loving, reading, thinking
“‘People always think that happiness is a faraway thing,’ thought Frances, ‘something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter when it rains—a cup of strong hot coffee when you’re blue; for a man, a cigarette for contentment; a book to read when you’re alone—just to be with someone you love. Those things make happiness.’”
—A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The past month or two, I've been doing the majority of my living sans camera. At the end of the day, once I finish juggling three online classes that are so very labor intensive, all my other school work, and day-to-day running around town, it's all I can do to kick back with a book, much less do something creative. Discombobulated is probably the word that best describes me at the moment. I confess I miss feeling inspired and wanting to create something beautiful, but sometimes resting is just more important than all that other stuff, so I've been content to simply love, read, and think.
loving
We've never really been Halloween-type people, but for the past few years, we've had friends over for a bonfire, good food, and making some memories. Last night we roasted smores, ran around the neighborhood, and told stories around the flickering glow of the bonfire. At the end of the night, my cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling.reading
I just finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and it is undoubtedly the best book I've ever read. I wanted to underline words and quotes and thumb through the pages until they’re soft with use; alas, the copy I read is only from the library and I had to make do with sticking scraps of paper in the pages of my favorite quotes. But soon I will buy the book for myself and I will underline words and quotes and thumb through the pages until they’re soft with use to my heart’s content. This book is not comprised only of characters printed with ink, but it is painted with people that are so real and so raw that—even if they’re not real—one can identify so deeply with them. Never before have I read a book that has resonated so deeply with me. And now that I’m finished with the book, I’m not sure what to do with myself. I feel like I have lost contact with my closest friends. I miss them. But I will read this book again and again and I will never tire of it because the characters are more than characters; they are my friends.thinking
Instead of "No Shave November", I propose "No Shame November", which involves shamelessly indulging in guilty pleasures like listening to Taylor Swift, eating copious amounts of chocolate, and staying up too late. Also, I think pie should be considered its own food group, and the quote up there is one of the truest things I've read in a long time.Happy November. I hope you get to eat lots of pie.