shell

So tonight, due to several sources of stress and anxiety in my life, I was feeling {as I have felt before} that I would really really like to have a shell. It could maybe be sort of like the lamp from I Dream of Jeannie and I would be tiny inside a plushly decorated shell. 
Then, I was chatting on facebook with my friend about the potential benefits of having a shell.

1. {Most importantly} When you have a shell you can curl up inside it and hide from mean or scary things, like a turtle does. Sometimes I really feel like I want to hide from the world.
2. If you're like a hermit crab your shell is your home and then you don't have to worry about packing all your stuff when you move. Plus, you can have a fun, pretty shell!

My friend added another one:

3. "And you wouldn't have to wear clothes. 

      or date . . . cause no one dates girls who don't wear clothes.

      except perverts."

hahahaha!! This might be my favorite. So funny.

I must say it definitely brightened my day, and increased my desire to get myself a shell!

early-life crisis

Due to the fact that:

1. I added a class and my schedule for fall now looks like this (18 credits):

2. I have virtually no idea what the heck I am actually going to do with my life and I have far too many things to deal with in the upcoming year

3. I really don't want to deal with men/dating/relationships ever again, and I am questioning all this business about true love and stuff that they teach us about practically from infancy

4. I've gained like 8 pounds this summer

5. I went to see Eat Pray Love today

. . . 

I might be on the verge of what my cousin has termed an "early-life crisis."

This summer I have really been trying to just go with the flow, roll with punches, not stress out so much about life and just see where it takes me. Apparently, this is not a mantra that works very well with my sort of brain. Darn. 

So, I am pondering several quotes from Eat Pray Love.

"If you could clear out all that space in your mind . . . you'd have a doorway, and you know what the universe would do? Rush in. Everything else will take care of itself."

"You don't need a man, you need a champion." 

{I have dreadful taste in men, fyi}

"You want to get to the castle, you got to swim the moat."

In the movie they are talking about how cities or people have a word that can describe them. She is sort of searching for her word throughout the movie. At first she says her word is "writer" and her friend says  that's what she does, not who she is. I wonder what my word would be. Do you know what your word would be?

Anyway, here I am, trying to fend off this early-life crisis and stop worrying and thinking so much about everything. Life is hard and messy, but it is also beautiful and exhilarating. I'm trying to learn that it's okay to make mistakes and that I don't have to have everything figured out and under control all the time. I must admit I had no idea what a journey I would be starting when I graduated from high school and went to college. When I was 17 I thought I knew who I was and I had this idea of how my life was going to be. Now I'm 21; I'm still trying to figure out who I really am and where I'm going.
Everything will take care of itself.

Se la vie, right? 

Such is life. 

The key is finding peace in the uncertainty of life and having faith that God is guiding you.

I'm working on that.

wide open spaces

She needs wide open spaces

Room to make her big mistakes

She needs new faces

She knows the high stakes

To find a dream and a life of her own

A place in the clouds a foundation of stone

wide open spaces

{dixie chicks}

comedy

Last weekend I went to see the movie "The Other Guys" with my parents and brothers. We lasted about 45 minutes before walking out and it has caused me to think a lot about comedy and the state of our country/world. I hope you all haven't seen it, and I won't repeat any of the jokes or quotes from the movie here, but I think most people know the basic point or have seen a similar movie. {Think "Talladega Nights"} I found everything about this movie incredibly offensive, and just sad really. Do being mean to people, swearing every other word and disrespecting women actually constitute good comedy these days? I don't find that funny at all. I was actually shocked by all the people in our theatre who laughed so hard. Can we really be in a good place when this is what we find funny? We should be bothered by these things, like the way the men talk to each other, the language they use, and the awful way Will Ferrell treats his wife in the movie. I think it's interesting to note that Ferrell's character seems to be pretty nice to everyone, except his wife. The whole thing was disgusting and, frankly, disappointing. I think I have a pretty good sense of humor, but the "jokes" in this movie were uncalled for. When I see this movie getting overall positive reviews I don't know what to think. I think there is a place for teasing and joking, but there's a line of what is appropriate. It doesn't take much creativity or talent to make jokes like those in this movie, and, beyond being offensive, I thought they were just plain stupid.

I realize that "The Other Guys" is comedy, satire, a spoof- not meant to depict real-life, and I don't want to overestimate the influence of one movie on the way people behave; but what are we teaching teenagers with things like this? Sadly, this movie shows behavior that can be seen in a lot of entertainment these days and that has me concerned. People aren't bothered by it, but they darn well should be. I suggest we make more attempts at smart comedy, and perhaps we could show some respect and decency in the way we treat others, even if it's just in silly movies, because if we accept these things in entertainment I wonder how often or long it will be until we accept them in everyday life.

dream

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to 

reach for the stars 

to change the world." 

~Harriet Tubman~

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. 

Explore. Dream. Discover."

~Mark Twain~