quote: pooh on life

“life is miserable,” moaned eeyore.

but pooh just laughed.

“oh eeyore!  it’s your mind that’s miserable.  life is just life.”

(a belated) happy merry everything!

hope your holidays have been filled with joy, light, and love!

thoughts: grateful

today I got some news that I didn’t like.  so I fought it and whined about it and rebelled against it.  and then I was reminded that it’s easy to accept the things we want as blessings.  the things we want, when they happen, we say they’re meant to be.  but it’s harder to say that the things we don’t want are also meant to be.  sometimes what feels right doesn’t happen in order to leave space for something better.  so I’ll revel and dance in that space.  instead of throwing a tantrum in it.

plus, it’s tough to receive anything new if you’re not grateful for what already is.

today I am grateful for long, slow walks and time to observe the world.

“and whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”

-from max ehrmann’s desiderata

photo: be back soon

nostalgia: spin the wheel

I’m 16, and it is winter in Minnesota.  It’s warm inside, insulated from the biting cold outside these walls.  I’m in my bedroom, glancing over words in a textbook.  Despite the fact that no one is watching, I want to look like I’m doing something.  My eyes glaze over and then turn back to the clock.  It’s almost 6:30.  I grab a few folders, turn off the light, and run down the stairs in the dark.  It’s been dark since 4:30, but no one has turned on the hall lights yet.

When I reach the bottom, the kitchen glows against the blackness outside.  Only slight glimmers of snow are visible through the large windows.  My mom offers a smile as she moves with hurried grace amongst the burners and ovens.  I spread my homework out on the kitchen table.  I know she’ll ask me to set the table soon, but I relish every minute of having the full space to myself.  I page through folders until I find my most mindless assignment.  Because I’m not really sitting here to do my homework.  I’m sitting here to watch Wheel of Fortune.

Mom watches the final minutes of the local news while she cooks, only stealing quick glances at the TV.  My ears perk up when I hear the new anchors sign off.  I take this moment to turn up the volume a couple notches.  Suddenly the exaggerated announcer’s voice and the game show theme song play against the comforting smell of dinner.  Food always smells better this time of year.  The still, dead winter is a blank canvas for its aroma.

The first contestant spins the wheel.  My eyes are glued to the TV.  I don’t have glasses yet, so I squint slightly.  My mom stands at the stove, stirring vegetables in a pan.  She ducks her head slightly to gaze under the pot rack and at the TV.  More spins follow.  The wheel clicks to a halt each time.  Another spin, another letter.  My mom’s lips move slightly, whispering guesses as she deciphers the puzzle.  Before a quarter of the letters are revealed, she has the answer.  She blurts it out with excitement.  I smile and tell her she should be on the show.  She lifts her head and laughs.  I turn my head back to my homework, and I smile, too.  This is my favorite time of night.

Lately I’ve found myself watching Wheel of Fortune while I make dinner.  It’s on at 7:30 here instead of 6:30.  The board with real moving tiles has been replaced by a computer touch screen.  Pat and Vanna’s lack of aging is even more magical.  The sun is shining, it’s warm outside, and the food smells different.  But the feeling is the same.

(Also, I was inspired by this blog’s lovely recollections of childhood.  This is one of her most recent.)

video: no more GMOs

from http://gmofilm.com/ :

(click link for larger video)

“THE GMO FILM PROJECT tells the story of a father’s discovery of GMOs through the symbolic act of poor Haitian farmers burning seeds in defiance of Monsanto’s gift of 475 tons of hybrid corn and vegetable seeds to Haiti shortly after the devastating earthquake of January 2010. After a journey to Haiti to learn why hungry farmers would burn seeds, the real awakening of what has happened to our food in the US, what we are feeding our families, and what is at stake for the global food supply unfolds in a trip across the United States and other countries in search of answers. Are we at a tipping point? Is it time to take back our food? The encroaching darkness of unknown health and environmental risks, seed take over, chemical toxins, and food monopoly meets with the light of a growing resistance of organic farmers, concerned citizens, and a burgeoning movement to take back what we have lost.

Today in the United States, by the simple act of feeding ourselves, we unwittingly participate in the largest experiment ever conducted on human beings. Massive agro-chemical companies like Monsanto (Agent Orange) and Dow (Napalm) are feeding us genetically-modified food, GMOs, that have never been fully tested and aren’t labeled. This small handful of corporations is tightening their grip on the world’s food supply—buying, modifying, and patenting seeds to ensure total control over everything we eat. We still have time to heal the planet, feed the world, and live sustainably. But we have to start now!”

thoughts: an open letter to los angeles

dear los angeles:

6 months ago we had our first anniversary.  traditionally, first anniversaries are celebrated with a paper gift.  you must have forgotten until last month.  the paper parking ticket was a lovely token of your affection.  thank you.  in return, I’m writing you a letter.

since we’ve been together for a year, I should tell you something.  I never thought we’d be an item.  truthfully, I didn’t find you attractive.  I was born a midwest girl, and somewhere along the way, the east coast caught my fancy.  I flirted with new york.  I mean, really, who doesn’t?  and things got serious with boston.  4 whole years.  but we weren’t meant to last.  boston had moved on to younger prospects, and I had moved back to the midwest.  you should know that minnesota will always be my first love.

you probably already know this, but I tested you out.  we had a brief 3 month stint.  nothing serious.  you were fun, new, and exciting.  but you surprised me.  you liked vegan food, you practiced yoga, and you even offered a never-ending array of local, organic food.  what more could a girl ask for?

things just weren’t the same without you, so I returned.  you took me to the beach and showed me places to hike.  you even helped me get over my fear of earthquakes.  I dealt with an unbelievable amount of bugs for you.  and I wouldn’t do that for just anyone.

let’s be honest.  I played hard to get, but you had me at 70 degrees in february.  how could a girl not fall hard for that?

I know I’ve been tough on you at times.  complaining about your smog and traffic.  but once I really got to know you, those things didn’t matter as much.  june gloom aside, you’ve been wonderful to me.

I can’t say how long we’ll last, but you should know that from this point forward, paper will never be an acceptable gift again.

xoxo,

a