What's something you should never waste?

What is something you should never waste? Another blog I follow {Happiness Is...} hosts a weekly question to ponder. This particular question challenged me and I wanted to take a shot at answering for you. I would love to hear your answer back (insert plea for people to comment on posts so that I know you're out there!!).

There is an Emerson quote hanging in my office that connects the dots between this question and my outlook on life in a pretty little sign - it states - Live in the sunshine, Swim in the sea, Drink the wild air. For me, the things I believe we should never waste are unique natural and social experiences. These experiences could be the tipping point in one's life or something that you may never get to share with anyone again. And for me, that's what life is about.

I have many moments that I know have shaped who I am on many different levels. Some good experiences, some bad - but all unique and I wouldn't want to take any of them away. Some experiences have challenged my ability to understand goodwill in people, others have shined a light on how much care and thoughtfulness a person can have. To have seen both sides creates a balance for me in a world of good and evil.

Nature has always been a draw for me as well. Experiencing natural phenomena in our lifetime is a gentle reminder of how much larger this world is than ourselves and the incredible amount of power behind it. I remember as a kid growing up in rural Maryland, my mom used to wake my brother and I up late in the night to watch meteor showers or when I started diving, seeing large schools of fish swim by in a hurry. These experiences have instilled a respect for the environment that I hope I can empower in others.

It's important to me to continue to experience things and never stop wanting to learn something new or try something I've never tried before. These are the things that make us who we are and connect us to others and empower to do things that are bigger than ourselves. It's unfortunate for me that I am a terrible story teller as one day I hope to have so many stories to tell. These stories are the things we should never waste.

Christmas Gifts

Earlier in the year in an effort to be a part of supporting local businesses and feel better about the gifts that I give, I vowed to reattempt to purchase only locally sourced or handmade gifts. I pride myself in trying to be as thoughtful about gifts as possible, often showing my appreciation this time of year by using my own talents to make something for someone who has shown me support and love throughout the year.

There has been a lot of talk the past two months or so about the scam that Amazon is running - to have consumers go into local shops and take a picture of what they might purchase locally and then get a discount for the item for purchasing it directly through Amazon. I don't agree with what Amazon is trying to do, but its a smart marketing tool for sure. I've blogged before about the 3/50 project and truly believe that supporting local businesses is something that we all should do when possible. My argument in the past is that it's not always possible to support locally as typically things cost more or what you need is just simply not available, but that doesn't discount the importance of thinking about it from time to time. Hell, even Seth Godin thinks it's a point worth pondering.

Back to my point and not just my rant, I tried this year to make local purchases or handmade gifts and mostly succeeded. At least better than last year, as when I started to run out of time I went straight to the big boxes and finished out my Christmas shopping.  So I've kept track of my shopping and figured out the percentages of gifts I gave that fall into each category. Out of the twenty total gifts I gave this year throughout the holiday season, sixteen of them were either handmade or locally sourced. That's 80%! I'm feeling proud of my accomplishment. Looking at the things that I did either order online or purchase through big box stores - I really could have purchased them locally. It would have taken a little more money and some time finding exactly what I was looking for but I think I could have made it happen.

I think it's easy to fall into a habit of convenience and the only way to truly challenge yourself to support local/handmade is to look beyond convenience. My key to success was truly trying to make a map of what I was looking for. I think I started back in October thinking of ideas of things I could make that would be fit for the person that I wanted to gift something to. Had I of waited I would not have been as successful.

So, I'll ask.....did you give gifts that supported local businesses (the best gift you can give to a small business owner is patronage!!) or maybe made an expression of your own talents to those you hold dear? I would love to hear some of the gifts you gave along these guidelines. Here are some of mine -

• Flower magnets (made by me!) for the girls at work to brighten up their cubes!
• Massage and locally made sundries from Down to Earth for me mere.
• Music Mix CD for my stepfather
• Calendar for my Poppop full of pictures of my family over the past year
• Watercolor paintings by me (I'm still learning, but I think they turned out okay)
• Knitted headbands (made by me)

The Art of Letter Writing

If you have known me for any amount of time, you probably already know how much I love writing letters (and receiving letters). My best friend will tell you that when we were in 5th grade (or somewhere around there) I wrote her a letter for every day that she was gone on vacation. She recently reminded me of my letters and it amazes me how long I have truly appreciated the art of letter writing. Letter writing for me is a time to organize my thoughts and feelings, construct them on paper, and express them to another. With life spinning so fast, it takes a deliberate action to sit down, process, and write for a short amount of time and one that doesn't happen often enough.

This NY Times Op-Ed sums up my feelings towards letter writing much more woefully than my own words can describe. An excerpt from this article that particularly speaks to me:

A good handwritten letter is a creative act, and not just because it is a visual and tactile pleasure. It is a deliberate act of exposure, a form of vulnerability, because handwriting opens a window on the soul in a way that cyber communication can never do. You savor their arrival and later take care to place them in a box for safe keeping.

And yes, I save every letter or card or quick note that someone leaves me. I like to look back at moments captured in time and space through these letters to remind me of the amazing people that have been a part of my life.


I recently stumbled upon this stop motion video of a miniature letter writing set. I wonder if I can find some use for something like this because it's absolutely adorable.

World's Smallest Post Service Kit - An Introduction from Leafcutter Designs on Vimeo.

Please also listen to this beautiful song that fits so perfectly -

Peace, Love, & Awesomeness!

Sami

Failure

As a future Peace Corps Volunteer, I can not help but sometimes wonder if the work I will do will actually make a difference. Sustainability is a hot topic for Peace Corps and is something that should be at the forefront of anyone in the development sectors' mind.

I stumbled upon this TED Talk that highlighted many of the problems with development/aid groups. The speaker mentions a really cool forum for talking about (and learning from) failed projects. Check out the website here: http://www.admittingfailure.com/. It's vital to the success of projects to think in a systems perspective - how will my project sustain itself when I leave. As well as, learning from those who failed before us. Integration into the community, pairing you with a counterpart, and (hopefully) working on projects that are already an interest to the community are ways that Peace Corps enables volunteers to work on sustainable projects. Of course that is all easier said then done, but a good framework for success. Soooo...here's the video:

Here is another cool video and a neat project the speaker mentions. If you are interested in learning a new language and contributing to the increased access of information on the world wide web through language translation you should sign up to participate!

Desperately Dreaming Of Distant Destinations

Birthday Dog!

Happy 4th Birthday Prince!

Don't judge that I dress up my dog. 

Top moments of 2011

Being a part of my best friends wedding.

Pushing myself to run, not only to get exercise but also to be outside with the pooch.

Adding six more countries to my “been there, done that” list.

Hosting Miss Kitchen on her visit back to the right shore.

Countless trips to Maryland to visit people that I cherish.

Surviving Hurricane Irene.

The long days of waiting for the Peace Corps to contact me.

Helping friends see the best in themselves, while having friends that see the best in me.

Creating lots of new things.

Spending a too short evening with my second family at Emerald Isle.

Having a job.

Working with amazing students at UNCW.

Spending a weekend at the beach with my family.

Not just one but three Crab feasts this year.

Learning to paddleboard with two of my favorite people.

Making gift bags for my best friends bachelorette party – oh and having a blast in Philly with some amazing ladies (even if I did start to doze off at the bar…typical)

Helping a friend coordinate their wedding

Tuesday night watching Weeds with Erin and Steph. It better not be over L

Going kayaking with Amy and Andy and Prince!

Becoming the most immune person east of the Mississipi – although getting so many shots was not actually one of my favorite moments of 2011 it is just a piece of the puzzle towards something great.

Spending an amazing weekend at Lake Gaston with my family – celebrating Amanda’s birthday, renting a jetski, having cake, soooo many great things.

Ziplining with Amy!

Run (or walk) for the TaTa’s with some work peeps in honor of a beautiful woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
 

A Few Things I Love About Wilmington

I've lived in this town for almost seven years. I can't believe it. When I first moved here I thought I'd only be here for 2 years, tops! I moved here to finish my undergraduate degree. I loved the university. I loved being near the beach. I loved the quaint historic downtown. I loved the small town feel. All in all - I really like being here. So seven years,  two degrees, and six jobs later - this town has taught me some amazing things. I'd like to pay my respects to that by offering a few things that I love about Wilmington.

I love walking down the street and always seeing at least one person that I know - never fails. Small town life is golden.

Beach options. I love that Wilmington offers options as to what kind of beach you'd like to go to. Feeling social and like you can fit in with all the size 2 teens in their bikinis - go to Wrightsville Beach! Want to try out surf fishing in the morning with all the gray hairs - go to Fort Fisher. Feel like enjoying the sound of families laughing and watching children build sand castles - go to Kure Beach! Feel like making a bet with your friend on the number of mullets you'll see - go to Carolina Beach. I love options!

Food. When my friends from Towson came down to visit a few years ago they deemed Wilmington food capital of the world. Since they grew up around Columbia, MD - which I believe is the chain restaurant capital of the world, I feel like their words say a lot. Wilmington is overrun with independently run restaurants and they are soooo amazing.

Homeless people. If you live in Wilmington and ever frequent downtown - you know at least one homeless man by name (probably Byron...). I happen to know a few. There is the gentlemen, who I think is homeless by choice, that loves to tease my dog at the park. And there is the one that walks down Market St. talking to himself and violently waving his hands, then there is the drunkard that walks around harassing people downtown. Wilmington is quite the home for a homeless person - perhaps its due to our overwhelming amount of nonprofits that offer assistance or perhaps its just due to the wonderful location.

Weather. Can't beat 70 degrees during the month of Christmas. I can't believe I wore shorts and flip flops to watch the football game this past Sunday.

The fast paced northern feel with a little southern hospitality all its own. Wilmington is sectored off from any large city and has really adopted a culture all its own. With so many northerners (myself included) infiltrating, Wilmington offers a good combination of both.

So much creativity, so little time. I am constantly impressed with the number of creative people in this town - it's probably suppressed my own hopes of actually successfully selling some of the things I've made over the years. With art shows and workshops almost every day of the week - the artistic community here does not disappoint.

All in all, I love Wilmington. Although I still consider Maryland home and hope to go back there one day - I don't discount all that Wilmington has to offer. If Wilmington's job market ever perks up I would highly recommend this place as a great place for people of all ages!

Peace, Love, and Weekends!

The Power of Vulnerability- MUST WATCH.

Movie Reviews

 As of late, there are a ton of movies on my list to watch. Without Netflix or a more expensive cable package, I’m limited to what Redbox has to offer these days (which is not so bad.) Despite the recent increase in move rental prices on redbox (up from $1.00 to $1.20), I will graciously accept the cheap fare to watch a movie. Still much better than the $11.00 to go see a movie in the theater. In Wilmington, we are fortunate to have multiple venues to see movies on the cheap including the recent movie festival, Cucalorus as well as the on-campus theater that offers $2.00 movie fare. Recently I have been watching LOTS of movies, with the cold weather moving from my comfy and warm bed in the evenings takes more energy that I  would like to give. Here are some movies that I have watched recently –

Crazy Stupid Love – My roommate and I almost bit the bullet and paid to see this movie in the theater. However, our lack of motivation in actually paying the $11.00 forced us a save it for another day. I picked this one up at Redbox as I am a big fan of Steve Carroll and Ryan Gosling (ummm, yes they were wrong about 2011 sexiest man of the year and here is why). Overall this movie was GREAT – 4 ½ stars in my book. It was all things you look for in a light-hearted Tuesday night movie – funny, cute – wait, maybe I am just describing Ryan Gosling. Ahhhh, well it was a beautifully told story of caring and forgiveness and the beauty of love and family.

Kumare – This movie was at the top of my list for the Cucalorus film festival and definitely lived up to its expectation. My dear friend Erin accompanied me to the screening of this movie at Thalian Hall. When I first heard about the movie I thought it was going to be about a really weird guy who changed his identity to get people to follow him on his path to spirituality. Well, it turns out, it was - but in the most humorous, enlightening way. I LOVED THIS MOVIE. 5 stars from me. I sincerely recommend it to anyone who is interested in a motivational story about finding one's self and where to look to do such a thing. It did not hurt that the movie was HILARIOUS too!

The Future – Having a little bit of a lady crush on Miranda July for the better part of the last five years. She is my creative inspiration. I had to check out this movie. Within the first 5 minutes I was totally creeped out and have decided that Miranda’s work is becoming a little to quirky for me. Not sure if it's her work or me getting older. The opening scene is a shot of a cat’s legs, one broken, while the cat is talking about being in the darkness and hoping that someone will take it home to care for it. We all know how I feel about cats and just the fact that it was talking was enough for me. I continued to watch the movie – while multi-tasking – as I couldn’t give it my full attention. I give this 1 ½ stars. Not worth watching but I give Miranda the benefit of the doubt as she is a brilliant creative artist. I am just not into this kind of work I guess.

So, what movies do you recommend? Up next on my list are – J. Edgar; The Muppets; finally jumping on the Harry Potter bandwagon; Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud; Circumstance; The Lemon Tree; The Pool; Four Months, Three Days, and Two Hours (Thanks Linda for the foreign film recommendations!)