We must cultivate joy the same way we would a garden: with dedication, with intention and above all, with a willingness to let it grow with abandon.
Perfectly and beautifully said…
abandon
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Thoughts
the stranger /albert camus
In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.
And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.
by Albert Camus from “The Stranger”
nyctophilia
[n.] love of darkness or night, finding relaxation or comfort in the darkness. I'm definitely a nyctophiliak... nothing compares to the quiet and subtlety calm, darkness of night.
you can be good /john steinbeck
and now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good. – John Steinbeck Perfection; a huge dilemma. Not for everyone, but for everyone who is a perfectionist. Sometimes it's an asset and other times it's a burden, a barrier, or even an excuse. The all or nothing of everyday life... that's what being a perfectionist impacts. Depending on the situation it can become an obstacle rather than an objective. You start to put things on hold, or give up on them completely, because in your mind; if you can't do it right (to the degree of perfection you define), then it's not worth doing at all… And yes, perfection like everything is relative. We define what it is to us, the extent and context. There in lies the problem and the cure. Since we define it, then in theory we can still be perfectionists and adjust our own perception of perfection so that it is no longer a hindrance. Or is it simply an excuse? with regard to the things that are the most important to us… We can't stand the thought of failure, so we create a world in our minds that absolves us of all responsibility... "and now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good". only when we perceive this statement to be true… then good will be; good enough...
tree
My Third Tattoo. It's been a while. I've been gone, and it's been foggy. Turned 26 and as cliche as it sounds want to turn a new leaf. Things have to change, and as a rule they will. Maybe this time the change can happen in a more controlled environment. I have been wanting to get a tattoo of a tree for a while; nothing stronger and more beautifully resilient than a tree...
mothers
I just went to dinner, shisha, and mattéh at my mom’s friend’s house, with my mom and sister. Hiam and her daughter Rima are two of the sweetest people you can meet and they have such a great relationship. We spent the night listening to stories of their travel adventures and laughing out loud!
Anyway the point of this post was what we ended the night talking about…
Hiam lost her mother about a year ago; she started talking about her and what kind of person she was. Apparently her mother was light hearted and said the darnedest things. You know when you meet someone that just has a way with words. They have the weirdest comebacks for everyday situations that make you grasp for breath from laughter.
She sat and told us stories of her mother’s “adventures” and we sat and laughed out loud! The best part is what she told us next…
She has been writing all these stories down, every memory, every laugh, and she plans to create a book from them; a collection of stories of her mother and everyone she encountered.
How amazing is that?
chicken
You know that phrase: “Like a chicken with it’s head cut off.”
MEANING: in a frenzied manner. ORIGIN: Poultry may sometimes run around frenziedly for several minutes after decapitation. The phrase was known in the USA by the late 19th century. It is recorded in print being used as a simile from the 1880s; for example, this piece about an escaped prisoner in The Atlanta Constitution, July 1882:“Finding himself free from the heavy shackles, he bounced to his feet and commenced darting about like a chicken with its head cut off…”
Today is one of those days where I am one of those chickens!!!
opportunity
Sometimes you can know someone so well, for so long and they can still surprise you. You can think to yourself that you know how they’d react in every situation, but the thing is, no matter how much you know someone, battles are always being waged inside our heads. Sometimes people don’t act like themselves, based on a need or necessity; people adjust and you can’t always recognize them.
Maybe it’s your job to remind them who they are, or maybe you should support them no matter what, and hope that they find their way back to themselves. If that isn’t the case, and the change is permanent, do not be sad. Accept the new person that has grown in front of you, and take it as an opportunity to get to know more of them than you had before. Because the truth is people never change, they just become more of who they truly are…
the red wedding /game of thrones
Well, give me a second to pull myself together…
Never mind, I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again after what I just witnessed, not watched, WITNESSED! Yes I know I’m a day late to this party, and 15 years late for some, but I can still cry if I want to!
There is a word I’ve used on a rare occasion, but I don’t think it was ever true until now. FLABBERGASTED! Yes I am flabbergasted at the lovely array of slaughters I just witnessed on game of thrones, the red wedding (appropriately named). I mean yes, the author has artistic license to do as he sees fit for the story and characters, and as shocked as I am right now, damn that was intensely engaging. I was literally 2 seconds away from slamming my laptop on the floor just to stop what was happening. As engaging as it was, I can’t help but wonder why it is that my least favorite characters are always the most durable, and the ones I love well… DIE.
I think Catelyn’s (Michelle Fairley) face says it all…
Now that I’ve only slightly expressed the rage I felt an hour ago, and I have considerably calmed down, I can mention that the entire scene was shot and directed beautifully. It’s a horrible moment in the history of Westeros, there was a lot going on, and a lot of emotion and angst and it was all done justice in the scene. I haven’t read the books, but I can imagine that love it or hate hate, probably hate it, it was one of the most graphic, and many readers must have imagined it in a million different ways. I wonder if they think that it was done justice.
Robb’s reaction to the entire situation was beautiful, and beautifully played by Richard Madden. His last word was mother; you could hear in his voice and see it in his face, he knew he was about to die. It was exactly what you’d expect from someone who held love and honor above all else, which is the very reason why he ended up in that situation to begin with. From the moment the wedding scene started I had a sinking feeling, when something seems too good to be true, it probably is…
Catelyn and Robb will be missed, but I honestly can’t wait to see what happens next… and a moment of silence for Arya Stark, I hope she gets her revenge, I don’t think anyone deserves it more than her.
dr. suess /a tribute
For those of you who don’t know, although I find that hard to believe, Dr. Seuss, is the pen-name of Theodor Seuss Geisel. The writer with an uncanny ability to create rhymes.
By the time of his death on September 24, 1991, Ted had written and illustrated 44 children’s books, including such all-time favorites as Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, the Places You’ll Go, Fox in Socks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Besides the books, his works have provided the source for eleven children’s television specials, a Broadway musical and a feature-length motion picture. His honors included two Academy awards, two Emmy awards, a Peabody award and the Pulitzer Prize.
The Dr. Seuss books have always been favorites of mine. The illustrations are fabulous! I mean really, so simple but so creative at the same time. He created not only unique characters, but a world that surrounded the characters that you can’t help but love.
I am a designer, artist, illustrator, photographer, and writer. That’s a lot, but the truth is it’s one thing, trying to communicate what I see in my head, no matter the medium I choose, I’m trying to convey a message. Being all the things I listed before, I truly admire Dr. Seuss.
The great thing about art, is the that one’s vision can be achieved and become a reality that can be shared, by sheer force of will (nod to The Vampire Diaries writers –Klaus). I’d have to ask Ted himself but I think Dr. Seuss’s vision was achieved and received by all.
I have created and illustrated several children’s books, and from a design perspective, the Dr. Seuss books are really ahead of their time.
The reason why Dr. Seuss came to mind today is simple. One of my all time favorites quotes, actually several of my all time favorite quotes come from the brilliant albeit slightly weird (in the best possible way) mind of Dr. Seuss. I was thinking about it and the best lessons you could possibly ever learn can be found in his words. Simple, straight to the point, and TRUE!
I mean really, how much better can it get? : )
Here are some other quotes from Dr. Seuss… Each has a message, some louder than others, all worth reading, and breathing.
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.
I meant what I said and I said what I meant.
You’re in pretty good shape for the shape you are in.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room.
I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.
Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?
From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
A person’s a person, no matter how small.
Fun is good.
Adults are obsolete children.
Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991)
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