Today I am digging outdoors in the dirt, getting back to the basic joys in my life. As a kid, I used to follow my dad around our backyard, "helping" him tend our vegetable garden and brandishing my small trowel with such pride. It's been years since I've spent time outside like that, sitting on the ground and getting my hands dirty. Why is that? Why do we stop giving ourselves time for simple joys?
I'm changing that. This weekend is all about digging into the soil, grass on my knees, and watching the bees buzz around the yard. And lemonade. Lemonade is very important.
 |
| I see you, dandelions. You're going down. |
reading : Cross My Heart, Hope to Die. Yes, that's one of The Lying Game books... sometimes you just need some fluff, you know? After I finished Beautiful Redemption last week, I went to the library in search of some Hemingway, but since the novel I wanted wasn't there, I wandered over to the YA section and walked away with this little gem. I've decided that I like having one fluff book and one serious book going at the same time. It's nice to have options.
writing : Lots of posts for May! Last week, Lauren wrote about the Blog Every Day in May project that she will be doing, and while I initially thought I wouldn't do it, I took another look at the prompts and am now really excited by the idea. I won't blog every day, but I will definitely try to keep up with the prompts.
listening : To birds chirping outside. I still can't get over how many birds I hear in our new neighborhood!
thinking : About future travels. In a month, I will be riding a camel in Morocco!! :D
smelling : Dirt. I've been digging around in the backyard all weekend, trying to get rid of our dandelion and clover patches. Mmm, the outdoors.
wishing : That DC United would get out of its funk and start winning more games this season! It's hard when your team doesn't get the results you all want, especially when you know they're capable of so much more. Sigh.
hoping : For more warm, sunny days. I'm realizing more and more that being active outdoors does wonders for balancing my mood. More, please!
wearing : Leggings and a bright J. Crew tank top. I got a pedicure on Friday, and now my toes are bright mint! Today's theme is all about being comfortable and happy.
loving : The hubs! He took his comprehensive exams a few weeks ago, and he got his results last week. Although he had been worried that he didn't study enough compared to his classmates, Mr. Smartypants McGee passed with distinction, which is the highest mark a student can receive and an honor given to only one or two people each year! I'm so proud of him for finding what he loves to do and for working so hard. :)
wanting : Our shiny new DSLR to arrive in the mail. We decided to take the plunge and order a new camera so that we can play around with it for our honeymoon. Yay for new toys!
needing : To decide whether to throw the hubs a big graduation party. He graduates from his Master's program in about three weeks, and while we will definitely celebrate, I'm torn about hosting a party for everyone. I wanted the house to be further along than it is, but I might need to get over that and invite everyone over, anyway.
feeling : Hopeful. Truthfully, I've been feeling rather blue lately, and this weekend I started to come out of the haze of blah. I think my self-care routine on Friday helped make me feel more relaxed and balanced, and being outdoors this weekend helped even me out. Sometimes a girl just needs a phone call with her mom, a pedicure, and some sunshine to make things better.
clicking : On an interesting article from NY Times Magazine that my mom send me this morning. It's about bipolar disorder, and the author writes about her struggles in such an honest, yet unsettling way. The idea of discovering and nurturing the self is really interesting to me, and I think it speaks to how with mental illness, people often feel as though they scarcely know who they are anymore. Their identity is their illness, which can be quite frightening. It's a good read!
What are you folks up to today?
Interested in guest-posting while I am off on my honeymoon? Let me know!
Twitter * Bloglovin * Google+ * Pinterest * Tumblr
