Showing Me By Just Existing

I'd believe in anything, were it not for you. Showing me by just existing, only this is true. -Elton John

I have been doing my spring cleaning belatedly. While organizing my movie collection, I stumbled upon the old film I used to love: the animated El Dorado from DreamWorks Pictures. Dusting off the case, I couldn't help popping it in, watching it in the background as I continued my much overdo apartment overhaul.

National Poetry Day!

Let's take a break from the usual, shall we?

It's National Poetry Day! In honor of today I have compiled a special list of favorites for you: my favorite poems! But wait, before you freak out and go, oh my gosh I hate poetry, please hear me out. Poetry is a beautiful thing, but like you, I have not always loved it. It is something that takes time to fully feel and understand, but everyone has already experienced this in a way: music is poetry. I know you can name at least one song that made you feel something. Empowerment. Sorrow. Inspiration. Whatever it may be, poetry has the same effect. Without further ado, I present my favorites:

Don't make me choose!

"I was born with a reading list I will never finish."

When I tell people I am an English educator, they always comment on how much I "must love to read" (kind of a given in my profession, but thank you for stating the obvious). Then they proceed to ask, What is your favorite book?

OH, THE HORROR.

Asking an individual with an English degree what his/her favorite book is is just downright maddening. Don't make me choose! I love to read, and as such, I have categories of favorites (not just "one," as many seem to think). This post is for all those who have found themselves in a similar position, and for those of you who may be looking for something new to read. As such, I present my categories of favorites (and these aren't all of them, as that would be a long post):

New Beginnings

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." -Seneca

From the Old English beginnan meaning "to open," a beginning is defined as an act or circumstance of entering upon an action or state. Example: "It was the beginning of her life."

The formal definition is as important as the informal. Informally speaking, we tend to think of beginnings as the point in time in which something starts. Beginnings, however, result in an end. We need endings to create new beginnings.

Hopefully I have not confused you yet. Stay with me.

Cowboy Boots vs. Vans Sneakers

It is a life post again, fellow bloggers! Today's post has an education focus, because I'm a teacher who is currently having teaching withdrawals. I hope you aren't getting too bored of my ramblings about nerds and Zumba class. Never fear though, for today is about neither! Today I am going to write about [wait for it]...

...shoes!

Now just hear me out. I swear this is not some materialistic post about shoe shopping. If I'm being completely honest, I dislike shopping for shoes. I have difficulty finding anything comfy, or cute, or that actually fits my feet without giving me blisters.

Nerdhood? Nerdom? What DO you call it?

Normally I use this blog to write about culture, books, and general insights. I'm going to switch gears a bit. Today I'm going to write about... [insert dramatic theme music of your choice here]

...my life.

Exciting, I know! You can hear about all my crazy adventures and daring escapes from death! I'm like a regular Sherlock Holmes, out saving the world and all that jazz!

Just kidding. And yes, I really did just use the phrase "all that jazz." What of it?

twinkling lights hanging from backyard trees

Today is a different kind of post. We all have things we love. Simply put: our favorite things. Without further ado, here are some of mine:

twinkling lights hanging from backyard trees

candlelight in power outages

multi-colored polka dots

"good morning" greetings on your way to work

monogrammed stationary

mangos & creme scented lotion

peppermint mochas

falling rain outside

music that feels as though it is part of your soul

bubbles in the air

laughter echoing in the house

finding a quotation that describes you

letters arriving in the mail

new books

rainy days with a cup of tea in hand

warm clothes out of the dryer

the smell of cinnamon

friends who love you unconditionally

family shenanigans

crunchy autumn leaves

sunny blue skies

lazy days watching movies in your pjs

the sound of the wind in the trees

wearing new clothes the day you buy them

friendly conversations with passerby

red rainboots

finding your purpose in life

having faith that all works out

fluffy pillows

seeing your favorite band play live

new paintbrushes

christmas carols overheard on snowy streets

overcoming long-time fears

Cassiopeia and Orion

old photography

peanut butter m & m's

conversations with people in coffee shops

countryside that goes on for miles and miles

bustling cityscapes

long lost (and found) family heirlooms

playing board games

having the confidence to do something unknown

coming home

used bookstores

waves crashing against the shoreline

puddle jumping

the sound your phone makes when you get a new text

finding pennies on the ground

seeking out a new adventure

the colors of a stormy sky

vintage cars driving on gravel roads

What are some of yours?

The Rainmakers

"As long as the Great Circle remains unbroken, there are those who know that there will be a home for the children of Fear, and a place for the Rainmakers to play." 

- from The Rainmakers, a Native American story

I'm sure we've all seen children playing ecstatically in the rain. They put on their little red rain boots, a bright, slick yellow coat, and run squealing up and down the driveway as they jump gleefully in water puddles. Soon it becomes a competition to see who can make the biggest splash, or find the biggest puddle, or make the biggest mess. When I was younger, this was always a contest between me and my cousins.

Maybe you too were one of those children, once upon a time.

There's something freeing about the rain. The rain washes away everything, bringing with it a new beginning. As we grow older, we lose that simplicity of playing in the rain. The simplicity is replaced by the dread that we're going to get wet, or it's going to mess up "our good hair day", or that we'll be caught in a torrential downpour with no umbrella. Been there, done that, right?