Decorating the Temple

Someone mentioned that the body was a temple and sacred in the eyes of God. Therefore, they wondered if I thought it was acceptable that I got it tattooed.

I turned to this person, took in their dyed hair, tanning bed orange skin, ear piercing, artificially-whitened teeth, hair-spray molded hair, and politely smiled.

Stuck Between the Pages

You know you're back in the writing world when you start washing the dishes and feel guilty for using the water or when there's extra water in the bottom of the tub while showering.

I did miss my desert setting but I'm ready to jump into the jungles and see some rain. A writer's life is so...Odd.

Thanking on a Day of Thanks

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a couple weeks in Florida with my family. As everyone who knows me knows, I am absolutely, 110% in love with Florida and our adventures down there. Those two weeks were exactly what I needed. It was shortly after a very tough break up with a boy I was very much in love with, the death of my beloved cat, and many other life struggles. Getting away to the coast was like going away to rehab.

Each night we went out or spent the evening driving home from a meal or adventure, I would search through m iPod and find a song to listen to. Eventually, I would come to this song every time. It's from the Australia soundtrack.



My particularly fav part was from 1:21-2:00. I listened to this so many times while in Florida. I will be the first to admit that while with my family there I would sometimes listen to this song and cry, not because I was upset or depressed but because I was so thankful for such a wonderful family who cared so much for me. Now when I try to listen to this song, I can't do it. Unless I'm in Florida, I can't listen to it.

Fast-forward to 2010. Today at work, I realized how important thankfulness really is. I would greet my customers and chat with them about holidays, occasionally asking what they were thankful for this year. Oftentimes, I would hear families, homes, girl/boy friends, mothers, fathers, etc. When I said goodbye and wished them a happy thanksgiving, they would smile back and, for once, genuinely wish me the same.

I saw their thankfulness and I felt it in return. You see a lot of times we get so caught up in the moment, in our lives, in our pursuits for happiness, that we fail to see what we should really be thankful for. I don't know if it's that I have so little this year or just that I've been away from home for so long but this year I am more thankful for my family than I am for anything else. There is nothing I would want more, no new house, no new car, no dog, no million dollars, than to be with my family. I would rather see their smiling faces, hear their shouts and yells, laugh at the ridiculous jokes, and eat food while we all poke fun at each other than have all the material positions in the world. I would rather be thankful for a million more of those Florida moments where everything comes together in a moment of contentment than a million dollars.

So this year, when there is so much I could be envious of, I will instead list the wonderful things I do have because, after all, it's those things that are making up my life and giving me happiness.

Even relatively well-adjusted adults can feel disconnected and sad after a move. It feels like my sister lives half way across the country. It no longer feel like I have a home. And just in time for my busy life to defeat my immune system. Now I'm sick. Blugh.

Hair Fail

I can literally smell your disgusting hair spray from half a block away. It's like I'm walking into a beer distillery. It makes me want to become an alcoholic and jump on watermelons at the same time. I hope no one on campus thinks you're an alcoholic.

Although, I must admit it would be funny.

Retiring

I think I'm more exhausted from driving than moving today. The new house is pretty cool. But it was a very bittersweet day. It doesn't feel like home yet and everything felt out of sorts. It was so far away and different from the old home that it felt like a dream. Plus, I didn't get to say goodbye to the old home. I don't think I like just leaving behind the place that's been my home for ten years without saying goodbye.

It's going to take a few days to recover from this one. I'm taking a break from life...for twelve hours and then it's time for a long week of homework and work.

Writer's Progress: Beginning

Today I started Book 3! It took 3 months but I finally had the guts to jump into it tonight. So far, I only have three paragraphs. I'm hoping to hit one page before the night's end but I'm not forcing myself into anything. A matter of fact, I'm not even going to hold myself to this book. If I wake up tomorrow and turn to it and find I don't like the intro, I may erase it and let it settle for a few more months.

All I know is that even within three paragraphs I already feel at home. I'm back in my desert, hearing the echo of the wind rushing through the canyon, feeling the sun bake my skin, tasting the grit of the fine sand on my tongue. The words are familiar. I remember using this syntax. I remember using the word Roan. I remember this world.

It is my home away from home :) There is absolutely nothing like returning to writing after a long hiatus.

I'll update in a few days once I'm 80%+ sure that I'll keep the book. Until then (and after some rather shocking news today that reminded me of our mortality) I'm thanking God for what he has blessed me with and taking a chance to breathe in his awe.