Gardening with Burgundy

received 10.14.2011

 "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." -- Marcel Proust

Post mail from Burgundy! This lady knocked me off my feet after we first met a few years ago. She was so young and her energy was contagious. We sat down for a conversation, an interview of sorts. At the end of the interview, I knew I was glad to her -- which was later confirmed when she delivered a hand written thank you letter. Adorable, no?! Needless to say, I knew I needed to be friends with someone who understood the importance of written correspondence. 

We recently rendezvoused over Thai beer and ABBA karaoke at my old stomping ground, and I am still hugely enchanted by what a stellar human being Burgundy is! We picked up correspondence immediately after our visit, and look at the fantastic card I received in the mail today.

Must write back, but the post closes at 5pm! Shuttlecock! I guess Burgundy will have to wait for one more day...

Message in a Water Bottle

"Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself." -- Lululemon

You have to give credit where credit is due, and today, I bow down to the wisdom of the Lululemon marketing gurus. I am of the opinion that Lululemon is a company that offers "wearable spirituality" -- enlightenment you can purchase. An obvious contradiction. Transcendence cannot be bought. Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry to disappoint, but you will have to do the hard work, like the rest of us!

However, I have glanced at their manifesto, and I have found that there is wisdom to what the organization is "founded" upon. History is filled to the brim with examples of unlikely places to find little gems (i.e., diamond in the rough, needle in a haystack), and I am not too proud to say that I appreciate this quote from Lululemon, and will tote it around today like the water bottle I saw it on.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My sweet friend, Olive, has been with me through the thickest and thinnest. A warrior princess, and a bona fide sweetheart, Olive is a better friend than me. She would hate to know that her identifier is "sweet" -- it is bad for her reputation as a hard-ass -- but I don't care, she knows she's a big 'ol softie. I learn from her everyday, to become the best friend that I can be.

10:21 PM Olive: Hey Lady!!! I know you are busy, but I just wanted to let you know that you are pretty awesome =)

10:22 PM TRQSBLOO: aww youre pretty awesome too!

  ill tty im headed to bed

  night ladya!

  <3

 Olive: good night 

I mean, come on! After a long day of disappointments, how can you ask for anything else than a message that someone thinks you are grade-A? I am a lucky buddy.

 

Apples for Amber

10.14.2011 - to Amber

Hello Darling,

I am sorry that I didn't get back to you yesterday -- had a bit of a project crisis and when the mess was over I was useless to the world! My schedule is lighter today, feel free to give me a call any time and we can chat. 

I am including a blog post [Apple(R) and Eve's Choice] from one of my favorite bad-ass ladies. BroadBlogs is covering the art show I am working with (http://manasobject.weebly.com) -- and this was an enlightening little piece about perspective. Sometimes the difficult task of making choices falls on us women -- we must decide what is right and what is wrong for mankind, because we are the stronger, smarter, intuitive sex. As our opposite, men feel this inability to choose to be a blow to their inflated macho egos, and they believe it is in their power to suppress/oppress/claim for their own what does not belong to them -- us. 

As difficult as some decisions may be, it is important to really weigh the consequences of both making the choice and NOT making the choice. How bad can it really be if you do ___ or don't do ____? This question can be misleading, we can talk ourselves into and out of most things: by sheer will we can keep ourselves entrenched in a lifestyle that is toxic and makes up wholly miserable and still be able to convince ourselves that we have made the right choice. Would the Garden of Eden have been so grand if it was the same vanilla paradise that we knew our entire lives; should we stay in our gilded cages? Or do you crave adventure, knowledge, and hope to achieve a bigger/better existence? Play it safe? Take the risk?

Everyday, the choice is ours. You wake up every morning and you choose to bite into that apple, in the face of all cowardly men and say - "I choose to not know the outcome, but in taking this risk, I know that where I end up will be a lot better than this shithole." :)

I hope that you have a fantastic Friday morning! I think that your movie-marathon of hot-bods is a wonderful idea!

love,

Scribbles From Magenta

First letter received! Thank you Magenta for getting a letter to me with a swiftness.

As this is a traditional pen pal relationship, this letter was received by post, and the contents were handwritten on binder-paper. (I will vet out the appropriate details to include as I continue this process, but until then, I will include the details are seemingly important.)

I cannot express how ecstatic I am to begin the process of correspondence with one of the women I most admire in this world! 

Pen in hand, I begin to scribble a response...

I Feel the Truth

“Never apologize for showing feelings. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.” --Benjamin Disraeli

I am a feelings person. I have been "emotional" since I can remember my parents telling me as such. And it wasn't until recently that I decided that being a feelings person wasn't a bad thing; this enlightenment has been a true gift. I don't carry my emotions on my sleeve, I found that it was too easy to tuck them into my pocket. I wear my emotions on my face, where I believe they belong. 

There is a common misconception about those shameless few who wear their emotions honestly. Often misconstrued to be "hysterical" (a word I cannot stand for etymological reasons), "over the top," "lacking control," etc. But this is far from the truth. In taking the time to get to know your emotions, and in turn calibrate your emotions to your current state, being an emotional person can be a powerful thing. We can thus understand how we feel based on a situation, and understand our situation based on our emotions. The true litmus test of social interaction.

So why deceive yourself? Why deceive others? Feel it out. Be true to you.