Sumpin' Witty

Dear 2015,  You sucked and I'm glad you're over. This was by far, one of the hardest years of my life. I know it was also one of the hardest and worst years for many of my friends, near and far, and I'm not sure what cosmic event took place that resulted in so many of my loved ones suffering, but I really hope that as it strikes midnight around the world tonight that the stars realign and we move on from this terrible year. For all the trouble, the heartache, the fights, the miscommunication, the loss, the grief, the pain, and the tears, I find myself feeling grateful in an odd way. I'm not going so far as to say that I'm happy about certain events that took place and I hope I never have to see so many people so close to me go through so much strife ever again, but in the past few weeks I've found a new perspective for 2015; a new lens through which to view this past year's events and I find that it's working for me right now, it's hel...

What happens to a dream fulfilled?  Does it sit upon the shelf like an old forgotten toy, a keep sake for some day when a story should be told? What happens to a dream fulfilled?  Does it get replaced by the next ambition, the next goal, the next big adventure? Does it get forgotten, stored in the attic, set aside like a worn out t-shirt? We’ve pondered the question of a dream deferred, thank you Mr. Hughes, but what of the dream fulfilled? What of this goal we’ve met, this obstacle subdued, this mountain climbed, what of this dream fulfilled? Perhaps for those who’ve only deferred dreams, a dream fulfilled seems a glorious thing, a chance to reach the highest heights. Perhaps for those who’ve fulfilled their dreams, a dream deferred seems a welcome reprieve, a chance to continue dreaming, an ideal as yet unmet.  Like a lover you’ve dreamed of, the real thing is often not as pleasing as the idea or the fantasy. We tend to live too fully in...

In life, you will fail. More often than not, you will fail. I’m not being pessimistic or negative. I am telling you the truth. You know, that little thing that we try to forget, that little thing that we ignore when it doesn’t serve our purpose. In this life, you will fail more often than not. You will try a lot of things, and you will try hard, you will give it your all, and you will fail. And in the failing, you will learn, you will grow, you will struggle, cry, hurt, and fall apart, but you will become. It is through our failings that we learn the absolute beauty of success, that we see what a rare, unique thing it is to get something right.  Our hearts will break a dozen or a hundred times before we find a partner that we can count on, connect with.  We will work jobs upon jobs that we will quit or be fired from before we find a place where we want to stay, work at something we love.  We will live in apartments, houses, condos, countless places af...

Fuck fairytales. Now before you click that magical little X in the corner that has the power to make bad Youtube videos, friendships, new stories and blogs you don't want to read disappear, hear me out. I'm not saying fuck fairy tales because I'm evil or mean or want kids to grow up in a world void of stories, fantasy, or hope, but I do think we need to seriously reconsider the narrative of the fairy tale before we continue mindlessly reading these to our children. You see, the problem with fairy tales is that they set you up for failure. Most of the fairy tales that we know, that have been passed on over the centuries and continue to be popular in our current culture come from The Brothers Grimm, Aesop's Fables, or Hans Christian Andersen. While there are a great many other fairy tales, folk tales, and tall tales that have been told throughout the years, the ones that we seem to have chosen to teach important lessons to our children tend to have a very flawed les...

I wish it wasn't true, but sometimes I still feel like a baby; an incredibly awkward, over-sized baby, when I want something that I can't have. I want to scream and shout and throw a fit, and throw things for real, and I want to get what I want, no matter what. But then, reality kicks in and I remember that I'm a grown up (I use the term grown up loosely as I indulge in cookies and wine as my dinner). I'm not a creepy big baby, and I have to accept that I can't always get what I want. I'm not having a pity party. I do appreciate my life and everything in it. I have a great life. My family is large, insane, generous, international and awesome. My friends are so beautiful that sometimes I cry just thinking about how amazing they are and how I would gladly die for so many of them. I am lucky to be a great relationship and to have had great relationships with beautiful souls in the past. I live in Costa Rica, my dream location that I worked ten years to get to. Ev...

I used to strive to be great at things. It didn't really matter what thing I was great at, I just wanted to be great Remember Doug? I used to really like Doug. at something. And I wasn't. I was mediocre to good at several things, but never great. I made the basketball team, but rode the bench all year. I played waterpolo, but got kicked out of most games, and our team never won a game all season. I made first row, but never first chair in band playing clarinet (for you band geeks out there, you know how frustrating that is). I went to the county meet for my swim team, 50m backstroke was my event. I came in last place at county, didn't even make my qualifying time. I was never very good at any one thing. And then, in my sage old age of my late 20's, I decided that I was great at things, just not the things I was trying to be great at. I realized that I, like everyone else, actually has superpowers. These superpowers might not be as conventional as comic book or...

Sunset at Playa Algodones I'm sitting outside on the patio of Departamentos Adlai, a cute little hotel in the northern Mexican state of Sonora, in the small town of San Carlos, along the Sea of Cortez. It is overcast at 10am, and I wonder if the clouds will burn off today. When I arrived yesterday, it was sunny, and we spent the afternoon at the beach, running up sand dunes and just barely getting our feet wet. The water is warm, warmer than it is in California that is, but still not that tropical, so-warm-it's-warmer-than-the-air, warm water that you might expect in Mexico. Today is day five of this epic trip that I am on, along with my boyfriend Jahsiah, one of my best friends, Timmy, and my two dogs, LaDainian and Isabelle. I'm not quite sure how I convinced everyone to join me on the drive to Costa Rica, especially since this isn't my first attempt at this, and let's just say the first attempt did not end in Costa Rica, nor did it end well. So, really it...