I will have to say that one of the greatest blessings in my life is my family. I am so close to my parents and my siblings. They keep me grounded and are always there for me, no matter what. Tonight my family and I went ice skating together. When we got there, it was sold out, so we decided to go to the later session. We went home and played Wii bowling, which is now THE game in the house. Then we took a trip to Sams, which is an interesting experience all on its own.
After reading the preceding paragraph I being to wonder if I allow laziness to creep in and prohibit my writing from being anything more than a list of activities, as opposed to an open expression of art that helps people to understand my experiences. Take for instance the following, "We went to Moe's for dinner" or "After much debate we settled on going to a restaurant that welcomes you into its establishment by yelling WELCOME TO MOE'S." They both say the same thing, but the latter offers you a more complete understanding of what actually happened, but it also requires more words, more thought, and more effort. I want to be a true writer. I don't want this to be a journal, but an account of all that I experience. I want it to be more than a list of what I did, but an expression of what I encountered.
Tonight was more than just time with my family, it was a chance to appreciate all that I've been given through them. My sister has taught me so much and has helped me become who I am. She is my best friend and I can't imagine life without her. She and Bruce are the only people I feel that I can be around and truly feel a part of. They have a way of taking me into their lives without making me feel like an intruder. I love them both so much and being able to spend time with them makes my life better. Ice skating with them and my parents was definitely an experience. We arrived at the Civic center more than an hour early so that we could be sure to get skates. I think that we were possibly the fifth group of people to even get into the door. We watched people walk all the way up to the front of the line, just to check to see if the doors were open. Seriously? If the doors WERE open, don't you think we would have been in there? I am constantly amazed at the stupidity of humans.
Once we were inside the building we strapped on our skates and headed for the ice. Now, you have to understand, my sister and I have both been skating for quite some time, and then here comes everyone else, not knowing how to do it. I think Bruce might have made it around twice. I don't know about the parentals, but they weren't far behind that. It was a horribly skating experience overall though, due in large to the fact that there were close to, or maybe even over, 100 people there. The ice was nasty, and there was NO room to skate on the ice. We ended up leaving long before the three hour session was over, but the time we did spend there was somewhat of a success.
From there we went and grabbed some ice cream from Coldstone, also known as the greatest place on earth. Then we walked down to the book store. As I looked at books and read the covers I began to imagine walking into a bookstore and picking up the book I wrote and seeing it there, for the world to buy. I kind of got excited. The writing project that I begin on Monday will be what I put the greatest amount of effort into this year. I can't wait to walk into Books A Million and actually pick up the novel written by Jessica R. Buchanan. Although this day was definitely a topper, that day will be one of the best in my life.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Monday, January 05, 2009
Good Friends. Good Conversation.
A conversation is the linking of words to make coherent statements expressing ideas, opinions and desires, but when you add a good friend and Starbucks, a conversation is so much more than that. It turns into a linking of those ideas opinions and desires that transcends the simple words that are used. That kind of conversation is a linking of friends and even of souls. Five hours spent sitting outside of "the people who are taking over the world", also known as Starbucks, and not only do I learn a lot about my fellow addict, but I learn a lot about myself. I am taken in to this give and take of knowledge between friends. Sharing ourselves with one another at an attempt to humanize what we are, to bring to light all the inner workings of what we experience.
I enjoy the company of people in general, but there is definitely something about sitting and talking to someone you truly appreciate as a friend. Christa has to be one of those people who I can sit and have a five hour long conversation with. We probably could have sat there for another five hours and not have ran out of anything to say to one another. I attribute this to the fact that both Christa and myself are of deep intellectual character. We have goals and opinions. We know who we are, or at least who we want to be, and that pushes us on to delve into the deeper levels of conversation that some people are just unable to reach.
There is just something about learning from one another that makes the whole experience of bonding with someone so enjoyable. I enjoyed every moment I spent talking to Christa last night. Everything we talked about led us to something more. I am blessed to have people in my life that I can freely express my thoughts to. It was the highlight of my day, and it made everything seem worth it. I love how something as simple as good conversation with a good friend can make the mundane seem little in comparison to the greatness that we encounter at the oddest of times.
I enjoy the company of people in general, but there is definitely something about sitting and talking to someone you truly appreciate as a friend. Christa has to be one of those people who I can sit and have a five hour long conversation with. We probably could have sat there for another five hours and not have ran out of anything to say to one another. I attribute this to the fact that both Christa and myself are of deep intellectual character. We have goals and opinions. We know who we are, or at least who we want to be, and that pushes us on to delve into the deeper levels of conversation that some people are just unable to reach.
There is just something about learning from one another that makes the whole experience of bonding with someone so enjoyable. I enjoyed every moment I spent talking to Christa last night. Everything we talked about led us to something more. I am blessed to have people in my life that I can freely express my thoughts to. It was the highlight of my day, and it made everything seem worth it. I love how something as simple as good conversation with a good friend can make the mundane seem little in comparison to the greatness that we encounter at the oddest of times.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Happy New Year
I love the beginning of a new year. It has that crisp feeling of a brand new $20 dollar bill that's hot off the press. Or the way a new outfit feels the first time you ever wear it out. And it smells like laundry right as it comes out of the dryer. It has a way of making you feel like anything is possible and that you could not possibly fail at anything that you set out to do.
My life has always been something of a series of turbulent waves, crashing upon the shore and floating back into the steady current of the every day. Over the last year I have learned a lot about myself; who I am, what I believe, where I stand, where I am and where I am headed. I have had to make tough decisions and learn to live with the choices I make. This year held much that was expected and a lot that wasn't. In all, 2008 is the year I grew up. This year I want to put all I learned into practice. I plan on being the best I can be at my job, at church, and at life in general. I want to grow more, to learn more, to be more.
I've never been one for New Year's resolutions. I think I did them when I was younger because I thought I had to. My pastor says that if it's not something you are will to change at any moment, then it is not something you are going to change because you make a resolution. Resolutions fail because we do not have the constitution to see them through. This year I do not plan on making resolutions, but rather, I plan on making changes. I want to be the best version of myself. I want to succeed at the things I've been to scared to accomplish.
1. First and foremost I want to finish my manuscript. I want to take the story that I have in my head and place the words out there for others to read and to understand that there is much we can learn from those who brought us into this world.
2. I want to get on top of my finances. I want to be debt free at the end of the year.
3. I want to expand my mind. To read at least one book a month, no matter how busy I am.
4. I want to be happy with who I am inside and out. I don't want to say that I plan on losing weight, because I always seem to want to do that, and I always set myself up for failure, but I do plan on making my health a priority this year.
5. I want to make a difference in someone's life.
This year I plan on becoming who I was born to be. I want to embrace life to its fullest potential. Live without regrets. Ride the tide and never look back. This year I want to embrace each moment. I want this to be a year that I will never forget.
My life has always been something of a series of turbulent waves, crashing upon the shore and floating back into the steady current of the every day. Over the last year I have learned a lot about myself; who I am, what I believe, where I stand, where I am and where I am headed. I have had to make tough decisions and learn to live with the choices I make. This year held much that was expected and a lot that wasn't. In all, 2008 is the year I grew up. This year I want to put all I learned into practice. I plan on being the best I can be at my job, at church, and at life in general. I want to grow more, to learn more, to be more.
I've never been one for New Year's resolutions. I think I did them when I was younger because I thought I had to. My pastor says that if it's not something you are will to change at any moment, then it is not something you are going to change because you make a resolution. Resolutions fail because we do not have the constitution to see them through. This year I do not plan on making resolutions, but rather, I plan on making changes. I want to be the best version of myself. I want to succeed at the things I've been to scared to accomplish.
1. First and foremost I want to finish my manuscript. I want to take the story that I have in my head and place the words out there for others to read and to understand that there is much we can learn from those who brought us into this world.
2. I want to get on top of my finances. I want to be debt free at the end of the year.
3. I want to expand my mind. To read at least one book a month, no matter how busy I am.
4. I want to be happy with who I am inside and out. I don't want to say that I plan on losing weight, because I always seem to want to do that, and I always set myself up for failure, but I do plan on making my health a priority this year.
5. I want to make a difference in someone's life.
This year I plan on becoming who I was born to be. I want to embrace life to its fullest potential. Live without regrets. Ride the tide and never look back. This year I want to embrace each moment. I want this to be a year that I will never forget.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)