Pictures of Cats

Image courtesy of Girl in London

The Lottery and the Legacy

I watched this awesome TED TALK today about winning the lottery and being part of a legacy that places value in the most interesting of places.  It's ten minutes of good tv, believe me.

Have a lovely day.  Remember you are stronger than you think  

http://on.ted.com/CameronRussell

Lessons from the Light

Image courtesy of Girl in London

This is SO England.  The streets are wet, the gates are locked, and the light...oh the light...is phenomenal.  It's not because it's always cloudy here: that's a fallacy.  It's because the light here is something to behold: it's stunning.  

When the sun comes out here, we rejoice. 

Never do we ask, "Where have you been?!" or belittle her by telling her it's been far too long since she's been around.  

We don't laugh at her when she only pokes her head out from behind a cloud or find ourselves needing to shield ourselves from her radiating glow.  

We stare up at her, amazed, bewildered, and completely, utterly entranced.  She is the source, she is the warmth; she is the alleviation of all those sad feelings that come from too many cloudy days.  She glistens off surfaces so brilliantly that when she's gone, you still remember that glow.

Maybe we could all learn a lesson 

about how to treat people 

from how we treat the sunshine

here in England. 

Reaching for Warmth

 

And then one student said that happiness is what happens when you go to bed on the hottest night of the summer, a night so hot you can’t even wear a tee-shirt and you sleep on top of the sheets instead of under them, although try to sleep is probably more accurate. 

And then at some point late, late, late at night, say just a bit before dawn, the heat finally breaks and the night turns into cool and when you briefly wake up, you notice that you’re almost chilly, and in your groggy, half-consciousness, you reach over and pull the sheet around you and just that flimsy sheet makes it warm enough and you drift back off into a deep sleep. 

And it’s that reaching, that gesture, that reflex we have to pull what’s warm - whether it’s something or someone - toward us, that feeling we get when we do that, that feeling of being sad in the world and ready for sleep, that’s happiness.

Quote courtesy of 10 Stigwood.

Tomorrow is a big day for a lot of people.  

I hope you find inner strength 

and peace in knowing 

that we're often far stronger 

than we give ourselves credit for.

That, and knowing that there's always another tomorrow

to get better.

xx

We were together

You know those times when you can't really remember who else was there, what you ate, what you did, and all the things you talked about?  It's like time together slips into a vortex of feelings and you sort of forget to pay attention to what's around you.

Maybe it's because we're both in a bit of a fog at present...work is getting both Steven and I down at present...but this is how I'm feeling as of late:

 

We were together.  I forget the rest.

Walt Whitman

 

If you can't say something nice...

Thumper's voice is just about the cutest thing I've ever heard in my life.  After the day I've had today, this is just what I needed to hear.  

I hope you're having a swell day.  Video courtesy of Swiss Miss

Sheer Joy

Image courtesy of Girl in London

Results came in at school today.  I am tha-rilled about many almost all of the marks the kiddies got, and a little disappointed at others a teeny tiny number.  All in all, it's been a really amazing day.  The headmaster is happy, my boss is happy, and the children will be ecstatic tomorrow.  Need I mention that this all makes Yours Truly very happy as well (exhausted from feeling way more emotions than one needs to feel in a day, but really happy)?  Maybe so.

In my Year 10 class today, I was so pleased to catch one in a moment of sheer joy.  So pleased in fact that I needed to share it.  Kids were talking about the free salt that you get at a fish and chip place (I guess they give it out) and he was being quite silly about telling this story, but he let go and starting giggling and just couldn't stop.  I don't usually allow for silly behaviour (it's not what gentlemen do, or so I tell them), but it was nearly 3:30 and it had been one long day.

What an amazing moment to see ultimate happiness passing over a face I've known for as long as I've been here.  He's not exactly my favourite kid, but the fact that he did so darn well on his test (again, results day) and the fact that so much joy was haphazardly strewn across his face, spreading quickly to his classmates (and, admittedly to his teacher) made it all worthwhile.  

Joy is what I've wished for everyone around me

...one down, a few left to go!

What you might not have noticed...

Thank you, Steven, for seeing what no one else did in this picture: 

horrified onlookers.

Laughing too hard

Oh my god.  Image courtesy of

KikinitinKorea

Places I've Been (and pictures I didn't take)

Image courtesy of Girl in London

Amsterdam in winter?  Covered in snow?  Yes please.  It's almost worth another trip out there, non?  It's almost as awesome as this image of London.  She's a beaut!

Image courtesty of Girl in London

Love me some cuddles

Image courtesy of Girl in London

I haven't seen Steven in a few days (I know, I sound so hard done-by.  I just really like him) and seeing people cuddling, even in pictures, makes me want to do some cuddling of my own. 

Love me some living room

 I love me some beautiful living rooms, don't you?

Image courtesy of Girl in London here and here, respectively. 

Dear Paris,

I'm sorry if I wasn't keen enough about you when we met up this Christmas.  I still love you wholeheartedly and can't wait to be back with you, walking along your streets, eating your croissant, dreaming of a day when I can own property, a piece of your history. 

It was a pleasure to see you again.

Love always,
Alexis 

Image courtesy of Girl in London here and here, respectively.

Trip to Riverhead

Steven and I took a drive out to Cottage Country today.  We drove through Riverhead in Sevenoaks: I'm in love.

We stopped in Hever for some sightseeing and spotted this view.  Don't mind if I do.

 

 To quote The Best Life Ever, 

"I find it best to let the person whom is operating... 

 the highest, most positive and peaceful frequencies...

to lead the way and help lift others up with them.

It might seem like a small thing but I believe the impact is huge."

Amen, sister.  

When he sings

It's hard to explain the warm, loving feeling that washes over me when he's in my kitchen, making tea, doing the dishes, and singing this song at the top of his lungs.

 I'll take it.

Resolutions, Part I

No one loses when one acts with humility and grace.

 Quote courtesy of All Things Stylish

As a matter of fact, according to The New Advent (yeah, I'm quoting from the Book of James now), "Humility is said to be a fit recipient of grace."  Thus, I'm resolving this year to live with them. 

 

New Year's Eve

 Happy New Year!

In an absolutely bizarre twist of plans, Jamie's gone home nearly a week early.  She left yesterday, completely enraged.  I'm not sure that I can rationalize spending time in this friendship.  I'm fairly confident that my happiness took a backseat to her unhappiness, discontentment, anger...something...so perhaps this is for the best.         

Somehow, through all the drama that accompanied the evening, we had a lovely time. 

 

There's nothing like the dawn of a new year to bring out all the emotions of the past twelve months.  I think it happens to us all...wouldn't it be nice though if we all had warmth, forgiveness, peace, and true joy pulsing through us at such an emotional time? 

I wish nothing else for you all: may you find real joy this year. 

Auld Lang Syne

This is a modern-day English translation of the song we all play at the brink of the new year.  I've been thinking a lot about the message in it over the last few days: should we forget about those people no longer in our lives?  Should we move on past the memories and days of old and start forging our way into uncharted territory?  I have lived a long time looking back, recalling fondly days of old, and struggling to live in the present.  Over the last three years, as you may recall reading, I've actively pursued living a life of now as opposed to one of forward planning or backward reminiscing and I've gotten pretty good at identifying my feelings, living in the moment, and acting accordingly.  

I guess when certain things happen as we move through life, it certainly gets us thinking about...things.  Thus, I'm reflecting today on these lyrics.  I think the one that I've not noticed before today is one of the last: 

"And surely you'll pay for your pint 

And surely I will pay for mine."  

I can't help but think this means that we all pay for ...no... suffer the consequences ...no... are responsible for our actions.  Everything we do and fail to do will matter in some insignificant way or in some substantial way at some point in our lives.  So I'm going to keep living accordingly. 

Image courtesy of Bippity Boppity Boo

Should old acquaintances be forgotten,
And never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintances be forgotten,
And days of long ago?

For times gone by, my dear
For times gone by,
We will take a cup of kindness yet
For times gone by.

We two have run about the hillsides
And pulled the daisies fine,
But we have wandered many a weary foot
For times gone by.

We two have paddled in the stream
From noon until dinner time,
But seas between us broad have roared
Since times gone by.

And there is a hand, my trusty friend,
And give us a hand of yours,
And we will take a goodwill drink
For times gone by.

And surely you will pay for your pint,
And surely I will pay for mine.

And we will take a cup of kindness yet
For times gone by.

I hope you had a great start to the year.  

It's certainly been a lively one for me thus far!

Auld Lang Syne