Today is a good day. Crisp fall air makes me happy. So does the feeling of waking up late and knowing that you have time to brew your coffee slowely rather than rushing out the door with a clock-in time ahead of you at work.  Weekends give you a sense of freedom.  A sense that you have control over your own life and no boss telling you what to do, no lunch breaks, no bedtimes, and most of all, the knowledge that you can catch up, even though you seldom do.

I'd like to believe that we'd be happier if weekends didn't end... but then I wonder if maybe they'd just slowly lose their beauty to us because it's the rareness of a thing that makes us crave it.  We love the things that are extraordinary to us because they are different, exciting, and fresh.  So how do we keep this feeling alive?  This weekend-lust?  Maybe if we woke up everyday and took nothing for granted, we'd change.  We'd change the way we treated people, the way we treated our jobs, and most importantly, the way we treated our lives.

Just like in photography where you have to stop and notice the beauty of something and set your focus to capture it, so is life.  Sure, troubles come, some weeks are worse than others, and sometimes you want things and they don't come to you, but maybe instead of wanting more, we should want the things that we have.  Instead of focusing on wanting less, want more of the now and less of the future.  Focus on the season that you are in and the beauty in it.  I like to pass through life quickly and do things fast, because I am impatient.  But what if I slowed down and watched the sunset instead of the speedometer going faster...enjoyed the phone conversation now instead of the hope for meeting in person later...because simplicity is beautiful and just like 3 days out of 7 being so anticipated, less is more.

My Favorite Things About Fall...

  The desire or need for coffee

Throwing on a sweater and running out the door

Wearing nude nail polish 

More smokey eyes, it just feels right

Wearing jackets that feel classy

Pumpkins and the childhood memories they offer

More fur....mmmmm yes!

My leather handbag... all I grab when I leave the house

Bonfires (their smell) and roasting marshmellows

Eating healthy... oops that's every season!

Eating pie with no regrets... a must!

La vita è bella

It's been months since I've written but life has a way of catching up with you and sometimes it takes a moment of unexpected change to make you walk slower and look around you. The best way for me to see is to write or paint, because seeing is believing and sometimes the only way to believe is to look at something over and over again and study it until it makes sense. Life isn't always supposed to make sense but neither does the way a rose blooms, yet it is intricate and breathtakingly beautiful. I've always been a fast pace kind of person who'd rather run the lake for exercise then walk it and enjoy the scenery. Maybe this is because I feed off of accomplishments, growth, and purpose...yet maybe it's time to take a step back, walk instead of run, enjoy the small things in life and be grateful and intentional about every moment. This past weekend taught me a lot about life. It taught me that things can change in a matter of seconds and it also taught me that almost anything can happen. Anything is outside of your control, but it doesn't have to mean you lose control of who you are and where you're supposed to go.

I used to know who I was supposed to be but now I know who I am, and it's me today. Me at this very moment...imperfect, cuddled up in bed with the TV on in the background, no makeup, no facade, no show, just me. Maybe instead of always trying to be who we are destined to be, we should just be who we are now...in this moment...in this beautiful life. Sure, I'd like to be more fit, more wealthy, more engaged in current affairs, and more organized... but who knows, maybe instead of always trying to be more I should try to be today. Maybe 100 today's = more than dreaming about tomorrow. Maybe we need more realists and less dreamers. Sure, dreaming is beautiful but if in reality, we don't see beauty, what happens when we're 50 and feeling worthless because our dreams never came true? Today is beautiful. Life is beautiful. Treasure it...take care of it. We are souls but we are given bodies, so take care of what you're given...dreaming of a cure for diabetes is beautiful, but dreams don't prick my finger 10 times a day and dreams don't count carbs or work out for you. It finally makes sense. So I'm going to bed, and today I'm going to use my senses more, smell more fall air, taste breakfast without dreaming about lunch, and see the beauty in everyone who crosses my path.