Sunday, March 23, 2014

Spring

Sitting here in my favorite coffee shop, I feel it.

It. That familiar electricity that comes with nice weather and new beginnings. That joy that creeps up in the small moments; when your heart begins to unfold and face the sun. I just want to sit here, cradle my cup of coffee and let the possibility and excitement sink in.

It feels like I've been in a long winter. I've been in a complete haze where the smallest task felt like the biggest obstacle. Not that things haven't gone well for me the past year, they've been great and there have been many more great moments than bad ones. But this haze was like a blanket over that, making the great moments a little tainted with an unexplainable weight.

But now, that blanket is slipping off and I feel lighter than I have in a long time. I have a new opportunity coming my way and a lot of changes on the horizon. I can't wait!

Spring, I have been waiting for you. And it looks like you've been waiting for me too.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Honest & Genuine.

I wrote the below in my journal the other night. Sometimes I fall into a different space when I write, a space where my heart flows to my pen before my brain really has a chance to think about it. It was one of those entries that I went back to read, and was surprised by the words that had come from me. As if I was reading someone else's words and thinking "yes! That's exactly how I feel!...wait a second, that's me"...funny how that works. So here it is:

"I am beyond restless. I want to scream to the world what is true. I want to demand truth from others. I want love and beauty to come from honesty. I want results. I want my honesty to be their honesty. We come to realize that we mean the same thing.

Unfortunately, that's extremely hard to come by."

I try to be honest with my feelings and genuine in my interactions with people. And I feel like you can never go wrong when you do that, because you're going with your grain instead of against it. Behind all of the weather talk and quick "how are you's", there are people. Actual human beings that deserve to be known and paid attention to. And they probably don't even realize that they want or need that until someone makes that effort to ask "how is your day going?" vs. "how are you?". I've had some of the best and most surprising conversations with the sales associates/baristas/receptionists/everyday people just by making that simple switch.

In this tech-saturated world (guilty: I currently am on my Mac with my iPhone next to me), it's even more important that we fight to know people. Fight to break that barrier and tap in to actually connect. I also truly believe, and have experienced, that honesty and genuineness can beget honesty and genuineness.

So here's to honesty, friends. May you be honest with yourselves and genuine in your interactions with others.

:)

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Awakening.

I'm realizing some things.

Life is big.
We put it into a tiny, tiny box.
We live in that box, thinking that it's all we have...when there's this small ache telling us that there's more.
We realize that the only limits to our lives are the ones that we put there.
Sometimes the life that comes with truly living exists outside of those limits.

This week, I'm on a stay-cation. Which in my opinion can be so much more valuable and refreshing than a typical vacation, because instead of not going to work because you're going somewhere else, you're not going to work and staying where you normally are. Then it really feels like you're on a vacation because there's absolutely nothing new you need to worry about. I'm only on day two, and I'm happier than I've been in a long time. I'm not necessarily saying that it's because I'm not working...that's a huge part. But it's also giving me time to do other things, like join a gym, and sit in coffee shops and blog. This week my goal is to figure out who and where I want to be right now, without anyone else's input. When you discover that, you thrive...and then everything else falls into place.

Could be easier said than done, but you never know until you try.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Day 24: Color Scheme


Well friends, I did it...I set down my iPhone and picked up my beloved camera again. Back in 2012 I started my second photography challenge, and I've decided that it's about time that I finish it.

To new beginnings and renewed interests.