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I Love you Again and Again

We should be able to marry again and again and again.

There is so much anticipation, so many loved ones in one place, so much love radiating from the pews, so much fun to be had dancing with little tykes and all the uncles, and so much thought into every thread that graces the stage on that ceremonious day (and so little of it afterwards) that it should never have to stop. And the look in each other’s eyes and those magical words “I do” could never lose their magic.

Besides, it can be so hard to narrow down a theme that it would be fun to be able to pick a different one every five years or experience an elopement, try a non-traditional dress, make room in the wedding party for new friends in your life, or give out party favors that convey something from each set of years you’ve spent together.

Oh, I could definitely live without the familial friction and the staggering bills, but I would desperately love to relive that enchantment that lasts only hours for one short miraculous day.

We evolve in our love for one another. And we could use a way to truly express that love beyond such trivial means available to the already-married. A way to renew that bond and celebrate something of such significance. To feel that raw love anew.

The New Charity “Race”

I just had a great idea for an invention I thought I’d share. Not so much a physical invention as an inventive idea. There are so many charity runs and only so many ways to switch those up (run a 5k night, taste beer along the way, etc). Why not do some sort of contest where you dedicate the pounds you intend to lose to a charity or worthy cause? You make some sort of pledge or solicit pledges for each pound lost. It would totally make sense to “donate your pounds” to premature babies in the ICU. This would be a great addition to a company wellness program or a gym promotion. Just a thought…

Quest for Ideas

So, I’m stuck in a bit of a rut. I have motivation, inspiration, stars-in-my-eyes overload with no outlet for it. For the life of me, no poem ideas, children’s storybook ideas, or art project ideas are sparking interest within me. It’s either I have the ideas or the inspiration, rarely both.

So, I’m just going to sit down and brainstorm. I’ve decided I’m going to force myself to harvest this crop of inspiration. Not the momma-said-so-I’m-not-going-to force myself, but a sit-in-front-of-computer-screen-until-something-comes-out force. Perhaps rummaging through some of my reading list and following links from there will lead me on a path of discovery. But therein lies some of the problem. I like to get caught up in other peoples’ ideas and start the I-wish-I-would’ve-thought-of-that mind game that could make it worse.

Kids, this is the reason they tell you to be in constant practice of your chosen art form. The second you stop writing, drawing, knitting, drafting, etc is the moment you lose your mojo. Some of my best ideas were born when I was the busiest I’ve ever been in my life, so I can’t use the I-have-no-time excuse. Here I go…weeeeeee!

Rose Water


Picture courtesy of Sunipix

My sweet husband bought me a highly-discounted handful of roses on purpose last week for our anniversary (seriously, what a doll!). He had heard me comment in passing that I wanted to take some rose petals from our rose bushes and put them in a bath just because. Once in full bloom two weeks ago, said rose bushes now produce nary a petal.

So, the dear bought me this nearly-withering bunch so I could put them directly into the bath after one day desktop. And oh the prettiness of crimson petals in the bath and that satiny feel against the skin. And I’m left wondering, why not do a celebratory thing like this every day?

Turning Happiness Up a Notch

I mentioned something in a previous post about always doing something to nourish yourself, such as listening to music at work. I’ve been thinking a lot about this and I can see so many benefits from listening at work that I thought it would be beneficial to share so that everyone can benefit from it.

1. Music drowns out those “corporate sounds” of copying machines, bubblers cooling off, high heels on concrete, sales calls, incessant typing and other noises that sometimes stifle our sense of individuality.

2. Your taste in music and the emotions that the music evokes provide you with a sense of place in the world that extends far beyond the makeshift walls of your cubicle. It’s so easy to surrender to the grind that we could sometimes use a shift.

3. I tend to find lyrics the perfect ignition for my creative wheels. Sometimes a line of music–or even my mis-hearing of a line–provides me with an idea that churns itself into a pearl.

4. This is your chance to learn about new and unheard-of artists. Pandora is my go-to place. You type in your favorite song or artist or someone you hear about in a magazine or blog posting and you get a personalized radio station with similar-sounding musicians to expand your playlist.

5. Music has the profound ability to change or complement any mood. I turn on the meditation stations when I’m getting stressed out or the modern folk station when I need an artistic boost.

Today I’m listening to classical music, trying to memorize the names of composers and broaden my cultural knowledge. Come on, tune in!

A Dream Journal Entry

I had a dream last night that I was commending a younger woman, maybe 21, for publishing her first book. It almost felt as though I was talking to a different manifestation of myself. The girl was at a book release party and I was offering my praise to her for writing without consequence, indulging her talent despite the oppressive gamble that a writing profession can become, and making her way despite all the cumbersome rules and regulations of the writing world. She just wrote, simple as that. She did not fear the critics in her future. She did not read all the writing literature that could have made her feel like an unqualified impostor. She did not put down her pen when the plot puzzle seemed insolvable. She wrote, she worked, she succeeded.

This dream seemed to be a push for my later-20s self to get to it! Just write! And perhaps enjoy my productive 20s exactly as I would like them.

Taking Stock

Today is my birthday and there’s no better day to take stock of your life than on the very day it began.

Although I’m edging closer and closer to 30, and my husband has pointed out some wrinkles beneath my eyes (thanks dear), I know I have a whole lot more to offer this planet in oncoming years.

Since it’s my birthday and I can do whatever I want, I want to make sure I spend the whole year indulging in things that I truly do want. I don’t want the majority of my life to be spent focusing on things that don’t matter. I received a completely fitting birthday email from my favorite website, sparkpeople.com, that said “what matters most in life is often viewed as peripheral to the things we usually focus on” and that’s just not right. We all have to work and we all have responsibilities, but that does not mean we should direct all our energy towards meaningless dust.

Even when we’re at work, we can indulge in our favorite music on headphones, we can surround ourselves with fragrant flowers, and we can use our breaks to participate in our passions. Even when we’re commuting in heavy traffic, we can listen to our favorite audio books. Even when we’re waiting in a long line, we can take those moments to visualize our dream vacations or plot our Great American Novels.

This year will be the year I participate only in things that nourish my body and soul. Even formidable trips to the dentist have their place in whole-body wellbeing. And sweeping the kitchen provides a renewed, purified caccoon for my family and me. (After all, a clean room is much more relaxing to me). But also squeezing in lunches with friends, cultural activities and trips. Nourishing the body and soul not only involves doing things we’re passionate about, but also acknowledging the nourishing aspects of the events that at first seem obstructive to our wellbeing.

Personal Goal List

I think it’s important to have a list of printed goals rather than a mind full of fleeting I-wish-I-would-haves or someday-I-wills. There are always steps we can take to accomplish almost anything, no matter how far-fetched they may seem.

I think it’s important to return to a childlike state of mind sometimes as well. I wrote a few songs in grade school that a music teacher translated into music for a Christmas pageant at church. There were no critics, no research, no statistics of songwriting success standing in my way.

Anyhow, here is my current list of goals. And this is a work in progress. I’ll update as I think of new things.

Fitness goals:
1. Become a personal trainer.
2. Win a running race.
3. Run a race in another state.
4. Yoga: Be flexible enough to clasp my arms behind my back and master crow pose.
5. Write a fitness magazine article that gets printed in a major publication.
6. Be spotlighted in a fitness article as a success story.

Career goals:
1. Publish a novel.
2. Publish a book of poems.
3. Write magazine articles.
4. Be asked for an autograph from someone that I don’t know.

Home life:
1. Move into a beautiful home in the country with a large sun room, hardwood floors, lots of windows and an inherent clean feeling where bums aren’t likely to sleep on the porch or shatter windshields.

Trips
1. Weekend spa trip with yoga, nourishing food, and meditation.
2. Visit a remote location that has barely been touched by humans.
3. Snorkel to the coral reefs

Feeling of Freedom

I won’t give you my opinions on war, but I will say that I have undying support for our service members.

One of my very favorite things in life is the singing of the Star Spangled Banner at sporting events and any other organized event. The pride, the hands on the hearts, the removed hats, the way everyone drops what they’re doing to stand still and listen, the way the song provides a feeling of cohesion and belonging among everyone in attendance, the people brave enough to sing those notes, the reverent silence, the depth behind the lyrics and the explosive applause afterwards. I get a little choked up every. single. time. So many emotions rush through me that it’s difficult to keep my composure, but in a good way. I am proud that the flag yet waves o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Gregorian Chant

I hope you don’t think I’m a fruitcake, but I’m listening to Gregorian Chant on Pandora (the irony isn’t lost on me) as we speak.

There is something so simplistic, yet something so powerful about this antiquated music form. It’s deeply soothing, deeply spiritual and deeply grounding even though it’s orchestrated without any accompanying music whatsoever. It takes any anxiety or tightness and melts it away. The resonant, meditative quality leaves you feeling like you have an innate sense of well being and purity.

The music brings me back to the safety and incense of the Catholic church I grew up in, the wooden pews, the skyward ceilings and the melancholy yet artful stained glass windows; a constant in my life.