One of my favorite books is 10,000 Things To Be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer. It is basically just a simple list of happy things. I've had this little book for years and years and anytime I need a pick-me-up, I just turn to any page, and begin to read. It never ceases to put a smile on my face, and put things into perspective.
Life is not meant to be overly complicated and chaotic in my opinion, and neither is this book. Self-help books are an interesting concept. They are so profoundly deep in their attempt to pin point why it is that people do and think the things they do, and, offer how we can fix these flaws within ourselves and others. Sometimes I think all we actually need is to be reminded that life is full of little joys around every corner. The busy whirlwind of life fogs our view of these small everyday beauties that too deserve happiness and appreciation just as much as the next. So, in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, here is what I am currently happy about, and thankful for:
-fall foliage
-putting my pride on the shelf
-sugar cookies
-belly laughing
-perfect cursive handwriting
-Sunday's
-honesty (even when it hurts)
-puns/a good play on words
-togetherness
-my Nana's Christmas CD
-change & new beginnings
-waking up without an alarm
-pinot noir
-hand-written notes
Find more happy things here: http://thingstobehappyabout.com/
25 November 2009
lessons from Angel
Today I had a very interesting and inspiring conversation. I met a man from Spain named Angel who, together with his wife, founded a non-profit a few years ago that works to better the lives of people living in La Prusia (Nicaragua). A friend of mine had volunteered building houses through Angel's organization this summer and shared about his adventure with me, which first sparked my interest. Long story short - I met Angel today and was fortunate enough to speak with him for about two hours, a conversation that certainly gave me some food for thought. He shared with me about his life and the more and more I listened to Angel, I realized something...he never talked about himself. He spoke of what he learned from other people, how he enjoys helping other people, and continued to ask me to share my story with him. After we talked, I was blown away by how unbelievably selfless a person Angel is, even in his words.
Angel shared with me about his first trip to Nicaragua, an experience that "shocked" him. Angel then explained to me how he believes we as people are overwhelmed by the things we learn. It's actually kind of funny because sometimes I can't help but feel like we receive all this education about the world and then no one really knows what to do with the knowledge we gain. I think it may be because we are afraid our energy will be a wasted effort. For instance, when we learn about the severe poverty that much of the world lives in, a societal issue that would take millions if not billions of dollars to fix, we are too overwhelmed to do anything about it. Angel answered this by smiling, shrugging his shoulders, and replying "well, I may not have millions to give, but that fact surely isn't going to stop me from giving what I can and impacting the lives of a few people, instead of impacting no one. I am doing the best I can, and while my work may seem small scale to some, to those affected, it isn't." Angel told me that learning theories is one thing, and seeing realities is something entirely different. He also said to me "sometimes we experience things in life that change us, we will see something and it will grab hold of us; and if you are anything like me, you cannot from that point go on pretending a world other than our own doesn't exist."
On my ride home, stuck in aggravating outskirts of Boston traffic, I began to think about the things I know to be true in life, but either just ignore or pretend aren't reality. I came up with quite a list, and I'm sure we all would if we stopped to have this type of internal dialogue more often. I came to another conclusion- there are already a great deal of educated people in the world, who have lots of money. So, maybe these two aspects aren't the only pieces of the puzzle, and maybe, we are our own biggest roadblock of all. Perhaps the real first step is for everyone to just stop pretending. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
What has grabbed hold of you? And what are you pretending hasn't?
Angel shared with me about his first trip to Nicaragua, an experience that "shocked" him. Angel then explained to me how he believes we as people are overwhelmed by the things we learn. It's actually kind of funny because sometimes I can't help but feel like we receive all this education about the world and then no one really knows what to do with the knowledge we gain. I think it may be because we are afraid our energy will be a wasted effort. For instance, when we learn about the severe poverty that much of the world lives in, a societal issue that would take millions if not billions of dollars to fix, we are too overwhelmed to do anything about it. Angel answered this by smiling, shrugging his shoulders, and replying "well, I may not have millions to give, but that fact surely isn't going to stop me from giving what I can and impacting the lives of a few people, instead of impacting no one. I am doing the best I can, and while my work may seem small scale to some, to those affected, it isn't." Angel told me that learning theories is one thing, and seeing realities is something entirely different. He also said to me "sometimes we experience things in life that change us, we will see something and it will grab hold of us; and if you are anything like me, you cannot from that point go on pretending a world other than our own doesn't exist."
On my ride home, stuck in aggravating outskirts of Boston traffic, I began to think about the things I know to be true in life, but either just ignore or pretend aren't reality. I came up with quite a list, and I'm sure we all would if we stopped to have this type of internal dialogue more often. I came to another conclusion- there are already a great deal of educated people in the world, who have lots of money. So, maybe these two aspects aren't the only pieces of the puzzle, and maybe, we are our own biggest roadblock of all. Perhaps the real first step is for everyone to just stop pretending. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
What has grabbed hold of you? And what are you pretending hasn't?
23 November 2009
who am I?
I am a daughter, a sister, a j.m.u. duke, a dreamer, and a lover. I am a coffee drinker, a New England girl, a writer, an extrovert, and have on occasion been called sassy. I (sort of) play by the rules, I work hard, and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am searching for God knows what. I’ve never had a Big Mac, never broken a bone, never been to California. I am smart, I am witty, I am compassionate, and sometimes, I am scared shitless of this thing we call life. I am a lot of things, and I am not enough things. I am improving, I am constantly challenged, and I am always thankful. I am so broken, but I try to choose joy everyday. I am, because we are. I believe in the power of one, yet love the beauty of many. I am Dre.
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