Sumpin' Witty

Each moment is like a grain of sand. Broken glass and sea shells, coral and pieces of life lived. It sits on the shore, just waiting to be touched, waiting for us to touch it. Each moment of our lives is just a piece of sand, coming together to make up the shore of our whole existence. And if we let it, it can start to bury us, to consume us. It can make us rough, covered from the warmth of the sun, hidden under the mass amounts of experiences we have to live. I'm working on letting go. I'm working on walking away from things that no longer serve me. I'm working on letting memories be memories, letting them be what they were, but leaving them in the past. Good memories and bad memories, and horrible ones, and wonderful ones, because if we carry all of them with us, if we try to hold on to each piece of sand, we won't have any room left for new ones. If you allow each grain of sand to cling to you, eventually you'll become heavy, weighed down. because ...

A dear friend of mine recently shared this poem with me. It was written in 1927 by the poet and philosopher Max Ehrmann, although he did not receive credit nor acclaim for it until much later. My friend gave me the poem and said she uses it in times when she needs to be reminded of certain ideals and ways to live life. Max Ehrmann wrote it for himself "because it counsels those virtues I felt myself most in need of." Funny how almost 100 years later this poem is still aptly fitting to life. I can't stop reading it myself, so I thought I would share it with you. Desiderata Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible and without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you...

I don't believe there is one soulmate out there waiting for you. It's not because I'm jaded, or don't believe in romance. In fact, quiet the opposite is true. I fall in love often and freely. Almost to a fault. Just ask my college roommates or my partner of 8 years. I used to go the library and fall madly in love with a man reading a book about social change in Latin America. I still fall in love with a man reading a book by an author I love, or signing a song that makes my heart melt. I'm actually a hopeless romantic and I believe love is the one true, unconditional resource. No matter what's happened to you, no matter how many times your heart has been broken, you can still love again and again. And while those who've been hurt badly may disagree, give it time, you'll see you still have more love to give. But I don't believe that there is one person, above all others that will change your life, save you from yourself. I don't believe ther...

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...