Thursday, January 3, 2013
chivalry is not dead
..last night during my commute home a man offered me a spot closer to the door so I could reach a bar easier instead of reaching over someone's head to grab the hand rail so I wouldn't fall over on the metro train.
..on the bus, a tall Air Force captain offered me his seat as I boarded the overflowing bus last in line.
there have been arguments and theories lately that the rise of feminism has lead to the death of chivalry and gentlemanly manners. I disagree! it is still alive and thrives when appreciated and cultivated.
so thank you to every man who has stopped to open the door so I didn't have to take my cold hands out of my pockets.
thanks to the men who let me enter an elevator first and exit first.
thank you to those who stand up when a woman or elder needs a seat.
thanks to every man who has let me go first in line at a grocery store or anywhere else.
thank you to those who smile and nod in acknowledgement.
thanks to the men who respect and value women.
this behavior does not denigrate women. it does not mean that we are unequal. it simply is a recognition that we are different. it is a sign that respect and morals are still important elements in our society. and I for one am proud and grateful of the men who still believe in and practice these small courtesies.
..on the bus, a tall Air Force captain offered me his seat as I boarded the overflowing bus last in line.
there have been arguments and theories lately that the rise of feminism has lead to the death of chivalry and gentlemanly manners. I disagree! it is still alive and thrives when appreciated and cultivated.
so thank you to every man who has stopped to open the door so I didn't have to take my cold hands out of my pockets.
thanks to the men who let me enter an elevator first and exit first.
thank you to those who stand up when a woman or elder needs a seat.
thanks to every man who has let me go first in line at a grocery store or anywhere else.
thank you to those who smile and nod in acknowledgement.
thanks to the men who respect and value women.
this behavior does not denigrate women. it does not mean that we are unequal. it simply is a recognition that we are different. it is a sign that respect and morals are still important elements in our society. and I for one am proud and grateful of the men who still believe in and practice these small courtesies.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
time goes by so quickly
happy new year....I have often wondered why we humans find such fascination with the passing of time: we celebrate the ending of the old calendar year and the coming of a new one, as well as the culmination of the years of one's life annually. for a society that seems to have a love-hate relationship with aging, we sure celebrate getting older in style. interesting that we celebrate this annually as well....i get older every week, every day, why not party at the end of each day that i am one day closer to completing 27 years of living? or why not every 2 years and make the even ages special? why is it that we are so excited for time to pass? I for one would be quite content if it would slow down and let me enjoy certain moments or days.
....these are my thoughts today on the second day of 2013. woah. 2013. crazy.
in other news...had an amazing, laughter-filled, relaxing, much-needed 5-day-weekend with my dear friends from p-town. the majority of the actual time spent out and about included shopping, and the majority of the rest of the time was spent sleeping and chatting. I spent a little too much money but had a lot too much fun. and now that I am back at work and had to wake up at 6am this morning, my body is not as happy as it was staying up till 1am and sleeping till 8.
in the midst of our chatting we dissected the tradition of new year's goals and how we find it a bit silly. mostly because I have goals all the time. my frailties and weaknesses are something I feel confronted with every day and so each day I try to be better than yesterday. as for big goals some people start at the new year like losing weight...I have a lifelong goal to be healthy which includes eating well, exercising and ultimately being happy with my body the way it is when I do those things. and lest you think me being all high and mighty cuz I have goals that I'm always working on, don't fret, I fail at them every now and then too. but then you just learn to say: darn, guess I need to fix that one and try again. if it didn't happen it probably wasn't a realistic goal and I've learned to accept my losses ...chock it up to being human, and try again! LA wasn't built in a day. :) neither is human nature changed in a year even, but gradually, day by day, in small increments.
so glad that it's not over just cuz we trip up once, or even twice, or who knows how many times. we can always turn around to face the right direction, pick ourselves back up and try again. isn't life amazing that way? and it's only possible due to the atonement of Jesus Christ. so next time you make a goal, or mess up on your goal, thank your Savior for allowing you the opportunity to learn through your experiences. I am so grateful for this miracle and gift!
....and fruit. one thing I am going to try to do better in the future is eat more fruit and veggies. I feel like fruit is nature's candy. however we know my love affair with sugar and things humans make out of sugar...so my goal is to try to replace some sugar in my day with more fruits. so here's to more fruity days...
....these are my thoughts today on the second day of 2013. woah. 2013. crazy.
in other news...had an amazing, laughter-filled, relaxing, much-needed 5-day-weekend with my dear friends from p-town. the majority of the actual time spent out and about included shopping, and the majority of the rest of the time was spent sleeping and chatting. I spent a little too much money but had a lot too much fun. and now that I am back at work and had to wake up at 6am this morning, my body is not as happy as it was staying up till 1am and sleeping till 8.
in the midst of our chatting we dissected the tradition of new year's goals and how we find it a bit silly. mostly because I have goals all the time. my frailties and weaknesses are something I feel confronted with every day and so each day I try to be better than yesterday. as for big goals some people start at the new year like losing weight...I have a lifelong goal to be healthy which includes eating well, exercising and ultimately being happy with my body the way it is when I do those things. and lest you think me being all high and mighty cuz I have goals that I'm always working on, don't fret, I fail at them every now and then too. but then you just learn to say: darn, guess I need to fix that one and try again. if it didn't happen it probably wasn't a realistic goal and I've learned to accept my losses ...chock it up to being human, and try again! LA wasn't built in a day. :) neither is human nature changed in a year even, but gradually, day by day, in small increments.
so glad that it's not over just cuz we trip up once, or even twice, or who knows how many times. we can always turn around to face the right direction, pick ourselves back up and try again. isn't life amazing that way? and it's only possible due to the atonement of Jesus Christ. so next time you make a goal, or mess up on your goal, thank your Savior for allowing you the opportunity to learn through your experiences. I am so grateful for this miracle and gift!
....and fruit. one thing I am going to try to do better in the future is eat more fruit and veggies. I feel like fruit is nature's candy. however we know my love affair with sugar and things humans make out of sugar...so my goal is to try to replace some sugar in my day with more fruits. so here's to more fruity days...
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. -E.E. Cummings
the GRE is over. Yay!!! now I can go back to reading my book, watching Big Bang theory, and browsing Facebook at work. I was not as thrilled to be taking it. seriously it rocked me hard core, but I think I did alright given the time crunch and my general distaste for standardized math examinations. hopefully alright enough for GW....either way what's done is DONE. :)
also...Christmas is over. I know this a puzzling thing to point out, as in: duh Alicia, it's the 26th....thus Christmas is over, as well as similar thought: shouldnt this be a less than joyous passage? well as stated previously, I was less than excited about Christmas this year given my lack if funds and vacation time to travel home. however, thanks to fellow holiday orphans as we called ourselves, and to a miraculously quick passage of the cold that seemed to suddenly take over my sinuses over the weekend, I quite enjoyed my family-less, tradition-less, less-present-filled holiday. I enjoyed a quiet morning of reading and sleeping in to ease my tired, sickly mind. then cleaned. yes I cleaned on Christmas Day. yes I know that is not surprising. once again I am highly predictable. :) video chatted with the fam to exchange presents across the continent...always good for a laugh. then I ventured to my bishop's house to enjoy Christmas dinner with his boisterous family. it was hilarious and fantastic. we slurped jello from a plate as the first course. with no hands. no joke. we of course had goblets filled with sparkling cider which was for the toasting. everyone had to make a toast, all 9 of us. and let me just say, the toasts matched the general humor of the whole evening. twas a good night. :)
after dinner, saw Les Miserables with other holiday orphans and thus my Christmas Day was complete.
moral of the story: laughing makes everything happy. seriously, have you ever tried to be mad or sad when you laugh? it's impossible. thank you humor for making my days happy.
also...Christmas is over. I know this a puzzling thing to point out, as in: duh Alicia, it's the 26th....thus Christmas is over, as well as similar thought: shouldnt this be a less than joyous passage? well as stated previously, I was less than excited about Christmas this year given my lack if funds and vacation time to travel home. however, thanks to fellow holiday orphans as we called ourselves, and to a miraculously quick passage of the cold that seemed to suddenly take over my sinuses over the weekend, I quite enjoyed my family-less, tradition-less, less-present-filled holiday. I enjoyed a quiet morning of reading and sleeping in to ease my tired, sickly mind. then cleaned. yes I cleaned on Christmas Day. yes I know that is not surprising. once again I am highly predictable. :) video chatted with the fam to exchange presents across the continent...always good for a laugh. then I ventured to my bishop's house to enjoy Christmas dinner with his boisterous family. it was hilarious and fantastic. we slurped jello from a plate as the first course. with no hands. no joke. we of course had goblets filled with sparkling cider which was for the toasting. everyone had to make a toast, all 9 of us. and let me just say, the toasts matched the general humor of the whole evening. twas a good night. :)
after dinner, saw Les Miserables with other holiday orphans and thus my Christmas Day was complete.
moral of the story: laughing makes everything happy. seriously, have you ever tried to be mad or sad when you laugh? it's impossible. thank you humor for making my days happy.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Peace
I absolutely love this video...the images and accompanying music are beautiful and inspiring. The peaceful feelings that come are from God, our Eternal Father. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." I know that this everlasting life is the greatest, most unimaginable blessing we can receive. And it starts with this peace, which leads us to His Son, and then to Him.
even the grayest clouds have silver linings
the next person who asks me when i am going home or what i am doing for christmas is going to get a nasty glare.....ok, not really. but i have been overly pestered lately (today most especially thus my thoughts on the matter) as to how i am spending the holiday. which is understandable, i know that is generally a harmless question. however for one who very much misses their family already and has for the past 26 years spent every christmas except for one with said family, its a rough reminder that she will not be seeing her family, or any familial relative, or even any close friends on the most tradition-filled, family oriented day of the year. it is not an easy thing i tell you. so in my usual desire to find the silver lining, i'm going to think of all the pros to not going home for christmas:
no air travel = no germs, no TSA, no long lines, no worrying about bags, no cramped legs for 3 hours
no worrying about weather in the midst of traveling
no coughing up the $500 for the plane ticket
no oversleeping every day and then getting used to 10 hours of sleep and then having to return to a normal schedule and hating it
no re-acclimatizing to colorado dryness and high altitude
no overeating due to mom's cooking and mom's sweet tooth and thus...
no gaining 10 pounds in 10 days
no SNOW
......but really i would like to submit that if you are spending the holiday with your family, embrace the craziness, cherish every weird tradition, tell them you love them, laugh at every joke/random story/dramatic gossip....cuz you never know who wishes they were doing all of those things with their loved ones.
our apartment complex has an office where they store and sort all the packages for all the residents, yesterday as i was picking up a shipment and noticed the over abundance of packages stacked up throughout the office in usual holiday season fashion. the thought came to me that all the packages in the world don't hold a candle to the worth of family and loved ones.
in happy thoughts.....the GRE will be over in 3 days.
and my applications to GW and UVa are almost done. :) :) :)
Thursday, December 13, 2012
don't forget to be happy
i couldn't get the adorable picture of the african girl. so here are my random thoughts of the day instead:
thoughts.....
....i want a speaker on my shirt like Raj on the Big Bang Theory so i could have music to dance to any time i want. it would be like living with a soundtrack...which sounds fantastic! "he's doing his own theme music?" :)
....last night i had a dream in which i lost 3 teeth. i looked online on dream interpretations and apparently that means i'm stressed or insecure about something. i am not quite sure what exactly i'm stressed or insecure about. although today was one of those days....you know the kind of day when you don't want to eat dinner when you come home but instead something like ice cream or chocolate. or today's pick: joe-joe's. joe-joe's are trader joe's holiday version of oreos...with peppermint inside. mmmm... perfect dinner for tonight.
....today i saw Les Miserables at the National Theater. first time seeing it live. i was struck by many points of the story. and pondered much while i was watching it. mostly on how ironic it is that we talk about wanting peace and yet still make weapons to hurt each other and we value human life so little, how we often judge that justice is always the best route and forget about mercy or repentance, and how much i wish i could go around singing at the top of my lungs all day to express my feelings.
....i love kids. they are so carefree and forgiving. they are generally happy and just enjoy the things of life. i very much prefer their company to adults who complain and argue and doubt and hold grudges and are so serious. i love laughing with kids. how much i wish i could do that all day. (...future plans starting to look more and more fitting) i tutor a 7th grader every thursday and it is honestly the best part of my week. she gave me a Christmas card today and thanked me for being so jolly like the Christmas season. :) totally made my day. isn't it amazing how little things can make such a difference? its like we have to be reminded of things over and over...every day really. and really reminded that we already knew what we are being reminded about, we already knew how to be happy, but somehow in the crush of worries and in the rush of life we forget. be like kids - Christ told us we are to be like little children. and I think it's because they have not forgotten how to be happy. we are commanded to be happy: men are that they might have joy. don't forget how to be happy!
thoughts.....
....i want a speaker on my shirt like Raj on the Big Bang Theory so i could have music to dance to any time i want. it would be like living with a soundtrack...which sounds fantastic! "he's doing his own theme music?" :)
....last night i had a dream in which i lost 3 teeth. i looked online on dream interpretations and apparently that means i'm stressed or insecure about something. i am not quite sure what exactly i'm stressed or insecure about. although today was one of those days....you know the kind of day when you don't want to eat dinner when you come home but instead something like ice cream or chocolate. or today's pick: joe-joe's. joe-joe's are trader joe's holiday version of oreos...with peppermint inside. mmmm... perfect dinner for tonight.
....today i saw Les Miserables at the National Theater. first time seeing it live. i was struck by many points of the story. and pondered much while i was watching it. mostly on how ironic it is that we talk about wanting peace and yet still make weapons to hurt each other and we value human life so little, how we often judge that justice is always the best route and forget about mercy or repentance, and how much i wish i could go around singing at the top of my lungs all day to express my feelings.
....i love kids. they are so carefree and forgiving. they are generally happy and just enjoy the things of life. i very much prefer their company to adults who complain and argue and doubt and hold grudges and are so serious. i love laughing with kids. how much i wish i could do that all day. (...future plans starting to look more and more fitting) i tutor a 7th grader every thursday and it is honestly the best part of my week. she gave me a Christmas card today and thanked me for being so jolly like the Christmas season. :) totally made my day. isn't it amazing how little things can make such a difference? its like we have to be reminded of things over and over...every day really. and really reminded that we already knew what we are being reminded about, we already knew how to be happy, but somehow in the crush of worries and in the rush of life we forget. be like kids - Christ told us we are to be like little children. and I think it's because they have not forgotten how to be happy. we are commanded to be happy: men are that they might have joy. don't forget how to be happy!
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