~Submerged~

"Be in love
with your life."

~Jack Kerouac

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."
~Roald Dahl

Transitions

I read a declaration from the book Transitions - Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life by Julia Cameron each day to help ease the rough patches in my life. I especially loved today's.

All my life I believed I knew something. But then one strange day came when I realized that I knew nothing. Yes, I knew nothing.
~Ezra Pound

Trauma can shake our certainty. The shattered faith of trust by a friend, the betrayal by a fickle lover, the cataclysmic loss of a long-standing job, the death of a young person--these and like events may skid us into despair. This is the rocky terrain of the heart, the moonscape of broken dreams. Every life contains times of spiritual bankruptcy, seasons of drought and doubt. Faced by a world made foreign of known markers, I set my own compass toward self-care. With prudence and wisdom, I schedule sleep, food, creation and recreation. Tending myself as I would an ailing friend, I gently rehabilitate my wounded heart.

Today, I am a loving nurse to my ailing spirit. Today, I salve my difficulties with personal compassion. I act toward myself with concrete loving kindness. I set firm but loving limits on my expenditures of energy.

Rules To Live By

* Eat more cake.

* Wear 5 inch heels.

* Dream. Believe. Wish on everything.

* Own at least 1 pair of wings.

* Dance - especially with your friends. Even if you don't think you can dance.

* Live in the moment. See today as a pop-up book.

* Be thankful for what has been, what is, and what is to come.

* Read lots and lots of books.

* Bloom where you are planted.

* Let yourself write. It doesn't have to be perfect.

* Think good thoughts.

* Be inspired.

* Surround yourself with things and people you love.

* Listen to bad pop music every once in awhile.

* Pray and listen.

* Get plenty of sunshine. Don't forget the sunblock.

* Go outside your comfort zone.

* Exercise.

* Have faith.

* Lend a helping hand.

* Use your talents.

* Remember that happiness comes and goes, but joy is from the heart.

* Don't be afraid to ask for help.


Feel free to contribute to the list. What are your rules to live by?

small note to self

Both photos via we heart it

To Do

Photo by: Mike Postnov

1. Get over ex (it will be a lot easier when I get back to Texas and not have to see him all the time)
2. Get a job (preferably one that I like)
3. Keep looking for better jobs if I don't hit the jackpot the first time
4. Get a place to live
5. Get my wings (tattooed on my back)

Most importantly - BE HAPPY and find happiness in myself and not in others. No more looking for validation. Love myself.

And as you can see, "get in a relationship" is nowhere on my list of things to do. I've realized that my life is the main course. Boys are just desserts. And sometimes the main course is so fulfilling that you don't want dessert.

p.s. Thank you all for your hugs and kind words. You guys inspire me every day and remind me that there is much to live for and that this hurt won't last forever. :)

A bit-o-poetry

The room is full of angels
drinking, laughing,
smearing their eyeliner
down their cheeks.

Their broken wings have
them slumped on the floor.
Summer heat wisps through
the cotton drapes.

“Open the window!”
Someone shouts.
“It’s already open,”
an angel sings.

She walks toward it
and stretches her hand
to the moon.
“Why can’t I fly?”

Inspired by a photo