Slow Down You Crazy Child

Slow down you're doing fine, you can't be everything you want to be before your time. - Billy Joel, Vienna

It has been 23 days since my last post. Between theatre rehearsals, coordinating programs outside of work, teaching (with all the paper grading), and the holidays, having a life has been pretty nonexistent. That includes any sort of writing here at Certainly Candid until today.

Dancing with Dragonflies

"I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbit-hole — and yet — and yet — it's rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what can have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one!" —from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Curiosity is a curious thing (see what I did there?). Defined as the desire to know or learn about anything; inquisitiveness, its etymology stems from Latin, Middle-English, and Anglo-French. Curiosity is part of biology and a quality that many species possess.

For today's post, I once again present a case study:

A Case Study, or Dancing with Dragonflies

During my time living on a farm, our cat had free reign over our expansive yard. He loved following my sister and I around on our escapades through the surrounding shelter belt of trees.

The Mad Ones

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars." - Jack Kerouac

I have interesting conversations with a lot of different people wherever I go. My friends and family are included in this, yes, but so are the random discussions I have with people I've never met before. People like the elderly lady who asks for a second opinion on which brand of frosting to purchase at the grocery store. The funny cashier who never fails to make me laugh when I pick up my morning Starbucks. The bookseller at Barnes & Noble who suggests new novels to read. 

These conversations are ones that stick with me over the years. Call it fate, divine intervention, whatever you like, but I firmly believe that these interactions help us in our everyday lives.

Stronger

"I saw the bomber. He took my legs, but he didn't break me. He only made me stronger." -Jeff Bauman

It is time for another book review. I know it has been a while, but it hasn't been for lack of reading. I have been reading a lot lately - Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, a reread of Gayle Forman's If I Stay (in preparation for the movie, of course), On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and countless others.

I chose Stronger by Jeff Bauman as my title for review. I am currently in an autobiography and biography phase, so I'm reading a lot of nonfiction lately. Bauman's memoir is powerful. Incredibly powerful. His writing is open, honest, and raw with emotion.

For those of you unfamiliar with his story, Jeff Bauman was present at the bombing of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Bauman had attended to cheer on his girlfriend, Erin, near the finish line. He was standing right by the bomb when it went off, resulting in the horrific loss of both of his legs. He writes about facing death, about his rescue, and ultimately, the peace he worked towards during his ongoing and continual rehabilitation.

Perpetually Chipper

I get easily excited about things I love. I hum a lot. I have a tendency to be zealous about trying something new. I am a morning person and super chipper at 7:00AM. During my first year of teaching, I would greet my period 1 class enthusiastically to the point where one of my junior girls snidely remarked, "Ms. Edwardson, you are like the most cheerful person in the mornings. Ever. I have a hard time around happy people before 10:00AM. Just an observation." Thank you very much, student of mine. I will take that as a compliment, even if it wasn't intended as one.

I realize that not everyone is like me. Not everyone is perpetually chipper, and over the years, I've had people tell me that it grates on their nerves when I am "so positive about everything." Their words, not mine. Let me be clear when I say this:

I will not apologize for being my own person.

I am not perfect. I have days where I could give Grumpy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs a run for his money. I try really hard to turn my perspective around before the day is out, because nobody likes perpetually bitter people. I don't, anyway. I try really hard not to take my emotions out on others - they could be having a day that is worse than mine.

Just a Different Kind of Confidence

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." -Neale Donald Walsch

The word confidence has roots in Latin and French. From the Latin root "fidere" meaning to trust, the word confidence is certainly a loaded word. It is defined as "belief in oneself and the power of one's abilities."

People often forget that confidence comes in many forms. We cannot simply wrap up a person's qualities in a box, tie it with a bow, and put them in a certain category. It does not work that way at all.