30 Days of Thanks

Some friends are posting their appreciation for life's little things in their Facebook status updates throughout this month.

I've decided to do the same here, using as many videos and photos I can come up with since this month will be a little hectic for me - two jobs, grad school, traveling - all of which I'll be writing about soon.

But for now, my very humble gratitude.

Day 1: I am thankful first and foremost for my friends. I wouldn't have a life without them, certainly no quality of life. My instinct has been to run away & bury my head when times are tough. Now I've opened up and invited them in. They've taught me how to be a better person, and to treat myself better, too.

Day 2: I'm truly thankful for all the men in my life, from my friends' husbands and brothers to my ex's, in/significant others, flings and other undefinable things. I'm generally a 'fraidy cat when it comes to establishing  meaningful connections, especially with the hairier sex.

But I remind myself that I've never been intentionally harmed or abused by any male in my life now, and that the pleasure of being acquainted with these very thoughtful, dear men is mine. While stories of the horrendous actions of men exist from my city to the Congo, I'm thankful to my man friends for giving their gender a good name.

Day 3: My iPhone! I'm an anticonsumer who rarely buys new stuff, but I needed a digital camera and a better phone. Additionally, it gave me the ability to put insomnia to good use: reading, browsing the web, bonding via text, talk and photos with friends in different time zones. Plus, there's the inHouse app.

Sample Houseisms:

"Belief implies a level of giving a crap that I am never gonna achieve."

"There's no way a do-gooder like you isn't volunteering all over town, ladling kittens, spaying soup."

Day 4 is easy: Though I am thankful to be employed, I am more thankful that it's Friday.

Ode to October

Brainy cupcakes

I've always loved October.

It's the season of pumpkins, zombies and first kisses backlit by a bonfire. 

I ♥ nerds: Jenn & Mike's bookish cake topper

Two of my wonderful and book-loving friends (Jenn the speed reader and Amy the librarian/dedicated blog reader), must think October is as romantic as I do. 

They're both getting married this Halloween (party) weekend. 

 Autumn in Florida is hardly an ending. Around here it seems more like the beginning.

Life on Training Wheels

There's a 2002 episode of This American Life that featured prisoners performing Hamlet. Many of the inmates were so frustrated by the play's language that they missed its meaning at first.

My own high school experience was similar. While good teachers helped me to cultivate my love of civics, community service and journalism, I lacked proper guidance to awaken in other areas, and purposely overlooked Shakespeare, history and math.

To use my favorite Barbie quote, "Math class is tough!" Especially when you already think you're an idiot.

Near the end of that episode of TAL, a prisoner/performer said the line that made me cry (there's at least one teary do-gooder moment per show). It was something like: "I always thought I was dumb. But I'm not. I just wasn't educated."

While the passion in Shakespeare or math can be challenging for a novice learner to uncover, it isn't impossible or even tough. Life is tough.

Tough is trying to be wholesome & make good choices after nearly 33 years of living sans boundaries. Tough is becoming the teacher you always wanted but never had.

I'm absolutely aboard the Steve Jobs-as-master bandwagon. A few years ago when his Stanford speech began circulating, I was reminded of the idealist I was. I refocused.

But time passes and it's easy to lose sight of goals & self. We humans need constant reminders. (And especially to be reminded that we're only human.) Although I'm saddened by his passing, I'm overjoyed and renewed by his urging and earnestness once again.