C'mon people! You need to write more!
I get up in the morning and check my email, glance at Facebook and then read my friends' blogs. It is my way to slowly ease myself into the day.
But when people haven't written anything I have no buffer. I have to go straight from waking up to working out. And that is no fun. We all already know how clumsy I am. I don't want to imagine what would happen if I tried running before I am fully awake!
I only see one solution to this problem... you people need to write more!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
what are you saving it for?
I broke my favorite plate while doing the dishes tonight.
Which makes me a little sad.
But these things happen.
And it's better to use something daily where it gives you a little bit of joy all the time, than to let it just sit on a shelf somewhere gathering dust and getting no use at all but being totally safe.
People put away their "good stuff", their "fine china" for special occasions. But how often do they really bring it out?
I say screw it! Life IS a special occasion! Use it!
Which makes me a little sad.
But these things happen.
And it's better to use something daily where it gives you a little bit of joy all the time, than to let it just sit on a shelf somewhere gathering dust and getting no use at all but being totally safe.
People put away their "good stuff", their "fine china" for special occasions. But how often do they really bring it out?
I say screw it! Life IS a special occasion! Use it!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
love
I've got two things to say about love...
The first was something I read in a book today. I am actually reading a satire. It is called Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. It's pretty amusing. Not really the sort of book that I would expect to be quoting about love. But there was a passage today that struck me.
Let me set the scene... Jesus (who in this book goes by the name Joshua- don't ask) is talking to his buddhist master, Gaspar, at a monastery in China...
Joshua reached across the table and took the old man's hand. "You drill us every day in the same movements, we practice the same brush strokes over and over, we chant the same mantras, why? So that these actions will become natural, spontaneous, without being diluted by thought, right?"
"Yes, said Gaspar.
"Compassion is the same way," said Joshua. "That's what the yeti knew. He loved constantly, instantly, spontaneously, without thought or words. That's what he taught me. Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell. That was his gift."
Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell.
For a sarcastic satire novel about Christianity, that is kind of deep. Kind of goes with an idea a friend of mine shared with me that love is not something to be given or taken away, it is something within us.
The second thing that I was thinking about love is something that I read by Dr. Ruth.
She said that the secret to a good marriage is not love...
... it is commitment.
Which I think is 100% true.
If people go into a marriage just thinking about love, they are bound to be disappointed. ESPECIALLY if they are deeply in love on their wedding day because when that feeling fades they are going to think that something is very wrong. That they have a bad marriage.
We are human. There are times we won't like our spouse. There are times that we will have feelings for other people. Saying the magic words "I do" does not suddenly turn off our urges and our desires for other people.
If you go into a marriage thinking that "because I love this person I will never want to be with anybody else for the rest of my life" you are going to be miserable.
I'm not saying that love isn't important to a marriage.
I'm saying that a marriage can not survive on love alone.
Marriages are about commitment.
They are about looking at another person and saying, "Yes, for better or worse, I am throwing my lot in with yours. I WILL stick by your side. I will make this work. And because I commit myself to you, we will be able to grow and build a life together."
I think it is infinitely harder nowadays when we DON'T have arranged marriages. We now marry for LOVE. And so we expect to feel in love ALL the time. Perhaps our ancestors knew what they were doing... they knew that a marriage based on love alone could never work.
But maybe we are lucky. We now have the choice of whom we marry. We can have a marriage based on love AND commitment.
The first was something I read in a book today. I am actually reading a satire. It is called Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. It's pretty amusing. Not really the sort of book that I would expect to be quoting about love. But there was a passage today that struck me.
Let me set the scene... Jesus (who in this book goes by the name Joshua- don't ask) is talking to his buddhist master, Gaspar, at a monastery in China...
Joshua reached across the table and took the old man's hand. "You drill us every day in the same movements, we practice the same brush strokes over and over, we chant the same mantras, why? So that these actions will become natural, spontaneous, without being diluted by thought, right?"
"Yes, said Gaspar.
"Compassion is the same way," said Joshua. "That's what the yeti knew. He loved constantly, instantly, spontaneously, without thought or words. That's what he taught me. Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell. That was his gift."
Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell.
For a sarcastic satire novel about Christianity, that is kind of deep. Kind of goes with an idea a friend of mine shared with me that love is not something to be given or taken away, it is something within us.
The second thing that I was thinking about love is something that I read by Dr. Ruth.
She said that the secret to a good marriage is not love...
... it is commitment.
Which I think is 100% true.
If people go into a marriage just thinking about love, they are bound to be disappointed. ESPECIALLY if they are deeply in love on their wedding day because when that feeling fades they are going to think that something is very wrong. That they have a bad marriage.
We are human. There are times we won't like our spouse. There are times that we will have feelings for other people. Saying the magic words "I do" does not suddenly turn off our urges and our desires for other people.
If you go into a marriage thinking that "because I love this person I will never want to be with anybody else for the rest of my life" you are going to be miserable.
I'm not saying that love isn't important to a marriage.
I'm saying that a marriage can not survive on love alone.
Marriages are about commitment.
They are about looking at another person and saying, "Yes, for better or worse, I am throwing my lot in with yours. I WILL stick by your side. I will make this work. And because I commit myself to you, we will be able to grow and build a life together."
I think it is infinitely harder nowadays when we DON'T have arranged marriages. We now marry for LOVE. And so we expect to feel in love ALL the time. Perhaps our ancestors knew what they were doing... they knew that a marriage based on love alone could never work.
But maybe we are lucky. We now have the choice of whom we marry. We can have a marriage based on love AND commitment.
the el
I spend a considerable amount of my time riding the el.
And certain things always go through my head when I ride it. No, not "I'm gonna die!"
There are just certain phrases that pop into my head.
I can't explain them.
But whenever I round a turn I think, "The silver serpent slides through the city."
I can't help it, I like alliteration.
And there is a little song that I sing in my head while standing on the platform waiting for the train.
It goes:
Come on Brown Line,
Won't you be mine!?
(or green line, or red line, depending on the trip)
It is sung to the tune of "Look at that girl with the daisy dukes on."
I can't really explain it.
But if you ever see me doing a little dance while waiting on the platform, now you know why.
facebook photos
Do you know what is kind of a fun game? Post a bunch of photos on facebook and then when people comment on them you get sent an email but it just says that they commented on your photo, it doesn't show you the photo in your email so it is fun to try and guess what photo they are talking about!
Sometimes it is obvious but every now and then someone will comment on an OLD photo and you will be like "what on EARTH have I posted lately that would elicit that comment?"
Yes, this is what I do to amuse myself.
Sometimes it is obvious but every now and then someone will comment on an OLD photo and you will be like "what on EARTH have I posted lately that would elicit that comment?"
Yes, this is what I do to amuse myself.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
smile through the tears
I know poetry is NOT my strong suit. Do I have a strong suit? I think perhaps rambling is my strong suit. But screw it, I will subject you to my poetry anyways!
She smiled through her tears
because she knew it was just the ice
around her heart
melting
and liked chapped hands
on a wintry day
her heart was going to sting a little
as it thawed
She smiled through her tears
because she knew it was just the ice
around her heart
melting
and liked chapped hands
on a wintry day
her heart was going to sting a little
as it thawed
smile
I'm waiting for my toenails to dry so that I can go to bed. Giving myself a pedicure right before bed is perhaps NOT the brightest idea I've ever had! :)
Anyways, my point is that I have a little time to kill.
And I discovered something... if you want something that is guaranteed to make you smile (unless you are a heartless, evil curmudgeon) you should do a Google images search for the word "smile."
I think this is going to be my new bad mood buster (not that I'm in a bad mood now but it is good to remember for possibly future grumpiness.) I can imagine all sorts of words that I can do a google images search for that would probably yield some good results. Such as "panda babies" or "laughter" or "hot soccer players." I haven't tried those yet but I'm sure they will be great.
Anyways, my point is that I have a little time to kill.
And I discovered something... if you want something that is guaranteed to make you smile (unless you are a heartless, evil curmudgeon) you should do a Google images search for the word "smile."
I think this is going to be my new bad mood buster (not that I'm in a bad mood now but it is good to remember for possibly future grumpiness.) I can imagine all sorts of words that I can do a google images search for that would probably yield some good results. Such as "panda babies" or "laughter" or "hot soccer players." I haven't tried those yet but I'm sure they will be great.
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