Randoms.

Happy Tuesday sunshine, here is what my last week looked like:

Dinners with friends. Rach left this weekend to start her second (!) year of optometry school. She's growing up so fast.

Siah was my roommate last week - she's wonderful company. Her favorite activities include sitting on Trader Joe's bags, drinking out of (my) water glasses, and helping me make the bed. Dislikes? Closed doors, anyone who is sleeping when she's hungry, and sitting like a normal cat.

I finished Beautiful Ruins this week - I had seen recommendations for it on other blogs and wasn't really sure what to expect. I loved the cover right away...so there's that. Then I found it in a used bookstore and figured I might as well try it - I love any excuse to buy used books. I really enjoyed it though. The format was a little like The Help where each chapter switches to another character's perspective, except in Beautiful Ruins it also goes back and forth in time to pull the story together. Not in a jarring way. I'm not explaining this well, am I? Whatever. It was good - one of those comforting books you read during the summer, you know?

One of my friends had asked me to do some drawings for her. I really like doing these quick sketches on book pages because it doesn't feel as permanent. Like, if I wanted to throw it away, I wouldn't be wasting good drawing paper. Plus the words in the background are more interesting than a white blank page (I couldn't resist).

I'll always love drawing Rodin sculptures (okay, that fourth one is Picasso). I could draw the same one a hundred times and every drawing would look different. Granted, I don't draw them perfectly each time, so you could say that my mistakes just vary, but I like them that way. Anyway, here is the series I did for Laura.

The Little Prince obsession continues...

I realized this weekend that I own five copies of this book. One is on loan to a friend, one is in French (I've translated it for various classes), one is part of a collection of stories by Saint-Ex, and the other two belonged to my grandmother. I'm glad she shared my love (okay, obsession) for The Little Prince. Everyone should read it. It's a lovely story. I mean, how can you not love him when he explains that grown ups just don't understand the world like children do? And he loves his rose. And sunsets. And the lamplighter. Okay I could do this for days, just go read it. Or borrow one of my copies.


In other news:

Look at this painting - don't you love it?? [Cindy Greene Paints]

You're beautiful. [Darling Magazine]

My favorite shade of green [Knit Love, Knit Blue]

Unique world maps? Check. [via Rachel Held Evans]

Silence is powerful. [via Cup of Jo]



xoxo

How To Sparkle a Little Brighter, Darling

A few weeks ago, my sister and I attended a women's event at our church. The topic: Courage.  Talk about God's timing. Leeana Tankersley was the speaker - she's amazing. Please, go read her blog. All of it. I'll wait.

Okay, now that we're all in love with this woman, let's talk about courage. I had never really given it much thought before that event. I mean, sure, I like thinking I have guts and I can be bold and brave when I need to be, and sure, I can stand up for myself. But often, I don't choose this path. Because it's easier to be critical of myself. It's easier to chime in with that nagging voice in the back of my head that likes to be the victim of all the problems in my life. I can hear my dad now, "Just because it's easy doesn't mean it's good for you."

But listening to Leeana made me want to practice courage (kind of the point, Hil). She repeated a phrase throughout the evening - the first time she said it, everyone in the room grabbed a pen and wrote it down - it should go on a bumper sticker or something. Courage is taking the first step - and our tiny step is met with a thousand parts God's grace. Our tiny part of courage is met with a thousand parts God's grace. Ouf. And she knows what she's talking about. This woman has lived in the Middle East with her husband, a Navy SEAL, on two different tours...with three small children. That's a lot of courage and even more grace.

Then she gave us some steps to strengthen our courage muscles. There were three, I can only remember one ("It's like a statistical thing, whenever there are three of something, you can never remember the third one." Well said, Doyle, but I forgot two).  The first step was to practice becoming a friend to yourself. She has talked about this on her blog in the past, so the concept wasn't new to me, but I've been practicing it more and more lately and I love it - just look at my Pinterest.

I practice being a friend to myself when I'm getting dressed in the morning, when I'm cooking, when I'm exercising, when I'm doing my nails. I think for a bit about what will make me happy in that moment and do what I can to put that into action.

I don't wear clothes that make me uncomfortable.

I don't stress about sticking to 100%-Paleo meals if doing so makes me angry at cavemen.

I stop thinking in "shoulds" because, honestly, who is going to tell me that I "shouldn't" wear my favorite dress today, even though I wore it last week? That's right. NO ONE.

I'm choosing to be kind to myself. I'm treating myself like a friend and not like an enemy.

Don't get me wrong, I still have expectations for myself. I'm not a just-do-whatever-you-want-regardless-of-consequences hippie. No sir. But I'm more reasonable with my expectations, especially tiny-detail-expectations. Instead of all black and white, I allow for grey if it makes me happy. You know how much I love grey, after all.

Try it, I dare you! Do small things today that make you happy. Or start with just one small thing. If you want to dance around your living room to a Ray Charles song, do it - you'll love it (I speak from experience). Make a cup of tea and read one of Lauren Conrad's novels (I've also done this). Paint your nails whatever color you want. Wear clothes that make you happy.

Be kind to yourself.

Because it doesn't make sense to be kind to everyone else and not to yourself.

It's logic. I'm nothing if not logical.

The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness. [Victor Hugo]

I believe we all want to be people of the heart. We don’t want to be marking time, living in survival mode, eeking life out. We want to be flourishing, living from a very awake and alive heart. We want to live from the broad grace, the expanse, the spacious place.
This requires courage.
Mainly because many of us carry chaos inside us that is unresolved. This chaos creates a level of discomfort, dis-ease. When we hit up against the raw places inside us, we have a choice: numb or respond.
It takes courage to respond. It takes courage to feel. It takes courage to put our phones down and look up at the world. It takes courage to get up off the couch.
It takes courage to make one small step in the right direction.
- See more at: http://www.gypsyink.com/#sthash.F3UzHdoU.dpuf

xoxo

I believe we all want to be people of the heart. We don’t want to be marking time, living in survival mode, eeking life out. We want to be flourishing, living from a very awake and alive heart. We want to live from the broad grace, the expanse, the spacious place.
This requires courage.
Mainly because many of us carry chaos inside us that is unresolved. This chaos creates a level of discomfort, dis-ease. When we hit up against the raw places inside us, we have a choice: numb or respond.
It takes courage to respond. It takes courage to feel. It takes courage to put our phones down and look up at the world. It takes courage to get up off the couch.
It takes courage to make one small step in the right direction.
- See more at: http://www.gypsyink.com/#sthash.F3UzHdoU.dpuf

I believe we all want to be people of the heart. We don’t want to be marking time, living in survival mode, eeking life out. We want to be flourishing, living from a very awake and alive heart. We want to live from the broad grace, the expanse, the spacious place.
This requires courage.
Mainly because many of us carry chaos inside us that is unresolved. This chaos creates a level of discomfort, dis-ease. When we hit up against the raw places inside us, we have a choice: numb or respond.
It takes courage to respond. It takes courage to feel. It takes courage to put our phones down and look up at the world. It takes courage to get up off the couch.
It takes courage to make one small step in the right direction.
- See more at: http://www.gypsyink.com/#sthash.F3UzHdoU.dpuf

I believe we all want to be people of the heart. We don’t want to be marking time, living in survival mode, eeking life out. We want to be flourishing, living from a very awake and alive heart. We want to live from the broad grace, the expanse, the spacious place.
This requires courage.
Mainly because many of us carry chaos inside us that is unresolved. This chaos creates a level of discomfort, dis-ease. When we hit up against the raw places inside us, we have a choice: numb or respond.
It takes courage to respond. It takes courage to feel. It takes courage to put our phones down and look up at the world. It takes courage to get up off the couch.
It takes courage to make one small step in the right direction.
- See more at: http://www.gypsyink.com/#sthash.F3UzHdoU.dpuf

Be wild, be fierce, be happy.

I took a break from Rodin sculptures...

Desiderata [Max Ehrmann, 1927]

Go placidly amid the noise and 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 the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and 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 with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.