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TODAY
With Joy, always.

Love,
Libby
#thiscoldjoy
#coldexposure

EXPANSION:AGING
Starting something new at 60 wasn’t on my bingo card. Modeling of all things. But here we are, under bright lights, surrounded by familiar hums of cameras and crew. I’ve spent my career on set directing, shaping images, guiding others. Now I stand in front of the lens. It feels both strange and right. The same creative pulse, only from a new view. The work is no longer about control, it’s about trust and believing. Joy in the unexpected. Life keeps offering new chapters if you keep saying yes.

Why do it?
Because it matters to be seen. Representation shapes what we believe is possible. Too often, we erase women past a certain age, as if curiosity, style, and vitality fade with color in our hair. They don’t. I want my presence, my face, my lines, to quietly say, you are wonderful. I see you.

We deserve to see full lives reflected back. Wrinkles tell stories. Grey hair marks time lived. Visibility isn’t vanity, it’s truth. The more we show up, the more we expand what aging looks like.

Do what feels wonderful to you. This is what wonderful feels like to me.

Agency @wespeakmodels
Photo @kristinashakht
HMU @sarahhartistry
Styling @ezaks
Glasses vintage @gucci
Suit made from recycled men’s @house_of_tame
Shirt son’s hand me down

Three years ago, out of the blue, surprisingly, serendipitously, magically I started modeling.
Yep.
Modeling.
A word I still trip over and find hard to carry. But here I am, in front of the camera after a lifetime behind it. I didn’t know what I was doing at first. I was a beginner in a world I thought I understood. Turns out, learning something new, when you’re 60 plus, is wild and wonderful. I worked to stay open, listened to notes, laughed at my awkward arms, and showed up again and again. And somehow I’ve had the chance to work with photographers I once only dreamed of collaborating with as an art director. It’s been a little surreal and a lot of fun.

Why do I do it?
Two reasons.
First, I love being on set. Always have. It feels like home.
Second, I want more representation of those of us who are choosing to age naturally. I never saw people in the media who looked like me growing up. So now I show up. Silver hair, full wrinkles, age spots, big grin and all. I’m still learning how to do this. Still giggling. Still in awe. And truly, this chapter feels like a dream.

For @linguafrancanyc
Shirt hand me down from our son
Agency @wespeakmodels
Photo @nickthomsen
Glasses @caddis
#silverhair

Kelp has been feeding coastlines for a long time. Indigenous peoples along the coasts harvested it for centuries, wrapping food, fertilizing fields, reading the health of the ocean by its presence or absence. Japanese farmers cultivated it in careful underwater rows as far back as the 17th century.

Here is what kelp actually does, quietly, without asking for credit.
•It grows up to two feet a day, pulling carbon from the water as it goes
•A single kelp forest absorbs carbon at a rate that rivals terrestrial rainforests
•It oxygenates the ocean, buffering acidification that bleaches coral and collapses shellfish populations
•It is habitat, nursery, and food source for hundreds of species, from the tiniest zooplankton to sea otters who wrap themselves in it to sleep
•It filters excess nitrogen from agricultural runoff before it can create dead zones

We are losing kelp forests at staggering speed. Warming water, sea urchin overpopulation, pollution. The forests that once stretched for miles along California’s coast have shrunk by as much as 95% in some areas.

Kelp farming is not the whole answer. Nothing ever is. But it is one of the few interventions we have that gives back more than it takes. Restored kelp pulls carbon, rebuilds fisheries, cleans water, and feeds communities, all at once.

The ocean has always known what it needed. We are just learning to listen.

If you want to see this work up close, visit GreenWave in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded by former fisherman Bren Smith, @greenwaveorgis building a network of regenerative ocean farms. I am no expert just trying to learn. If you have any more info please share.

With @martabe
#kelp #greenwave #regenerativefarming

Kelp has been feeding coastlines for a long time. Indigenous peoples along the coasts harvested it for centuries, wrapping food, fertilizing fields, reading the health of the ocean by its presence or absence. Japanese farmers cultivated it in careful underwater rows as far back as the 17th century.

Here is what kelp actually does, quietly, without asking for credit.
•It grows up to two feet a day, pulling carbon from the water as it goes
•A single kelp forest absorbs carbon at a rate that rivals terrestrial rainforests
•It oxygenates the ocean, buffering acidification that bleaches coral and collapses shellfish populations
•It is habitat, nursery, and food source for hundreds of species, from the tiniest zooplankton to sea otters who wrap themselves in it to sleep
•It filters excess nitrogen from agricultural runoff before it can create dead zones

We are losing kelp forests at staggering speed. Warming water, sea urchin overpopulation, pollution. The forests that once stretched for miles along California’s coast have shrunk by as much as 95% in some areas.

Kelp farming is not the whole answer. Nothing ever is. But it is one of the few interventions we have that gives back more than it takes. Restored kelp pulls carbon, rebuilds fisheries, cleans water, and feeds communities, all at once.

The ocean has always known what it needed. We are just learning to listen.

If you want to see this work up close, visit GreenWave in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded by former fisherman Bren Smith, @greenwaveorgis building a network of regenerative ocean farms. I am no expert just trying to learn. If you have any more info please share.

With @martabe
#kelp #greenwave #regenerativefarming

Kelp has been feeding coastlines for a long time. Indigenous peoples along the coasts harvested it for centuries, wrapping food, fertilizing fields, reading the health of the ocean by its presence or absence. Japanese farmers cultivated it in careful underwater rows as far back as the 17th century.

Here is what kelp actually does, quietly, without asking for credit.
•It grows up to two feet a day, pulling carbon from the water as it goes
•A single kelp forest absorbs carbon at a rate that rivals terrestrial rainforests
•It oxygenates the ocean, buffering acidification that bleaches coral and collapses shellfish populations
•It is habitat, nursery, and food source for hundreds of species, from the tiniest zooplankton to sea otters who wrap themselves in it to sleep
•It filters excess nitrogen from agricultural runoff before it can create dead zones

We are losing kelp forests at staggering speed. Warming water, sea urchin overpopulation, pollution. The forests that once stretched for miles along California’s coast have shrunk by as much as 95% in some areas.

Kelp farming is not the whole answer. Nothing ever is. But it is one of the few interventions we have that gives back more than it takes. Restored kelp pulls carbon, rebuilds fisheries, cleans water, and feeds communities, all at once.

The ocean has always known what it needed. We are just learning to listen.

If you want to see this work up close, visit GreenWave in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded by former fisherman Bren Smith, @greenwaveorgis building a network of regenerative ocean farms. I am no expert just trying to learn. If you have any more info please share.

With @martabe
#kelp #greenwave #regenerativefarming

Kelp has been feeding coastlines for a long time. Indigenous peoples along the coasts harvested it for centuries, wrapping food, fertilizing fields, reading the health of the ocean by its presence or absence. Japanese farmers cultivated it in careful underwater rows as far back as the 17th century.

Here is what kelp actually does, quietly, without asking for credit.
•It grows up to two feet a day, pulling carbon from the water as it goes
•A single kelp forest absorbs carbon at a rate that rivals terrestrial rainforests
•It oxygenates the ocean, buffering acidification that bleaches coral and collapses shellfish populations
•It is habitat, nursery, and food source for hundreds of species, from the tiniest zooplankton to sea otters who wrap themselves in it to sleep
•It filters excess nitrogen from agricultural runoff before it can create dead zones

We are losing kelp forests at staggering speed. Warming water, sea urchin overpopulation, pollution. The forests that once stretched for miles along California’s coast have shrunk by as much as 95% in some areas.

Kelp farming is not the whole answer. Nothing ever is. But it is one of the few interventions we have that gives back more than it takes. Restored kelp pulls carbon, rebuilds fisheries, cleans water, and feeds communities, all at once.

The ocean has always known what it needed. We are just learning to listen.

If you want to see this work up close, visit GreenWave in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded by former fisherman Bren Smith, @greenwaveorgis building a network of regenerative ocean farms. I am no expert just trying to learn. If you have any more info please share.

With @martabe
#kelp #greenwave #regenerativefarming

Kelp has been feeding coastlines for a long time. Indigenous peoples along the coasts harvested it for centuries, wrapping food, fertilizing fields, reading the health of the ocean by its presence or absence. Japanese farmers cultivated it in careful underwater rows as far back as the 17th century.

Here is what kelp actually does, quietly, without asking for credit.
•It grows up to two feet a day, pulling carbon from the water as it goes
•A single kelp forest absorbs carbon at a rate that rivals terrestrial rainforests
•It oxygenates the ocean, buffering acidification that bleaches coral and collapses shellfish populations
•It is habitat, nursery, and food source for hundreds of species, from the tiniest zooplankton to sea otters who wrap themselves in it to sleep
•It filters excess nitrogen from agricultural runoff before it can create dead zones

We are losing kelp forests at staggering speed. Warming water, sea urchin overpopulation, pollution. The forests that once stretched for miles along California’s coast have shrunk by as much as 95% in some areas.

Kelp farming is not the whole answer. Nothing ever is. But it is one of the few interventions we have that gives back more than it takes. Restored kelp pulls carbon, rebuilds fisheries, cleans water, and feeds communities, all at once.

The ocean has always known what it needed. We are just learning to listen.

If you want to see this work up close, visit GreenWave in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded by former fisherman Bren Smith, @greenwaveorgis building a network of regenerative ocean farms. I am no expert just trying to learn. If you have any more info please share.

With @martabe
#kelp #greenwave #regenerativefarming

LOST:WORDS
This is the book I keep close, ready to read aloud or press into the hands of someone who needs it. I feel like I always need it.

The Lost Words began as a small acknowledgment of grief. The Oxford Junior Dictionary had quietly removed acorn, bluebell, kingfisher, otter, wren, willow, fern from their dictionary. The reason given was that children no longer used those words. They had been replaced by chatroom, broadband, blog, bullet point.

Robert Macfarlane @robgmacfarlane wrote spells in response. Acrostic poems meant to be read out loud, to summon back the things they named. Jackie Morris @jackiemorrisartist painted each creature in gold leaf and watercolor. They are breathtaking. Both breathtaking, words and color.

On mornings when the world feel too too. Too loud, too quiet, too much and not enough.I open this book and read the spell for heron. Or fern. Something feels better. I don’t know what feels better. Maybe, the world.The world fills back in around its edges.

If there is a child in your life, give them this book. If there isn’t, give it to yourself anyway. These words are still ours to carry and keep alive.

I just saw it thr other day at @jabberwockybooks.nbpt go get it. #supportlocalbookstores

#lostwords

LOST:WORDS
This is the book I keep close, ready to read aloud or press into the hands of someone who needs it. I feel like I always need it.

The Lost Words began as a small acknowledgment of grief. The Oxford Junior Dictionary had quietly removed acorn, bluebell, kingfisher, otter, wren, willow, fern from their dictionary. The reason given was that children no longer used those words. They had been replaced by chatroom, broadband, blog, bullet point.

Robert Macfarlane @robgmacfarlane wrote spells in response. Acrostic poems meant to be read out loud, to summon back the things they named. Jackie Morris @jackiemorrisartist painted each creature in gold leaf and watercolor. They are breathtaking. Both breathtaking, words and color.

On mornings when the world feel too too. Too loud, too quiet, too much and not enough.I open this book and read the spell for heron. Or fern. Something feels better. I don’t know what feels better. Maybe, the world.The world fills back in around its edges.

If there is a child in your life, give them this book. If there isn’t, give it to yourself anyway. These words are still ours to carry and keep alive.

I just saw it thr other day at @jabberwockybooks.nbpt go get it. #supportlocalbookstores

#lostwords

LOST:WORDS
This is the book I keep close, ready to read aloud or press into the hands of someone who needs it. I feel like I always need it.

The Lost Words began as a small acknowledgment of grief. The Oxford Junior Dictionary had quietly removed acorn, bluebell, kingfisher, otter, wren, willow, fern from their dictionary. The reason given was that children no longer used those words. They had been replaced by chatroom, broadband, blog, bullet point.

Robert Macfarlane @robgmacfarlane wrote spells in response. Acrostic poems meant to be read out loud, to summon back the things they named. Jackie Morris @jackiemorrisartist painted each creature in gold leaf and watercolor. They are breathtaking. Both breathtaking, words and color.

On mornings when the world feel too too. Too loud, too quiet, too much and not enough.I open this book and read the spell for heron. Or fern. Something feels better. I don’t know what feels better. Maybe, the world.The world fills back in around its edges.

If there is a child in your life, give them this book. If there isn’t, give it to yourself anyway. These words are still ours to carry and keep alive.

I just saw it thr other day at @jabberwockybooks.nbpt go get it. #supportlocalbookstores

#lostwords

WILD:MORELS
Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself.
Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.
Ask permission before taking.
Abide by the answer.
Never take the first.
Never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half.
Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully.
Never waste what you have taken. Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

@thismorningwalk with @chefeduardogarcia, 10 years ago, foraging for the golden wild morels. #thismorningwalk #foraging

WILD:MORELS
Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself.
Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.
Ask permission before taking.
Abide by the answer.
Never take the first.
Never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half.
Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully.
Never waste what you have taken. Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

@thismorningwalk with @chefeduardogarcia, 10 years ago, foraging for the golden wild morels. #thismorningwalk #foraging

WILD:MORELS
Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself.
Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.
Ask permission before taking.
Abide by the answer.
Never take the first.
Never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half.
Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully.
Never waste what you have taken. Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

@thismorningwalk with @chefeduardogarcia, 10 years ago, foraging for the golden wild morels. #thismorningwalk #foraging

WILD:MORELS
Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself.
Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.
Ask permission before taking.
Abide by the answer.
Never take the first.
Never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half.
Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully.
Never waste what you have taken. Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

@thismorningwalk with @chefeduardogarcia, 10 years ago, foraging for the golden wild morels. #thismorningwalk #foraging

GOOD:MORNING
*wait for it*
We got out of the water after @thiscoldjoy and this happened!!

Bald eagles are large North American birds of prey (weighing 8–14 lbs with 7-8 ft wingspans) known for their distinctive white heads, dark bodies, and impressive hunting abilities. They mate for life, build the largest tree nests of any animal, and possess, says the National Eagle Center, extraordinary eyesight, allowing them to spot prey from three miles away.

“When an eagle appears, you are on notice to be courageous and stretch your limits. Do not accept the status quo, but rather reach higher and become more than you believe you are capable of. Look at things from a new, higher perspective. Be patient with the present; know that the future holds possibilities that you may not yet be able to see. You are about to take flight.”

#thiscoldjoy #baldeagles #newburyport

WIDE OPEN SPACES
Each of us must cherish the natural world that surrounds us, from wide open countryside to tiny patches of green in our cities.
- Sir David Attenborough

As my mom used to say:
We all have our part in protecting this planet.
USE IT UP
WEAR IT OUT
or
MAKE DO WITHOUT.

#thiscoldjoy sunrise dance party #coldexposure

WAKE UP EVERYBODY
Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

@thismorningwalk trying to metabolize some scratchy emotions. Walk on WalkStars

BETTER:WORLD
That’s all I’ve ever dreamed of, Mr. Bones. To make the world a better place. To bring some beauty to the drab humdrum corners of the soul. You can do it with a toaster, you can do it with a poem, you can do it by reaching out your hand to a stranger. It doesn’t matter what form it takes. To leave the world a little better than you found it. That’s the best a man can ever do.
- Paul Auster, Timbuktu

To leave the world a little better than we found it. That’s the goal. Walk on.

Walk on.

Photo by @chrisdempsey.photo
#thismorningwalk #walk

MAY:DAY
I went to Tip Top Tulips @felixsfamilyfarm this morning, just to be inside the color. 350,000 bulbs! The sun was warm, the wind kind. Kids wandering the rows like they wwere checking on things, making sure each tulip was tended to.

Edith Wharton wrote, “The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.”

All the May feels. Standing in all those open faces, the long winter loosening its grip, the ground finally warm under my boots. There is a tenderness to this season that catches me every year. The way the world keeps choosing to come back. The way the tulips do not hold anything in reserve, they just open, fully, generously, with no concern for what comes next.

May Day is older than any of us. People used to rise before dawn, weave flowers into crowns, leave small baskets on doorsteps as a kind of secret blessing. I love that. To mark the day. To say, look at this. Look what the earth is doing. Look what we get to witness.

So today, a tulip for you. A patch of warm sun. A sky that goes on and on. Whatever small gladness finds its way to your door, may you open it.
Happy May Day.

When we love the earth, we are able to love ourselves more fully.
- Bell Hooks, Belonging: A Culture of Place

#thismorningwalk jetlaggy back home in #newburyport