After The Alchemist

Maybe your life is trying to lead you somewhere and you have been trying to fight it.  Look for signs and omens that will hint at your future because your way is not working thus far. 

Do not be discouraged by those who find their way sooner than you.  That is not your fault, but a sign that you need only to look a little deeper to find the true meaning of things.  Do not ever give up hope but look for something to be hopeful for, or, focus on something that still does give you hope. 

Do not be so pessimistic...optimism is the best path to finding happiness.  Do not focus on what will and can bring you down, but focus on what will bring you through it.  Focus on the positive instead of the negative, for that which is negative will eventually follow to be positive. 

You have to move on and move forward or else you will sink into a hole that no one will be able to help you escape.  So suck it up, be the confident woman you know you can and have been in the past.  Take a breath and live your life as though nothing is against you.

Superstition

Last Friday happened to be the 13th.  Being a Halloween baby, I have developed this notion that anything superstitious actually bodes well for me.  I usually scour the calendar looking out for these special days, which is somewhat ironic now because I used to afraid of anything frightening.  Put on a scary movie when I was a kid, and I'd be in the other room with my ears covered for fear of hearing something that could possibly give me nightmares for months.

As I've matured, I have learned not to hide myself away on a Friday the 13th or walk the other way if I see a black cat walking down the street.  I see a full moon and want to run out to an open field, hold my arms out in the air and just think about my current state of mind.  Put any combination of those together and we're talking some serious cosmic energy.

Well, this weekend that started with Friday the 13th and continued with a full moon certainly delivered.  I cannot necessarily go into details about some of the revelations that I've had or what's put a smile on my face, all you need to know is that they happened.

This shell is breaking down and I am finally learning to stop being so hard on myself.  I don't know why it took a superstitious holiday to make me realize that, or maybe the full moon was just a reason for me to let go....just let go.

I'll leave you with the thought that's been on this philosophizer's mind...are we to do or are we to be?  

Until next time....

VA Adventures

I was driving out to in the countryside (ish) of Virginia yesterday and stumbled upon this small billboard on the side of the road that stated simply this:

"You asked for a sign." - God.

Hey God, I'm not sure that's what people were really after, but I appreciate your humor.

Colder Weather...

This song speaks volumes to me....

"You gotta gypsy soul to blame and you were born for leavin'"

Why yes, I think I do have a gypsy soul.  I was born for leavin...wonder where I'll be leaving to next?

Mother's Day

 Mother's Day was spent with Momola and Nana - or the women I will look like 30 years from now and 50 years from now.  Don't you just love my Mom's Kentucky Derby hat?  Nana doesn't wear hats and she won't hesitate to tell you so with a slight air of disdain...

Nana is the second Lucy in the family as her Mom (aka Nana Mac) was the original.  I love that there is a picture somewhere of the three Lucy's.  At least this picture is the 3 L's...

         Can you see the resemblance??

Of course a Brittin brunch involved some Bloody Mary's.  Have you ever had a pickle in a bloody?? This was a first, and I must say that my Dad and I were highly amused at what happens when you drink your drink and eat your pickle....ooohhhh nooo it doesn't reach anymore!

And of course, the post-brunch nap.  

It was a lovely Mother's Day to spend with two of the most important women in my life.

Manic Monday

Watching the sun rise from the windows in my treehouse is truly a great way to start the day.  It's unfortunate though that I snooze my way it and finally wake up when the sun is shining brightly in my eyes.  But this morning...Monday...greeted me warmly.  A fantastic weekend was surely going to roll into a great week, or so I hoped.  

My journey to the metro station was nothing abnormal except that I got to watch a young gentleman almost biff it entirely off the curb as he got off the bus.  Not two seconds later, I saw a young woman catch a lip in the sidewalk right before she got to the escalator.  I am eager to get in the metro station and sit down so I can get out my notebook and write down a few words about seeing people trip and how it makes me laugh.  But karma had another fate for me and wouldn't you know it...I tripped in the same sweet spot that the girl in front of me.  

All in all, I got to start my morning with the sun shining on my face, a slight trip, and a laugh...if only every Monday began this way. 

Alice in Wonderland Tree House

My life is seemingly becoming a parallel universe with that of Alice in Wonderland... Lucy Through the Looking Glass

- It has been determined that I live in an alice in wonderland treehouse mainly because of the ornate decorations, the colorful flower lights hanging in the middle of the room, and the fact that I can roll a marble from one side of my room to the other without any force.  Sideways and tilted, if you will....(waking up in the morning after a few beers is not fun when the room tilts to the right).  As if my head wasn't already spinning enough...

- At work, I keep receiving emails with sayings such as "Read Me" "Open Me" etc.  I feel as though I'll open one up and shrink two sizes or suddenly grown into a giant and be stuck inside my office forever. 

- Feeling like I'm chasing after an invisible rabbit while running around the office tracking down documents. I'm late, late, for a very important date. When you work in the international realm, everything is the end of the world....constantly putting out fires.  Almost feels like we should start up a game of croquet in the hallways using my head as a ball.

Let's go paint the roses red and I'll find my way out of this rabbit hole.

Wisdom from Chocolate

Dove Dark Chocolate wrappers offer so much wisdom:

"It's OK to be fabulous AND flawed!"

Hallelujah.

How to take a compliment.

Exactly how does one learn how to take a compliment?  Is this something that is taught at preschool when a little girl comes up to you and says that she really likes your lunchbox?  do you learn to say thanks? do you say, oh I know, my lunchbox is way better than yours?  or do you simply shy away and look at your feet, hoping that the attention is averted from you as quickly as possible?   I am going to make an educated guess and say that as a kid, I was definitely in the latter...

...and with that, the statement of the day is that I am absolutely terrible at taking compliments.  (And no, this is not a post to brag about all the amazing compliments that I receive on a daily basis because that would be a complete lie).  If I wasn't struggling with them, there would be nothing to post about and I would just be a terribly vain human being.  Yet, here I am, struggling with how to handle a kind word thrown my way without thinking there is some sort of ulterior motive or underlying criticism.

Anybody have any pointers in how to take a compliment? 

A few things that are making today awesome...

1) Fresh strawberries to go with my breakfast

2) Compliments on my hair (although it's been 4 months since I've gotten it cut and it's frizzed out like no other)

3) Lunch with my Mom. Getting a hug, catching up on life, venting, laughing, smiling, shopping...wish that could happen more often

4) My chai latte

5) Ella Fitzgerald