As rain cleanses the earth, tears cleanse the heart and soul.
Today, when I woke up to a gray sky and the rhythmic pit-pat of rain knocking on my window, I struggled to get out of bed for what would prove to be another productive day at work. How I desired to simply stay in my comfy pajamas and over-sized sweat shirt snuggled beneath the layers of covers on my queen-sized bed. As I fought the mental battle with myself of just how many times I could hit snooze before getting up and still making it to the office on time, my mind and attention wandered to the reality of what was just outside my window. Yes, it was rain. Another cold January day, but instead of the sunshine to smile back at me, the gloomy day taunted me.
So many times I find people, myself included, lamenting the rainy days and always wishing for brighter times. Of course the latter automatically give us a reason to smile, be encouraged, and go through the day in a more chipper mood than usual. These blue skied days, whether requiring a coat because of the chill in the air or a summer dress to beat the heat, offer more opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the earth and outdoors. We appreciate these beautiful days, but have only learned to do so because of the dreary days that show up at their leisure.
Through the years I've learned the weather parallels my emotions. There are times in life when everything seems right and all is well. I smile because it's easy; I laugh at the simple moments and embrace everything positive in every aspect of life. That mountain that looked so treacherous is now beneath my feet as I view teh world from the highest point. I have a pep in my step and a song in my heart that cannot be explained by mere words. I smile and the world smiles back at me. These are the sun shiny days.
But then I realize that there are times when life seems overwhelming, that nothing feels like it's going in the right direction, and nothing really makes sense. I question not just one, but every aspect of life and why its performance is playing out in ways I didn't imagine. It's like watching a movie and questioning all along how it will end. The days that bring about pain and heartache test my character and strength, but most of all test my heart's courage to take a leap of faith again in the future. In the face of adversity and heart wrenching circumstances, at times there is only one thing to do: release those emotions through personal rain.
Just as the rain that falls from the sky cleanses the muck that so entangles the beauty of the earth, so the tears that stream down cheeks are necessary at times to cleanse the heart and soul of hurtful emotions and memories of the past in order to walk foward and again, climb that mountin that seems impossible.
So, when the tears well up, I've learned not to fight them back, but let them freely flow and enjoy the freedom that comes when my heart is clean.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Girl's Night Out...Or In
Whether I'm six or 26, slumber parties never get old.
When I was six years old a girl's slumber party was a night of playing Barbies, eating popcorn, Domino's pizza and lots of store bought cookies or candy, and watching our favorite Disney princess movies. At this point boys has coodies and we sat as far away from them as we could at school, but secretly talked during these slumber party nights about the cute ones. We stressed about a basic addition/subtraction math quiz and whether we would have white or chocolate milk with our lunch. As young girls we lived for the fun nights at our best friend's house to celebrate a birthday by fighting back droopy eyes to stay up all night and just have fun being girls. Maybe we painted fingernails; maybe we got into mom's make-up (shh! don't tell)' maybe we re-read those secret letters passed around in class. Whatever the night held, as young six year old girls we made memories that bring an innocent smile to our face now when we think back on such sweet times.
Times changes some things, but many things stay the same through the years. At 26 years old, I'm still enjoying girl's nights out (and every now and then those nights we opt to stay in), slumber parties included. Some nights this could mean getting dolled up by throwing on a fun dress, wearing a new outfit we found during an afternoon of shopping with the girls, or pulling out the flattering jeans and boots for teh night's adventure. Whatever the attire, we have dressed the part for a night out on the town and good conversations filled with laughter are a certainty for the evening. Maybe we're all pulled up around the patio table at our favorite restaurant for dinner sharing a bottle of wine; maybe we have continued the celebration of a friend's wedding even after the reception at another favorite hot spot in town; maybe we are tailgating in the parking lot otu of the back of one of the vehicle's before a concert. These nights out create memories that we can only laugh about the next morning as we recount the events on the phone the next day with each other. We know we will still smile with that same joy five, 10, even 20 years from now when we think back on these moments.
However, the nights out on the town, regardless of the city in which we make these memories, are still paralleled by irreplaceable memories created on the slumber party nights held by a group of girls in their mid/late 20s. It holds true that girlfriends never grow too old to have friends sleep over and enjoy a girl's night in. Domino's pizza has been upgraded to homemade pizza; popcorn is now an assortment of chip and dip trays; ans store bought cookies have advanced to more sophisticated sweet treats that we read the recipe for in our favorite cooking magazine. Yes, we still watch heart-throbbing movies that cause tears to stream down our faces; yes, we still admire the color of each others fingernail polish; yes, we even still talk about boys. And at the end of the night, instead of being piled in the living room floor on our colorful sleeping bags, we pile in the beds to chat just a bit more before falling asleep mid-sentence.
These girl's nights - at six through 26 - leave me amazed at the beautiful friendships in life. And to think, these fun nights will still contine (we hope) even as the phases of life continue to change and we grow older. What else is there to say? Other than, "Girls just wanna have FUN!"
Whether I'm six or 26, slumber parties never get old.
When I was six years old a girl's slumber party was a night of playing Barbies, eating popcorn, Domino's pizza and lots of store bought cookies or candy, and watching our favorite Disney princess movies. At this point boys has coodies and we sat as far away from them as we could at school, but secretly talked during these slumber party nights about the cute ones. We stressed about a basic addition/subtraction math quiz and whether we would have white or chocolate milk with our lunch. As young girls we lived for the fun nights at our best friend's house to celebrate a birthday by fighting back droopy eyes to stay up all night and just have fun being girls. Maybe we painted fingernails; maybe we got into mom's make-up (shh! don't tell)' maybe we re-read those secret letters passed around in class. Whatever the night held, as young six year old girls we made memories that bring an innocent smile to our face now when we think back on such sweet times.
Times changes some things, but many things stay the same through the years. At 26 years old, I'm still enjoying girl's nights out (and every now and then those nights we opt to stay in), slumber parties included. Some nights this could mean getting dolled up by throwing on a fun dress, wearing a new outfit we found during an afternoon of shopping with the girls, or pulling out the flattering jeans and boots for teh night's adventure. Whatever the attire, we have dressed the part for a night out on the town and good conversations filled with laughter are a certainty for the evening. Maybe we're all pulled up around the patio table at our favorite restaurant for dinner sharing a bottle of wine; maybe we have continued the celebration of a friend's wedding even after the reception at another favorite hot spot in town; maybe we are tailgating in the parking lot otu of the back of one of the vehicle's before a concert. These nights out create memories that we can only laugh about the next morning as we recount the events on the phone the next day with each other. We know we will still smile with that same joy five, 10, even 20 years from now when we think back on these moments.
However, the nights out on the town, regardless of the city in which we make these memories, are still paralleled by irreplaceable memories created on the slumber party nights held by a group of girls in their mid/late 20s. It holds true that girlfriends never grow too old to have friends sleep over and enjoy a girl's night in. Domino's pizza has been upgraded to homemade pizza; popcorn is now an assortment of chip and dip trays; ans store bought cookies have advanced to more sophisticated sweet treats that we read the recipe for in our favorite cooking magazine. Yes, we still watch heart-throbbing movies that cause tears to stream down our faces; yes, we still admire the color of each others fingernail polish; yes, we even still talk about boys. And at the end of the night, instead of being piled in the living room floor on our colorful sleeping bags, we pile in the beds to chat just a bit more before falling asleep mid-sentence.
These girl's nights - at six through 26 - leave me amazed at the beautiful friendships in life. And to think, these fun nights will still contine (we hope) even as the phases of life continue to change and we grow older. What else is there to say? Other than, "Girls just wanna have FUN!"
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