Today, I watched Degrassi. All night.
But hey. I worked all day, 7:45-4:15. I earned my break and I enjoyed it. You know it.
But I always feel a little guilty watching Degrassi. It's the cheesiest, lamest, high school drama show ever. But it's awesome. They film it in Canada and the Canadian's don't even watch it. They film it because they know it's trash that american's will watch.
And it's so true.
But it makes you wonder. Why do we, as a culture, like the crap T.V. that we like? We watch shows like Degrassi where high schoolers are dating and having sex, moving, dating, making up and breaking up. We watch "reality" TV where rich housewives bitch each other out and socially attack each other based on money and class. We watch shows were hundreds of girls throw themselves at one guy.
Things that would never happen if it weren't for money. Meaningless trash that has nothing to do with national or international news. Shows that make American's look bad in the eyes of foreigners who might spend their time watching something a little more worth while.
But even through all of this negativity, there is an explanation. These people are living rich lives in the spotlight and we can't get enough. We strive to have that exciting life and, in a way, we are living vicariously through these shows. We want to take the risks and be careless and ignorant and pointless. We are sick of the stress of work, money, and bills. We just want to go out and be crazy and not need an excuse. As a college student with homework to do, work to attend, and bills to pay, I miss the time when I was carefree and in high school. I miss dealing with petty high school drama, as opposed to life drama. As a culture, we want to be children. In an adult way.
And this dream, this goal, is completely possible. We just need to let loose. We are so caught up in making money to live "the American Dream" that we forget what that dream actually is: Happiness. We want to keep apace with the latest trends; the latest styles; the latest gadgets; the latest it couple. We lose sight of our personal lives, trials, and triumphs, and obsess over what the society says we need, want, and enjoy. If we forget this - if we just stop, and listen, and really look into ourselves, we can rediscover what it is we really dream of. And when we discover this dream, we can abandon the pointless T.V. shows, because we will have what we want. When we discover our joys and dreams, we discover freedom. Every day becomes childish because every day is fun. Every day is a play date with the world. And it is beautiful.
But of course, it's still okay to keep those guilty pleasures. If we are perfectly happy and content with the success rate of our lives, if we are achieving our goals and living the life we want, why not sit down and watch a show that means nothing? Why not watch a show and reminisce or watch a show and just forget the world?
We simply must not be consumed by it. Be consumed by the drive to be happy and be successful, each in our own way.
If we each follow our own path, no one will collide.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Some People Get It
A friend of mine from back home q111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111200
Well. Apparently Rhy didn't want me to write about that.
I got a new kitten yesterday, named Rhy. Well, Rhythm, but I like to call him Rhy for short. He is a little Siamese boy and he is adorable - just curls up right next to you. He likes to walk across my keyboard for some reason. He was being exceptionally persistent this time and stood in front of my screen staring at me, puring. Then he proceeded to cross over and sit on my chest and attack my face with kisses. He's a lover with the best of them. Sometimes I wish humans could show as much love and affection as cats do. I mean really, have you ever noticed how cats always know how you are feeling? When you don't really want to go to work they sit on your clothes so they get covered in cat hair, as if that would keep you from the office. When you are having too good of a day, they make sure to snub you, just yo bring you down to earth a little bit. When you are sad, they know it, and they sit with you. And they just watch. I know they are listening. They listen to you cry and they listen to you talk, and in return, you get all the love you could ever need. Just from a little fur ball that purrs. It never fails.
This whole love and affection thing brings me back to my original topic, though, conveniently. (But Rhy doesn't care. He just wanted me to write about him and now he is sitting back, relishing in his victory, puring softly at my feet -- Cats will be cats.) Anyway. A friend of mine from back home came to visit her grandma, who happens to live about 15 minutes from my apartment. So I drove out to see her. We went to Kokomo's for a fun day with her cousins and just hung out - played the games and won some cheap, lame toys that I will cherish forever. She took me back to her grandma's house to hang out before I had to go back home. I was in the house for 5 minutes and her grandma, who I had just met in those 5 minutes, was offering to take us out to dinner, even though she had already eaten. She just wanted to take us out because she could, so we wouldn't have to cook anything. I was just expecting to chill for a bit and she went out of her way to make sure that we were happy and comfortable, and she didn't even know me, really. Most people would have just waited for us to ask, or let us take ourselves. I wasn't expecting to get paid for. It was just nice, and refreshing.
We had a good chat, just about things going on in the world and she kept offering to buy us things, or make me a pot of coffee because I said I would probably get some on my way home, and she gave us ice cream. She was just so warm and inviting. Before I left she gave me a bag of hand picked cucumbers from her garden to take home. And she tried to pass of a bag of fresh blueberries to, but I assured her I didn't need them. I almost felt bad, how much she was just giving, and how little I had to offer. It's not like I was prepared to repay her, or like I would see her again to be able to trade off being good to each other.
I guess I repaid her by respecting her house and her company. I was social and I thanked her. But in the end, that doesn't matter. It's hardly the point of this post.
The point is that I walked in to her house and she just opened her arms and welcomed me there, even for just the short few hours I was going to be there. Not many people are like that these days and I rejoiced to meet someone who is.
I think we should greet everyone we meet on those terms, and welcome them in that same way - just open, available, and giving of self. If everyone walked the earth in those shoes, we would all be in a better place. It's not that she paid for things, or that she materially gave to me as a stranger, but that she was kind as a stranger and inviting. She showed peace and love and acceptance. The way things should be.
Give of yourself today -- Love someone.
Well. Apparently Rhy didn't want me to write about that.
I got a new kitten yesterday, named Rhy. Well, Rhythm, but I like to call him Rhy for short. He is a little Siamese boy and he is adorable - just curls up right next to you. He likes to walk across my keyboard for some reason. He was being exceptionally persistent this time and stood in front of my screen staring at me, puring. Then he proceeded to cross over and sit on my chest and attack my face with kisses. He's a lover with the best of them. Sometimes I wish humans could show as much love and affection as cats do. I mean really, have you ever noticed how cats always know how you are feeling? When you don't really want to go to work they sit on your clothes so they get covered in cat hair, as if that would keep you from the office. When you are having too good of a day, they make sure to snub you, just yo bring you down to earth a little bit. When you are sad, they know it, and they sit with you. And they just watch. I know they are listening. They listen to you cry and they listen to you talk, and in return, you get all the love you could ever need. Just from a little fur ball that purrs. It never fails.
This whole love and affection thing brings me back to my original topic, though, conveniently. (But Rhy doesn't care. He just wanted me to write about him and now he is sitting back, relishing in his victory, puring softly at my feet -- Cats will be cats.) Anyway. A friend of mine from back home came to visit her grandma, who happens to live about 15 minutes from my apartment. So I drove out to see her. We went to Kokomo's for a fun day with her cousins and just hung out - played the games and won some cheap, lame toys that I will cherish forever. She took me back to her grandma's house to hang out before I had to go back home. I was in the house for 5 minutes and her grandma, who I had just met in those 5 minutes, was offering to take us out to dinner, even though she had already eaten. She just wanted to take us out because she could, so we wouldn't have to cook anything. I was just expecting to chill for a bit and she went out of her way to make sure that we were happy and comfortable, and she didn't even know me, really. Most people would have just waited for us to ask, or let us take ourselves. I wasn't expecting to get paid for. It was just nice, and refreshing.
We had a good chat, just about things going on in the world and she kept offering to buy us things, or make me a pot of coffee because I said I would probably get some on my way home, and she gave us ice cream. She was just so warm and inviting. Before I left she gave me a bag of hand picked cucumbers from her garden to take home. And she tried to pass of a bag of fresh blueberries to, but I assured her I didn't need them. I almost felt bad, how much she was just giving, and how little I had to offer. It's not like I was prepared to repay her, or like I would see her again to be able to trade off being good to each other.
I guess I repaid her by respecting her house and her company. I was social and I thanked her. But in the end, that doesn't matter. It's hardly the point of this post.
The point is that I walked in to her house and she just opened her arms and welcomed me there, even for just the short few hours I was going to be there. Not many people are like that these days and I rejoiced to meet someone who is.
I think we should greet everyone we meet on those terms, and welcome them in that same way - just open, available, and giving of self. If everyone walked the earth in those shoes, we would all be in a better place. It's not that she paid for things, or that she materially gave to me as a stranger, but that she was kind as a stranger and inviting. She showed peace and love and acceptance. The way things should be.
Give of yourself today -- Love someone.
Era Libre
Yesterday I had the time of my life: I was free.
We had a day on the beach - just us girls.
Actually, it was a bachelorette party. We got our things together, swimsuits on, and drove 45 minutes out to a beach that was supposedly better than the one here. Just us in the car, rocking out to music, playing car games, and gossiping about everything. We got to the beach, and it was definitely better - a huge strip of sand with a volley ball area and people everywhere. But we walked down a ways and chose a secluded area, with a small sandy area covered with weeds. We laid our things out in the sand, marking our spot, and ran into the water. Because who needs a beach and a crowd, when the point is to let go and have fun - be on your own and be free? And that was the best decision we made. Some of the girls complained about the weeds, or the small space, or the fact that we were near the grills or the tables, but once we got in that water, it was just a day of fun. Just a day of frolicking, and talking. We grabbed glasses of Sangria and sipped them while the waves lapped against us, threatening to splash the water into our cups. We chatted, floated and swam, and just relaxed. People think that a bachelorette party has to be big and drunk - male strippers and alcohol, maybe a bar or a club, but we got rid of that notion, and did our own thing, and we were having the most fun of anyone. Not a single girl said they were bored, or that they wanted to drive back. We let the waves toss us around, we flirted with each other, we flirted with the boys, we got ice cream, and we laughed. And nothing could have made that day better.
On the way home we decided to have a bonfire. No one wanted to end our joyful day. I rode with a friend of mine. A friend who happened to have a Sunfire Convertible. And the night was beautiful, so we put the top down and cranked up the music. It was amazing. I had never ridden in a convertible before that and I can't believe what I had been missing. It's so freeing to sit in a car, with the wind whipping through your hair, throwing your hands in the air, singing, and laughing. Not a care in the world. You could look up and see the wide open sky and the moon and the stars, feel the breeze, it was amazing. It was like..the whole day, the whole, fun, freeing, joyous day, summed up in that one car ride. Riding in a convertible, with the top down, music blaring, wind blowing. Nothing but the moon in the sky and the stars up above, good friends close at had. It was beautiful.
As we drove the stars kept multiplying. Constellations became clear as we all started searching. We saw huge clusters and spacey loners - just tiny, beautiful, balls of silver light. Growing and changing every time you looked up as the night got darker. I will remember that ride and that night forever. For all its beauty and all its joy.
We often miss those days - we let the small annoyances in life rob us of our joy. The way the kids kicked sand on us while we tanned. The way the grass covered the whole area and dropped burs on our towels. The long drive. The way the wind tangled our hair. The way we were dateless or fighting. The way the fire wouldn't start. Anything and everything could have gotten in the way - but we looked past it. For everything good that happened, we chose to cherish and enjoy it. We joked and laughed and played like children, we sang and danced and talked.
We were all simply together for the sake of being together under one huge night sky that goes on forever.
We had a day on the beach - just us girls.
Actually, it was a bachelorette party. We got our things together, swimsuits on, and drove 45 minutes out to a beach that was supposedly better than the one here. Just us in the car, rocking out to music, playing car games, and gossiping about everything. We got to the beach, and it was definitely better - a huge strip of sand with a volley ball area and people everywhere. But we walked down a ways and chose a secluded area, with a small sandy area covered with weeds. We laid our things out in the sand, marking our spot, and ran into the water. Because who needs a beach and a crowd, when the point is to let go and have fun - be on your own and be free? And that was the best decision we made. Some of the girls complained about the weeds, or the small space, or the fact that we were near the grills or the tables, but once we got in that water, it was just a day of fun. Just a day of frolicking, and talking. We grabbed glasses of Sangria and sipped them while the waves lapped against us, threatening to splash the water into our cups. We chatted, floated and swam, and just relaxed. People think that a bachelorette party has to be big and drunk - male strippers and alcohol, maybe a bar or a club, but we got rid of that notion, and did our own thing, and we were having the most fun of anyone. Not a single girl said they were bored, or that they wanted to drive back. We let the waves toss us around, we flirted with each other, we flirted with the boys, we got ice cream, and we laughed. And nothing could have made that day better.
On the way home we decided to have a bonfire. No one wanted to end our joyful day. I rode with a friend of mine. A friend who happened to have a Sunfire Convertible. And the night was beautiful, so we put the top down and cranked up the music. It was amazing. I had never ridden in a convertible before that and I can't believe what I had been missing. It's so freeing to sit in a car, with the wind whipping through your hair, throwing your hands in the air, singing, and laughing. Not a care in the world. You could look up and see the wide open sky and the moon and the stars, feel the breeze, it was amazing. It was like..the whole day, the whole, fun, freeing, joyous day, summed up in that one car ride. Riding in a convertible, with the top down, music blaring, wind blowing. Nothing but the moon in the sky and the stars up above, good friends close at had. It was beautiful.
As we drove the stars kept multiplying. Constellations became clear as we all started searching. We saw huge clusters and spacey loners - just tiny, beautiful, balls of silver light. Growing and changing every time you looked up as the night got darker. I will remember that ride and that night forever. For all its beauty and all its joy.
We often miss those days - we let the small annoyances in life rob us of our joy. The way the kids kicked sand on us while we tanned. The way the grass covered the whole area and dropped burs on our towels. The long drive. The way the wind tangled our hair. The way we were dateless or fighting. The way the fire wouldn't start. Anything and everything could have gotten in the way - but we looked past it. For everything good that happened, we chose to cherish and enjoy it. We joked and laughed and played like children, we sang and danced and talked.
We were all simply together for the sake of being together under one huge night sky that goes on forever.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Looking Back
How many times do we look back and see
Who we used to be.
How many times do we long for those days
Before going away.
When we were thin
When we were free
When we were young
When we were joy
Anger
Pain
Lust
Love
When emotions ran like rivers
When drama raged like war
How many times do we look back
And long for where we used to be
How many times do we miss what we have
What we've worked for
And earned.
Our lives are beautiful
No matter how much we've changed
No matter where we're from
Or where we're going
No matter what we've lost
Or what we've gained.
Look
Live
Love
Play.
But never regret
Never forget
Never want to relive
Never want to go back
Never regress
But live forward
Live ahead
Live life.
Who we used to be.
How many times do we long for those days
Before going away.
When we were thin
When we were free
When we were young
When we were joy
Anger
Pain
Lust
Love
When emotions ran like rivers
When drama raged like war
How many times do we look back
And long for where we used to be
How many times do we miss what we have
What we've worked for
And earned.
Our lives are beautiful
No matter how much we've changed
No matter where we're from
Or where we're going
No matter what we've lost
Or what we've gained.
Look
Live
Love
Play.
But never regret
Never forget
Never want to relive
Never want to go back
Never regress
But live forward
Live ahead
Live life.
Listening In
Sometimes all we have to do is listen.
Sometimes we only need to let the subject change.
Sometimes all we can give is an encouraging word
Sometimes we don't need to speak our mind
Sometimes we just need to let it go.
Because other people have feelings, too
Other people have lives, too
Other people are happy, too
Other people cry, too.
Open your hearts
Open your ears
And listen.
Sometimes we only need to let the subject change.
Sometimes all we can give is an encouraging word
Sometimes we don't need to speak our mind
Sometimes we just need to let it go.
Because other people have feelings, too
Other people have lives, too
Other people are happy, too
Other people cry, too.
Open your hearts
Open your ears
And listen.
Going Home
I walk down this road
Just me and trees
And the birds in their leaves
And their songs on the breeze.
My troubles swirl at me feet
Like dust with each step
Down the road that I love
The road home.
I am at home among these trees
Among these leaves
Inside the breeze.
My joy sings loud
With the sounds of the earth
With the songs on the breeze
And the life in the trees
Beauty surrounds me
I breathe it
I live it
I feel it
I am alive.
Just me and trees
And the birds in their leaves
And their songs on the breeze.
My troubles swirl at me feet
Like dust with each step
Down the road that I love
The road home.
I am at home among these trees
Among these leaves
Inside the breeze.
My joy sings loud
With the sounds of the earth
With the songs on the breeze
And the life in the trees
Beauty surrounds me
I breathe it
I live it
I feel it
I am alive.
The Beauty of Failure
Mmmmm fail. I never manage to stay on top of blogging. I had an idea and I ran with it and it was cool for a while when I wrote every day. But then. Things started happening and I got busy and I stopped. Picking up the pace again is hard. Once the brakes are on you gotta find the gas pedal to keep going.
But.
Maybe silence is golden. Maybe a daily post is too much. There is beauty in life, but you have to look to find it, and you have to want it. You can't force it. It comes and goes like a summer breeze. When you want it most it's the hardest to find.
Maybe my lack of posting was a low point in this journey...a blindness...but to every valley there is a mountain, and at the top of that mountain is the greatest view in the world.
The view is everything. All around the valley floor, through the skies above and in to the stars. Clear sight into everything you ever wanted to see, and everything you ever needed to pull you through. It's beautiful.
It is peace.
I think, today, at the prompt of a dear friend of mine, we can start the climb to the top of that mountain. Maybe the silence was a calm before the storm. A moment before happiness is truly needed. A moment before I really start to look. And really start to post.
Carpe diem.
Live.
Love.
Laugh.
Rejoice.
But.
Maybe silence is golden. Maybe a daily post is too much. There is beauty in life, but you have to look to find it, and you have to want it. You can't force it. It comes and goes like a summer breeze. When you want it most it's the hardest to find.
Maybe my lack of posting was a low point in this journey...a blindness...but to every valley there is a mountain, and at the top of that mountain is the greatest view in the world.
The view is everything. All around the valley floor, through the skies above and in to the stars. Clear sight into everything you ever wanted to see, and everything you ever needed to pull you through. It's beautiful.
It is peace.
I think, today, at the prompt of a dear friend of mine, we can start the climb to the top of that mountain. Maybe the silence was a calm before the storm. A moment before happiness is truly needed. A moment before I really start to look. And really start to post.
Carpe diem.
Live.
Love.
Laugh.
Rejoice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)