Independence

Happy 4th of July, readers! We may not live in a perfect country, but it's a country that affords us great liberties, and for that I am very grateful. May you all have fun celebrating the USA's independence today! (If you're international, I hope you have a great day, too.) Stay safe!

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Prayers

Lately I've been coming to some very difficult realizations about growing up. I thought that I was getting the hang of this adulthood thing, I really did. I'm married, we just moved into our first house, and I'm at the tail end of my graduate program. I feel more mature than I was even just four years ago, and it feels like I've found a great direction in my life.

While those are all important things, none of them really compare with the growing pains. As adult as I thought I was becoming, all it took was a bad tumble to make me realize that I was still viewing myself-- all of my friends, really-- as young and carefree. Bad things don't happen to young people like us, I thought. Bad things don't happen because we still have so much of life to live, and we're far too young to face anything that could take that away.

Realizing and accepting that this is not the case, that bad things can happen to anyone at any age, is hard. It's really hard. One of my dear friends was recently diagnosed with cancer, and while she has a very good prognosis, receiving the news has shaken me quite a bit. It's not fair when the people you love get hurt, and it's scary when they get hurt in such a big way. It's as though the universe has sent a giant wave crashing over you just to remind you that you are, in fact, not truly carefree, and you're certainly not invincible. Thanks, universe. We got the memo.

This is one of the hard parts of growing up. I still have all of the pleasant milestones, and there will be more to come, but right now I'm treading around one of the darker points. One of our friends joked that at least such an upsetting event happened at a time in our lives when we are all strong enough to deal with it, and while I think we all would have found a way to get through regardless, I am grateful that even in the face of cancer, we are strong. My friend is strong, and she will beat this. 

I would like to ask for your prayers that my friend will beat her cancer and find the strength to get through the days that are to come. And, because we are all human and prone to the ups and downs of life, give your loved ones a hug. Call the friend you've been meaning to get back to. Life is too short, and we need to be present in the lives of those we love.

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The Seas of Essaouira

Morocco has a secret, and it is tucked in the seaside fishing town of Essaouira. I can't tell you what it is exactly, but I can try to describe it. It starts gradually with the call of the seagulls soaring through the air. It's distant at first, but as you walk through the winding cobblestone streets and make your way closer to the port, it starts to grow in volume. You walk a bit further past the men grilling the day's catch on coals, past the stray cats darting away with a stolen fish, and come to an open square. Your heart starts to beat a bit faster as you make your way past the gelato shop and postcard stands, your pace picking up as you make your way to the stone wall by the sea. The howling wind from the ocean is rushing towards you now, and you try to catch your breath, but it catches in your throat as your eyes widen.

I can't tell you exactly what it is about Essaouira. But as you look out upon the silent ramparts and the ocean's waves crashing wildly against the jagged rocks, you just feel it. You feel the souls of ages past, and you are transported through time, yet you are in no time at all. You just stand there, suspended, everywhere and nowhere, and feel it.

   

 

  

 

 

 

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Sunday Currently : 25

Rain drops and thick air... Today is definitely a muggy day, and while I would love to escape on the couch and do nothing more than drink lemonade, catch up on TV shows, and devour a new mystery novel, I must trudge forward and go to school. Yes, this Sunday involves doing schoolwork, and since I'm meeting a friend, I can't procrastinate and avoid this one. Oh, universe, you're making it very hard to be productive and motivated!

reading : Catch-22. I've been reading this on my work commute and am torn whether I want to read more this week or save it for my bus ride next weekend up to New York. Either way, I am still really enjoying this book!

writing : My dissertation. Ugh. While I do enjoy getting together with my friends to do dissertation work and provide encouragement, I also enjoying getting together with my friends and not doing any sort of school work. But apparently I need to finish my dissertation in order to get my degree next year, so....

listening : To The West Wing playing in the background. I've seen the entire series, but this is one of those shows that you could watch over and over again. Dooo-doooooooooo-do-do-do! 

thinking :  About lots of things, yet nothing at all. My coffee hasn't quite kicked in yet. But I am vaguely thinking about 4th of July plans and how I want to spend this Thursday. 

smelling :  My coffee. :) 

wishing :  For peace between our cats. O'Higgins (formerly Mr. Valentine) is desperate to be friends with Molly and expresses his affection by pouncing on her while she sleeps. Predictably, this does not elicit a loving response from Molly. 

hoping :   That next weekend in my hometown is filled with good times and old friends. And the beach. I reeeeally need the beach. 

wearing :  PJs. It's so muggy out that I don't particularly want to put on real clothes today, but since I'm going in to the lab today I should maybe at least put on a different shirt. Oh, responsibility. 

loving :   The hubs! 4th of July! Cat cuddles! Our new AC unit that doesn't sound like a rocket launch and actually cools our bedroom! 

wanting :   Our J. Crew Factory order to arrive early this week so that I can admire my new clothes. I have trouble resisting their sales. This week was no exception. Oops!

needing :  A cool shower. 

feeling :  Sweaty. Ha! Sorry. Summer in DC, what can I say?

clicking :  On not too much right now. Anything I should check out?  

Happy Sunday! 

Linking up with Lauren for the Sunday Currently 

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Casablanca

Oh, Casablanca. Rationally, I knew that Humphrey Bogart wouldn't be walking the streets of Morocco, but I was hoping that this city would have a bit more of a romantic feel. In truth, it's a modern city that is both seedy and beautiful, and I had to keep in mind that this it probably represented the "real" urban Morocco. Tourism isn't a major part of Casablanca, and at times I felt as though the city didn't care about us. I wanted to be wooed, and I wanted Humphrey Bogart.

Since life can't be a romantic black-and-white film, however, the hubs and I went for the next best thing and created our own fun. Casablanca is home to a gigantic mosque on the sea, and the sight of such a beautiful structure arching upwards into the sky was breathtaking. I was so disappointed not to be able to go inside, as we missed the visiting hours, but if the exterior is any indication, this place is simply gorgeous. 

After oohing and aahing for a while, the hubs and I embarked on a massive walking tour of the city. We walked for hours, admiring the beautiful and faded architecture. I would have loved to see this city in the 1920s, and it was easy to let my imagination run wild as we looked up at the buildings.

My favorite part, however, was a market area that was closing up shop for the day. Most of the vendors were gone or gathered in crowds watching the end of a soccer match, and as the hubs and I walked past the empty stalls, it felt at times that the only other souls there were the stray cats who had made their home beside the vegetable crates. I can't quite describe why I loved it here so much, but it stirred something inside of me. Maybe we were seeing something that wasn't quite meant for us, but it beckoned all the same. It was as though time had frozen for a moment, and though it was still, I could feel the rush of people running around just hours before and nearly hear the voices calling out to one another. The phantom market pulsed with abandoned life, and we were hushed visitors catching the final glimpses of its secrets before the gates were locked for the night.

The Gardens of YSL

Marrakech is a city unlike any other I have known. It is both modern and ancient, peaceful and chaotic. The main plaza, as I shared last week, is a surreal experience straight out of a storybook. It was marvelous to sip mint tea and cafe au lait from the rooftop terraces and gaze down at the scene below, watching the cats trot between food stalls trying to get scraps, the tourists gliding around wide-eyed and open-mouthed in awe, and the vendors aggressively trying to lure anyone with a money to spend into their shops. 

The people-watching in that plaza is first-rate. Sometimes, though, you need to withdraw from the constant motion and find somewhere quiet to take a stroll and recharge your mind. When the hubs and I read about the gardens of Yves Saint Laurent, we knew we had to find it. So one morning after breakfast, we dodged in between the donkeys, horses, and motorbikes and visited Jardin Majorelle.

As soon as we stepped through the gates to the garden, we were transported from the Marrakech of unceasing motion and sound to a space much calmer than we could have guessed existed within the city. The richly painted planters, the trickling of water in a pond.... they were vibrant and full of life, but in a way that was subtle and modest. Here we found a different piece of Marrakech, a piece that gently reminded us that amidst chaos there must also be calm.

 

Sunday Currently : 24

It is entirely possible that we stayed up too late last night and that my body is not functioning at optimal level today. One minute we were lazily BBQing in the backyard for our friend's birthday, and the next minute it was somehow after midnight and I was falling out of a chair in hysterical laughter at a ridiculous story that shall not be printed on the internet. :) You have to love those nights. Sure, I'm a little headachey now and could probably have used a couple more hours of sleep, but laughing with friends in the backyard, gazing up at the supermoon and watching the dogs chase the fireflies is just priceless.

Welcome to summer!

reading : Catch-22. I just finished To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf last week, and I've returned to Catch-22 with the hope of finishing it up over the next week. It's a great read, and I'm really enjoying  my recent books!

writing : More honeymoon posts. Be on the lookout for more Morocco tales this week! It's so fun to go through all of our photos and relive the experience. :)

listening : To the air purifier running in the living room. Things are quiet around here on Sundays. 

thinking :  About what we will do today. Since the rain has stopped for the moment, I kind of want to head up to Takoma Park to buy a tub of chocolate pudding from the farmers market...

smelling :  Residual peanut butter from my toast. Mmmm.

wishing :  For more fun this summer. Even though I'm working full-time, I need to carve out beach days and outdoor brunches with friends. Perhaps I shall take a look at my day planner and start committing to some summertime adventures...

hoping :  That today, whatever it brings, is filled with more peace. It's fun to have a lazy Sunday with the hubs, and I like how simple and calming this morning has felt already. 

wearing : Gym clothes from our impromptu living room yoga session this morning. It felt so good to stretch! 

loving :   Cool summer nights where we can stay outside for hours. :)

wanting :   Tacos. Always tacos. 

needing :  To stay hydrated today. More lemonade, please!

feeling :   Tired but content.  

clicking :   On yoga videos. We found this one this morning that is part of a 30-Day Yoga Challenge, and it was nice to stretch out and get our bodies moving. I still prefer going to an actual class, but this was a good, quick substitute.

Sunday Currently link-up with the lovely Lauren

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