Love What You See

I'm watching Pushing Daisies, Season 2, Episode 2. Having exactly 2 minutes and 53 seconds left to the show the Private Investigator begins to say these words, "Love what you see."

The facts are: At the beginning of the episode a tense, "perfect" mother came to the Private investigator asking for help in finding her missing daughter, whom she missed very much. At the same time, the Pie Maker, Olive, Chuck and the two unmarried sisters who Chuck calls Aunts are all attempting to handle change and learn to let go. Through a series of events, that shall be referred to as the plot of the episode, the tense, "perfect" mother was reunited with her daughter. She began to tell her daughter how much trouble she had caused and seemed to forget how much she had missed her daughter two seconds before the exact time in which the Private Investigator said these words, “Love what you see."

I suppose if you don't watch Pushing Daisies then that was confusing. The show is narrated that way and I felt that it was fitting.

"Love what you see." I love that that phrase was said right at that moment. The mother claimed she didn't know who her daughter was anymore. Emerson Cod (the Private Investigator) commanded her to love what she saw. It didn't matter that she had changed. She was still her daughter and she still needed to love her. Ned (the Pie Maker), Olive, Chuck and her Aunts learned to do the same with the change in their lives, though it was not easy.

Life will not always be the same. Change is hard to accept for most people. I'm definitely one of them. No matter how much I hate it, it will still happen. When it does I only have two choices. I can make myself miserable wishing for how it could and "should be"; or I can simply love what I see.

A Glass Slipper

I am not a very clumsy person. I fall down and spill my food a lot but I don't really break very many things (except for cups...they are just too fragile!). Okay, maybe I’m clumsy. Nonetheless, I've only broken two things in my apartment that were made of glass since I moved in. I am not able to forget that I did. Why? Because I'm still finding glass.

I'm not dirty. I vacuum. Yet somehow, for the second time this fall, I have pulled two shards of glass from my foot. The first experience was rather painful. I cried. A lot. By the second time, I sort of felt like a pro at pulling glass from my bare foot so it went a tad smoother.

It got me to thinking about what would have happened if Cinderella's shoes broke while she was wearing them? Would she still have ended up with Prince Charming? It's awfully hard to dance with glass sticking out of your foot. Would she have been angry at her godmother? I mean, sure, the slippers were given as the best present of her life but there were so many ways that it could have ended, and some of them are not so good. In a lot of ways, she was just lucky.

What I love so much about it though is that she didn't care about those other scenarios. She didn't argue with her godmother about the fact that glass shoes are just never a good idea. She didn’t think about the risk involved. She knew what she wanted and went, enjoying her gift while she could.

I realize she was just a fictional character but I still don’t think that is a bad way to live. Life is not forever. I'm not trying to be depressing, it's just a fact. Life is a gift and there are so many ways that could end. Sometimes, we can't control the bad things that play into our gift. We don’t ask for shoes of death. But we still control other things in life, like our thoughts and outlooks. If we can realize that our life is still a wonderful gift, glass shoes and all, then maybe we can enjoy it while we can.

Good Mood Blogger

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I'm very excited!

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Autumn

I found this and I felt it fit again...

It's a beautiful day. Oh goodness, there is just something about Fall, I promise you! People say that Spring and Fall are the same, but they aren't. You see when Fall comes you've been through the bitter Winter of last year, and the intense rains of the Spring, and even the hot dry Summer (both physically and metaphorically). Thus, by the time Fall comes the weather is cool and the wind is singing to you the songs of peace. The leaves put on a different costume and dance in your honor because you made it through the difficult times! Yes, in Fall you simply have to bask in this glory. You can't complain about the cold Winter that's ahead because then you don't even revel in this peace, in this beauty that is all around.

I had the TV on in the background. I think it was a commercial for why Michigan is a wonderful vacation spot but I only focused on one phrase: "It's amazing that when we get to a place where no one knows us we become more and more like ourselves."

A crazy concept, isn't it? I think that we begin to find ourselves more when we are farther away from "our stomping grounds." I think that we too quickly lose sight of who we really are and what is really important.

When we were on our trip there was sense of freedom. I could dance around New York, hop around Canada. I could scream out the window on the road, I could jump on a bed in my hotel room. Why? I wasn't at home. I didn't have responsibilities. I didn't have to worry about my boss see me skipping through the park and consider firing me because I'm insane. I could have fun... I realized that I can have fun. I was finally free to be me and figure out just who me is.

No matter what your age is, no matter where you live or what you do, everyone needs to take a trip. Even if it isn't to an amazing place like Michigan apparently is! Everyone needs to have the freedom to find themselves again. The freedom to be themselves again. The freedom to figure out what is really important and figure out why.

It's amazing how much we learn about who we want to be when we realize who we can be.

I don't believe that people can have too many dreams. I don't think that people should ever give up on those dreams either. I saw a quote that spoke this better than I could.
"No one should negotiate their dreams. Dreams must be free to flee and fly high...You should never agree to surrender your dreams." - Jesse Jackson (Okay, I know I just quoted Jesse Jackson but please focus on the quote! It really is a good one!!)

My grandpa has more reason to give up his dreams than anyone else I know. And he's never done that. He fell of a ladder and broke his back years ago. I've never heard him be bitter about his limitations.
But the other day I saw the first hint of disappointment in his eyes. I told him that I would be going to Maine on my trip. He said he always wanted to go there but never had the chance. I told him that if there was ever a way he could make the trip I'd have him there in a heart-beat.

It reminded me of when I was little. He told me that his grandpa always loved the banjo and that it made him wish he'd learned how to play. I made it up in my mind then that I would learn to play the banjo. The other day when I told him I'd take as many pictures of Maine that I could, I added a dream to my already long list. I'm getting a banjo and learning to play a song so I can play it for him...and maybe even teach my Papaw how to play too!

There are alot of things that make you want to give up on your dreams. Sometimes the worst enemy of your dreams is your own doubt. Why is that? Even if you never accomplish your dreams, you will be more remembered for never giving them up than you will be if you give into doubt. So never surrender your dreams, to anyone. Let them soar and free. Let yourself soar and be free too.

Besides, you can never be too old (or musically challenged) to learn to play the banjo.

Little Moments of Win

I was not in a good mood when I came to work tonight. I sulked and pouted and griped and groaned. Then I stumbled onto this site called It Made My Day (itmademyday.com). On the banner for the site it says "Little Moments of Win." And I loved that. There are a lot of sites today where people are able to complain and talk about how their lives are terrible and will never go right and it was nice to see that people still get to win.

My favorite story of the many I read was this one:
An elderly man came into the shop where I work in wanting to place an order. While I was working we got to chatting and he told me that he was one of the oldest students at the nearby university. I asked him why he decided to start studying again and he said, "I just thought, what does one do between now and death? Might as well learn Turkish!" IMMD [It Made My Day]

That is such an inspiration to me. Sometimes I feel like I'm just taking what life throws at me. Good and bad (complaining about the bad and being ungrateful for the good). It's nice to remember to seize every moment between now and death. Have fun as much as possible. And maybe even learn Turkish!

Every day has the potential to have little moments of win.

And by the way...I'm not in a bad mood anymore.