My Inspiration

   I love movies. I feel like that's a huge understatement, but there's really no other way to say it. And although I love a huge variety of movies, I only have a few that truly inspire me and make me believe that my dreams and goals aren't too big. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is at the very top of that list. Haven't seen it? Stop reading and find it. Seriously.

 
  I'm not even going to start talking about the acting, even though Dustin Hoffman (who is one of my personal favorites) is absolutely PHENOMENAL! No, I want to tell you about why it's inspiring to me:
  First, this entire movie is quotable. I kid you not, this movie is full of simple wisdom. A few examples-
                         "Your life is an occasion. Rise to it."
                         "May I suggest you stun the world?"
              Molly: "Now we wait."
Mr. Magorium: "No. We Breathe. We Pulse. We Regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. Thirty-seven seconds, well used, is a lifetime."
          and, my personal favorite, this beautiful quote about death:
Mr. Magorium: "When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He's written 'He dies.' That's all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is 'He dies.' It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with 'He dies.' And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it's only natural to be sad, but not because of the words 'He dies.' but because of the life we saw prior to the words."

(I won't lie, that part never fails to make me tear up. So amazing!)

So apart from those quotes, this movie is about more than being yourself. It's about more than finding yourself. It's about more than being happy. If I had to sum it up, I'd say it's all about realizing what you're capable of...and then utterly and completely exceeding it. Just blowing it out of the water. Stunning the world...and possibly even yourself. And why not? Why settle with getting by? No. Go and stun the world.


To get you motivated to watch this spectacular movie, here's a small clip: King Lear

Enjoy. :)

Running

  My goal has been to post on Mondays, but with the computer/internet problems I've been having, I'll just have to adapt and post whenever I can!
  I want to share a secret with you: I HATE RUNNING. Don't get me wrong, I go running at least 3 times a week...but I hate it so much. I guess I should clarify. I love the idea of running. I love the success I feel when I finish an especially hard or long run. I love when I run a mile more than normal. I love how many races I've done. I love that I think so much about buying new running shoes. I love all the apps, magazines, and running gear I have. But I so very much hate the process.
  Another thing is, I can't seem to avoid injuries. One time, I hadn't even left my parking lot and I had to pick a wedgie...I wasn't looking at the ground, I stepped in a pothole, one leg got stuck behind the other, and down I went. Fully wiped out. Scraped my knee, hand, elbow, and hip. Still finished my run. I know, I'm crazy.

   Then, 2 weeks later, I hadn't even gone 2 blocks, and my ankle just gave out. I stepped on it, it made an awful crunch sound, and I hobbled back home, very angry at the world. You'd think I'd be glad for an excuse to not go running, right? I don't even understand myself anymore.
   I always have to psych myself up and hope I don't talk myself out of it...which is crazy, because this is the ONLY thing I've stuck with consistently over the years! I've been a runner for 2 years now and it's done wonders for my knee problems, my panic attacks, my breathing problems...you guys, I was a mess before I started this weird hobby!
  But yes, here I am 2 years later. A runner. Stronger, happier, healthier...and I know it's something I'll never stop doing. Because I'm psychotic.

  Also, I wanted to brag about one of my awesome running apps: Charity Miles. It's free and definitely a good cause. Go check it out!

My Changes

 As I said before, I am NOT a fan of Facebook. I decided that I'm going to be getting rid of it somewhere between September and January...which will be my transition time to get ready to move to Louisiana (more about that later :))!
 I've also been trying to figure out the best way to keep in touch with everyone, which we've all forgotten to do outside of Facebook (it's convenient, I won't deny it)! I'm going to be investing in a polaroid camera (since I'm a first worlder and I demand instant gratification) and I'll be using my insomnia to my advantage by writing letters when I can't sleep. Easy enough, right? We'll see...
 Until I make all these changes, I'll keep on randomly posting on Facebook, mostly for my Auntie Anne's benefit. :) I love you, Auntie Anne!

My Fresh Start

   I'm so tired of Facebook. Sure, it's great for keeping in touch with old friends, far away friends, and those people you rarely talk to in person. But I've been getting to the point where I'm done with it and ready for something NEW!
  Hence this new blog :)
  I'm going to be using this to share all the new, exciting changes coming up in my life. Awesome changes. Changes that blow my mind and can't be anything but a God-thing!
 
Also, if you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend reading Start by Jon Acuff. Trust me, it's phenomenal. :)

"You don't need to go back in time to be awesome; you just have to start right now.
Regretting that you didn't start earlier is a great distraction from moving on your dream today,
and the reality is that today is earlier than tomorrow."
Jon Acuff
(ps, that's a quote from his book, if you didn't figure that out. You know you want to read it.)