(image via here)

Earlier this week I listened to this incredibly powerful interview that Terry Gross did with Tim Gunn on Fresh Air. I always liked Tim Gunn when I used to watch Project Runway. He comes across so well poised and sophisticated, yet incredibly human and kind. A few years ago I’d heard that after Gunn’s long-term boyfriend died of AIDS several years ago he’d chosen to live the remainder of his life celibate. This incredibly honest interview discusses that as well as Gunn’s early childhood experiences with bullying, the years he spent in a mental home for children, his relationship with his parents and process of acknowledging his homosexuality. I found the whole thing so touching and I think we could all learn a lot both from Gunn’s story and the way in which he shares it.  Hear the interview here.

Last week, we had friends in town.

It was one of those visits that you didn’t know you needed until you experienced it.

Lately, Albert and I have both been feeling a bit down. There have been times when we wondered why we moved so far away or what we are doing with our lives. There were other times when we couldn’t quite put our finger on what exactly had us down.

Either way, we weren’t really helping each other out. There was only so much strength and positivity that one could hold for so long.

Then our friends came.

It wasn’t a crazy kind of visit – the kind where you feel exhausted and like you need to do a juice cleanse after. It was more of a retreat. A little pocket of time when we made good food, shared stories, sang that one song and really connected.

While it was happening, Albert said to me, “It is so good to have really good old friends.” And it couldn’t have been more true.

We both felt so at ease and in turn we felt honest and authentic.

Thanks for the wonderful visit Julie and Dave.

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are, quite naturally,
impatient in everything to reach the end without delay,
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
to something unknown, something new,
and yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability…
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you,
Your ideas mature gradually…
let them grow,
let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today
what time will make them tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of beleiving
that His hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of
feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

-Pierre Teillhard de Chardin

I follow Steal Like an Artist author, Austin Kleon, on Instagram where he frequently uploads his newspaper blackout poetry.  Have you seen any of them?  Though I’ve yet to do it, I always think it would be fun to make some of my own.  Perhaps I will and then I can share it with you as original content 🙂

Just feeling like I want to share with you some of my favorite things lately:

My gratitude jar situation:

This awesome book that was left on my desk by a friend :

This delicious antioxidant powder:

Her:

Alex Puddu:

1/2/3/4/5

(image found here)

Here is the list of movies that I have seen in the past 8 days during my sickness. I recommend all of them:

The Wolf of Wall Street

American Hustle

Blackfish

12 Years A Slave

Somm

Stories We Tell 

I feel like I am always trying to do be better so creating New Year’s resolutions seems kind of silly to me. However, I do find that they re-inspire people and really do create some changes. At least it gets people talking about being and doing different things.

On a whim today, I decided to do 21 days of no complaining. It is not that I feel I complain a lot, but since I started this thing today I realized that maybe we all kind of do. There are certain relationships that I have that are almost solely based on complaining. Isn’t that crazy?! What are we getting out of these negative conversations?

Anyways, for the next 21 days I am going to focus on what is good and try and become more aware of why I complain.

I am following this program here if anyone wants to join with me. I will try and keep you wonderful people updated as I go because life is great, isn’t it?

May this New Year be filled with amazing transformation and evolution to us all!

(image found here)

A few years ago my brothers and sister were all in Cleveland together for a few days before I arrived. David had recently taken an aversion to anyone using the word ‘should.’  Everyone else had gotten quickly on board, and by the time I got into town, every ‘should’ utterance was immediately echoed by someone else.

“…maybe before you pick that up you should–”

“SHOULD”

“Next time you guys should–“

“SHOULD”

“Mom should really–”

“Lauren, stop should-ing all over the place!”

They all thought this was hilarious.  I was not as amused, but that’s neither here nor there; the   should-y shaming continued our entire time together.  It’s an interesting thing to hone in on and one that persists in my life.  Let’s be honest, no one likes a should-y situation.

Before the power goes out, find the house.  There’s something there inside that will be useful to you in the dawn.

Don’t let yourself continue to sleep so long; repeat the lyrics to your favorite song.  Prepare for flight (an obvious rhyme about casting light).  Prepare for snow, you’re always cold.  Where to go and how and why.  How those birds flap freely in the sky!  Untethered ends

Decorum serves order, simply sung.  Don’t you know you’re not the only one?  Whistling wands create the sun.  Slow it down.  The final plucks.

First voice heard.  humming sweetly starting over | second city of light.

Spring will come, ray by ray.  Bask in brightness, beat your drum.  Summer clouds turn into storms. Bird songs dizzy winding down.