What I've Learned in the Past 6 Months...

Bite your tongue when others try to put you down.

Take a step back, breathe and realize how lucky you are.

Listen to advice, but learn some things the hard way.

Be honest; no one is intelligent enough to keep up with their own lies.

Sleep is good.

Spend time outside everyday.

Always try new things that challenge you, especially physically. Believe in yourself and the power of your mind and body.

Take responsibility for the things that you have and have not done. Own it and call other people out when need be.

Forgive your enemies, it annoys them.

Work hard, play hard.

Love "lost" is never truly a loss. Learn from it.

Walk with purpose.

Spontaneously dance-- people will think you're crazy and wish that they were you.

Money is made for spending.

Hug as much as possible.

"Lady" Leighton

"To drink is human, and beer is divine."

I am now employed at River City with their Ladies and Gents program. While this has just about nothing to do with my two degrees, it is a full-time job with benefits-- which is extremely exciting! I had hopes for moving up within the Missouri Botanical Garden that I love so dearly, but this economy doesn't allow for our patrons to be able to donate the money that they used to which turns into an ugly chain of events, leaving me poor and feeling desperate. So, goodbye flowers, hello nightlife.

Hello, Stranger

It's been nearly a month since my last post. January has been spent exploring, meeting new people and enjoying a good read moreso than on the internet-- and, for that, I am very happy:

I have walked the streets of the Big Easy, laid on the beach in Costa Maya, waded in the waterfalls of Guatemala and zip-lined through the rainforest canopy of Belize. I have begun to reading the great Lord of the Rings trilogy after avoiding it for so long for fear of length and being disappointed with the work after so much hype. My hope for obtaining a job is back on the rise and I'm learning to accept the fact that I am poor and happy. I am fulfilling my promise to myself to eat healthy and local foods whenever possible by plotting my own backyard kitchen garden (eggplant seeds are in the dirt). I have to remind myself that it isn't even February yet, because I'm itching for Spring.

Yes, I am very, very happy.

This Christmas

Pajamas at breakfast, the feel of a rug under bare feet, the "snuggle right in" feeling, board games on cold nights, driving under an overpass during a storm, dinner with laughter, snow on tree branches, gold-edged pages, attic junk, pasta with proscuitto and tomatoes, Mozart performances at midnight, feeling witty, confident and devastatingly feminine.

A Few of My Favorite Things

The smell of old books, gold-edged dictionaries, writing at sunrise, woods, mountains, hiking, daydreaming, being barefoot, wearing skirts/sun dresses, sunshine, painting, picnicking, cooking, campfires, cloud-watching, tree-climbing, kite-flying, exploring, good conversation, comfortable silence, swing dancing, road trips, railroad tracks, the month of October.

Live in the Sunshine, Drink the Wild Air

I belong in St. Louis. I love its people, culture, history, accessibility to the arts and opportunity for new experiences. To me, this is home. But, I can only stand cement, brick, steel and glass for so long. I need to retreat to the woods. I need the smell and feel of Missouri clay beneath my feet. I need to feel renewed. I need to be a little wild.

What I love most about this city: The woods are a mere 30 minutes away; the nearest park is only 3.

7:29:53 am

She woke expectantly in the small moment just before the alarm clock radio began its chorus and her arm windmilled toward the impending sound. Maria held up the weight of her sleep-heavy head with her wrists, rubbing her eyes and brows before taking in the first full breath of the day. Tension began in the small muscles of her toes, filling up her body with movement and heat until her spine bridged up to a sitting position, encouraged by a yawn that lifted her upwards and filled her chest with the humming air-conditioned air. She unsheeted herself, exposing the warmth of her legs to the black around her. Her bare feet met the stain-stiff carpet and shuffled across, arms outstretched in inquisition. She grabbed the wall and palmed the stucco, pressing a bit harder to let the small cement ranges scrape her hands with warmth. She placed and thumbed the light switch to ‘ON’ as she squinched her eyes pointlessly and tightly, knuckling them until useful. Regaining her sight, she smirked at her reflection in the vanity: her pillowed face creased in unnatural, now-rigid wrinkles; her hair was a tangle of last night's curls and champagne-inspired copulation. She cast down her eyes and turned on the steady stream, tossing the washcloth into the shell-shaped sink. She rubbed her cheeks and pushed back her tresses, cleaning the creases of her eyes and sniffling over the steam. Fishing the hot cloth out of the basin, Maria unwrapped a thin bar of soap from its logoed envelope and worked them together with slightly stinging hands until sudsy and light.

To be continued...