June 2012
1 post
May 2012
30 posts
7 tags
Watch(via Watch “Patagonia Yoga” Video at Patagonia Video Gallery)
living by the river
eli and I walked down to the river yesterday just as the sun was setting with our friend spencer. I waded into the water…and it was so lovely.
which makes sitting in front of this computer writing a term paper that much more unbearable now…
the icing or the cake
When it comes to cake, I prefer the icing more. In fact, when Mr. Lively and I stop by Molly’s Cupcakes, my treat of choice is an icing shot – which is a healthy dose of icing in a small plastic cup, sans cake. Though to some that might seem gross, to me it’s heavenly.
However, in real life, I’m finding that I need to keep my metaphorical love of icing in check. I’ve struggled with this before as well, I even wrote about it in my bio. In college I tried to be perfect and happy through physical “stuff” only to be disappointed and later to get my major a-ha moment – peeling back the layers of our lives leads to the most happiness – not adding to the layers.
Once I had this revelation I discovered my purpose, moved to Chicago, and have been promoting the benefits of making under ever since.
But recently I’m starting to notice that I now have two lenses with which I evaluate my life. The first lens is the lens of “The Real World,” the in-person experiences and relationships that I have. And the second lens is the “Online World,” which is comprised mostly of lifestyle blogs, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook.
According to my Real World Lens I am doing fine – great even! I am grateful for all that I have in my life, I am thankful that I have a career and purpose that I’m passionate about, and I have a great relationship.
But my Online World lens tells me a different story. My Online World lens makes me feel not quite “enough.” Sure, what I have is nice, but my life could be so much better if I had bright colored jeans, a floral blazer, a puppy, a hunky husband, a baby on the way, and a knack for cooking and entertaining like Ms. Stewart.
Then my life would really be something. I get swept up in the beautiful images and their promises of perfection and forget all that I have learned from my Real World experience.
This needs to stop.
Photos online are more beautiful, styled, edited, Photoshopped, and professionally done than ever before. Inherently much of the photography that I consume online is telling a beautiful story that only depicts the icings of life.
And if I’m not careful, I find myself disrespecting the cake (read: substance) of my life. I trade my gratefulness for the dissatisfaction of never having enough icing.
My hope is by taking the time to share this with you that I’ll begin to re-program my values to go back to true North. That I’ll reconnect with the epiphanies I had in college and begin to apply them to my Online World lens as well.
Because I want to be in the icing, but not of it.
April 2012
39 posts
book club?
would anyone be interested?
I figure virtual, using google hangout? book suggestions?
