A lot of blabber (not bladder)...with substance.

* image from http://i-heart.tumblr.com/post/344012937/love-is-everywhere-iheart

Is it just me? Or is everyone talking about relationships right now? The new lovey-dovey feelings and the surprises that come with getting to know a person. The logistics and inner-workings of a long-term romance or marriage. Relationships are the go-to topic with all my friends and family these days. And as much as I enter into the conversations, pretending to know what's what romantically, I've come to realize that I actually don't. While I've been told I give "good advice," all I can say is that I simply tune into the situation, put myself in that person's shoes, and think realistically. But other than that, I've got no real authority on the subject. No one does. And yet everyone speaks as if their relationship is the same as everyone else's, as if everyone commiserates with the same troubles/problems. But relationships are more complex than that. No two are alike. And there's certainly no standard. Sure, we may have had similar happenings in our relationships, but similar doesn't mean same. All relationships are unique, one-of-a-kind.

For example, yesterday, I overheard a coworker talking on the phone. He said that work was going great, but that his home life wasn't. In that moment, I felt so sad. It's like I've been walking around the office in a blur, blinded to others' troubles, taking my own life's blessings and happinesses for granted. I had no idea that mine and this coworker's situations were somewhat reversed. I thrive in my home life. Home with A is where I'm happiest and at my best. Yet, this coworker views his job as a reprieve, a break, a happy space. I'm sad that I never knew that about my coworker. And I'm sad that he doesn't have what I do. But again, everyone's relationships are different. At least he's happy somewhere.

And that's what I've realized in this current ocean of relationship talk--that my marriage to A is not comparable to others'. It's not worse, it's not better, it's not the norm...it's perfect...for me. And that's all I can hope for anyone else's situation. That it's perfect for them.

Which brings me to my friend who's in the middle of changing her career path. She was getting bored in her current position and wanted a change of scenery. She asked her boss about options within the company and also applied to other in-state and out-of-state companies. Both situations present obvious perks and drawbacks: in-state means comfortability and familiarity and all the friends and family she's grown up with, but out-of-state means fresh start and potential for new friendships and relationships. I don't envy her the difficult choice she has to make. Though I do admire the efforts she's made and the steps she's taken to change her current situation. She didn't like where she was and so she took it into her own hands to better it. And though I'd die and go to heaven if she moved to Colorado, and though I oftentimes find myself "selling" her this life, the truth is, it's up to her and what she thinks is right. I need to get on board with that. My first thought shouldn't be, "I'd have my best girlfriend at my fingertips!" It should be, "What's best for my B-by? What is her perfect outcome?" And then maybe I should take her example personally and make some moves myself. About time I quit talking about freelance writing and actually do it. About time I quit talking about starting an etsy.com shop and actually do it. (Pep-talking myself much?)

All these happenings come at such an interesting time, too, don't they? Spring, the season of growth and all new scenery. I'm telling you, the earth and its people fascinate me. The two are more connected than we let on...

Which brings me to the Blog Carnival! Erin, Erin, and myself will be getting out of our heads and into the wild next Monday, April 5th. Come read about all things nature...Erin-style.

Until then, get outdoors! Take a walk! Turn your face to the sun! And whatever you do, please, please, please, enjoy yourself :)

* image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jkonig/2641552311/

Wicky, wicky, wild, wild Wednesday!

*image from http://weather.missouri.edu/ROCS/DSC00004.JPG

1) It's a blizzard outside, and I can't stop craving DQ.

2) My best friend just told me how sorry she was that I had an awful Tuesday. I feel the need to explain. Terrible Tuesday is simply my excuse to rant. I'm not really a Whiney McWhinerson, and I'm definitely not down in the dumps, so pray don't get the wrong idea about me. I'm really quite positive most of the time. I guess I just find it funny to feign "flying off the handle." But all is in jest. Granted, it IS true that Tuesday is my least favorite day of the week, so there could be, might be the tiniest, itty-bittiest kernel of truth to it all. Eek! I've just gone and confused us all, haven't I?

3) Please excuse the numbered list format. I have a disfunction where if I start a list, I have to finish the list. It's like, the minute I lay down a 1, my fingers can't help but follow with 2, 3, and so on and so forth. Like I said--disfunction. I can't help myself. Sorry :(

4) My best friend from Baltimore visited me this past weekend. I have to say, it was just so lovely to see her and feel as though we picked up right where we left off. Which got me thinking--it's wild how few people know me know me. And it's wilder that those few people are all dispersed across the U.S. Which then made me wonder, do we really and truly know each other know each other then? I mean, isn't being all caught up on the details and happenings of each other's daily lives part of it? Or does the everday have nothing to do with really knowing a person? All I can figure is that I need to regularly write and call my long-distance friends. I need to show them I need them, make sure they know I think about them and love them.

5) In case you didn't know, I'm big on self-improvement. I love Sark books, I love introspective questionnaires, and I looove "A New Earth"--anything that gets me walking in the right direction really. Which brings me to the fact that I didn't go to confession last night. I haven't been in YEARS. For no good reason really. Simply because my mother didn't want to go alone, I said I'd go with her. But then the whole winter storm thing happened and our fear for our physical well-being trumped our fear for our spiritual well-being. So we stayed home and watched the snow outside the house build up and up and up. Now, I was slightly relieved I didn't have to confess my shortcomings, but I was kind of sad, too. I mean, I went to the lengths of examining my conscience, for crying out loud! Which was really quite insightful, considering my unhappinesses with myself came to mind quickly, as though I've known them for awhile. I've got to put some time into my faith life. I've got to volunteer. I've certainly gotta watch my language--the swearing, the gossiping (I can still talk about what a poor dancer Kate Gosselin is though, right? No? Oh...). And I've gotta say thank you more often--to God, to my family, to my husband, to my friends! There is so damn (I mean DANG!) much to be thankful for! Isn't this world something else? It's fabulous! Even this friggin' blizzard has something heavenly about it. So yeah...that.


5) The three Erins are hosting a blog carnival on March 31st! You'll find my entry and links to their entries all right here on FOWWE (The ridiculous and unmemorable acronym for my blog. I believe it's pronounced Fow-Wee, like wowee.) So yes, please be here next Wednesday! These girls gots it goin on!
 
6) There's a new Daily Dose of Dillies!

7) After yesterday's entry about not showering and dressing poorly, I want you all to know that I showered TODAY! Woohoo, right?! So fresh and so clean! Who'd like to smell my soapy skin? Creepy? Yeah, maybe. Then who'd like to smell my hair? No? Still creepy? Oh. Well then please take a moment to imagine my hygienic appearance from where you sit. You're welcome :)

8) Tell me what's happening where you are weather-wise. How is it beautiful?

P.S. Today's title hearkens back to Will Smith's Wild, Wild West song. Love me that "wicky" word, don't you?

Tuesday AGAIN :(

* image from http://www.momlogic.com/

Alright, people, it's Tuesday. Which means it's time to rant. Shall I go first?

For some reason, it's harder to take my vitamins on Tuesdays. The gag reflex is stronger, more powerful. No matter the shape, size, or taste of the vitamin, it ain't goin down easy on a Tuesday. And I think I know why. Because the gag reflex hates Tuesdays, too! Visciously. So not only did I have Tuesday against me during my pill-popping this morning, but I had my very own gag reflex against me. It's a darn good thing I had some grapes readily available, or else I'd still have a calcium pill stuck in my throat.

And while I'm on the topic of vitamins--if I take all mine too close together, I get nauseous. This morning, case in point. Apparently it's a drag to stay healthy. Who knew? Not to mention all the water-drinking and subsequent trips to the bathroom! A Plain Jane pain in the you-know-what. Granted, I never get sick, soooo...

How about the terribleness of recovering from sleep deprivation? So maybe I had too much fun this past weekend, big deal. Monday I still got up, showered, dressed myself, and got into work on time. But today, on this Terrible Tuesday morning, I snoozed three times. THREE! Which meant I didn't have enough time to shower. Which meant I didn't wanna wear "cute" clothes, considering I didn't even feel clean. Which means that I hate my outfit today. Blah. Today might be the first day I'm grateful for the cubicle walls.

And could someone please alert Spring that I'm over its wishy-washy-ness? Pick your flavor, Spring, and stick to it. Enough of the 70-degrees one day and then snow and freezing cold temperatures the next, mm-k? But because it's Tuesday today, I half understand the rain and clouds, as the day really doesn't deserve any better. So, I get it. I'll let you off the hook. But every other day of the week, huh? Please and thank you. And if you could throw a little more moisture into the air, I'd appreciate that too. I've had quite enough of static hair. I don't always wanna look like I walked straight out of a plastic ball pit. And I'm tired of the skin on my hands cracking. Cut me a break and at least give my wonderful husband a soft hand to hold.

Speaking of my husband, I'd like to stick it to Tuesday and have it know that he drove me to work today. Which was precious :) Tuesday, you just can't touch those few lovely minutes we shared. So blah to you, I say! Blibbity-blah!

Feel free to rant about anything and everything...


And since Spring is here, please enjoy my latest poem:


Afternoon on the Porch


Sitting outside,
I smell your skin—
warm and salty.
Like the earth.
Like sunlight.

The days are growing longer,
plants are greening,
and the ground has thawed.
It feels like rain all the time,
but it hasn’t yet.

We watch a robin in the front yard
—its red belly darker
than the wine in our glasses—
stick its beak into the soft dirt
and come up with a seed.

People say it’s Spring,
and I find myself believing.
The sun sparkling in your eyes,
golds blooming, greens reflecting like a pool—
you are the seasons in me.

Thursday Thank Yous

*image from http://dearisabella.tumblr.com/page/4

Okay, so this Thursday I'm gonna get a little mushy on y'all instead of theoretical. You don't mind do you? Oh good.

I just have to AGAIN sing the praises of some of you bloggers out there (I'm thinking of Erin and Erin and Sarah and Kendall and Natalie and Melissa and Chrissie (I feel like I just picked my dodge ball team in P.E.). See, I have very few girlfriends here in Colorado. You read right. Few. (So what if my other girlfriends are dispersed across the U.S.? They're cool like that. Or something. Somebody throw me a pity-party, please). But reading your blogs, I don't feel so friendless. I feel like we're all hanging out around some huge wooden table, sitting on benches, our cups of hot tea and coffee steaming the air, stuffing scones and muffins and toast and fruit into our mouths while simultaneously chatting and getting to know each other and laughing and patty-caking (Kidding about the patty-caking. Sort of. And there may or may not be a beautiful chandelier above us, shedding rose-colored light). Or we could just put on ridiculous costumes and hang out in a bathtub? No matter. Point is, you give me my "girl-fill," so to speak. So I owe you all a big thank you for making me feel like I've got friends again :)

On a sidenote, how great are markers?! Just magical. Go color a picture, please. And let this little ditty inspire you: "A hug delights and warms and charms. That must be why God gave us arms!"

Tomorrow's Friday! Ain't too early to smile in anticipation :)

Erin Go Braugh(-less)

Chicago showin' their love for Mister Saint Pat

!!! Happy Saint Patrick's Day !!!
This is me sending y'all lots of Leprechaun-esque pinches! And by that, I mean pinches with tiny little baby fingers that don't really hurt at all but kind of tickle instead. Or itch.

I'm weird.

Question: Is it officially Spring?

Answer 1: Yes because my urge to wear bright colors is back! Pink anyone?

Answer 2: Yes because the ground is thawing (releasing that humid smell (mm, love it!)), and because I feel myself thawing, too (aww).

Answer 3: Yes because when I walked into the house after a run the other day, I noticed how my skin smelled like sunlight. You know the smell!

Sooo, I'm led to believe that it is indeed Spring! Woot Woot! I guess I was just hesitant to say it for fear of Winter whipping back to dish out one last blizzard (while laughing in my face, I'm sure). I'm just so ready for a change of season! Aren't you? Spring is so fresh and sunny and happy! Not to mention, it brings with it the fabulous holiday that is Easter, which I can't wait for! All those pastels, marshmallows, and rabbit-shaped EVERYTHING. I've already promised myself Cold Stone ice cream right after Mass. You heard me. Spring, me love you long time.

Also! I forgot to tell you all that I heard back from a coworker about the Random Acts of Kindness Week message I laid on his desk. To recap, I printed out these adorable little picture messages like "Take a look around you" with little birdies plucking worms from the ground and "You are beautiful" written out in flowers and ribbon and secretly set them on some of my coworkers' desks, thinking I'd anonymously make their days. But nothing ever came of it all. No questions, no yays, no nothin. Until yesterday! My coworker knocked on my cubicle wall and asked if I was responsible for the cute messages. I said that I was. He told me that the note I gave him totally made his day and that it was the gesture of someone leaving a sweet, secret message on his desk that got  him to smile. So I'm back to yaying for kindness! Apparently all I needed was a little positive reenforcement, huh? (Granted, I shouldn't need thanks to do good deeds :-/ I'll work on that). Anywho, point is, I am once again thinking about random acts of kindness to commit around the office :)

Lastly, I've really been slacking on some of my "wishes" for 2010 (I really need to print my list out and tape it to my cubicle wall. Everyone who knows me knows that I don't remember jack you-know-what without a post-it note). I realized all this when reading an adorable card from my dearest friend A (that silly peanut guy still cracks me up!). Even if I spend only a minute and 42 cents on a card, I need to be writing my friends more often. Like A's card, snail mail has a way of making real smiley faces as opposed to computer-generated ones. And who couldn't say woohoo to that? Exactly.

Again, regarding today being St. Paddy's:  I hope you all get some green food or green drink in that belly of yours! And pray tell me what green you're wearing :)

P.S. All you fellow bloggers out there, what do you think about hosting a "blog carnival" with me? All we'd have to do is 1) come up with a topic 2) write a blog entry about it 3) post our entries on the same day 4) include links to each other's respective articles! Easy, right?! Topic-wise, I was thinking we could all partake in an experiment of sorts. For one whole day, we could be mindful of our complaining, trying to limit it. But every time a complaint sneaks out, we would have to give a compliment to someone. Our posts would document our experiences. Feelings???

Life Lessons by Julie & Julia

* image from http://bookpage.files.wordpress.com/

A couple days ago I watched the movie Julie & Julia. And though I wasn't exactly looking forward to watching it, I was pleasantly surprised! What an adorable, heartfelt, and funny movie! (But I adore Meryl Streep (and Chris Messina!) so no surprise there). Julia's mannerisms--the constant head-bobbing and body-swaying were so endearing! She seemed like such an open and joyful and unassuming woman. I <3ed her. Not to mention, watching multiple relationships between husbands and wives was precious AND insightful. Obviously I really, really, really liked the movie! I may even consider BUYING it (which is a huge thing, let me tell you)!

But I think the main reason I enjoyed the movie so much is because it resonated with me on a number of levels.

For example, how Julie, when she got down on herself, realized that she needed something to pull her out of that rut. Like a project! Something that required everyday attention so that she could feel productive and positive every day. She needed to make something in order to make something of herself. What was the project she undertook? (Besides cooking, obviously). A blog! Well ditto all over that, Julie! DIT. TO. I tell you, blogging has been such a good thing for me. Having a place where I can say silly things (Wheaties DO make me feel like a champion!) AND have serious conversations (What is your opinion on public art at the office?), a place where I can talk about arts & crafts (Yay for toilet paper roll doorknob swags!) AND ask for advice (How might I better support my husband during med school?)--makes me feel curious, creative, interesting, connected, productive, and well, free. I've always loved writing, but man! Blogging is so uninhibited! So various! I love being able to write about anything and everything, and I love reading about anything and everything! All-around love for the blogosphere! And hey, if something gives you pleasure, I say stock up on it end of the world style--which is really the point that Julie & Julia made (without using the phrase "end of the world style," of course).

I also resonated with Julie at the point in the movie when she and her husband got in a fight about how self-interested and narcissistic she was becoming. I have to admit, there have been days when I felt like I needed to make my life more interesting just so I could post about it on my blog. And while I know that no one should be living their lives for their blogs, I've definitely had moments when I've chosen to write and not live. Fallen into that ME ME ME rut of sorts. HA! As if my readers really care about the eventfulness (or lack thereof) of MY life. As if I have soooo many readers who wait with bated breath to read MY interesting anecdotes. No matter how many (or how few) readers I have, they've got WAY MORE things to care about in their own lives! Don't you, you sassy pants readers, you?! So watching Julie's attitude change--from starting a project for positive/uplifting reasons to sticking with a project for attention--was a great reminder for me. Don't take yourself so seriously. Enjoy the project for what it is--a project. It's not your life.


And lastly, I resonated with the movie's message about mentors/idols. I interpreted the end of the movie (Julia not only disliking Julie's blog, but also not wanting to meet her) as though mentors/idols aren't as perfect as we make them out to be. They shouldn't be put on pedestals. They're not above you or better than you like some unreachable gods. Rather, we only look up to mentors/idols because we identify with them. Their characteristics that we admire are simply characteristics that we, ourselves, already have but wish to nurture and grow. So we don't need another person, something outside of ourselves, to inspire us. We've already got everything it takes to be happy and successful! So next time you need a mentor, just look in the mirror!

That's all I have to say about that...

Now go watch the whole darn thing! Including the credits! Because as the end credits run, the lyrics to the song that plays are: "I'm so lucky to be loving you." Um, true story. Of course we're lucky to be loved, but aren't we also incredibly lucky to love?

Who do you love?

What projects are you in the middle of?

Reader-y Topics of Discussion

*image from http://davidajacobs.com/

First of all, I gotta say that we Erins really stick together! I recently gained ANOTHER follower named Erin! That makes three of us Erins all together, woot woot! Having the same name must make us some kind of kindred spirits, huh? Exactly.

So, A and I had this conversation recently (right after the movie "Shutter Island" to be exact) about how he and I receive stories differently. There were multiple points during the movie when A thought, Something's wrong here, and so started questioning characters' reliability, figuring how certain plot events could be otherwise explained. He basically thought outside the given narrative. I, however, was completely wrapped up in the movie, never once leaving its side. I was unquestioning, trusting, and thoroughly blinded to what might lay outside the four corners of the theater screen.

This isn't the first time we've noticed this difference between us. There are a lot of movies that A figures out before me. He's always thinking with that scientific brain of his--What are the possible scenarios? What particulars don't add up? And he's got the best memory, recalling exactly what was said and when it was said and how those words could imply multiple things. I mean, this kid is good at beating the story to the punch, let me tell you. Ugh, overachieving doctors (jk, I love you, A).

Which got me wondering about myself. See, I loooooove reading, and because I mostly read fiction, I'm used to operating my imagination--suspending my disbelief, so to speak. I'm used to walking hand in hand with the story, letting the story make itself known to me page by page. I willingly and without thinking let the story reveal its "big picture" at the very end, in one glorious coming together. Rather than figure out the story for myself, I go where I'm told to go. Which pretty much makes me a passive reader, doesn't it? Haha. Well, not all stories allow such passivity (I'm thinking of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury), so perhaps I just read passively when I have to? Once again, another passive sentence! HA! Let me defend myself though...

While it sounds pathetic that I let the story dictate how I should read it, passive reading is actually quite entertaining! I mean, hanging on the every word of a writer really makes it easy to deeply connect with the story. Take the characters, for instance. It's like I am the writer, who intimately knows the character's ins and outs. I feel more for them as if I'm experiencing the story as them. Or traveling to different settings. I just finished a fabulous western fiction called The Work of Wolves, whose setting I can still see in my mind's eye--the dark, worn wood of cabin-like houses, the open land with rolling hills, the dry grass shimmering white-gold in the sunlight, the smell arid, earthy, warm. I don't just see that rural land. I walk on it. Live on it. Until, of course, I pick up another book or watch another movie and am led to some other land, some other place.

Interesting though, isn't it? How small conversations lead you to find things out about yourself? Part of me thinks that because I've read so many stories, I've trained myself to put more weight on them than in my own faculties. Reading has never been about me. It's been about the story and what's inside it. But for A, whose read mostly scientific papers and text books, reading is about getting something out of it, understanding and walking away with that understanding. Reading is just a way to get information or to figure out a solution to something. For A, reading is about him, and how he might benefit from the effort.

And therein lies the difference between how we receive stories!
But tell me, what sort of reader are YOU?
And what are y'all reading, mm?

* While you're hypothesizing what "reader-type" you may be and recalling the titles of the books on your nightstand, I'll entertain you with a Daily Dose of Dillies! Head on over to my new page to see the most recent addition! I'll give you a hint: it has something to do with inspirational/uplifting readings!

How I Blame Tuesday for My Lack of Exercise

* image from http://debevansce.files.wordpress.com/

Seeing as Terrible Tuesday has come back around to ruin our weeks, I'd say we're due for a good ranting sesh (short for session--blame my friend B for the abbreves (oh boy...)). Who wants to start? Me?

So, I've been trying to get back into running and working out, and I tell you what, I'm struggling. But instead of blaming my own lazy-butt for getting me into this rut, I blame Tuesday because, well...because Tuesday is terrible. Here's the sitch (again, blame B. Or hell, blame Tuesday!):

1) There's not much daylight left when I get home from work.
2) My neighborhood's nice, but not nice enough to run outside, alone, in the dark. No offense, Aurora, but you haven't turned yourself around YET.
3) I don't really like going to the gym because where I belong has a 90% male clientele who hogs the weight machines (I think they're all part of some body-building team because these are HUGE men in an "I'm scared to so much as glance at your bicep for fear of it popping off your arm, bounding towards me, and beating me across the face like a punching bag" kind of way). Not to mention, they watch me, and if there's something I hate, it's sweating, lamaze breathing--generally DYING--while being watched.
4) I don't like running on treadmills because they mess with my natural cadence and so leave me more sore than usual, AND...
5) I get bored with not going anywhere on a treadmill, so I wind up quitting sooner than I would've outside.

(that was a pretty good Whiner McWhinerson rant, wouldn't you say?)

So that's the story of my "active" life right now. Been real fun to negotiate. I guess I'm hoping that my Biggest Loser work-out videos will sufficiently train me for my 5K in two weeks? Er...

Not to mention, it's supposed to rain all week. Boo to that. And boo to you too, Tuesday. Boo big time.

But how are YOUR Terrible Tuesdays shaping up? Anyone having an UN-terrible Tuesday?

And pray tell me how you guys "get physical, physical" (thank you Olivia Newton-John for that fabulous tune). Seeking loads of inspiration and motivation, please :)

P.S. After all this whining, I read Operation NICE's post about taking on the project of not complaining for a week. Umm....shall I rethink my Negative Nelly-ness? Yes, perhaps.

Another Steal

*image from https://secure.emcyber.com/

Ok, so I'm a bit embarrassed to reference yet another blog and reveal my obsessive daily reading selections, but I can't help mentioning Kendall's, at I Can Do Lots of Things, recent Foodie Friday dish worth dishing about--Chinese Food Casserole! Get a load of this, people. So, apparently whenever Kendall's family had Chinese food leftovers, her dad would compile them all into one casserole dish, stir up the concoction nice and good, and then bake it! Can you imagine the ridiculousness of such a thing?! I am SO trying this this weekend. My mind's already playing out the situation...

Me: "Love, we're ordering Chinese food tonight."
A (looking up from his doctory books like a deer in the headlights (the look he gives me when I claim I won't be cooking dinner but that Qdoba or Fortune Kitchen will be)):  "Yes! I'm so in the mood for that!"
Me (as if bored with the whole conversation):  "Well, actually we won't be eating it tonight. We're just ordering it tonight. We're eating it tomorrow."
A (with an open "wha?" mouth):  "That doesn't make any sense."
Me:  "Neither does a Chinese Food Casserole, but that doesn't stop us from making one, now does it?!"

I'll be my own fortune cookie on this one and prophesize that after this weekend's hotdish, I'll be getting a little more respect in the kitchen!

P.S. Starbucks has a new beverage out--one Dark Chocolate Cherry Mocha. You like cordial cherries? Go get yourself one PRONTO! De.lish. Mmm. Lapped that baby up in no time.

What's YOUR favorite coffee/espresso/tea drink?

The Naked Redhead and Her Theory

*image from Danny Roberts' Etsy.com Shop (I own this print!)

I know what you're thinking--finally a Thursday post with the word "theory" in it! Or were you thinking
that this entry's gonna be naughty, judging by the title. Sorry to let y'all down, ya pervs, cause it's anything BUTT (hehe).
But onward and theory-ward! I wanna talk about The Naked Redhead's recent post about how every little thing we do helps determine the future events of our lives. For example, if I say good morning to my coworker and compliment her blouse, the very next day I might get a smile from a stranger or a pat on the back from my boss. Or even simpler--if I eat a piece of peanut butter toast for breakfast one morning, five years down the road I might win a sweepstakes for Nutter-Butters (please oh please oh please). It's the idea that every little thing we do or say has an impact on what may become of us. A lot like karma? Yes. But it's also a lot like the butterfly effect, too. Not only does it have some cause and effect to it, but it's also got the possibility for wild divergences. Say there is a cause (my drinking a glass of coffee every morning), which has unknowable, though widespread, outcomes (my developing anxiety attacks or my running into a long-lost friend or my airplane being re-routed). It's not necessarily an exact system, though it does make the point that everything matters. And everything means something, too. Scary thought? I don't think so. I see the whole thing as more of a call to attention, advising we put some serious thought and effort into our actions, for our futures are pretty much in our hands (which might sound obvious but is actually pretty easy to forget). And it's an empowering message, too, as the lovely Redhead says herself, "There is always still time for change, for betterment, for improvement."

I think because it's Lent (when I give up blah blah blah foods and attempt to pray more), the Redhead's message stuck with me more than usual. What will my efforts change? How will they better or improve me and my life? Are my efforts enough? I've been going through the motions a lot lately, so it's about time I focused and really thew some energy into what I'm doing. It is my future, afterall, right? Right!

P.S. Yes and Yes recently wrote about "Doing a Day Differently"--a day in which you attempt to change every little routine/pattern/habit of your typical day. She's got this change thing down. You've gotta read this entry!
P.P.S. Recent addition to my March Love List? Haikus like this one.

March Love List

*image from http://z.about.com/d/landscaping/

Operation NICE blogger Melissa has been feeling down-in-the-dumps because of the icky cold and snowy weather. So in order to kick her winter woes, she decided to write a March Love List that includes all the things she loves about this month. I think Melissa's got a grand idea here, and so in typical Erin fashion, I'm stealing it and making my own March Love List, too. Here goes:

1. Budding/blooming trees and plants (and the fact that I get to use the words budding and blooming more often).
2. The smell of thawing--when the ice melts off the grass, emitting that Fall-ish smell of wet leaves. Mmm, love it!
3. A's fancy shmancy scholarship dinner downtown. Formal attire REQUIRED!
4. My out-of-town best friend coming for an extended St. Paddy's weekend!
5. Driving home from work in the daylight!
6. Getting back the desire for a COLD drink.
7. Birds chirping in the morning! And the geese are back!
8. Jogging outdoors!
9. The stark yet surprising beauty of the outdoor world--icy and cold, yet with bits of color in the trees and on the ground--seemingly two seasons in one.

What do YOU love about March, mm? Please post your love lists!

P.S. My weekend was so fabulous--lots of family and friend-time, lots of good eats, and I saw "Shutter Island" which was crazy disturbing, twisted, and a total mind-game. It had me wondering the entire time. LOVED IT. Recommend it wholeheartedly. But what fabulous things did you do this past weekend?