Thursday, January 29, 2009

Monday, January 26, 2009

my word.

i think i have found my word for 2009.

invest.

invest in ideas and dreams.
invest in risk.
invest in friendships and people.
invest in what is around me, athens, america, family.
invest in school at uga for the last time.

but also invest in life, sitting in it, fighting for it, moving with it.


i realize the last 365 days, i skimmed over the surface of life, not really wanting to feel it or invest in it. i just got through those days. these new days, well, they will be invested in.

Friday, January 23, 2009

at 22 and three quarters years of age,  i still have not mastered the art of actually getting out of bed when my alarm goes off. 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

yes today.

hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

--martin luther king jr.

Monday, January 19, 2009

i have a dream today.

i have a dream today.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today."


thank you dr. king, thank you.
i can live in a nation i am proud of, be exited for, see potential in. tis a good day to celebrate.



photo::princeton.edu

Saturday, January 3, 2009

another year over.



2008.

i made an outrageous number of new years resolutions for 2008.


as a review, here's the list. this year was hard on me, but it was good to me as well.

expand vocabulary•learn more•remember i love to play piano•learn more grace. accept more. give more•write letters•see 20 sun rises•enjoy more mornings•write down ideas and dreams•pray in place of judge•love in place of "nice"•live in a great house.•photography more•accept adventure•road trip to seattle because you can.•be 21 for the last time.•walk more•get a bike, thus bike more•draw.•give away art. collect art. display art•jump on the trampoline like its my job•do something scary•go to waco•see mel teach a class•sit and watch the stars•be mesmerizedlet life completely blow your mind•go to atlanta more often and walk the streets to remember•spend time with grandma, hear her stories•pay bills on time•drink brandy alexanders•draw. paint sculpt. make. play. create. ...create like you were made to.•memorize scripture•take time to think•go to chicago•be a more consistent friend•
get a schedule and sleep. •more polaroids•go to nashville and let the hurt wash away•play music with at least one other person•get dressed up and go out. enjoy being young. wear red heels•remember you will be ok•be more open and let people in•let prayer consume you•do not allow american christianity piss you off too much•let yourself be heard and known•return to spain•be intentional•invite mom and dad to athens•attend art shows all the time•laugh often•open the windows•get an A•answer the phone

while the list is long, and i realize that i completed some, not others, and some are still in progress or will be moved to the 2009 list, it is beautiful.
it is beautiful to see. to look back and remember making this list a year ago, and the way the goals and my life seemed to morph.
this year held much more than this list.
many surprises. things i could have never imagined.
parts i hope continue.
parts i hope to leave behind.
this has been a revolutionary year. an epic year. a year that will be remembered.
i will remind myself..


life has proved to be beautiful.
it's true.
amidst the pain and troubles and deep puddles, there is something to stop and stare at.
something to be awestruck by.
i am thankful for that.

another year over, what will become of the next.
200 eight is gone. it has become past. it's strange to me.
it felt like 20 years and a blink at the same time.
now it stands as a simple memory and a laugh. a blend of a melody.

two thousand nine is here.