinner parties, lounge bars as much as I love ocean kayaking and hiking deep into nowhere. I treasure my amazing friends from all over the world and love the new people you get to meet along the way in life. I love people with depth of character yet completely open in terms of honesty. Who has the time or the energy to try and decipher otherwise? .... I've seen first hand how the one's you Love the Absolute Most may face a life cut unexpectedly short. So w/o a doubt, I want the Moments I Spend With You - whoever you are - to be honest and genuine and passionate and real. I try to surround myself with healthy, positive, inspiring - quirky, funny people. People with their own unique character - who have something so great to offer - yet humble enough to know the value of being genuinely good to others. I like people that don't take things for granted. Life can get cluttered with events, people, schedules - and I think it's important to know how to just Stop and Recognize a great thing when it's right there in front of you!
I consider myself a whole-heartedly - kind, empathetic, down-to-earth, energetic, truly authentic, soulful and certainly veryyy sensual person who can recognize the same in others. I love to live life to the fullest and adore people that can make me feel Truly Alive ... and laugh endlessly!