Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Scars

there's a lot pent up in me right now.

I know this place. I know the terror of holding in, the excruciating pain of the overflow, the bubbling out, the aftermath of a flood.

I am terrified and comforted by the presence, the rebirth, the revisiting of past mistakes. I know their problems, but I also know what they are not. There is comfort in the known pain so much more so than the unknown.

I think it may be a lack of vision. That I forget that there is better, that there is beauty around the corner, that pearls are made from messes, that diamonds are a product of pressure.

I hide under the guise of "realist" but sometimes I am convinced that I am downright pessimistic. And other times, I think I simply don't know any better. That life, she is sometimes a bully, and that she has scared me into thinking sometimes that I can only be who she has said I can be, who everyone and everything has outlined my life to be.

I'm done with being bullied:) I am daring to be punched in the face. I will wear my black eye proudly, because it says I stood up.

Didn't remember til this moment, but I was thinking about black eyes on the ways to work this morning - not that I want one, certainly - heavens no, don't think any of those thoughts silly. TWLOHA. But it's been a long time since I had one, and I was just thinking, regardless of what it might be, a black eye says that there is a story. No necessarily a good one. But it could be.

Scars say you've lived a little. Scars say you survived something hard. Scars tell you you're still alive.

I'm ok with my scars. I'm ok with reminders - physical and mental and emotional - that remind me of where I've come from, what I've been through, who I was, and who I became. I am damn proud of them.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Actions have consequences. Write it 100 times.

I will not allow myself to be used in this situation.I will not allow myself to be used in this situation.I will not allow myself to be used in this situation.I will not allow myself to be used in this situation.I will not allow myself to be used in this situation.I will not allow myself to be used in this situation.I will not allow myself to be used in this situation.I will not allow myself to be used in this situation.

I will not be torn apart to play the peacemaker. I will not be torn apart to play the peacemaker. I will not be torn apart to play the peacemaker. I will not be torn apart to play the peacemaker. I will not be torn apart to play the peacemaker. I will not be torn apart to play the peacemaker. I will not be torn apart to play the peacemaker. I will not be torn apart to play the peacemaker.

I will not settle for less so that you can continue to have unrealistic expectations.I will not settle for less so that you can continue to have unrealistic expectations.I will not settle for less so that you can continue to have unrealistic expectations.I will not settle for less so that you can continue to have unrealistic expectations.I will not settle for less so that you can continue to have unrealistic expectations.I will not settle for less so that you can continue to have unrealistic expectations.


I will be a friend by teaching you that actions have consequences, that words do matter, that choices lead to outcomes. I'm sorry if you have to hurt a little, but know I"m doing it so you avoid more hurt in the future. Because people are not going to allow this kind of behavior, and they aren't always going to respond in love. I accept that I have allowed you to act unhealthily and therefore have to deal with this mess now. But I'm done making allowances for unacceptable behavior. If the last thing I do in our friendship will help you have better relationships, to function more smoothly in the world we live in, if I lose our friendship because of that...know I'm doing it out of love.

Friday, June 4, 2010

I shouldn't be so whiny. Sorry. It's so easy to get overwhelmed and so hard to handle things gracefully. It's a journey, this growing up, and I too often want to throw in the towel.

And yet, I am reminded of beauty, and love, and excitement, and anticipation.

It's all going to be ok. We're all going to be ok.


Wednesday, June 2, 2010

cuz today was already awesome...

My day just went from being pretty terrible to downright horrible. I can't handle all this right now - I am feeling attacked from every angle, and like I don't have anybody on my side.

I believe a straw really can break a camel's back. And an anvil was just dropped on me, when I was already overly weighed down.

I need a break from this. I need somebody to help me...I'm tired of feeling like nobody even notices that I might need a shoulder to lean on. I'm tired of being the strong one, or the planner, or the one who has her shit together. I don't, ok? You're continually saying that doesn't make it true, it just puts more pressure on me. I'm tired of you laughing and saying that I take care of everything, because it literally kills me when I can't. And I think it just voids you of responsibility in anything.

Oh, the collective you. As I rant at the world. As I rant at myself. As I rant at life.

Oh, to be home again. To feel at home again.



They say that home is where the heart is
I guess I haven't found my home
And we keep driving 'round in circles
Afraid to call this place our own.

And are we there yet?

They say there's linings made of silver
Folded inside each raining cloud
Well, we need someone to deliver
Our silver lining now

And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
And are we there yet, home, home, home?

They say you're really not somebody
Until somebody else loves you
Well, I am waiting to make somebody, somebody..soon

And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
And are we there yet, home, home, home?

And it won't be too much
Cuz this is too much
Cuz this is too much for me to hold
This is too much for me to hold

And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
And are we there yet, home, home, home?


Thursday, May 27, 2010

Connections

It's good to hear that you have been missed. I think we all have flashes back to the uncomfortable, awkward, middleschool-esque feelings of inadequacy and not belonging. Even when we know our group, we have those panic-stricken moments of "do I really belong?" and "what if it isn't really what I think it is?"

It's good to feel loved. It's natural to want to belong somewhere. We are a people made for connection. I think that's why I find Holly Golightly so tragically beautiful. Because, for all her protests, and all her facade, we see that she wants to belong to someone. She, like us, doesn't really know how to do that either. It's about the struggle. The struggle and necessity for connection.

Transition. Stop. Next thought. Stop. Where these things take me. Stop.

As happy as I am with my current path, with the knowing, with the excitement, with the squeals and giggles in anticipation of seeing and holding of old friends - the thought has dawned that this new chapter comes with a close to the current one. That goodbyes are imminent. That every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. (Thank you Semisonic, for your wise, wise words.)

That is a hard pill to swallow, really. Some of these inevitable goodbyes will be incredibly hard. I've never been good at them and I've only found that, in this case, time makes it harder. Time after will soothe the wound, but my age has not taught me to deal with it better. No, I have only grown into more connection, and therefore harder partings.

I wonder about the nature of inevitability too - will the fact that it is coming only serve to twist the time left? Will my heart, as it has been wont to do before, seek some separation in the now, in preparation for the impending one? Will it be a catalyst for some dissolution - will we hope that a slower, gentler breakdown will be kinder, easier, than a harsh and violent break?

Or will it serve as a reminder that time is precious, that moments and memories are worth infinite amounts? Will it show us what is important, and help us push the petty or unnecessary away? Will it give us that spurt of energy that a man might get if he knew his days on this earth were limited? That the most important must be done NOW, that the inconsequential is...just that.

Yes, this is dramatic. No one is dying. I will see these people again, because they are a part of my life, a part of me. It isn't goodbye really, more I'll see you later.

But when it comes down to it, I pray and hope and wish and push for the latter. I think sometimes we have to be reminded of what's important. That life, this very moment, this person, this connection - that it will never be the same. Make the most of the here-and-now, so you can move into the up-and-coming.

progressprogressprogress.

It only comes from moving through the whole span accurately, healthily, lovingly. The race isn't about the finish line. It isn't won in the last moments. You get from here to there by being in every space in-between.

Connection points. Connection. People may say that we are merely specks in infinity. But my speck is connected to yours and yours and yours. And that makes the both of us bigger. My connection to you, your connection to me, it makes both of us more important in the entire scope of infinity.

Relationships, therefore, are what matter the most. I could go into a much further analysis (oh, when I get going...) but I think, for me, for now, for this moment, that is all I really need. That is enough to satisfy, and direct, and comfort.

Thanks for making me more.

Monday, May 24, 2010

And Back Again...

So I didn't get around to writing this on Saturday, cuz I was basically gone all day (and got back in at like 3:00 am - ugh) and then yesterday we were gone most of the day too. It was a busy weekend. A great one, but busy.

This is one of those things that I don't really know how to announce. So I figure, heck, I guess I just start announcing it wherever/however!

First let me say - this last year has been a whirlwind, but it has been wonderful. Nothing can take from me the fact that we DID IT. Packed up and moved across the country, wind through the windows, eyes looking for we knew not what. It was a successful year. The experiences I have had, and memories I have made, the sheer fact of growing up and being a grown up in a big new city - I will always have this. I will tell my children and grandchildren.

But, in looking ahead, in figuring out the what nexts, in weighing, and praying, and searching...I wasn't sure if it was the place I wanted to be. I think you have to have big reasons to be in a place, and I wasn't sure I had them for DC. Career-wise, it wasn't necessarily the place I need to be, and I don't feel like I have made connections that necessitate that I stay. I love this city, but that doesn't make it right for me.

Here are some of the things I weighed as I made this decision:

One of the things that I considered, as serious or dry as it may seem, was the importance, for me, to get myself out of debt. I have student loans, and honestly, the idea of living in a place where I could get out from them twice as fast was a real draw. I want the freedom in five years to live without debt. While I was making ends meet here, I wasn't putting any more than minimum into that pursuit. It will be nice to have a little more wiggle room - the freedom to visit my friends and do interesting things.

Another factor for me was theatre. As much as I love it, and DC has great theatre to be seen, I know that full-time acting isn't really what I want in my life, at least not now. I don't want it to be my full-time pursuit. But there aren't a lot of smaller theatres in DC - it seems like a lot of Equity or company things, which I can't pursue part-time. I want to be in a place where I can, perhaps, do some things, in conjunction with other angles of my life that I want to pursue.

Probably the biggest factor I thought about was my distance from my family. This was a more surprising element of my struggle, as I have always been quite independent. But I pondered on the fact that I haven't spent more than 8 days at a stretch in the same town as my family since I headed off to college. I don't really KNOW them as an adult. And that wasn't something I liked. My sister, my only sibling, will be getting engaged sometime in the nearish future. And the thought of missing out on a lot of that broke my heart. I knew it was something I would regret.

I feel like family is the most important thing in the world. So unless you have a darn good reason to be apart, which I understand (and will still look into) you should try to be near to them. At least, that's how I see it for me. That my reasons for being so far away weren't really measuring up.

If you haven't figured it out already, I am moving back to Texas. I am interested in what you think of my decision, but know that I am really happy. That I have a lot of peace and joy about this decision. That I'm not doing it because I don't know what else to do, but because I have tried to look at all the angles and options and this is the one that I genuinely think is the best for me.

I am not saying I'm staying forever, because I can't. I can't begin to imagine where the road will take my and I'm not going to try to plan for it. I don't have a 5 and 10 year plan. I'm just following the road where it takes me, trying to keep my eyes above me and hoping to have hands to hold along the way. It's funny to find out where your heart really is. I didn't know how much I loved Texas until I left it behind. But this Texas girl is coming home...at least for now:)

Friday, May 21, 2010

It is Friday. That makes everything better, always, and all at once.

Looking forward to a kinda chill day tomorrow, complete with a haircut. Don't freak out, Lindsay, I'm not going to take too much off. And it will be grown out again before I see you next:)

I'm like a little kid who has a present for someone - almost to excited to keep things in. I am, and have always been, a very good secret keeper. It's why my hair is so big. But this one is kiiiillllling me. It won't be secret for much longer, so I will survive though.

I want sunshine and swimming, and sand between my toes. Good thing next weekend is only one week away.

I want hugs and snuggles and giggles - I see that at the end of this tunnel. I am grinning ear to ear.

I want to create create CREATE. That is coming so very soon.

I want to fly away - soar up high and land in a totally different world. Hang on Ukrainia, I'm coming soon. I miss the way you make me feel. I can't wait to be there.




Smiles and wishes and lollipop kisses. That's all I can promise, but I think it's enough. It's enough for now.