Today, this quote from Pushing Daisies really got to me:
I woke up this morning just before 9:30 under perfect conditions. The light coming in through the skylight was really pale - cheerful yet unoppressive thanks to the cloud-cover, the temperature in my room is cool, and the house was quiet. To boot, I had a gently snoring cat in a tuxedo (such a gentleman!) curled up against my legs. Let me tell you, aside from the fact that in everyday life I'd rather be slightly cold than overheated, I will consciously savor these chilly mornings because I know that as summer approaches they will be very few and far between.
My Senses this Sunday:
Seeing:
Signs of spring everywhere.
Hearing:
The melodious tones of Kate Nash...however, I could do without all the expletives. A well-placed expletive is really effective, but she really overdoes it to the point where it can distract from her otherwise great songwriting.
This is the song I'm hearing right now:
Tasting:
Banana! I always eat them before I work out...today the (still sore) memory of the charley horse in my calf won't let me forget.
Smelling:
Laundry fresh out of the dryer.
Feeling:
The muscles in my legs are waking up after a nice long walk at Valley Green yesterday.
Long ago, someone built this wall expressly for moongazing:
I've been getting into the band Spoon lately, and their song "Goodnight Laura" is the current preferred lullaby for this quarter-century-old lady...it's simple, poignant, short, and very sweet.
...heck, who am I kidding? This song isn't just the perfect lullaby...I listened to it all day! Over and over. And over. Here it is, with lyrics below, for your enjoyment:
"Goodnight Laura"
by Spoon
Goodnight Laura
Don't you know, your bed awaits and now it's time for sleeping?
Goodnight Laura, close your eyes
Your worries are meant to stop for now;
You know they're not for keeping.
If you want to fall asleep, be very still..
And you close your eyes and slow yourself and let your worry leave you
And let go of it all just for this evening...
Alright?
Alright.
You can fall asleep by being very still.
And let your breath slow down,
And when you think your thoughts be sure that they are sweet ones.
Don't you know, love, you're alright?
You're alright.
...okay, it's bedtime. I've dismissed my worries and am thinking sweet thoughts...I'm alright.
Goodnight.
...just add water.
Within the space of a femtosecond, this filled me with joy:
After a bangin' sushi dinner last night, I got a great fortune.
These guys make me so happy:
Sometimes I feel like I'm in such a hurry, but I'm not. Which is super cool. In fact, I shouldn't be rushing. So, I'm going to look around and not rush...or at least I'll try not to.
Ten Rules for Being Human
by Cherie Carter-Scott
1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, “life.”
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”
4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There’s no part of life that doesn’t contain its lessons. If you’re alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6. “There” is no better a place than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”
7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life’s questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. You will forget all this.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
- Albert Einstein
I never thought I'd say this, but sometimes I like not having windows in my room. The temperature is more consistent, there's more wall real estate, and...I have a skylight.
This morning, I woke up feeling like "spring." Despite being bone-tired, as it's impossible for me to get decent sleep on high doses of prednisone, dim light filtering through the blinds above my head helped get me up and moving, and on my way out the door I was met with the fresh smell that follows rain and...song! I think the shrubs in front of my house are sparrow condos because the birds seem to take permanent residence there, and there's always a ruckus: drama, joys, sorrows, arguments, ladies' twig clubs, avian shop quartets. You know, standard community goings-on. But this morning there was more singing than griping and chattering.
That's one thing I love about Philly - the east coast in general: spring just arrives one day and sticks around. Even when it snows in the spring, as soon as it melts enough, you can see the determined little green shoots poking up out of the white stuff, no doubt saying "o hai! iz heer. nawt leevin, srsly." And then when the trees start to flower?! Lawdy. I'm just so grateful that I don't suffer from allergies so I can enjoy it as much as I do!
Someone brought in fresh bagels this morning, and I snagged the last blueberry that was hiding in the bottom of the bag. Nom. Also, today is wrap day. Nom^2. Isn't math great?
I came across this first thing in the morning, and will carry several of these gems with me throughout the day:
"As far as I see it, the only boundaries you have are the ones you set for yourself."
...a wise Porkchop reminded me of that today.
This is how I feel:
...and a halo of patience, and a less sporadic pace and
I'm learning to be brave in my beautiful mistakes.
It's been a long time since I posted (yes, I'm stating the obvious, not insulting your ability to look at timestamps), and I notice that I feel significantly heavier, and that's not just the prednisone talking. Blogging helps immensely, but I can't seem to find the time to post the way I want to - I am the same way with emails and phone calls - if I don't have to time to present a truly thoughtful response (which takes me forever to compose), I tend to not write/say anything until I find the time, and then I don't find the time, and blah blah blah. Then I come off as a flake, but my intentions are good, I promise.
Another blogger I know who has a hard time posting consistently suggested designating one day of the week; being a fan of routine, I think I might try that.
Turning 25 was the first year I felt "different." It might have something to do with the fact that the day before my birthday, I filled out some form in which I had to check off my age demographic...putting myself in the 25-34 category was startling. Not bad, just startling.
A lot has changed since I last posted. All relationships require a lot of effort. I used to think that once I was comfortable trusting someone, I had no problem being vulnerable to him/her, but I am finding that this isn't really the case anymore. Often, I catch myself being wary even with those closest to me, but maybe that's not such a bad thing. On the flipside, I've been more open with my family lately, which has been really great and beneficial. I'm a lot closer with my mom, for instance, and I've been drawing lots of strength and wisdom from my sister. My last fortune cookie slip was one of the more inspiring and applicable I've had, and read "Share your joys and sorrows with your family." I'd been sharing my joys, but not my sorrows; after the repercussions from my last relationship hit, I found that things would have been a lot easier if I hadn't isolated myself so much. I don't know whether I did that to shield them, or because I was in denial. Now, I'm an open book and I've felt a lot more balanced knowing that I have an unwavering social support system; at least with my family, I know that they just want me to be happy without agenda and will help me achieve that. I'm lucky to have a family like mine.
I have crap I want to post, like cool pics and stuff. I'll do it later. Lunch is here.
