believe you can

via belindaselene

I'm back...at least for one or two posts. To be honest I haven't really missed blogging. What I missed was creating and writing, but not necessarily expressing that creativity through my blog. I have somewhat mixed feelings about blogs right now- there's so much curated content and product placement that it just doesn't seem real anymore. It feels like blogs have become part of the social media conundrum of only sharing the best 1% of life. As much as I may not like it, I get it. I get that blogs have had to evolve from when I first began reading blogs and writing my own blog. I'm happy for my favorite bloggers who work hard and make a successful living at it, but it may not be where I want to create anymore and that's ok.

Anyway...I digress. I'm not here to say goodbye (at least not yet), I'm here to share with you some exciting news!

The first bit of excitement is that I've been accepted into the School at Steppenwolf. My entire summer will be spent studying the craft of acting and I'm thrilled! It's a very intensive program so the only thing I will be doing for 10-weeks is learning and growing as an actor. I've never had an experience like this before- I wasn't a theater major in college and I always worked a part-time job during school, so now I get the opportunity to just focus on what makes me happy. It's going to be incredible!

It's funny how everything worked out. I was in a play this past winter and didn't have anything planned afterwards so with only a few weeks before the deadline I decided to submit an application. The application process involved writing an essay, getting a letter of recommendation, and then if you're invited to audition you have to prepare a monologue, as well as a scene from several play options they give you. I worked with an amazing teacher to prepare for my audition, which really helped me to feel confident going into the audition. My goal was to just do my best by committing to my choices and being honest. I left the audition feeling like I was successful in doing just that.

I wasn't fully attached to the idea of getting accepted into the school, but when I didn't get a callback (I thought not getting a callback meant that I didn't get accepted) I was still disappointed. Isn't that how it always works? I had heard from several actor friends that there is a callback process and if you don't get one you're pretty much done. Although now I know that I probably didn't get a callback because the casting director was in the room when I auditioned, so there was no need for a callback, but I didn't know that at the time. I just thought that I didn't get in and that was that. I allowed myself to be disappointed for a few days then I realized that I needed to do something. I needed to create. I decided that the something I needed to do was to finish a short film script that I'd been working on for quite some time. I figured if I was going to spend money on tuition for Steppenwolf why not use that money for making my own short film. I was taking action to create energy.

When I received my acceptance email on April 1st I was completely shocked! I thought it was some cruel April Fools joke...good thing it wasn't. I was then faced with making a decision- to accept or not to accept. I asked for some advice from a few trusted individuals before coming to my decision. It was this perspective from the acting teacher I coached with that excited and inspired me the most.

"Yes, now you’re in the position of really needing to decide whether or not you want to DO IT!! What an awful place to be! ;-)

But - here’s how I look at it - it’s one summer of your entire life - you can shoot the film anytime - no need to see this as an end to that. It’s a great gift to be amongst artists and collaborators for ANY amount of time - money comes and goes. Why not grab the bull by the horns and live life on the edge for a summer? Of course, there’s also power in saying no, you need to gauge for yourself what decision inspires you more!"

She is wise and inspiring and I'm so grateful that our paths have crossed. So I decided to live life where's it's most exciting- on the edge- so I said yes. But it's good to be reminded that there is power in saying no. And I can always make my film another time.

The second bit of exciting news is that I quit my day job last Friday. To be honest, it wasn't a happy ending. I didn't go into work that day expecting to quit my job. I had already requested to take a leave of absence while at Steppenwolf, knowing that when the school was over that I probably wouldn't be going back, but I still wanted to leave on good terms. It was good to have an end date though. I knew that I could handle four more weeks of this job, but then something happened that day and I just couldn't put up with a certain kind of behavior anymore. It wasn't an easy decision. I've never just quit a job like that. I've always done the responsible thing and given notice, but sometimes enough is enough and you have to do what's best for yourself. I won't go into details about what happened. I don't know if this blog is the place to discuss it, maybe some day, but not today.

I think it was inevitable that I eventually just had to walk out. Honestly, it was a long time coming. I'd put up with outrageous behavior for 3 1/2 years too long. Sometimes you have to deal with people and situations that you don't like- that's part of life- and I stuck it out that long for various reasons, a few of them being that the job was easy, I had flexibility, and I liked my co-workers. There comes a time though when you have to stand up for yourself and no longer accept being treated unkindly by another person. You don't bring out the best in people by being mean to them. Leaving that negative environment has probably been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've been so much happier this past week. I'm taking this time before Steppenwolf starts to focus on me and get back to creating my happy. Sure, we might have to tighten our wallets a bit since I stopped working sooner than we anticipated but I'm trusting that it will all work out. I'm living on the edge of trust. It's a scary but exciting place to be.

So whatever it is that you want, believe you can and do it.

Day 2 of 24

On the first day of giving I gave my sister an early birthday present. She had a hand me down iPhone 4 that was super slow so my mom and I went in together on getting her a new iPhone 5s. She gives so much every day as a teacher that being able to do something extra special for her was a great way to start this giving project. And because we purchased the phone on December 1st a portion of the purchase went to the Global fund to fight AIDS.

The second day of giving is kind of a funny story. It happened today at the airport in Phoenix on our way back to Chicago after visiting family for Thanksgiving. Ebert and I were bringing back a bottle of locally brewed Arizona beer and a bottle of wine. We normally don't check bags but since we were carrying liquids we knew we had to, but the one thing we forgot about was the fee for checking bags. When we got to the airport we were shocked with how expensive it is. The line was ridiculously long and the fee was way more than what the beer cost (the wine was a gift) so we decided to leave both bottles behind. There weren't a lot of people not flying but we finally found a guy who was dropping someone off and gave him the bottles. He was thrilled about the unexpected gift and wished us a "Merry Christmas" several times. It wasn't the type of gift I was expecting to give and, at first, I had to get over my disappointment of not bringing those bottles back with us, but if that guy is enjoying that beer and wine tonight, and has a great story to tell, then that makes me happy.

This second day taught me an important lesson about getting over myself and to just give. If I had spent too much time focusing on the money lost or the fact that I won't be able to give that beer to the person I was planning to give it to then I would have missed out on a wonderful moment to give. It's exactly what I was talking about yesterday.

I'll also let you in on a little secret…another reason why I want to give more, especially during this time of year, is that as I get older I don't always feel the magic of the season. Maybe that's the curse of growing up- the magic gets lost along the way. I'm hoping to find that magical feeling again.

{image via create.your.happy}

so this happened last night

Yes, that's me rockin' onstage with Better Than Ezra.

I still can't believe it happened, especially since just hours earlier I posted about how "I wish I could say that I might possibly be rockin' it onstage tonight with the band...but I can't."... and then it happened!

It didn't happen how I thought it would, but maybe it happened because I'd taken some action. I signed up for lessons, I practiced and put in the work to try to learn the song. Yes, I failed at learning the song in time for this concert and I was sad about that, but then what I wanted, to be rockin' it onstage with the band still happened. I love moments like this- they're reminders that by just taking action it will lead you somewhere. It's not always where you expected but it's always where you're supposed to be. That's why this experience was beyond amazing for me. Of course, it's also because I got to dance with the band!

It reminded me a lot of this moment and how one should always trust magic. The unexpected is always more magical than the expected!

Also, a big thanks to Ebert, my awesome husband, for taking this video and being just as I excited as I was!

breaking the silence

I hope I remember how to do this blogging thing- it's been a long time. Too long. This is my longest silence since I started blogging almost 5 years ago. Yikes! That's a crazy realization. Clearly, I haven't been too inspired to blog these days but at the same time I'm not ready to stop. I think I need to change things up, although I don't know what that means yet. Hopefully, just showing up here will give me some insight into the direction I should take.

Well…tonight is the Better Than Ezra concert and you might be wondering about that guitar pick and this song. I wish I could say that I might possibly be rockin' it onstage tonight with the band, that all those months of practicing were worth it, that the uncomfortableness is no longer, that I did it- I learned the song! But I can't. Because the truth is, I didn't. And I'm a little sad about that. I'd be a lot sadder, however, if I had never tried at all. That's a bit of a consolation but not much.

I did learn how to play the chords G, C, D and Em though. And those 4 chords make up the song so all I need to do is practice A LOT and be ok with it taking awhile. I think that's the hard part really. It's not learning the chords or how to strum, the hard part is in the keeping at it…for however long it takes.

{image via create.your.happy}

uncomfortableness

un·com·fort·a·ble (adjective): causing or feeling unease or awkwardness

This is where I am right now…in the middle of uncomfortableness.

And it's all because I took on the challenge of learning one song on the guitar. I didn't expect it to be this daunting, that I would doubt myself this much, or that there would actually be a physical discomfort in the pit of my stomach. This uncomfortableness is so present at times that I just want to forget the whole thing. Who really cares about having a silly goal and trying to accomplish it?

I do, of course, otherwise I would have given up the second my fingertips started getting sore. Don't get me wrong, I'm having fun learning how to play the guitar (finally) and when I imagine being able to play the song perfectly I get super excited, it's just these moments, that come and go, that can be overwhelming.

I'm choosing to write about this now because sometimes I feel like we only hear about people overcoming their doubts, fears, and struggles after they've succeeded in overcoming them. That's great and it's still encouraging, but I feel that it's important to share the struggling part because we all have goals, big and little, and we are all struggling to achieve them. It's during these uncomfortable moments when we're most likely to give up and quit, but that's when we need to continue on the most. Something great is just past the uncomfortableness. But the uncomfortableness gets to be too much and we quit before seeing our greatness. Don't quit before seeing your greatness. I hope the struggle I'm experiencing right now as I try to achieve this silly little goal helps anyone move past their own uncomfortableness to creating their happy.

I'll be honest, I don't know if I will succeed. I really don't. And, that's fine, I guess. It's not always about succeeding, it's about trying. So tomorrow I will try again. I'll pick up my guitar, sore fingers and all, and slowly (very slowly) strum one chord after another. It will not feel good, I will make lots of mistakes, and I most definitely will want to quit but I've just got to fight my way through the uncomfortableness.

"Heart full of love, wanting to do my best."

via pinterest

It's been a lazy Saturday morning- sleeping in, sipping on coffee, reading blogs, husband making me breakfast. This kind of slow-paced, perfect morning was needed after a trying week. There were times this week when I felt like everything I did was wrong, that I wasn't good enough, and that I will forever be stuck in this place of failure.

Then I read this post from Superhero Life. Although I don't have kids I could still relate to those moments of when you feel "the rage increasing, the boiling blood, the out-of-control feeling." And as much as I, too, would love to be able to laugh at the absurdity of it all I usually cry.

I'm so grateful that there are superheroes like Andrea who are willing to open up their hearts and share their stories because I'm also learning

"how incredibly flawed and human and not-at-all perfect I am. I’m learning to have compassion for myself and how hard this is and how to make amends and show up again and again. Heart full of love, wanting to do my best."

And for the record, amidst this trying week there were also some happy, jump up for joy moments.

a lesson learned

I learned a very important lesson on Thursday. Not a new lesson, it's something I've heard before but never quite got. I think I finally got it now.

I was driving home from my "day job", I was literally just a few blocks from having left work, when it hit me. You see I left this "day job" filled with joy. Nothing particularly special happened to me this day. It was a usual kind of Thursday where everyone is excited about Friday, errands were run, emails were returned, a co-worker's birthday was celebrated. It really could have been any day...but it wasn't. This day taught me that happiness can come from anywhere. And so I think I finally understand what the Universe has been trying for years to teach me - I can be happy doing other things while still pursuing my dreams.

My mind frame before has been that I need to be suffering while pursuing my dreams. I shouldn't find enjoyment in anything other than my heart's desire because I felt that taking joy in something else would lead me further away from my dreams instead of bringing me closer to them.

I like this realization...that feeling joy brings more joy. It opens the door to so many more wondrous experiences in life. It feels limitless. It feels like my dreams are just around the corner, happening now.

some good advice

via victoriapater as seen on austinkkleon

For some more good advice watch this video.

the train of thought

Some days my thoughts feel like a train wreck, like they’ve gone off the track of what I want my life to be. But just like The Little Engine That Could I keep telling myself “I think I can, I think I can” even when sometimes I think I can’t.

On Saturday, November 6th I was lucky to be part of another Amy K.R. mission. It was during ‘The Train of Thought’ mission when I realized that my life resembles a train ride. I especially took notice of this similarity when the train we were riding made its first stop and our group made a mad dash to switch cars so that we could all sit together. I think I do that a lot with my train, I don’t ride it as much as I should, I spend more time on the platform waiting, waiting to switch trains or for the right train to come along, essentially waiting for my life to begin, not realizing that this is my life. Right now. This moment.

“We examine each day before us with barely a glance and say, no, this isn’t one I’ve been looking for, and wait in a bored sort of way for the next, when we are convinced, our lives will start for real.” - Tom Hennen (from The Life of A Day)

So, if that’s all true, if my life is happening right now, why do I keep waiting for the next? There was a moment on the train when I was looking out the window and all of a sudden this incredible feeling of excitement came over me. It was a feeling of how exciting my life is, not only in this moment, but in the moments to come. I want to always remember that- me sitting on a train….going nowhere. Maybe that’s why it was so exciting, because I was going nowhere and just enjoying the ride. Or it could be the twinkle I saw in Amy K.R.’s eyes as she shared her inspiration with us. Because I swear to you they twinkle.

secrets of greatness

Whenever I feel a bit discouraged, when I don't think that I can muster up the energy to keep it at, when I just want to give up, I read this article.

It's a great reminder that I will never achieve anything, let alone greatness, by half-assing it or by not putting in the work. Yes, there are some days when I have to force myself to sit in front of my computer to write or do anything creative. And, yes, there will be days when I won't want to do anything, when it will be harder than I ever thought possible and I will just want to give up, live a mediocre life. But, I have to be diligent, put the time in, show up every day and create my practice. If I want the life that I want, then I have to keep at it...no matter what.

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."

- John Quincy Adams

never believe it's not so

This past week has been kinda rough for me. I realize that it's not the rough that a lot of people have to deal with on a daily basis, so before I go further in my explanation I want to stress that I am very, very grateful for my life- I have an amazing and supportive husband who I love dearly, I have wonderful family and friends, I have my health, a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food on the table. I have many more blessings to be thankful for than I do complaints. But, even with all these blessings there are times when I am just not feeling my life. I question my purpose, I doubt if I am on the right path, if my dreams will ever come true. To put it simply, I stop believing in magic.

And this was one of those weeks when I didn't feel the magic, when I couldn't trust that magic even existed, when I just wanted to give up on all this magic talk. How could I possibly trust magic when I didn't get a callback for the play I would have been great in? I mean, not even a callback. How could I possibly trust magic when I didn't get the barista job that I am clearly overqualified for? I mean come on, it was a barista job. Back in the day I was the best shot slinger and milk foamer there was.

Then 2 things happened this morning that changed my perspective.

I received this email from Ebert, it was a letter written by Christopher Walken to his fans. I've definitely experienced more of "and then it wasn't" as an actor and I'm really looking forward to having a "busy year". But, I don't know, just hearing that a great actor like Christopher Walken has to deal with "the not so busy part" of being an actor gave me hope. I could feel the magic stirring.

And then when I checked my Facebook I had quite a few 'likes' and several lovely comments from friends in response to my status update yesterday: "is closing her eyes tight shut and wishing and wishing for the magic that she has to believe is right around the corner."

One of the comments was a link to this video -

I've replayed the video and have reread everyone's comments several times already. By sharing their magic with me, my own magic has been inspired. To be redundant...it was very magical! So, even when I don't feel it, I'll keep reminding myself to always trust magic, because it's not always the magic that I envision, but it's always more magical than I expect.

Ho, ho, ho, it's magic.

Never believe it's not so.

It's magic, you know.

Never believe it's not so.

always trust magic

In case you didn't know, I adore Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She's my creative inspiration. And I was able to skype with her Friday morning and say those exact words to her. It was very exciting! But, the moments leading up to the video chat were a little nerve-wracking. I kept playing out, in my mind, how our conversation would go, it made me all teary-eyed with joy and anticipation. I had to keep reminding myself something Amy says, "Figure it out as you go.", so that's what I did and it was a lovely conversation.

Since moving to Chicago, I've joined her on the Going Nowhere Fast Train, which was my very first el ride, and I recently beckoned the lovely with her on 10/10/10.

It was at 'The Beckoning of Lovely' where I experienced first hand that you should always trust magic. During one of the 10 lovely moments we created and shared together, Amy had tiny members from the crowd pass out letters from the World's Smallest Postal Service that read "Make The Most of Your Time Here." Of course, I wanted one of those letters, but so did everyone else and it just wasn't possible for everyone to get one. Ebert knew that I wanted one of those tiny letters, so he gently urged me to go get one. But, Ebert and I were standing all the way in the back and the letters were being passed out in the front, I just didn't feel like forcing my way up or to call out to the kids "Over Here, Over Here" just so I could get a letter. I thought, if I'm going to get a one of those letters then I want to just trust that it will come to me. It didn't. Then, Amy announced that she had 2 gifts for the crowd - a piece of orange candy and a penny for us to make a wish in the fountain with. Well, I thought, besides an amazing experience, the candy and the penny will be my souvenirs from the evening. And I was happy!

We made our way to the candy first. And as the growing mass of other beckoners waited for their piece of candy that John Green was handing out, a security guard on a segway came over and made everyone leave because the park was closing. Oh well, I really shouldn't be taking candy from strangers anyway. But, as we were walking away a young girl, in her teens I think, turns around, looks at me with a lovely smile and hands me a piece of paper taped up as a sleeve with a mixed CD inside. I was bewildered, to say the least, not expecting to receive a random gift from someone in the crowd that I was only able to manage a muffled "thank you" before the girl and her mom walked away. I did not fully realize the magic I had just received. I still had my eye on what I thought was the bigger prize...a penny from Amy K.R.

So, onward we went to the penny and the fountain to make our wish. I did not want to be denied my opportunity to make a wish, especially since I've recently been feeling like I could use every wish-making chance I get. But, as we crossed the Pritzker Pavilion field we saw the green-haired girl with the red wagon full of pennies racing back towards the Bean. "Wait!" I wanted to shout. "I didn't get my penny. You're going the wrong way. The wishes are over here, at the fountain." But, away she went. Unfortunately, the fountain was already closed. There would be no wish-making for me, unless I wanted to trespass or attempt to throw my penny in to the fountain through the closed gate. I'll be honest, I was mildly disappointed.

But then as we walked back to the car with the city skyline as our backdrop it dawned on me what I was holding in my hand...a little bit of magic in the form of 12 lovely songs. Wow! Not more than 10 minutes earlier I said that I wanted to just trust that it would come to me and it did. It wasn't the magic that I had envisioned, but was even more magical than I expected.

creating your happy

There are times (many, many times mind you) when I have zero idea on how to create my happy. I know what I want my happy to be. I know what makes my heart sing, but at times it feels so much bigger than me, like it's out of my reach and I have to wait for some magical force to appear. Now, here's a crazy thought- what if it is all magic? What if it's out of my reach because I've been reaching outside of myself, rather than searching inside myself for the magic. I told you it was a crazy thought. But, what's crazier? Believing I have magical powers to create my happy or doing nothing? Oh, I have doubts, lots and lots of them. I mean how can I possibly create my happy when I'm not getting auditions, or when I do audition not getting callbacks, or not selling any jewelry on etsy, or getting distracted by the piles of laundry on the floor that I think is more important than writing, or not being called in for "real job" interviews. The list goes on and on, and it can be quite distressing. But, here I am writing, creating something. Even if it's not very good writing, it's still creating. And, you know what? It does kinda feel magical.

Can you feel your own magic? What are you going to do today to create your happy?

the list

I am 30. It's been exactly one week since my birthday and my freshly turned 30 self has perfectly chosen this day to inspire my one-week-old 30 self. I woke up this morning and was reminded that now that I'm 30 I want to shake things up a bit. The habits, routine, rut, what-have-you that I've created for myself since I moved to Chicago are not getting me any where. I need to wake up in the morning, clap my hands, and say "Today, is gonna be a great day!" And, although, I didn't quite do that this morning, there was an unknowing shift that happened- a little whisper telling me to write, to do something, to create my happy.

So, I've boldly plunged into the icy, cold waters of the unknown, without thinking too much about it, and have thus emerged with a sense of exhilaration for what is to come.

And the first thing I needed to do was to revamp my '30 Things I've Learned Before Turning 30' list since I wasn't able to finish writing it before turning 30 (see #1, #15, #17 and #19).

I hope I am always inspired by this list.

30 Things I've Learned About Me, Myself, and Life

1. I don't like making lists as much as I thought.

2. When I met 'the one' I just knew.

3. Practice really does make perfect.

4. Don't get attached to things; things do not make my life.

5. Sometimes it's hard to ask for what I want, but it's very important that I do.

6. Beets are good!

7. When faced with a choice between strawberry or chocolate, I will always choose strawberry.

8. Don't take myself too seriously- so smile often, dance wildly, laugh as loud as I can, and sing my heart out.

9. Death can be a beautiful event if I can give those who have passed my love and grant them their freedom.

10. It's best to order a la carte at Mexican restaurants.

11. Solitude and Silence.

12. When I think about doing something, don't wait to do it, just do it now.

13. Time doesn't necessarily heal all wounds, it just serves as a band-aid for them.

14. Regret is not going to get me any where.

15. I have and probably always will be a procrastinator.

16. The details are very important to me.

17. I am easily distracted.

18. I still and probably never will like onions, although at times I can tolerate them.

19. I can be very indecisive, so I need to trust that as long as I commit to something, anything, I can't go wrong.

20. It's easier to forgive then forget, but I will be a happier person if I can do both.

21. Showers are better than baths.

22. The dollar to quantity ratio, for whatever reason, is important to me.

23. Cooking from scratch always tastes better.

24. Everyone is busy and sometimes it takes more effort on my part to stay in touch with the people I care about the most. But, no matter how much time has past or distance separates us, your true friends will always be worth the effort.

25. If I don't want to do something, then I shouldn't. Although, if I feel like I have do it then it's probably best to change my attitude about whatever I'm doing.

26. There are times when sleeping in and staying in my pajamas all day is a must.

27. Dancing in the rain is good for my soul.

28. The prettier and the more sparkly the better.

29. My creativity likes to play hide 'n seek with me.

30. I am a better seeker than I think I am.

lessons 9 - 13

9. It's best to order a la carte at Mexican restaurants.

10. Enjoy your solitude.

11. When you think about doing something, don't wait to do it, just do it now.

12. Time does heal all wounds, or at least makes you forget about about them because your memory isn't as good as it once was.

13. You don't like making lists as much as you thought.

30 things i've learned before turning 30 cont'd

5. Beets are good.

6. When faced with a choice between strawberry or chocolate, choose strawberry.

7. Don't take yourself too seriously- so smile often, dance wildly, laugh as loud as you can, and and sing your heart out.

8. Death can be a beautiful event if you can give those you have passed your love and grant them their freedom.

30 things i've learned before turning 30

3. Don't get attached to things; things are not what make your life.

4. Ask for what you want.

To Be Continued...

goodbye 20's

I turn 30 in 15 days. I honestly don't mind getting older - I'm looking forward to gaining wisdom that only comes with age, having a certain confidence I lacked in my twenties, and a better knowing of who I am and what I want. But, at the same time I'm not exactly where I thought I would be at 30. I know it's a bit of a cliche to say that time goes by fast and that I thought I would have accomplished so much more by this age, but it's true....Where the heck has the time gone? And what exactly have I been doing with my life?

Ok, ok. I know that in my 29 years and 350 days of being on this planet that not only have I accomplished some things I've also learned some things. So, in an attempt to become aware of everything that I have learned I'm writing a list.

30 Things I've Learned Before Turning 30

1. When you meet 'the one' you will just know.

2. Practice really does make perfect.

To Be Continued...

six months

It's hard to believe that exactly six months ago today we were arriving in Chicago (the suburbs of Winfield to be exact) starting a new adventure. The unexpected detour at the start of our journey, otherwise known as the big move part one and part two, is just a faint memory, a great story to tell.

But, there will be lots more great stories to tell because we have been official city dwellers for one month now and are loving it! Not to say that we did not enjoy the 5 months we spent in the suburbs, but Chicago is alive and vibrant- everyone comes out to play during theses few months of nice weather. There's a surge of energy flowing throughout the city that is infectious. It makes me feel like I'm finally awakening from my creative hibernation, which is why, after infrequent postings this winter, I hope to make this writing thing a regular occurrence.

So, over the past 6 months Mike and I have had many experiences that have taught us valuable life lessons and here are some of those lessons -

Baking a cake from a box mix is a lot harder than

baking a cake from scratch.

If there's one monkey on the path, you can bet there are more nearby.

There are times when you should not eat everything on your plate.

Sometimes you have to do more than just go with the flow, you have to get out and push.

True beauty is never lost

just because it looks broken on the outside.

And, when all else fails....there's always frushi.