#quoted 7 - ralph waldo emerson

"to laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a
redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has
breathed easier
because you have lived.
this is to have succeeded."
- ralph waldo emerson

like hamlet said...

a lot of people say a lot of things. a lot of people repeat the things that those other people say and pass the words off as wisdom of a sage. and because the speaker has said something worth repeating, a lot of people take the thing worth repeating as indisputable fact. this is the basis of quotable quotes, proverbs, and facebook "about me" section fillers that people pretend they live their lives by.

the problem is, anyone can say anything that sounds good, really. the words may have meaning and make a pretty sentence when all strung together, but does that make the sentence true? is a proverb true for me just because you said it? and is my favorite quote going to be true for you just because i plagiarized it from a renowned author? of course not.

i love quotes and proverbs as much as the next guy (probably more), as anyone who follows me on twitter or facebook or this blog should know. but a line of text doesn't, and shouldn't, mean a damn thing to anyone, save for the speaker, until you accept the fact that it is not law. the dalai lama, f. scott fitzgerald, and dear abby could all deliver the same message in potent quotables but until you find a way to fit it into your psyche, your life, your experiences, its just another pretty sentence that sounds nice.

being an english major and an avid reader and discusser, you may imagine i've stumbled upon little gems of wisdom that have inspired conversation. what drives me absolutely bonkers is when people (and i've seen it all too often) change their mindsets to incorporate the message of a quote by their favorite author. shouldn't it be the other way around? shouldn't we live our lives the way we feel is right first? and if a proverb with the same message as your example shows itself, then great - there's your new mantra. but if you don't believe it, and only put stock in a proverb because you think you should or because it's poetic, you are a fraud.

guide yourself, let the poetics follow.

"nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced; even a proverb is no proverb to you till your life has illustrated it*."
- john keats

*irony intended

#quoted 6 - anais nin

"and the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

- anais nin

ch ch ch changes

one of the most amazing things about humans is our capacity to endow an ordinary object with extraordinary significance. rabbits feet, charms meant to bring good luck to the beholder, sacred tokens. how many of us have a band that is forever associated with a friend or lover? or a song? how many of us can't drive down a certain street because of something that happened there once, a decade ago? but it's not all silly stuff and overdramatic emotional ties to places and things. think about some of the greatest architecture in the country - monuments and man-made mountains, churches and temples, all exist because of this practice of giving life to the unliving. there are globally accepted tokens of significance, and then there are the ones we make ourselves, for ourselves. hence, the rabbits foot, those song lyrics, the third step of the library building, the patch of grass at the north end of the quad. and for me, this week brought about another one. a simple piece of paper held much more than the half page of ink and boxes to fill in.

i filed my application for final audit for graduation this week. basically, i wrote my name and major and student ID number on a sheet of paper and gave it to the registrar's office. and now that paper means "hey, check out my transcripts and get your printer ready, i'm gonna need that diploma soon." but in addition to all that, the paper signifies big changes in my life and my psyche that even i didn't see coming.

at the beginning of 2011, i didn't see myself filling out that sheet of paper for quite some time, as my prospective graduation wasn't until january 2012. but 2011 swept in a life-changing realization for me that launched more big moves and alterations than i thought a month and a half were capable of. with this new summer graduation date comes moving out of my parents' house and into my own place months before i expected, a resume that reads very differently than it should, and more excitement (and anxiety) for the future than i've felt since my 21st birthday was the next big thing on my agenda.

it feels like the last month has been a whirlwind; so many changes have happened within myself - in my mind, my heart - and for my friends as well. it's like we all took a running jump and just leaped into a new life, careening towards adulthood - REAL adulthood - at a rate unstoppable by force. and as scary as it can be sometimes, and as out of control it may seem, there are nothing but good things happening and that is something to be grateful for. i am at once tightening my grip on the safety bar so as not to lose control and throwing my hands in the air to do the macerena out of sheer unadulterated ecstasy.

how symbolic the timing is as well - like that piece of paper with my application to graduate, remember? (see what i did there?) - spring is around the corner, and mother nature has given us a few sneak peeks of the sunshine and warm weather while i make a plan and look toward the future. all good things are coming, and coming fast.

petty theft

i didn't write this, but i wish i had. so i'm blogging it. (i'm also posting this because the only thing I've written this week is a half-assed essay for my class on 20th century lit of immigration, which doesn't really have a place on this blog.) one of my favorite ya authors, megan mccafferty, wrote this rhetorical letter from a teenager to her parents in one of my favorite novels, perfect fifths, the final installment of the jessica darling series. how many times have we had this debate? "your generation sucks," say the baby boomers; "we learned it from you," gen y replies. i think this letter effectively concludes that conversation, one that i myself have been sucked into on too many occasions to count. enjoy.

"Dearest Mom and Dad,

I'm writing this letter to apologize on behalf of the Look at Me! generation. We think we deserve the world's undivided attention. We demand it! While I have yours, I will use it to make a confession: You are right.

The world is passing through troubled times, and yet we think of nothing but ourselves. Today's teens love luxury. We want it all and we want it now and heaven help you if you don't give it to us. We are the biggest culprits in this culture of excess, the most fickle consumers, the biggest contributors to the global garbage pileup resulting from our disposable society.

We have bad manners, contempt for authority, and show disrespect to our elders. We contradict our parents, chatter before company, and are tyrants over our teachers. We have no reverence for parents or old age. We talk as if we know everything, and the wisdom of our elders is passed off as foolishness. I can only speak for myself when I promise: No more!

I understand why you see no hope for a future dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for we are reckless beyond words. When you were young, you were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but teens today are exceedingly wiseassed and incapable of showing restraint. As a girl, I offer an extra apology for being forward, immodest, and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress.

By the way, this letter is a plagiarized mash-up of quotes attributed to Plato, Peter the Hermit, Hesiod, and vintage Dear Abby that I found on the Internet. So, um, I guess my generation isn't any more spoiled, entitled, or narcissistic than teens who lived hundreds or thousands of years ago...or those who grew up in the 1960s and '70s, for that matter, LIKE YOU.

Your daughter,
Sunny

P.S. This cut-and-paste approach is intentionally ironic. Thank you."

certifiable

i've started and stopped about six times already. there are things happening in my head, but they aren't coming out right. i guess today just isn't my day.

problem is, i have too many little thoughts happening, and when i start working on one and try to expand it, i end up abandoning that original little thought and going off on a tangent about another little thought, and nothing makes any sense. did that even make sense? i hope it makes sense to one of you, because it made sense to me, and i would hate to have to accept that i actually am insane for being able to understand what i'm saying here if i'm alone in that. ya following me? please say yes. (please say yes.) quitting while i'm ahead. (behind, really, but who's counting? stop counting.)

namaste

#quoted 5 - susan polis schutz

"this life is yours. take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. take the power to control your own life. no one else can do it for you. take the power to make your life happy."

- susan polis schutz

sunday love

the gang on superbowl sunday, minus one.

blue & yellow

there's something in the air.

besides the snow that has been dumping on us north jerseyans non-stop since christmas.

usually by this time of the winter, the seasonal blues have hit hard and i'm ready to pack up, quit life, fly to fiji and soak up that sweet, sweet vitamin d. i would expect even more temptation this year due to the ridiculous weather we've been having for the last five weeks. don't get me wrong, i'm totally fed up with the snow and the cold and shuffling through ice and slush just to get the smallest errand done - not to mention the epic pain in the ass these wintery roads have made my commute to school. but for the first time in a long, long while, the winter blahs haven't hit me, tossing me into a seasonal depression that makes me want to crawl under the covers until the thermometer hits 60+.

a lot has changed in the past few months, and those changes are responsible for my sunny mood, despite the lack of sunny skies. i'm speeding toward that graduation finish line, six months ahead of my previous schedule (as of a mere two weeks ago!), and instead of being racked with confusion, stress, and fear, i'm absolutely thrilled. having embraced the fact that i don't want to be a teacher has made a huge difference. the process i went through of sitting down and actually thinking about my goals and what i want out of life has allowed me to look at the future through new eyes - unclouded eyes. i'm confident i'm doing the right thing, and so looking forward to this new life plan. knowing this is my last full semester (and knowing i'll pretty much sail right through this spring and my two three-week summer courses) has dropped a lot of weight from my dainty little shoulders and i feel like i can breathe and enjoy these last few months of college.

god knows i've been enjoying my life in all other aspects. i've gotten such a grip on who i am and who i was meant to be lately, and instead of shying away from it (because in some ways there are a lot of new developments & changes) or hiding it (because the number of people who see me as "the weird girl" is shockingly high) i'm totally embracing it and loving every moment of it. i'm having a blast with my friends and have successfully kicked all those pesky dramatic triggers out of my life where they belong. it's only the beginning of february, but i still feel like (to steal from weezy) "life is a beach & i'm just playin' in the sand."

the moral of the story?

"doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life."
- wayne dyer