Collecting Happiness (and all that other ness):

 

After I read this I felt a stir of motivation to look at life with less dread for the day-in, day-out that wears me down so much. I actually wrote a post a while back about collecting loveliness, keeping it all in a box of 'Things I Like'. Funny how somethings, even years later, still remain relevant.

The moments she touches on are beautiful - the kind that make your heart hurt. But ultimately they are personal to her. At first I was bummed that reading this lovely little gem of a post didn't conjure up those same feelings in full effect for me. The more I thought about it, got up, walked around, chewed on a pen or two, the more I realized that it did exactly what it was supposed to do. It reminded me of my own personal quest to surround myself with things that inspire me, challenge me, or just bring beauty and joy to 'the everyday'. I suppose that's the point, no one's 'moments of absolute happiness' can be the same; they're all like fingerprints. I miss noticing little things, things that make me happy.

There's been all this talk of Summer Bucket Listing and expectations for the warmer months, and I'll be honest, I've been ambivalent to put tip to sheet and start the listing process. It seems like a fruitless labor in the midst of April. There is still so much doing that needs to be done before I can hang up my school shoes and let summer slow me down a bit. 

But still, I think the thing I'm looking forward to most of all is something I have lost sight of since Christmas - simplicity. The author of this blog talks about the 'smaller, maybe more unexpected' things and I think there is a pretty sizable comfort in that. It makes us slow down, it makes us look harder, it makes us more aware of what's around us, it's grounding, humbling, and it causes you to require less to be satisfied. 

I think there is something kind of great about that - requiring less to be satisfied.

And thank you Abbey of Design Scouting for inspiring me to start blogging again.

-a

To Do.

A list of things I’d like to do.

 

Buy a coconut, crack it open, and eat it outside somewhere.

Buy a new septum piercing and hopefully be able to put it back in by myself without crying.

Visit my best friend.

Touch a sea creature.

Re-color my hair.

A list of things I need to do and don’t really want to do.

Homework for all of my classes.

Reschedule a therapy appointment.

Floss.

Be an adult.

Happy New Year!



Photo Credit: LIFE

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

-a

I'm feeling like I need to listen to a Louis L'Amour book on tape and sit still for awhile.

 Brett:  I would like to give you a kiss.

 me:  I would like to move to the country where we would both smell like salt and leather.

 Brett:  You win.

 me:  I don't have to win. We can do both. I'd prefer it that way, actually.

The highs and lows of Animalia

I saw these prints today on Indie Fixx. I just love them! I want to frame them and hang them side by side in our living room.

Happy (almost) Friday!

-a

Simple and to the point

Some great old farmer's advice...

“Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.”
“Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.”
“Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.”
“A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.”
“Words that soak into your ears are whispered…….not yelled.”
“Meanness don’t just happen overnight.”
“Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.”
“Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.”
“It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.”
“You cannot unsay a cruel word.”
“Every path has a few puddles.”
“When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.”
“The best sermons are lived, not preached.”
“Most of the stuff people worry about, ain’t never gonna happen anyway.”
“Don’t judge folks by their relatives.
“Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.”
“Live a good and honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.”
“Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.”
“Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.”
“If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.”
“Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
“The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.”
“Always drink upstream from the herd.”
“Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.”
“Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.”
“If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around.”
“Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly.”
“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”



I basically stole this from a lovely blog that I follow about gardening, horticulture, and life. I was going to post a click through link to her site but she took down the post.
I'm sure she had her reasons so I'm not going to link her to this, but I couldn't resist sharing this.
There are so many good little gems of wisdom in here.
I think we can all take one or two and apply them to our lives.

If you really want to know what blog this (almost) came from just message me and I'll tell you.

-a

YES! Yes.

Damn straight Doctor Who.

And thank you The Mary Sue for showing me this fantastic picture found via blastr.