The Desiderata

The Desiderata of Happiness

Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even to the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;

they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

my cup runneth over

I'm getting ready to get personal.

(So bow out now if you can't deal with mushy-gushy feelings.)

But it is because my heart is happy and my boots are light.

(And maybe because I watched Peter Pan last night.)

This is such a sweet, sweet phase of life I'm in right now.

Seriously, as I drove home tonight I just thanked the Lord for where I am in my life right now. I'm not in a hurry to grow up, but I have a satisfiable degree of independence. I'm confident in myself, but aware that I still have plenty of growing to do and mistakes to make. I'm not worried about the pressures of this world, but have hope in the eternal. I have precious friends who are each a blessing in their very own way. Laughter, joy, and encouragement are never lacking. I don't want to wish away the rest of my life to stay in these moments, as greater things are yet to come, but I will always cherish this special time.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

"By the grace of God, I am what I am..." I Corinthians 15:10a

Maybe I'm the only one who missed it, but "Peter Pan" has some pretty deep themes on life, love, and happiness.

breaking up is hard to do

Dear Yogurt Mountain,

We need to talk. I think we need a break. It's just not working out for me. I never agreed this would be mutually exclusive, and I'm just not ready for a commitment. I mean, let's face it, you're kind of a slut. You never have an open parking spot, and some hussy is always cutting me off in the toppings line. It's a hassle to drive on 280 during rush hour, fight of Sienna minivans for a parking spot, and then have to wait in line to spend time together. I don't think you understand my needs and we just don't have anything in common anymore. So I've moved on. I met the greatest new frozen yogurt boutique. His location is fantastic, perfect for an afterwork treat. He's kind of like the "Lars from Norway" of frozen yogurt franchises. Plus, he's so giving, and supporting him means supporting a small business in my community. Mr. Yogurt Lab is a dreamboat waiting to carry me off to far and exotic places via tastebuds. I hope you find someone who makes you just as happy. I just want you to know, it's not you; it's me. But I still think we should be friends. And, hey, there are always plenty of other fish in the sea.

Best Regards,

KMS

something borrowed, something blue

This weekend the whole fam packed up the swagger wagon to go to another cousin's wedding in Mobile. (Oh, the joys of being one of twelve grandchildren.) But regardless of the fact that all five of us were shoved in a car together for extended amounts of time, it was a pretty uneventful weekend. There was a minor meltdown involving a precious little Yorkie puppy we all wanted, which then involved the hatching of a major plan to persuade Dad to buy it for us; but, in the end, it was Mom who switched sides on us and put her foot down. So we left Mobile puppy-less, but not without sad puppy faces.

At the reception

This was voted the favorite picture of the weekend

THE Swagger Wagon: it may not be a Sienna mini-van, but we've got the turtle on top

Oh the places you'll go/My Life in Lists #8

This summer is a bit different from any summers past; I'm stuck taking classes and working. Blah. It's not THAT bad, but it leaves no time for a great summer trip. Fortunately, I've had opportunities to log some serious travel miles in the good ole US of A and parts of Central & South America. However, I've always got a new place on my list to visit. My sweet dad understands my desire to just go places, but right now I'm a bit young to jet off to foreign lands alone, and most of these places aren't exactly family vacation sort of places. Ergo, the list keeps on growing. So here's my wish list of travels:
1. England: I hope this one is about to be marked off of my list! I'm planning on studying abroad in London either next summer or the next, and I'm way pumped! I've got an extremely long "to-do" list of things to accomplish while I'm there, including a visit to platform 9 and 3/4, a trip to the river Thames, and visiting every tourist-y spot ever. Oh, and of course reading British literature in the motherland that inspired it all. I'm sure there's a reason T.S. Eliot gave up his american citizenship to become a british subject.
2. Greece: Let's be honest, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants really made me want to go there. But get real for a second, when you watched Kostas save Lena and then take her out on the sailboat, didn't you want to go, too? That's what I thought. So maybe my initial desire was out of ignorance. But then I did my research. Greece is pretty dang legit. I mean, the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding had it right, Greece IS basically the birthplace of, well, everything. They DO kind of have a leg up on everyone else since they've got the greatest cultural monument in the entire world, aka the Parthenon.
3. India: There's not really any one thing that makes me want to go to India, or anything in particular that I want to see. I just think it's such a different part of the world that I would enjoy seeing.
4. Morocco: As if the admission of wanting to go to Greece because of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was lame, my reasoning behind wanting to go to Morocco is even more lame, if that's possible. I've wanted to go to Morocco since I did a project on the country in (wait for it...) the second grade. The country's basically a crossroad to the rest of the world, so it's got history from all over built up. On my list is to go to a legit Moroccan bazaar, admire the crazy rich architecture (it's once been occupied by giants like the Moors, Romans, Arabs), hit up two of the most important cities that are/have been playgrounds to writers, millionaires, spies, and crooks alike, Tangier and Casablanca. I mean, it WAS the first nation to recognize the United States of America as its own independent country, so I guess the least I can do is sort of pay them back by pumping some money into their economy, right?
5. South Africa: One of my best friends basically grew up in South Africa while her parents were missionaries there. Basically, she's opened up my eyes to a place I've never really thought about traveling to before she enraptured me with all it has to offer. I want to go on a safari worthy of Hemingway's admiration (duh, it's Africa, after all), have high tea on the terrace, and witness the monkeys that will supposedly attempt to snatch even a baby. Okay, maybe I don't want to witness a kidnapping, so the monkeys sans children.
6. Russia: It is a little known fact about me, but I really like Imperial Russian history. Naturally, Russia isn't exactly a hot vacation spot; it's more like a vast wasteland. But, I think it's totally worth the trip if you can appreciate all it has to offer. From the Winter Palace, to the Gatchina Palace, to the Church on the Blood, to Saint Basil's Cathedral, basically, I want to see a lot of churches and palaces. But, seriously, why are some of the most legit literary works Russian exports? Because they don't exactly have a whole lot to do there. But the Russian ballet is about at legit as it gets. If you anything about dance at all, the names Balanchine and Baryshnikov should ring a bell. Where do you think they trained (prior to defecting, buy hey, who REALLY wants to live in Russia)?

observations from suburbia...part one

This afternoon I headed out to my neighborhood pool to catch some rays before my cousin's wedding this weekend (What is it about having to look better than normal just to see a whole lot of family? More on that later...) and I was just amused watching everyone there. Seriously, it was a circus.

Our lifeguard is more like Squints, not the male version of Wendy Peffercorn

First, we've got the pre-pubescent lifeguard. He's a nice enough guy, but really, who are you protecting? He attempts to impress all the ladies above the age of ten by scoring goals on the basketball goal situated on the edge of the pool. Lifeguard-boy, you are a hoot.

Like I said, a nice nazi.

Next we have the pool nazi. She's actually a very nice lady... once she is absolutely positive that you are not breaking any of the pool rules, i.e., you do, in fact, live in our neighborhood and that you are old enough to be at the pool by yourself. Her house is right next door to the club house and pool, so she's not actually in an authority position on the homeowner's board, but she's taken upon the responsibility as her own. You rock on, pool protector.

They weren't quite this picturesque

Moving on, there is the mom towing three young children. In typical mom fashion, she's rocking her polo tankini. Over the course of about an hour, one of the girls has a meltdown because mom used her towel (tears and all), both little girls get in trouble for sassing their mother, the little boy attempts to squirt everyone in sight with his water blaster, all three get yelled at for running (by the mom, not the lifeguard), there are at least 5 threats to "pack up and go home right now if your behavior doesn't improve immediately," 6 juice boxes, one broken straw, 2 timeouts, a lizard that gets picked up by one sister and shoved in the other sister's face, and then a mad dash by all three to get out of the pool when thunder is heard overhead. It's just another day for that cul-de-sac mom.

Her floaties weren't this cool, but, seriously, where was this thing when I was a kid?

Then we've got grandpa and itty-bitty granddaughter. Homegirl is sporting the water wings like a champ, and grandpa keeps his shirt and hat on in the pool, typical. They splash around and she attempts to play with the other kids, who are a little bit older than she is. But then her mom pulls up to watch this Kodak moment. Of course, she ends up talking to the other tankini mom, at which point they begin discussing one of the kid's rashes. And I'm not talking about a hushed-tones kind of conversation with vague descriptions, either. Excuse me, what? We're in a semi-public place. That's disgusting. Take that business home. Why is rash-kid bopping around the pool, anyway? Isn't that stuff contagious? Good thing lifeguard boy peaced out because he had a doctor's appointment, otherwise he'd be needing some mouth-to-mouth (provided by someone else since my CPR and first aid certification has expired...whew). Tankini lady two, take a lesson from the pool and filter.

...And then there was me. Creepily watching all of this transpire while listening to my beach music playlist, reading "Tender Is The Night," and sunscreening it up with my SPF 55. (Over-stimulated much?) As much as I would love to say I was a complete outsider and just observed everything as a third party, not the case. I'm sure my presence contributed to the comedic display just as much as the next tankini lady.

i have a confession...

...I don't much care about the world cup.

I know, how un-American. I just am not hugely into sports, except the Olympics, but that's another matter. If the US wins, great. God Bless America. If not, ehh, no big loss to us, right? Aren't we kind of the underdogs to countries (especially South American ones) who basically train kids coming out of the womb to kick a soccer ball in similar ways to gymnasts in Eastern Europe being born solely for the balance beam? Sure, I'll probably watch a few matches just because it's been on at our house. I guess the soccer fans in all of us are slowly coming out of the woodwork.

there's a time for daring and a time for caution...

...and a wise man understands which is called for.

If you know anything about me, anything at all, you know my favorite movie of all time (right after "The Sound of Music") is "Dead Poets Society." Seriously, in a super duper as-cheesy-as-possibly-can-be way, this movie has impacted my life. I watched it again last night, and it is just so difficult to pick out my favorite parts.

post-it

the love of God

"The love of God is one of the great realities of the universe, a pillar upon which the hope of the world rests. But it is a personal, intimate thing, too. God does not love populations, He loves people. He loves not masses, but men. He loves us all with a mighty love that has no beginning and can have no end. In Christian experience there is a highly satisfying love content that distinguishes it from all other religions and elevates it to heights far beyond even the purest and noblest philosophy. This love content is more than a thing; it is God Himself in the midst of His Church singing over His people. True Christian joy is the heart's harmonious response to the Lord's song of love."

A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy