words to live by....
Desiderata
-
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
29thday ofMayin the year2009
reading
hey lady! i got into the chuck palahniuk books recently… almost done with invisible monsters. its really addicting so far!
apparently, a book per week isn’t enough. i can’t stop reading lately, even though the most recent, girlbomb by janice erlbaum, wasn’t quite as enjoyable as the three others from last week.
it was engrossing and slightly stupefying, but i found myself worn out of the pursuit of drugs after reading bits of it, even with my extremely limited firsthand knowledge of the subject. i can’t say i know how she felt in most of the circumstances or that i am even curious enough to want to identify.
was it a bildungsroman? yes. did it feel like parts of it took forever and there weren’t enough of other things? yes. do i ever want to raise children in NYC? hell no. case in point- by the time in my young life i had started thinking about doing the nasty, this girl had been to coney island and back with more dudes than i can remember.
it was almost exhausting to read, like the memoir i read once, wasted, by marya hornbacher, about the girl with multiple, simultaneous eating disorders. the after-effects of that book went something like this: eat. make myself look at carrots with the same love as before, not in disgust since they might be the only thing i would eat that day. hold down my nausea from reading graphic stories about this girl eating two carrots and then puking her guts out and hiding the bags. remember how much i love food and keep that healthy relationship with it.
going in to girlbomb i was hoping to emerge a little more moved and enchanted than i did. i had minor issues also with the syntax and word choices at times- simply knowing a word and trying to scrap it in somewhere is not my idea of beautifully written prose.
also, i may be still spoiled from reading the glass castle, by jeannette walls, from last week. that’s one that i can’t get over. maybe because it was (partly) set a little closer to home and what i knew growing up in the deep south. maybe because the main character had a little more initiative to make good things happen out of ridiculous and tragic situations instead of wasting her body and mind.
ultimately, i think each girl responded the best way that she could think of at the time and i probably identified with jeannette walls in personality more than janice erlbaum- sometimes a bit too responsible for my own good.
one of the other books from last week was french milk, by lucy knisley. i lapped it up in two sittings and was so in love with it that i couldn’t stand for it to end. her language in illustrations and in small phrasing is incredible and wonderfully developed. i wish all writers had such clarity- in their words and drawings, their own font, even!
now the problem is… what to read next? probably that large stack of magazines accumulating on my desk. maybe i’ll assess those in the next post <3
10thday ofAprilin the year2009
Happy birthday, Papa. Love and miss you.
Casey, Chris, Dad and I.
Travis and Katie’s wedding. One of my favorite pictures.
1stday ofMarchin the year2009
Welcome to the world, Amelia Esperanza Olives!
Ameilia was born on February 9, 2009. She is just as beautiful as we all imagined! I cannot wait to meet this new little miracle!
ps- how beautiful is that name?!
30thday ofJanuaryin the year2009
24thday ofJanuaryin the year2009
last summer i was lucky enough to spend time with the American Cancer Society and Camp Goodtimes. It was such an amazing experience. The children were full of light. I was warned however, on the first night, that not all the kids would be returning to camp. It was hard realization. We heard stories of campers who had past in the years before. While learning more about each child’s story, it became obvious that some would not be around the next year. And this broke my heart. It was my mission to give these kids the best week of their life. It was everyone’s mission.
Sadly, we lost one of our beloved campers on January 17, 2009. Chris was a big smile that was sure to warm everyones heart. Even though his brain tumor left him stuck in a wheelchair, he never took the smile off his face. I hope you are at peace Chris.
3rdday ofJanuaryin the year2009
another year. and my beautiful father is still around to see it. i couldnt have asked for a better gift this holiday season. he is a fighter and i feel so blessed to have him in my life. i love you pops.
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