"I'd much rather be a woman than a man. Women can cry, they can wear cute clothes, and they are the first to be rescued off of sinking ships."

{Gilda Radner}

I'm glad to be a woman.

Or close to it.

Almost old enough.

But how nice it is to be able to watch James Dean movies and sigh.

And to love the mind-qualities of Atticus Finch.

And to admire the Situation's guns, for crying out loud.

How nice it is to put on makeup when no one but my family is going to see me.

To put on my navy blue power suit and feel like I can take on the world.

And to admire a sparkly pair of shoes at Neiman Marcus.

And to like Captain America's hair.

And to put on red lipstick.

Just for the heck of it.

Girls can do that.

I love it.

Ten things I am in love with:

1. Grinding lemons in the garbage disposal.

2. Boys who wear Buddy Holly glasses.

3. Little kids with missing teeth.

4. Friends who bring you pizza.

5. The Secret Life of Bees.

6. Superman haircuts.

7. Re-reading books.

8. Lenny Kravitz.

9. Tennis fuzz.

10. Buttons.

Now then, here's why:

1. It's the original fresh scent. And it's strangely stress-relieving.

2. Because they're adorable. And they usually have a personality that matches their cool glasses.

3. Mostly because my little cousin has this condition right now. And he makes up stories about robots and projectors at age six, so of course I love him.

4. She showed up today with pictures of Chicago, a souvenir for me, and a cheese pizza. What's not to love?

5. One of my favorite lines: "How you have to breathe out and let the human heart be the puzzle it is." This is summer.

6. Because Superman is undoubtedly the best superhero ever. And the only one I'd want to save me if I were in dire trouble.

7. I'm reading Beauty again. And it's great.

8. My favorite song is "You Were In My Heart". And no one but the best uses lines like, "I know not what to do".

9. There's a whole bunch of it stuck to my tennis racket. And it's cute.

10. I bought a canvas purse with yellow birds on it. And then I decided to make it even better by pinning buttons on it. "Jazz It Up at the Dallas Art Museum", ruby slippers, and Phi Kappa Delta, whatever that is.

You Go, Girl.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be neccessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."

{the incredibly intelligent and classy Miss Piggy}

Good Luck!

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."

Filled

"Lead me with strong hands, stand up when I can't..."

~Sanctus Real

I want to be led.

I want to be emptied of everything I know now - my desires, my hopes, the things I picture for my future, my failures, over and over again, my imperfections, my obsessions, the things and people I love -

I want it all emptied, good and bad alike.

To be empty is to be clean.

To be empty is the potential; gaping, wide-open potential, to be filled.

Refilled with only the good and more: the beautiful, the humble, the simple, the joyous, the dependent.

When you're filled with good things, they create a solid surface. It's something you can lean back against, soak up, and enjoy.

Bad things fill up full of holes, so you always want more. They deceivingly make themselves appear grounded in truth, and when you try to put your weight tentatively on them, they fall through.

I want to be emptied. Cleaned out, refreshed, sanitized, and made full.

In fullness, there's freedom.

A Great Quote

I recently heard the neatest quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. He was speaking to a group of high-school students six months before he was assasinated. I think it echoes something I've been thinking about lately.

"If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streest like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, 'Here lived a street sweeper who swept their job well!'"

I've been contemplating the different ways I sweep my street. Do I do it well? Is it enough? Is this one little thing honestly going to impact my future?

Yes.

No matter what my life turns out to be, I will know that my street will be swept well.