Limitless Potential

My heart fills with overwhelming sadness when I watch videos about the tsunami in Japan. It breaks when I read about the nuclear power plant. Natural disasters are always awful and heartwrenching, yet I have not been affected by one like I am with this one. Maybe because I know that as a whole Japan is so conscious of their environment. Maybe because I know as a whole Japan is kind to their neighbor. Maybe because I know that Japan does not deserve this. Maybe because I know that it is going to be one of the worst tragedies that country has experienced in years. I want to help--I know we are going to try, but I wish that my efforts could make a big enough difference. I want to take away the sadness in the hearts of the millions who have lost loved ones, I want to rewind and delete the whole disaster. But if we could do that we would have used that for about everything like this. If we could do that no one would experience pain, heartbreak or sorrow. If we could do that no one would ever grow into a better person, no one would ever have the need to build character because they would continually be rewinding something bad to make it better. We would not develop as a race or as emotional beings. I have no idea who we would become but I suspect it would not be pretty or virtuous. I would be very afraid to meet that race that does not experience pain for they would be something of a monster to us I'm sure.

Think of yourself as person and the struggles that you would have done anything to take back at the time. The pain that you felt wasn't worth it then--you would trade it for anything. But look at yourself now. Look at how far you have come, what you did to take that pain and deal with it, turn it into something positive and become a better person because of it in the long run. The process may have been long, it may still be happening but many times our blessings are disguised at the time and become something more than we ever thought they could.

I like life because of that. I also hate life because of that. Doing something that I don't want to do has always been really hard for me. Forcing myself to do something I don't really want to do NOW is even harder for some reason. I think its because I know what I want and I'm not getting it so the thought of a detour is making me cringe. But I like to believe it builds character. If not let me be ignorant to it, for I will live in that state peacefully.

Not to say that natural disasters are really the same as emotional disasters but I do think there are various levels of human strength that are put to the test in both scenarios. To me, it is absolutely incredible what the human mind and body are capable of. Whether it be bad or good, it cannot be argued that humans are indeed incredible. Many of us cannot believe stories of individuals overcoming incredible struggles, hardships, tragedies and pain but if we were in the same position would we have no choice but to do the same? The main goal most likely is to live life and many will go through the unimaginable to do it.

I sit in awe as I watch he struggles of this world--just in disbelief that people can continue on after what has happened to them. How do they not just lay down and give up? Of course that is the easy way out. The coward's road and too many people have come too far to become chopped liver, no matter what is happening to them at the moment. As someone random once said, "Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”

Live above expectations even if they are your own, for there is no telling what you are capable of until do what you never thought was possible. Push yourself into the zone where "can't" is a foreign word, where you can look back with pride and say, "wow, I did that".

Not intentionally getting all philosophical here, but I have recently begun to realize that there are so many things we can do and so many times where we stop ourselves short of our own potential. I am a perfect example of that and it would be tragic to think that I might have lived a half life if I did not begin to realize this now. Our potential is limitless. Except if we try to fly--that is physically impossible and will end in severe injury or death. Unless you are a professional hang glider. Even still, death is a large possibility.

I know that people can survive hell and I hope that they can do more than just survive, but right now, with all that is going on in the world a small hope of survival can bring light to the dark and eventually become a larger path for hope and eventually taking in the true beauty that is life.

From steps behind to steps ahead

Sometimes reading through my old posts will inspire me to write a new post. A lot of the time I hope that it will make up for the terrible writings of my past. Usually it doesn't but at least you can't say I didn't at least TRY.

So I went back through some old college posts as well a some Japan posts and what is the craziest thing is how much I was so focused on what was happening right then at the minute. And how now, I barely even remember certain things that seemed like such a big deal at the time. Yet here I am again so focused on life that is my own little world that when I look back I will just laugh because I can't even remember that bad class I had one day or how so and so said this and that. Such is life I suppose.

I had a post a few years ago. Right about the halfway mark in Japan. I was gearing up to go on break to see my family in Thailand and I made a little question/answer thing for myself. What I have decided to do is take those questions and answer them now to see if anything has changed. Then, I did it around the new year. Now, I am just going to focus on from last Jan. to this Jan.--a year's span. Ok? Is that ok with everyone?! I hope so, cause I'm gonna do what I want. Nothing new there, though.

1. What is the most exciting thing you did this year?

Any one of my adventures. I think hiking up the volcano crater in St. Kitts was pretty exciting, or anyone of my scuba diving trips.

2. Look back one year ago. What were you doing this week in 2010?

Once again, good question. I think I was doing around the same thing I am now. I really wasn't subbing as much so most likely swimming and getting excited about the 80s ski party that was around this time...

3. What are three important realizations you have come to in the past year?

1. Life is full of surprises

2. I am an independent person, yet I cannot survive without others around me

3. I can be so much more if I really put my mind to it

What is something you have struggled with this past year?

This answer doesn't necessarily differ that much from the one I wrote in 2008. I want to find out who I am and what I want to do with my life. Turning 25 this year made me realize that although I am somewhat close to my career, I am so far away from actually living within myself comfortably. I am strong and confident, yet there are lots of times I falter in what I should be doing with my life and how I should going about doing it. I have also begun to realize that I am not too young to start thinking about my future personally--who I am now vs. who I want to be in five or ten years. Scary as it is people around me are beginning the new stages of life; more and more people are getting married and thinking about how they are going to one day support a family. I can't say that these thoughts haven't crossed my mind and although they are no where in the near future, I can't help but wonder how things will eventually turn out. Let's hope I can not live in a shack by the river.

What are three things you regret from 2010?

1. Decisions while imbibing certain beverages

2. Not being strong enough when it comes to certain things...

3. Not doing enough for others

What are you proud of from 2010?

1. Moving into my own apartment

2. Setting goals that I actually achieved (moving, working more, deserving a vacation, trying new things...)

3. Feeling a sense of self worth (joining i have. i give, helping with CrossFit, feeling good about who I am)

What is your major resolution for this year?

Get a real job, apply to grad school!! (in 2008 I said do more, be more which could essentially be a goal for my whole life. I figured I've gotten a start on that but I need to start taking bigger steps than I have been)

So there it is, the same survey a few years later. It is interesting to see how I have grown within myself and where I still struggle with things. As I look back I am mostly happy with things I have done and as I look ahead I am excited for what it is to come. Sometimes it is a little scary to go into the future so blindly, but there is no other way to do it. Trusting yourself and taking the leap is the first step in welcoming the unknown with open arms!

CHEESE

Lately I feel as though my writing has been as crazy as a barn full of angry bees. Or something like that. My brain has been to outer space and back only to shoot back up there again. So I thought I would give myself a more structured assignment, but after a minute of thinking I realized I can't think about a topic. UNTIL...

I remembered my friend texted me this morning and told me it was National Cheese Day! Well not only did that excite me but it also made me frustrated because no one has been talking about it at all! I bet people in Wisconsin knew. But no one here was even looking forward to it. Either way I was very happy that without even knowing it I did these things:

Ate a bite of a piece of cheese as the first thing I ate this morning

Put extra cheese on my sandwich

Had one of those Ritz spreadable cheese snacks around ten when I was starving

I always knew I had a strong bond with cheese but this is something more than that. This is like a cosmic sign telling me that cheese and I are one. That I could not live without it. There is one type of cheese I do not like and I honestly feel bad about it (Swiss). I wish I liked it but I just don't.

I wish I had a story of my first love with cheese but it was surely before I even remember. I do remember thinking a hunk of butter was cheese and cutting off a huge piece and sticking it in my mouth only to quickly realize that it wasn't cheese. Too embarrassed to admit what I had just done I slowly swallowed the butter and bowed my head in shame. Or something dramatic like that. Cheese is my blame for not having a skinny butt. Cheese is my blame for the thousands of stomach aches I have endured over my lifetime. Cheese is even to blame for my lovely barf during CrossFit last week (don't worry it was in the toilet). Cheese is the reason for my newly found grocery store excitement. Now that King Soopers has cheese samples I am always excited to go for a little shopping trip.

Simply put, cheese makes me happy. So happy cheese day to all you cheesy cheese lovers out there. It is surely a great day in our nation's history.

Mmmm. Cheese.

Rolling Wheels

As my last post stated I'm not going to sit around and wait for things to happen, I'm going to take things into my own hands! I have decided along with the mundane life of subbing I needed to add a little purpose to my life. Subbing is not exactly my dream job--just trying to get connections so I can achieve my actual dream job. I am loving the laid back style of it because when I'm outta there I'm done. I don't have any work to do, but that leaves me with a little more time on my hands than I really knew what to do with. Until recently I have filled it mostly with working out and friends. Now I feel like I am filling it with something a little more that relates to what I want to really do in life--make a difference.

So first things first: i have. i give.

We are a non profit organization that is simply what is sounds like. You give what you have. If you have time you can give that, if you have hair give that, if you have blood, well gosh darn it--go and give it away! We have collected donations for various groups/organizations, put on events and gone to volunteer. Although this is not necessarily my ultimate DREAM it is a huge part of who I want to become. I want the world to grow not only for me but for people around me. I want to meet people who are giving what they have, I want to inspire others who want to do it but don't exactly know how to go about doing it. I want to be part of something bigger. Life gets busy and it is easy to get caught up in what you feel you have to do. But I have realized that it means so much more and you feel so much more full filled if you give to others. It's a new thing for me--a learning process because although I haven't been greedy with my things or my lifestyle I haven't necessarily been GIVING. So here we go the start of something that will hopefully be a huge movement someday :) http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/I-have-I-give/103863413009307
http://ihaveigive.blogspot.com/
Next thing: CrossFit Conquer

CrossFit is something different than I have ever done. I've swam my whole life, I've played (or tried to play) just about every sport out there, I've lifted, I've biked and ran and trained for a triathlon. I've skied and snowboarded, I've snowshoed and surfed and out of all of these things nothing has made me as out of breath as the 15 minutes I'm working out at CrossFit. Literally--the workouts are between six and twenty minutes but they are at such a high intensity you will find you are more tired after six minutes of a CrossFit workout than thirty on a treadmill. Recently I have gotten into this after a friend told me to try it out. I love the fact that there is a small number of people doing the same workout as me, I love that there is always a coach right there to push you when you need it. So I jumped on the CrossFit train and hopefully it will be something I see benefits from--physically and mentally. I have started to rep it to others because somehow I am now the marketing/event planner for the one near my house. Although daunting I am ready to take on this responsibility and make it so this CrossFit Conquer can grow and eventually become bigger than it even is now. This way I am able to get a workout as well as help the people who started this make it into what they envision. Again--giving what I have (time and maybe a little bit of social skills?) http://www.crossfitconquer.com/crossfit-conquer/

My true love: Writing

Now, this may seem obvious since I already have a blog. My blog is not really my passion. I mean, yes writing is my passion but this is just a soundboard for something more. Now this isn't really a new obsession and it has been put on the backboard for a long time, but I am thinking seriously about getting into some sort of writing job where I can write articles for whoever will take me. Since I have yet to really look into that, that is something that is beginning to come front and center in my brain. But my true dream is to write a book. My first idea is a book about me. I've had my doubts about this because my life isn't really the crazy jumping into the ocean off 500 foot rocks and swimming to Africa type of life--but I have had encouragement from those around me that I could write something worth reading. My strength? Humor. Well, hopefully. I could write a book about myself and make it lighthearted and funny. For the most part. There are surely things in my life that although not funny at the time, are undoubtedly hilarious now. We will have to see. So far I've only begun what may be a very long process.

In the future:
Teaching English. Obviously this is what I've wanted to do for longer than I can remember. I can't wait to actually get the in the classroom and explore the challenges and rewards with being a high school (or even middle school) English teacher.
Coaching swimming. This I have started on a smaller scale. I have coached summer leagues and loved it more than just about an other job I've had. Someday my dream would be to start a swim team like my old coach did and take swimmers on training trips to the beach. That is my biggest dream right now--but also one that is most far away.

Other things that should be on the list:
Scrap booking--I love it, I've started one, I got distracted and stopped. I need to finish it because it is close to my heart and my year in Japan has become a big part of me that I would like to share with anyone who will listen. http://www.exploringjapan-jdawk.blogspot.com/ (a look into Japan and other travels)

Skiing--I'm making it a goal to go up at least 20 times this season. So far I'm at three so we'll see how I do. I would really love to get those turns down so I can sail down the mountain smoothly!

Swimming--Recently I haven't been in the water just because I don't belong to a gym with a pool anymore. Plus I'm kind of in the mood to take a break from it for a little bit while I focus on other things. No doubt this will be my lifelong sport though.

Biking--Last spring/summer I really got into road biking. I love to be able to explore on my bike and even more than that I love going with others who like to bike. It's nice to get out there and enjoy the day while getting a work out. What I would LOVE is to get a mountain bike and take it up to the foothills this summer. THAT would be something I would really love to try out. It's unrealistic because I don't have the money for a bike like that but a girl can dream, right?

Traveling: This is something I know I will love the rest of my life. Whether it be to the mountains or across the world, traveling is something that sets me free. I have been so fortunate to go visit friends in Boston, New York, Oregon, Connecticut, and St. Kitts as well as experience the beauty of Florida, North Carolina, San Diego, Hawaii, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Belize, Canada and Australia. Even road trips to places like North Dakota have appealed to me because it is something new and exciting. I have a list of the places I want to go and the things I want to do and although it is expensive if you really want something you can do it. My future plans involve teaching abroad again, this time during the summer somewhere in Europe. A lot of international schools hire for about an eight week period and this is something I would love to do. And way down the line, maybe in five years, I want to go to Africa for part of the summer. I want to spend a good amount of time over there doing what I can to help out. I know this is an expensive and far off goal, but I know that if I put it in my head I will be able to achieve it someday.

Closer goals involve:
Fight for Air http://www.lungusa.org/pledge-events/co/denver-climb/
Running a 5k
Training for a triathlon
Planning for a big event with i have. i give. at the end of the SUMMA!
Definitely go white water rafting at some point this summer

PLUS...
Writing more
Hanging out with my brother (even if he doesn't want to hang out with me)
Sending more mail to those who live oh so far
Exploring my area more
Working as much as possible
Applying for jobs (that should be number one on the list)
Calling my grandma more
Seeing people I don't see that much more
Keeping in touch with people far away
Cooking more
Planning a theme party or two :)

Whew! I have A LOT to do now that I look at it. Sheesh. I better get started on something. We'll take one step at a time and I will go update my resume right now and re-submit it to the school district that needs it. Then I can get going on just about everything I just listed.

Time to get those wheels rolling!

Blog Barf

Every one to three minutes a new song pops into my head. Here has been the last ten minutes:

1. 99 bottles of beer on the wall
2. Runaway by Kanye West
3. That I'm so excited song
4. Peanut butter jelly time (with a baseball bat)
5. Why Can't We Be Friends
6. Here we go again...I kinda wanna be more friends
7. It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To
8. I'm a Motherfucker on a Motorcycle (that's all the lyrics I know to that one)

So here I am singing ridiculous songs in my head as I sit at my computer on this lazy Monday night. I probably should have tried harder to work out today but seeing as that it was good old MLK day I thought I deserved the day off for all of the great things I have done along with MLK. I woke up with a tangent of thoughts that quickly dissipated but at least they started strong. Here are some of the things I thought about today starting from the beginning:

1. NO SCHOOL!
2. I probably wouldn't have worked anyway considering it's the day after my birthday and after all my hard work of eating and drinking this weekend, I deserve a day off.
3. I wish I could hypnotize people in real life like I did in my dream
4. I have nothing to eat for breakfast. Except eggs which are beginning to gross me out. I think I overdid it on the eggs last month.
And other various thoughts that involved food, friends, boys, food and boys again.

So I guess my thoughts aren't really anything riveting these days but I have also been on staycation for about two years right now so any day now I will be back in real life mode and have real thoughts. Yep. Any. Day. Now.

So my weekend was everything I wanted and more. I am kind of a...well, princess when it comes to my birthday. I don't really mean for it to be that way, it just happens that I want to be around all the people I love. I mean isn't that what our birthdays are anyway? A celebration of life? And what would my life be without my friends and family? So since my fam took the weekend to participate in activities OTHER than my birthday, my friends stepped up to the plate (and I get to celebrate MORE with the fam later!). There were so many times where I would look around at all the smiling faces and just be so grateful these wonderful people are in my life. It makes me so happy to see people happy and therefore this weekend was a successfully happy one! We did lots of eating and being merry and my birthday wish came true--I wanted to just be with people all weekend. Which I was, seriously. I spent a few hours cleaning on Saturday morning and then about an hour getting ready by myself. The rest of the time I was with people. Seriously, until it was 12:01 and people told me I really needed to shut up about it being my birthday because it was over. That was a sad moment. And now I am in my mid twenties. OH SWEET JESUS. I am 25. That is the first time I've written it. It took me a few minutes staring at the screen before I could even manage those numbers together.

The thing is I remember turning 16 so well. And feeling so old. And thinking the world would stay that way forever. And then being 21 and so excited. And turning 23 in Japan and having the poop surprised out of me. And then before you know it you are 25 in your own apartment and your own personality and life and hopes and dreams and weird songs stuck in your head and you find yourself thinking, how the hell did it all go so fast? Where is the slow motion button? Looking ahead has become our custom here in mid twenties land--we reflect for a moment's time and then the moment is gone as fast as it came and we are looking forward to the next time we are going to a party or the mountains or dinner or a trip and before you know it THAT is already over and you tell your friend, "weren't we just saying how far away that seemed and now it's OVER?" and just shaking your head because that's life and there is nothing else to say about it. Breathe (that was a run on sentence so if you were reading that out loud for some really weird reason you really would need to breathe). That's all you can really do is shake your head. That's probably why my dad is always shaking his head. He just can't believe he's in his sixties and life went so magnificently fast. Or because he doesn't like any of the food on the menu and he can't believe there is honestly nothing that he would even consider eating.

It's weird how I sit here sometimes and wish I had a roommate. I don't think I get bored that quickly, I can occupy myself just fine (Japan taught that) but maybe I am lonely in the other sense of the word. I am ready for some companionship in the form of a sexy, seductive male. I can admit that and I don't feel one bit bad about it. The problem is, where is he? Truthfully, I know what I want but sometimes what you want isn't what wants you and even though your heart breaks because of it you can't sit around and twiddle your thumbs waiting for life to happen. What I am trying to say here is life is all around. It is happening right in front of us and it is hard sometimes to really look it straight on and say "Hi life, how the heck are you?" I want to be more clear about my muddled writings, but what I am really trying to do is tie in the last paragraph with this one and doing a bloody awful job at it. Chaps.

Try again.

OK.Simply put I want to shake people and tell them to open their eyes to what is right in front of them. I want to shake myself into something greater than I have been. I want to know that even though time isn't really waiting up for me, I can still try and catch it. I can make the most of it. I can sing weird songs faster than I ever have before to come up with some sort of brilliant symphony of thoughts. I can't figure it out. I can't keep up, I want to slow down and I still eat cheese even though it hurts my stomach. Put simply

I
JUST
DON'T
KNOW.

That's ok to me for now. I don't have to know. I don't have to have the secrets of Jessica or the secrets of life or even the secrets of the days figured out. I just have to acknowledge there is SOMETHING that I am working towards. There is SOMETHING great coming. There is SOMETHING more out there. And I can't just sit and wait for that something to fall into my lap.

I have never been one to listen to myself or take advice from myself, or really others. I like to think I do but most of the time my random acts of wants and needs and just inner head chaos just get right in the way like a tall guy with a fat head at the movie theatre. What a jerk.

So at least the thought begins to roll around in my brain. That is a start (really, for me that is). So I will just take what I can for myself right here and go with that. Positive thinking for a positive life! Yes, I should write a book. That would surely need and editor because this makes no sense and if you are still reading this I want to shake your hand because you made it through a lot of confusion and at least TWO really bad run on sentences.

PERIOD.

Can you Belize it?

Short of Breath

I think there should be a condition for the feeling you get at the end of a really great vacation. Like post-vacation depression. It should be a medical condition in which the only cure is more vacation! I guess the problem would be never really be solved then, but I still think the feeling should at least be acknowledged.

Today is technically my first non vacation day although I didn't get any sub calls because people don't want a sub on the first day back. So I guess I'm still on vacation! Yet this vacation seems worlds away from the one I was only just two short weeks ago.

I have ventured to the Caribbean and Central America and back to the Rocky Mountains since then and like all wonderful vacations I never wanted it to end. The weather, the people, the food and the ocean are all things I could get used to down there--it was truly beautiful in so many ways. I tried and figure out what I did to deserve 16 days in paradise as I sat on the beach one day listening to the distant motor of a boat and the palm trees that flapped together sounding like bird's wings. The beauty overwhelmed me and in certain moments of life it can actually take your breath away. I know it's happened to me several times just on this trip.

My first short of break experience was when we hiked to the top of a volcano rim where you felt as though you could taste the view it was so abundantly luscious. We sat in the clouds that day listening to our voices bounce off the tree tops and eventually fade away into the memory of the earth. Later we ran back down the mountain splashing up the rich Caribbean mud created from the rain that began to fall right as we made our way back. This time it was our laughter that echoed through the trees. My breath was taken away once again when I swam through a school of bright yellow-tailed snappers and down into a ship resting at its grave. Soon after I watched as two of my friends beamed through their regulators after they agreed to get married thirty feet underwater, proving that true love can happen anywhere even without words filling the air. My breath was taken away once again by the sheer awesomeness of the sky and the many different roles it can play. Sunsets and sunrises never failed to amaze me as I would watch the sky blushing from a light pink to a deep magenta. Clouds rolled in and out harnessing the colors to create even more of a spectacle. At night the starts were so plentiful and so bright I felt as though this must be some kind of far off dream--for nothing is this deeply pure in real life. From the glowing rich colors of the fish and coral to the blazing sky to the warm ocean breeze to the hot sun on my body to the ancient ruins of a mysterious culture, to the the rich, tropical jungle, to the smiles of the people I love around me, my appreciation for life and its beauty never stopped growing. It is hard now to believe that I was thinking all this as I sat on the beach as I type in my sweatshirt while there is snow resting on my doorstep right outside. It is also hard to believe that I didn't need some sort of figurative CPR for all the times my breath was taken away!

Some moments you just want to bottle up and keep for a day where nothing seems to be going your way. Some moments you wish you could replay like a video and watch. Some moments you just want to keep that feeling forever. Yet you cannot live in a moment forever, for it is one of times cruelties. The next best thing is keeping that moment's memory alive and a part of you. Sharing the passion you felt, projecting your happiness and just realizing that life itself is just one of these moments on top of another. And a realization like that just might take your breath away :)

Don't Worry About A Thing

Why do we worry about the things that are completely out of our control? It's maddening to me, really. I wish if it popped into my head I could do what Dumbledore does and remove it from my brain with my wand and put it in a huge, swirling vat of other discarded thoughts. I think his are more memories and I don't think he really forgets them completely, but I wish I could. Life would be easier. Not like it's extremely hard now but it would be more carefree. I don't know if worrying accomplishes anything--if it does please tell me what. Since I think it doesn't right now I wish this for everyone with daily worries. Does it create empathy? Does it create a stronger bond if you are worrying for someone? Or stronger feelings since you realize that if you are worried for another it means you care?

Of course you are going to worry about the ones you love if they are doing things that involve risk. Maybe it's a coming of age thing. You begin to worry about others as you grow and mature. Or maybe it's just a personal thing--some people just worry, others just don't. It could be as simple as that. Of course all parents worry. Even if you aren't a worrier by nature, have a kid and you are bound to worry, it's inevitable. The thing that is bothering to me with regards to worry is that just about everything that I worry about is not even in my control. I mean it is so out of my control that there would be nothing I could do to make it in my control. Of course, in my somewhat selfish state, just about everything relates back to how it effects me. Which is also a bit bothering. Take for instance one of my biggest worries: loneliness. It's not something I think of everyday but it is something I do thing about. And fret about. And then begin to worry about. What if I end up alone? What if I have no choice in the matter? What if I never fall in love? What if no one ever falls in love with me? What if this. What if that. And THAT is completely out of my control. There is literally nothing I can do about that. I mean, sure I can go on eharmony.com or match.com or something like that but sometimes I feel like I would just be forcing love at that point. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures. At this point I'm not that desperate. I think they are great hubs for meeting people and I think it is a cool thing, I just feel that's not really me. I am really bad with that kinda thing anyway. I don't like going on awkward first dates because it seems to me that it's just strange that it's the fact that you are interested in being with this person you don't really know. I would rather get to know someone first and then become friends and THEN maybe go on a date. That in itself can create problems as well. Nothing I feel like going into at this point--its been on my mind for way too long as it is, but I'll just leave it at that. Problems are created from friends turning into something more. Period.

With all this worrying I have to have the voice of reason come into my head and say there is TIME. But then the worried voice comes back and replies "isn't there?" And then a tangent of thoughts comes and I can't be sure there is too much time or not enough. It is so out of anyones control that it almost becomes this scary unknown to me. It baffles me as it always has and always will--the unsolved mystery of life. Is it with us or against us? Do we have too much or not enough? I guess it is each person's own battle and what they think their time is worthy of or if it is used or wasted, spent or lost. I look at an old person and think "I bet it foes by so fast, we have to live each day with meaning and purpose. I can't waste time, I need to get started so I am not left regretting when it is too late" whereas someone else might look at an old person and think "we have so much time. I'm so young and I have so many years ahead of me to figure things out". Funny how we view the same thing so differently. Funny how it is against us and with us all at the same TIME. As I've said before, it is a theme of my writings, yet it can never truly be explained, solved or concluded. I circle the topic like a vulture who circles a carcass, I take small bites at the question, but I can never really make a sound argument one way or the other. I guess it seems silly to talk or write or think about something if there is no real answer or closure, but I can't help but just wonder. One of life's many mysteries!

Another of life's mysteries is how the heck do they get all that flavor packed into just one cheez-it?? It's unbelievable! Or how did people know you could grind coffee beans and make a drink that flows through your blood and wakes you up!! And who came up with the great idea of an ugly sweater party? How hilarious! What a great idea. I wonder what year it was invented and who was the first to start it?

I'm actually helping host one this week. The non-profit group I am a part of is thanking the people who have helped us come so far by throwing a big bash for all to celebrate the holiday season. And then I am off to the Caribbean. Amazing how time really does fly. It seemed like so long ago when I bought the ticket. Now, well, here it is. So here I go, off to St. Kitts late Friday night and I will be swimming in the ocean, exploring, hiking, running and relaxing on the island. I will go scuba diving, surfing and climbing. I will tan and read and enjoy rum punch. I will do everything a vacation is for. Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, I will leave the tropics of the Caribbean and head to Belize to spend another week on the beach scuba diving, cave tubing, ruin exploring, eating and drinking with my family. For these weeks I won't have a care in the world. I can relax knowing I don't have to WORRY about a THING. What a terrible way to spend my Christmas vacation. I don't think things could get any worse :)

Sometimes I wish I could just hug life.

Small Brains

Recently, I have found myself thinking I wish there was a size that was smaller than small. But the only reason I think that is because I never drink my entire coffee and I always order a small. Then I could pay less because I'm drinking less. I think that's the only thing I have ever wished was smaller than small. It would be cute to have smaller things--especially giraffes. They are so cute when they are small. And puppies. And even kitties. I guess most things are cute when they are smaller. Besides kids--they LOOK cute but watch out, they're deceiving little devils. I guess I only say that now because I have been teaching a rowdy group of sixth graders for the past three days. You think an 11 year old really couldn't do that much damage. But then put 30 of them in a room together and h o l y m o t h e r. Let's just say I can wait to have my own classroom for now. Although the kids act a bit different around a sub. Let's hope.

A lot has been going on recently and I found myself in awe that it is already November. Wasn't it just August? Such is life lately and although I am by no means complaining, I am amazed at how you can get sucked into the whirlwind of it all. There has been something going on literally EVERY SINGLE NIGHT and I must say, I love it. I just wish it would go by slower. With Book Club, Bible Study, i have. i give., kickball, hopefully joining a new swim team as well as the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, I don't have much time to get bored. Which is great, I just need to be sure to leave some time for self reflection. I have also been thinking a lot about writing and feeling like since I don't have a full time job right now I should really make this more of a priority. I am planning on looking into some places I would be able to write to and maybe get published with an article someday. Hey, we all know I've got the dreamer's disease.

My life has permanently shifted. I have felt myself being pulled in all directions and I decided to choose one and go with it. I sometimes feel as though I am being pulled from my chest and the only thing I can do is follow it. I am an emotional person and now matter how much I wish it wasn't, most of the time I will always go with how I feel rather than what I am thinking. Feelings for me are something much deeper, much stronger and just much MORE than the logic that goes on in my head. Usually, if my feelings are being a bit silly I just try and keep them at bay but they never really go away. I feel as though I can express myself fully when I am acknowledging them full-heatedly. Lately, even with all of the wonderful things that are filling my heart, making me feel "full", I can't help but think there is a giant hole at the bottom where it is all just draining out. I know I am greedy but I want more. Or I would like to find a way to patch that nasty hole. Hey, we all know I've got the dreamer's disease. Despite my current bitterness I still have a little bit of hope underneath everything else. I also know that my vagueness is at an all time high in this paragraph :)


With the holidays just around the bend I can't help but feel excited. I'm actually feeling conflicting emotions considering I'm going to be on the beach for Christmas. Now, I'm definately not complaining, but it will be different from the white Christmas I am used to. I guess I was in Thailand two years ago and it never gets cold there. I think at that point I was just happy to finally be with my family.

This year I will probably be even happier when I am scuba diving in the Caribbean. There is nothing like SCUBA diving. It is the most free, weightless and amazed I have ever felt. The water does that too me, though. It has this overpowering effect that I could never truly describe in words.


Although it may not seem like it from this post, but I really do have a brain. It's just not here right now and I can't find it since it's missing. It's all a vicious circle really. Enjoy the brainless writing :)

Dancing with Death

The other night we talked about death. We talked about our fears, our thoughts on what happens after our bodies have had enough of this world. We talked about what we believed this after world to look like. We talked about if we were afraid, if we would be ready, if there was anything at all to be ready for. Now, this may sound morbid, but why? Why does this topic always have to be so hush hush? I feel like it is viewed as this "do not enter" zone of conversation. But why can't we go in? Have a look around? Explore the inevitable? Why can't we learn more about this? Can't we learn to look at is as not this dreaded Ultimate End, but just simply as a part of life? Can't we focus on being prepared for the inevitable? Too many people are frightened to death of the unknown, but what good will that fear really do? Why not be excited for it? I'm not saying get out the calendar and start marking off the days until you're taking a dirt nap for the rest of eternity, but why not just pass in peace?

My intentions with death would be to die ready and non-remorseful. I guess I don't have much of a say in it. I will die when it is my time to die, but I want to make sure I truly and completely lived with every breath I was given and give every last breath to life. As I have written before--the true miracle is that we are even here in the first place. For the time being I will relish in that.

At this age it is somewhat of a strange thing to be thinking about, but I do wonder how people who know they are going to die really feel. And how they go about feeling peaceful. Knowing the people they left behind will be ok, knowing they have done all they could to make their lives and the lives around them full, knowing that it is just all part of the circle of life. I think that coming to grips and really harnessing that thought would be something that could potentially take your whole life just to conquer. Is anyone truly and completely ready? One of my friends said something that struck me deeply, what about the people we leave behind? How do you deal with that? Then I began thinking and a furious tangent of thoughts came to my head I was not able to push away. What if we regretted missing out on them? On their lives? On our relationship with them? On what we could have done for them? How could we ever feel ready to go in peace when we were sad about all of that? How could they let us go if they felt that way too? I guess that is why people cry at funerals. I guess that is why death is so profoundly tragic. Because so many people are so sure they will never see that person again. They will never feel what they felt around that person again. That is what makes you weep as their body--this body you have grown to love--is nothing but cold matter being put into the ground. But then, against what might feel like overwhelming odds, the strength of faith can press through. Faith is telling us that this body had really nothing to do with the person inside of it. Faith is telling us there is much more than what meets the eye. Sure, our bodies stand to tell what we have done or been through, but it doesn't have anything to do with your relationship with this person. At this point you can choose to know that's that. There is nothing else, you will never see them again, life will never be the same. Or you can choose to think that you know their spiritual self has gone on and that someday yours too will meet up with them. That this is not the end of the road, it is just a part of the road. Free will is one of our many wonderful traits as human beings, so I guess that is just one of the things that you use it for. To go on or not. I say, whatever helps you sleep at night. Believe what you want, I'm not one to judge. All I know is that the relationships we make on this earth could possibly determine them for after this earth. For the white marshmallow land as I like to envision it. I also think that just because some believe that relationships might go on past our time on planet Earth doesn't mean time should be wasted just because you think there might be endless amounts of it. There's my advice of the day. Use your free will to do what you want with that.

All this death talk makes me want to have a good old fashioned dance party. There's nothing like feeling alive after a dance party! Now that I have my very own apartment I can dance all day. It's amazing I haven't taken full advantage of that yet. Well, looks like I know what I'll be doing Friday afternoon! TGIF!

Ice Cream Friends

Today is a beautiful October day. I know because I went outside a few times for a few minutes. I was actually very grateful the whole walk from my car to Barns and Noble. And even just as grateful on my jaunt back. And then I felt like I had really taken advantage of the day while I walked from my car back into the school I was subbing at. Sarcasm aside, I really was glad though, as I walked into the bookstore, because I thought about the day I do have a real job "planning" hour will actually mean planning. Not finding the closest coffee shops where I can read or write. So even though I might have enjoyed yesterday a little more (swimming outside, laying in the lawn chair, talking a walk down the street), today can still be enjoyed because of other things I can do. I need to realize just because I can't be outside every second of everyday doesn't mean that day was a waste. It is what you do with your time that makes the day worthwhile.

When I first started student teaching I remember thinking I had committed myself to a life of imprisonment. I remember looking in the teacher's lunch room and thinking oh my gosh, how depressing. I remember gazing longingly outside while the students played basketball simply wishing I could enjoy the day on the other side of the wall. After time went on I began to think less and less of being outside (maybe because it was winter...) and more and more about the students and the teachers around me. Soon the lunch room was not depressing, but a place where I could rest for just a little bit before the next rowdy class filtered into my room. A place where I could vent about the what stupid thing Billy did that day or laugh with the other teachers. I have hope that real teaching one day will be like this. I will not look in teachers' offices and grimace at the time they spend in there everyday while I go out into the world, but rather I will enjoy being with my colleagues in the dimly lit office eating my smashed turkey sandwich. And even on days where the sun shines warmly and beckons me to go outside, I will remember I have the whole entire summer off. That will make it all worth it. I hope.

I can't complain before I even get a job, plus my dear friend Ashley did bring up a good point. She reminded me that teachers get done with school around three. So even if I had loads of work to do and I spent two hours at school doing it, I would still be getting finished around the same time as normal people do. It's all perspective here. Plus, it's not about me, right? It's all about the students. It is hard for me to think of that now because I only have 'pretend someday students', but when the time comes, I will have real live students. Hopefully doing something else will be the last thing on my mind. As hard as I know it will be, I look forward to that day.

On a complete side note, does anyone else feel guilty when eating ice cream alone but when you go with someone else its totally fun and carefree? And you feel somehow the calories don't count?? Just thinking about ice cream a lot lately but I won't go alone because the one time I went alone it scarred me with everlasting guilt. I guess I'll have to make some friends :)

Speaking of friends, I have definitely been blessed, honored--whatever you want to call it, with some winners. Obviously I think they are winners otherwise I would not associate with them. Without them I would not be part of the book club I love or the Bible Study I find so intriguing or the non-profit I am so inspired by. I would not have a kickball game to look forward to every Sunday, and exciting plan every weekend night or anyone to ride my bike, run, walk, ski or dance with. I would not spend as many hours talking, learning, laughing, eating or simply enjoying. I would not have travel bug skittering through my veins, I would not be making the transition from the world of just me to everyone else as smoothly as I feel I am. Don't get me wrong, it takes time, but I'm not sure I would have even started that transition or seen how badly I really needed it. Bottom line I would not be happy like I am, I would not be challenged like I am, I would not be like. I. Am. Period. So thanks, friends for making me a better, more improved, little less selfish ME. Maybe one of them would like to go to ice cream with me? Or maybe, since I am transitioning, ice cream ON me! Now who could resist that?!

Freedom

Sinking Chairs

I have just decided that balance and relationships are the key to my very existence. If I don't have balance between doing the things I want to do, need to do, have to do then I get very cranky. Lightly put. And if I don't have good relationships surrounding me I get very cranky. Very lightly put. So there it is, simple yet to the point.

Of course we all know that brevity isn't really my forte so why should I make it that way now? That would just be plain silly. Speaking of plain silly, isn't it funny how we always realize how important something was after it has already gone or been lost or broken? Take for instance this lovely little red desk chair I have owned for so many years. It's a nice chair--not the most comfortable, I find skyping in it for hours makes me antsy--but it's still nice. The other day I began to finally appreciate it because it could actually roll around now that I have hardwood floors. That was thrilling to me. I was showing my friends this thrilling new excitement just that day. Later I thought it would be also thrilling to show my friend on skype how I can make it go down really fast. Now, this is nothing new in the world of chairs but watching my head suddenly drop in the camera was amusing to both of us. So I did a few times for a few laughs. Naturally. After doing this a few times the chair sunk. And then it never went back to it's full height again. Just like that. Just as I was starting to really appreciate it. Just as I was starting to really take notice of all of it's great qualities, now, every time I sit in it, I am quickly reminded of it's flaws and more annoyingly, my stupidity. It is also extremely inconvenient especially when I'm typing. And I look really dumb all low in my chair.

Ok, I'm finished with my chair rant. But isn't that just the garbage monster's pajamas? I thought so too. On the other side of the spectrum I had a delightful day of some of my favorite things--swimming, lifting, biking, eating, more eating, movie watching and in a little, seeing some friends.

As I end this post because of lack of brain function, I have but one question:

Have you ever seen an elephant play a violin? Cause I did.

"There are endless possibilities to the human spirit"

As the last song on my i-pod ended I heard the rhythmic beating of my heart pulsing against my ear buds. I felt the air whooshing into the bottom of my lungs, listened to the pound, pound, pound of my heavy feet on the damp gravel. The sun peaked through the multicolored tree in front of me creating shadows that danced around my feet. I heard a dog bark in the distance and ran past a couple laughing and holding hands. I smiled at my friend next to me. "Life," I thought "is simply this. Is about the love for something real, the beauties of nature, the complexity of our own existence, the compassion and love of the relationships you have." In that moment I was truly amazed. I was in awe of my own simple existence. I was inspired by the true beauty of it all. One of my favorite quotes filtered into my at that moment "If we have never been amazed by the very fact that we exist, we are squandering the greatest fact of all" --Will Durant. I full-heartily believe in that. Without realizing the compactly of our own greatness, our own abilities, our own utter existence then this is the life is not the potential is can be. You may say I've got the dreamers disease, I believe I do most of the time too--but because of that I take in the amazement's of life frequently so I do not forget the awesomeness that lies within this world, that lies within each of us. It is easy to get tripped up in the mundane everyday or get frustrated with just life, but these are the little things that can only equip us for the big things. If there is no frustration then what can you compare relaxation or happiness to? How can you compare if you cannot contrast?

Running around the park I cannot help but be humbled by the sheer beauty of nature. The next day I once again felt that way as I was swimming. The cool water rushed past me as I quickly moved my arms behind me. Since I was swimming backstroke I had a clear view of the fast-moving clouds with the sun peaking through. Suddenly a large flock of black birds scattered across the sky, looking like tiny chocolate chips spilling out of the bag. I am always thankful for outdoor swimming :)

I often wonder what life would be like if I were born somewhere else or someone else. Although impossible, that thought almost always floors me every time. I try to imagine living in a state or country I visit or see on TV. I even think about what it would be like to be a certain person--someone I see driving, I think "where are they going? What are they thinking right now?". Whether it be just my friend down the street, a teacher in Japan, a doctor in India or even the President I wonder what a day in their shoes is like. I think the reason I am so baffled by it all is because it is virtually impossible to truly feel a life that is not yours. You can even be with someone in their every walk of life--spend all day with them and still not even come close to how they perceive and experience the same things you are. Naively or maybe more so, ignorantly, I often wish I could live multiple lives so I could compare, just so I could understand. I honestly think understanding another person is the only way we can truly begin to create a wold of tolerance, acceptance and peace.

I sound like a big time hippy right now, but there are just a lot of jerks out there who can only wrap their head around themselves and what they want. Most likely not even that. It becomes nothing but temporary satisfaction and then it is not hard to get lost within the confusion of all of THIS. Just like this post is beginning to do.

All I'm trying to say here is hug a tree, read a book, ride your bike without your hands, sweat like you mean it, dance until you're breathless, indulge in something refreshing, learn the world and then teach the world, and of course eat lots of delicious cheeses.

That's all I'm trying to say, really. With that, go fourth and do good.

From the Journey Behind to the Journey Ahead

When the question of to travel or not to travel is posed to me, I of course choose to travel! Which is how I ended up on my most recent of adventures: a 28 hour road trip to the good old (and very far) state of Connecticut. It so happened that my old roommate and great friend, Lauren, decided to bid farewell to all of us lazy westerners and take on the world of life in the fast lane. Quite literally--upon arriving in the East coast people were hurriedly speeding past us at 10, 15 and even 20 miles faster than the speed limit. We quickly realized those limits were more guidelines than actual rules (they're just like pirates out there). We early left on a calm and sunny Friday in Denver, Colorado after a teary goodbye exchange between Lauren and her mom and we were off with nothing but the almost 1700 miles of road between us and our desired destination. Lauren's trip was not one for business but rather in the name of love so she put petal to metal for every hour of the 28 to make it in a timely fashion. It so happens that her car was a stick shift which is ironic because that is the only car I can't drive. Fast ones, slow ones, big ones, little ones--those I can do. But stick shift...not so much :) Despite my initial worries, it actually turned out fine and we decided that as long as I wasn't sleeping I was doing a great job of just keeping good company. So we set of driving the first nine hours until stopping in lovely and incredibly exciting Iowa. The drive was less than thrilling--Colorado being the most boring of all with nothing but prairie as far as the eye could see. We ended out trip in the overcast city of Des Moines, our heads swirling with dreams of just laying flat on a bed. Miles and miles of corn really tuckers you out! Needless to say, I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow (well, kinda).

Day two was an 8 hour stretch and now that we were road tripping pros we only stopped twice the whole way through the Midwest. Our diet was top notch--all of the five star restaurants we could find--Dairy Queen, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, McD's, Starbucks, Steak and Shake. Really high quality places and you can imagine how good we felt after such feasts! I've never looked better. Our second night we stayed in a small town right off the highway in Ohio. We felt they were quite friendly as we passed through Wood County onto Cummings Road. I could tell this was gonna be a real stand up place. As soon as I walked into the room I knew I was right. They did not disappoint in Milan, Ohio. In the corner of the room was a giant, pink "whirlpool" tucked neatly in the corner. Oh, and did I mention this was the corner of the BEDROOM? Upon seeing such a surprise I did what you should expect me to do--cheer while I ran to grab my swim suit (I knew it would need it for something!). I figured I might as well take advantage of amazing relaxation while I could. Lauren was weirded out as any normal person would be, but she was a good sport and took a picture of me in this wonderful whirlpool to post on the worldwide web. I've never had the extreme luxury of watching TV in my own private hotubbathwhirlpool so taking advantage of that was surely a memory I will never forget. It was the perfect treat to relax after a tiring day of sitting.

The next day was our final stretch into the great wilderness and I have to say this day was my favorite. Getting out of the Midwest could have done it for me on its own but to top it off was the amazing scenery. It was as if the weather knew the state boarder line because almost immediately upon arriving in Pennsylvania the clouds parted and displayed hundreds of thousands of brilliantly beautiful multi-colored trees so crowded together it looks as though they were stacked one on top of the other. I tried to capture the majesty of this picturesque scene but my little Kodak camera did not do it a bit of justice. I felt like there should have been really inspirational road trip montage-like music as we drove to create even more awe with the breathtaking visions around us. We passed from a luscious and enchanting Pennsylvania into a rockier New Jersey then into a densely populated New York and finally into Stamford, Connecticut, Lauren's new home sweet home. All with the help of the AAA guidebook and our dear friend, Garney (yes, we named the GPS). Exhausted and relieved we made our way into Lauren and Brett's new apartment. It's hard for me to imagine what this would be like--going to an unknown place, walking into an apartment you have never seen that is your new home and starting a life with the person you love. I'm not in the place right now—no where close to it really, but being there made me me see what it would be life. It made me realize that in some distant way I'm excited for all of that. But until then I was really excited for them! So we wasted no time in setting up house and trying to make these empty rooms into a home. We ran crazy errands--lots of Target trips, Wal-Mart, the mall, the store. They bought stuff and lots of it and we were quick to put it in its rightful place. We explored town, took walks, tasted the local eateries, and even built a neat little desk and enjoyed a brew at a local bar. It was fun to see a glimpse of what their lives are going to be like and I was glad she let me be a part of it. But after almost a week it was time for me to shake the dust off my small town boots and put on my big city city shoes to stir things up in the Big Apple.

I took the express train from Stamford to New York and then the subway to meet my old pal, Alex. As soon as I got there, there was no mistaking it--I was definitely in New York City. It was almost a culture shock from the small town I was in just an hour ago. Since this was my second time visiting the familiars of the place all came rushing back along with my love for it. It's hard not to fall in love with a place like NYC, it’s hip and exciting, fast and fashionable, loud and dirty and you are constantly stimulated by everything around you. Maybe I don't know myself well enough, but I couldn't tell if I could live in a place like that. I don't know if central park would cure my outdoorsy itch or if I would miss the wilderness. I don't think I could live there forever, but maybe for a while in my young years. In all honestly I don't see myself moving there anytime soon so I don't think I even need to worry about it, but it is a vision that I think of sometimes. I couldn't get enough of it--the sights--especially the people, the smells, the vibe. It’s just so, well simply put, cool. The "ultimate melting pot experiment" as Alex's friend, Julian, put it. Throw together all types of people from all sorts of backgrounds all over the world-- construct a giant concrete jungle and tell them all to go play. Now, it’s not the nicest of play grounds but even with their disputes they seem to have some unspoken way of how they all can "get along". They don't always play nice and they aren't afraid to express themselves (yelling, honking...) but it seems to work for them and it works magic on me every time.

After Alex and I debriefed and caught up we wined and dined at a delicious pizza place not far from his apartment on the lower east side. We met his pal Julian for a few drinks afterwards and after reading the actual scripts from SNL (Julian works there) we decided to call it a relatively early night. Well, at least for New York standards.

Friday was spent walking which was what I wanted to do anyway. I just needed to take it all in. Julian and I went to the financial district and got to see the famous Wall Street and that huge bull that everyone loves so damn much. We walked to Battery Park to get a somewhat foggy view of good old Lady Liberty and a very clear view of Spongebob Squarepants himself. We meandered to and outdoor food/shopping pier to meet Alex and his co-worker for lunch before heading to Brooklyn Bridge. I snapped some pictures of the city and the water around us, yet the camera did not to the magnificent city justice. Once again. It was a hot and muggy day so around five we decided to head back to the apartment after grabbing some delicious gelato from "El Labratorio"--a past favorite for me. We relaxed until we decided to head back out--this time across town to meet New York local and long time friend of Alex's, Tomas. Alex and I hopped on the subway and took the long ride across town, stopping once for a quick Chipotle fix. From there (and after watching a chunk of one of my favorite flicks--Slumdog Millionaire) we hit up a few bars back near Alex's place and danced deep into the night. The End. Just kidding, that just sounded really corny. But it really was deep into the night--clubs and bars shut down around 3:30 or 4 in the morning--just the time I would normally be actually falling asleep from a night out. So you can imagine after closing, the loitering, the eating of hot dogs, bedtime is almost at sunrise. Gotta love it.

Saturday we got up at the ungodly hour of noon and made our way to a bar to watch the BC football team get stomped since Alex and Tomas are such good alumni. Afterwards Alex and I walked around taking our time, stopping to sit on a bench to listen to some jam band from Oregon if just lazily relax in the park, basking in the mid afternoon sun. We walked up to Times Square and weaved our way through the masses before meeting up with one of his friends for a drink. Later we feasted on Indian good--a taste that has been missing from my life since Japan. It was a good reunion for my taste buds. After we showered and watched the Rockies win we took a cab to Brooklyn for an apartment fiesta with Tomas and his brother.

Now, this was no normal apartment gathering. From the outside it looked pretty nice and quiet but when we went in the fancy elevators and slick floors made me think this was not just any old apartment. When we got to this guy's place we were greeted by friends of theirs and offered too much food. There was a living room with bedrooms on each side with a big window that opened up to a nice view. But it was up the swirly staircase that was really the amazing view. He had a deck that overlooked all of Manhattan and at that time of night it was absolutely brilliant. The cameras we had didn't reach the city lights so I could only hold this shot in my memory. There is just something unbelievable that something like that was built by the hand of a man. Don't get me wrong, any nature view could out-wow me compared to a city view, but the view of New York from far away is on the top of my breathtaking city views just next to Bangkok, Seoul and Tokyo.

After we had our fix of viewing, eating, drinking and chatting we took a cab back to Manhattan and hit up the clubs once again. We danced until the last possible minute the club was open and probably crawled into bed just a little before 6 am. The next day was a leisurely one, we walked around the apple street fair, eating and watching the crowds. I love street markets so I was heartedly enjoying this one. Plus the apples and apple juice were among the best I've tasted. Must be why they call it the Big Apple! I also got a very trendy NY looking hat and some nice, big, red sunglasses. Later we went to a bar and watched the Broncos lose as we battled our way through three giant plates of nachos. The part of town really came alive at night and on our walk home I was extremely entertained with the people all around us. As well as my own company, we had a great time.

Alex walked and rode with me back to Grand Central and we waited on a staircase for my train. There is a reason they call that place Grand Central--it really is grand. The ceilings are so tall that after a while I can't even really tell where they begin. They are covered with beautiful paintings that arch and turn with the curve of the building. After Alex and I said our goodbyes, I took the train back to Stamford where Lauren and Brett picked me up and took me back to their even more furnished apartment. In my absence they had an extremely productive weekend!
The next day Lauren and I just hung out before she took me to the airport that was actually in New York, but closer to CT. We had a teary hug--saying goodbye never gets any easier. This time was different because although we have somewhat become more accustomed to goodbyes, we always knew when the next time we would see each other would be. This time it is a mystery. I did feel better knowing that her journey was going to be an exciting adventure and she has been waiting a long time for this!

My journey home was a long one--a layover in Atlanta with a delayed flight and by the time I finally got home, sleep was heavy on my mind. Since then things have been a whirlwind. I started packing since I signed a lease on an apartment near wash park (!!), and I tried to get back in the swing of subbing, working out and friends. We had a game night, the last night of Denver Cruisers (ski in ski out theme) and the big weekend move. I literally spent all weekend shopping, packing and organizing to get everything moved over by Sunday. My goal was complete with the help of four of my best friends and of course my parents. By the time nine o'clock Sunday night rolled around I was comfortably sitting in my new apartment, everything put in its respected places and boxes stacked to the ceiling. My main tasks this week will be decorating and running. Lots of running. I signed up for a 10k a few months ago thinking I would be ready. Ha! Funny how time just slips away and somehow there it is--the date you thought was so far away is right in your face.

Laying in bed last night I couldn't help but just feel excited for life. It took me forever to just fall asleep because my mind wouldn't turn off. There are so many things I want to accomplish and I feel like this move finally revved my motivation into gear. The year after Japan was an interesting one and although there were times where I felt extremely stagnant and frustrated with myself, there was also growth going on that only my older self can look back and see. Japan expanded me, made me grow in unimaginable ways and just because I was home and not learning something new everyday doesn't mean that I wasn't learning at all. I was taking in the relationships around me, molding them into something that could last the rest of my life. I was learning how to deal with uncertainty and most of all learning how to know and feel good about myself. Of course I wavered, of course I lost my footing at times, but if I did not I would not be human. I feel I am in a better place now than I was six months ago and I just hope to continue to grow so I can say that six months from now.

It seems the real reason I couldn't sleep is because I cannot wait to see where the road ahead takes me. I am elated because so far it has taken me on a pretty amazing and wild ride. Now that, my friends, is a good reason for not being able to sleep!

I am Brilliant. I am Beautiful.

I'm a little water logged from the night of diving on my face one too many times, but I thought I would give the old blog a whirl. A lot has been going on in my head lately and writing it down only makes me realize that it is no longer in my head but now it's something that needs to be done. It has become this physical thing that if not tended to can turn into a monster I need to battle. A little dramatic, I know, but I'm all for the theatrical lately. I've been very emo these past couple of weeks so I'm allowing it to continue until I start wearing dark make-up and dying my hair black. Then maybe I would need to draw the line at that.

Without going into grotesque detail about my life events I will say this; holy mother. I have been slapped in the face with a big fat IDIOT paddle. And it really hurts, Charlie. My head came unscrewed but instead of screwing it back on when I began to realize I ignored it and eventually it feel off completely. It's amazing how something has to blow up in my face for me to even realize there was a bomb waiting to explode in the first place. I saw it, I heard it ticking...I guess I just thought it would be fun to see what happens when it goes off. Well, it wasn't really fun. I don't think I'll be doing that again. Seeing that I lost my head and all. But! Don't worry, I found it and I am slowly screwing it back on. It's hard than I thought, but it needs to be done. As I said in my earlier post, running from responsibilities isn't really all its cracked up to be. I'm beginning to act like a teenage wasteland. If there were such a noun. I got pulled out of the firey inferno of pathetic existance and here I stand. Not necessairly waiting, just a little shocked I guess. But soon I will be kicked into gear and life will resume Jessicaness. Yes, that is now a word. I need to find myself in all of these falsities. I can't belive I had lost myself--this great person whom I had gotten to know and like so well for this person I had never even met. It was really sad actually, I didn't like that person at all but somehow she stuck around to reek havic on my perfect little bubble I had created for myself. And now I am left cleaning up the pieces. Good riddens, jerk! So here I am ready to climb back up the mountain and conquer it before going up the next one.

I realize there are a lot of silly metaphors in there and I don't really expect anyone to interpret what actually has been happening. I tend to circle around things a lot which I need to work on. Especially if I'm going back to school someday. See? There I go again. Anyway, I think I'm going to get a move on with things I actually really need to do rather than all these things I want to do. It's not working out how I thought. Sometimes, things you think might be a breeze actually turn out to be way too hard. I knew it was a trick! Life can't just work out everytime! Silly me, what was I thinking?

So what I am trying to say in these riddled thoughts is this: I am better than what I have been. I have so much untapped potential. As I once wrote in my journal (in very bright markers, mind you) I am brilliant, I am beautiful. Except the funniest part was that I spelled brilliant wrong. I laughed about it for a long time. If you can't laugh at yourself then just forget it. And then never told anyone until now. It feels good to get if off my chest. Even if no one reads this but me. So there it is, written down. What I had forgotten lately. Sometimes it's hard to do what you know will make you feel better in the long run for temporary satisfaction. It is also hard to ignore what your feelings say and go with what your head says. As I said, I've been emo lately so I thought going with the feelings was a good trend. I definately thought wrong. For now at least. I think there will come a day when I can freely let my feelings go and it will be worth it.

So I am moving on to bigger and better things. These things include (drumroll please):

1. Road tripping it to Connecticut and New York with my old pal and roommate (where she is moving *sad face*)

2. Moving into my OWN place :)

3. Becoming really poor

4. Trying to work a lot so I'm not living on the streets

5. Running a 10k (yuck)

6. Writing more in this here blog

7. Finishing my Japan scrapbook and getting going on my story!

8. Skipping down the street

9. Saying hello to old friends

10. And I think I'll just spend most of December on the beach. Yeah, sounds good. St. Kitts and Belize sound real nice. I can't wait. But before that I need to be deserving of a vacation. So here I go, on to do good things for my world and the world of others.

I cannot get lost within myself ever again. There is a place no one should ever go. So I'm back, ready to take on the world! Or a small, little part of it. But it's my part and that's what matters :)

Peace and love.

This is the Life

Time seems to slide by sneakily these days--it is quick and I rarely notice it until it is too late. Tomorrow is the first day of July and in 28 days I will have been home from the adventure of a lifetime for a year already. It is both upsetting and uplifting, surreal and amazing. Time there was a different beast--it could be my best friend or my worst enemy, but in the end it did nothing but change my life forever. This past year I felt as if I would lay dormant--it was hard to compare with a year in a foreign place where I was constantly learning new things every single day, where I was constantly being tested and challenged. I wanted that again, yet the comforts of the familiar settled in and getting out of that was something of a challenge in itself. I struggled with myself as a person--where I fit in the big scheme of things, where I will end up, how I will make a difference to others, how I will be proud of that difference in myself. Being back in familiar territory was all of the sudden foreign and unknown to me. I wavered and shot up and then down only to shoot back up again not too long later. The culture shock guide explains this will happen so I had braced myself for it for a few months. Not for an entire year. I craved challenge, I craved stimulation, I craved the confusion and unexplainable parts of life, yet everything was making sense. Everything was TOO easy which ironically was making it much more difficult for me to grasp.

I can't say that I have gotten the hang of things yet, nor do I think I will ever, yet I do know that having that knowledge can only make it easier in the long run. I did things that I probably wouldn't have done in the past, I put myself in situations I might have found uncomfortable just so I could welcome back that feeling again. I felt at times I was wasting away. I felt I was not being who I really wanted to be. The point where I have come to is almost to the point of where I want to be to begin my personal journey again. I feel confident in myself once again, knowing that my rightful path will be set out for me once I begin to walk with my head held high knowing that nothing can stop me. This transition has not been easy and my heart breaks to think that I have reverted back to where I was before I left. Then I reach within myself and remember what I have learned and who I have become. I remember what I am grateful for and how my life has been full of wonderful surprises. I must know that there has been so much learned since I have been home and just because it is something I already know doesn't mean I can't look at it with this new set of eyes. I see the same yet I feel differently. Life and the world around you is so much of not how it is looked at physically, but how it is perceived by each person. Now, I know this isn't anything new by any means but it certainly has been making more sense as this mystery of time passes me by. So I can say with confidence that I have not laid dormant this year and that I have learned something new and exciting each day and I have definitely made connections and memories that will last a lifetime. Sometimes, getting caught up in the day to day life can only produce mundane results if you are not able to take a step back and look at the big picture. Just because I am not traveling or meeting someone new at every turn does not mean I am rotting away. I can create this within everyday life. Writing this, I am suddenly saddened that some people--in fact I would say most people go through their lives without ever having realized it. They never step back and look at the small beauties in life and it becomes all too easy to be sucked up within yourself never to escape from the drudgery of your own mind.

I am not saying it is easy to escape this monotonous existence yet it becomes much more do-able once you have realized that you CAN. Once you know that there is no stopping the beautiful journey that is life. Realizing this once again has made me want to take advantage of the little things and try out something new each day if I can. The book club I am in has been extremely helpful in that sense as well as not having a permanent job. I am able to soak up the goodness of each day with full gratitude. Yesterday for instance, I was finished coaching and teaching swim lessons and I just ended up hanging out at the pool with the kids and other coaches. We played around in the water, made up hilarious strokes and laughed as the water cooled our bodies from the relentless summer sun. Later that night I found myself laying under a blanket of stars as I listened to the laughter of the friends I love and I thought to myself something I used to say many years ago before I fully understood its meaning; this is the life. Now I am finally beginning to. This is my one life that I have to live for my happiness, to make a difference, to love, to enjoy, to challenge myself and others, to spread everything that I know and to know each and everyday that this is THE life and I better make the very most of it. There is no better time to start than right now.

The Art of Happiness--its a wrap-er I mean a snap!

Why doesn't anyone like mustard? I mean what is wrong with it? I think its way better than its red colored adversary! I don't think many things in this world are better than mustard on a hog dog. I say that somewhat regrettably, but completely honestly. I guess you will always have to like one over the other. I would rather have salt over pepper and I would rather be cold than hot. I think that is one of the many things that make people interesting. Their differences. If we were all the same then life would be as boring as a political debate. Ok, maybe even worse than that. I guess that is an obvious fact of life, yet it was something that I came to complete terms with last year while living in a country that tries so hard to keep everything similar. To keep everything in perfect harmony.

The Japanese have to, for if they didn't there is no way they would be able to survive on such a small island with so many people. No way at all. I think they all try to be different, but their mannerisms and their general thought process seems to be very similar. Not everything, I'm not saying they all think the same, but just as we are a product of our environments, so are they. The group mentality, the kindness, the sharing, the togetherness are just some of the qualities they share. To a foreigner it could get rough at times. But God I miss it there. It's hard for me at times, even to this day, to wrap my head around the fact that I won't ever go back to living there. I always feel for some reason that I will. That this is just a break and I'll end up back in those classrooms, back in my apartment just as it was, back with my friends singing karaoke late into the night. I always think I'll be able to go on the trips with them or drink rice wine under the beautiful cherry blossoms. There was so much that I didn't do in just one year of being there, and although I was pleased with what I accomplished when I left, I now think about all there still is to see and do. All I wish I could teleport myself to. Just to zap myself back to a potluck dinner with a mixture of Japanese and English speaking friends or to that run on the day where the sunset left the sky glowing in sheer brilliance. I guess there is always a time for wishing and a time for doing, so we will just have to see what time will do. If I wasn't do desperate for a job next fall I could care less and buy a ticket today. But life reminds us all too often that as much as you don't want to grow up, there is just a time where you have to. I admit, I've been avoiding it more than anyone else I know but lately I have been realizing that running from the responsibilities of life isn't really all its cracked up to be. Granted there are pluses to both sides of the spectrum, but I am old enough and let's hope mature enough to be ready for the "real world". This realization came in my own time, as I feel most things in life have. I don't generally like to be rushed and so far things have worked in my favor for that. I can also admit that it has been something I need to work on. I need to push myself to my full potential. I know it is there and I know, if I put my mind to it I can do it. Even if I am one of the only ones who actually likes mustard.

Sometimes I just do what is in my power to do and say the rest will happen as its supposed to. I am a huge believer that everything happens for a reason, but that is NOT a reason to get lazy. That is not a reason to think things will just fall in my lap as they so often have. I need to go out and get what I want. And, to quote the Rolling Stones, "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might just find you get what you need". So even if I do go out for what I want and it doesn't necessairy work out, I might later find that it was actually what I needed all along! Life has an interesting way of showing us that. Today I checked out the book "The Art of Happiness" by the Dali Lama because it is what we are reading for book club. I am excited to hear what good old Dali with his tinted glasses has to say about happiness. Is it going out and getting what you want? Or what you need? Or is it accepting the way things happen to you? Or is it waiting until something does happen to you? Or a mixture of all of it? Or maybe none of it? All I know is that the way I have been living my life provides for more than enough happiness, yet I do believe there is always room for more. Until you burst from it I guess. Except there are no known cases of bursting from happiness. Not that I've read anyway.

Speaking of happiness, here is something that is pretty hilarious: www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2010/01/28/its-a-wrap/

All the comments are what make it worth while :)

Go forth and be good!

:)

There is nothing better than a dress up party. Especially when it is related to the 1980s.

It's All Good

It is definitely past my bedtime but since I had coffee at 2 this afternoon I am still reeling. I should know by now caffeine makes me a big nutball for way too many hours. Either way it has brought me back to my first and only true love, writing. Luckily today my blog is the victim of emotions on a once blank and innocent canvas.

I had a bit of a revelation tonight. Not quite an epiphany--those are the best, but it wasn't quite at that level. I had a heart to heart with one of my best friends and it made me realize one major thing about me at this point in life: I'm happy. I'm really, undeniably happy right now. Now the reason it's not an epiphany is because I already knew that. In fact, I have admitted it to myself a number of times. There are obvious reasons and not so obvious reasons for my utter happiness but as with most things in life it has to do with others around me. It is just the simple act of being able to say it so that I can truly believe it that makes it revalational. Life is all about relationships and I cannot help but take a look around and see all of the positive ones surrounding me. I cannot count the people I love on all the fingers and toes I call mine. I can't even count them on tripple that. It is truly unbelievable how blessed I am. How did I get such a good hand delt to me?

Somewhat recently I have joined a book club and as I knew it would, it has sucked me in. Mind, body and spirit. Completely. I am in love with it. I even wrote the bookies an emotional e-mail tonight telling them how much it meant to me. Telling them how much they meant to me. Which in turn got me thinking, why don't we do this more often? The book we are reading begs the same question, the authors asks, "And how can you say I love you to someone you love?" (ELIC p. 314). Although seemingly trivial, this is a completely legitimate question. Sometimes the words I and love and you just fill the air. They are just placed where they are needed. They are sometimes overused, missused or even just used. At the same time, why don't we say it more? Why can't we express our feelings how we want? How can we say these words without absusing them? The only conclusion I have come to with that is that we can is that we say it only when meant. And we say it in all truthfulness in our heart. And we know that no matter how many people come in and out of our lives there is always a place for them within our hearts. There is always more room to include those you love. And as my good old mom says, "You can never have too many friends". I agree, Mom.

As with all my ramblings there seems to be a lot of opposing ideas and unclear conclusions which I have decided I'm ok with because it's my mind and that tends to happen within the confines of our minds. Never is there a time when you come to an exact answer when it comes to questions about life. Never is a time where you will ever have it figured out. Never is a time where you stop learning about yourself. Never is a time where you stop growing. I have said it time and time again, but what fun would it be if you figured yourself out one day? What fun would it be if you had no more questions? Although exhausting, this is what life is about. Life is long and short all at the same time, but the thing that matters is how we live it. Time is a theme that comes up much too often in my writings yet it is something I will never truly understand. Something no one will ever conquer. So if you can't beat 'em, join 'em right? I have learned living in the past is painful and living for the future is wasted energy, so why not live for the NOW? Why not live for the present?

This is a daily struggle for most of us. We are always trying to gear up for what is to come with the things we have learned, hence future and past. Sometimes the most important thing to do is to stop, take a step back, breathe in and take in the beauty of it all. It has saved lives. It has definately saved mine. Not so much on a literal sense, but within myself it has. I would not be the person I am today if I didn't have a look around every so often and know that this is LIFE. And we need to truly live it. And even having said that I know I need to actually do it more. It can never happen too much. Sometimes I just want to hug the air that surrounds me and thank it for keeping me going. Sometimes I just want to high five the sky for just being there. And most of the time I want to thank the people around me for making it all worthwhile.

There is no reason I shouldn't be jumping out of bed every morning and singing something like "A Wonderful World" or whatever that song is called. Unfotunately, morning, no matter how late it is, isn't really my shining moment to sing a thing such as that. I'll work on that though. Maybe tomorrow. I'm just genuially excited for the future. I am excited for the things I will do, the people I will meet and the revelations or epiphanies to come.

And if that post doesn't make you want to barf, quite frankly my dear, I don't know what will :)

Either way.
It's good. It's all really good.