Friday, March 15, 2013

A Drop In The Bucket

Most of my friends and family know that I am a fan of lists, lists that range from ideas to memories to chores to dreams. As the new year came and went I was too busy to come up with a list of resolutions and so I made a short-list in my head and tried to remember to get more sleep and eat less salted chocolate. Then there are even bigger lists, the kind of lists that are too long to remember and too extensive for a post-it note. Do you know the kind of list I am referring to? The bucket list.

I have several friends that have started bucket lists and for some reason, it is all too daunting for me to begin to write down everything I will ever want to do and so instead I came up with something a little easier to wrap my brain around.



Monday is my 24th birthday and so as I set my sights on new year, a new number, and another birthday I came up with this:


24 Things I never thought I would do:

1. Sail around the world with Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu
2. Live in New York City
3. Go to graduate school
4. Get my nose pierced
5. Run a marathon
6. See Amartya Sen speak in person
7. Attend a Presidential Inauguration
8. Ride on a camel
9. Cliff Dive
10. Eat squid polenta
11. Go on an African Safari
12. Attend my college graduation with speaker First Lady Michelle Obama
13. Work along side founder of TOMS Shoes, and live in a beach house in Santa Monica with 9 other girls
14. Tour Ghandi’s House
15. See the Pyramids in Egypt
16. Hold babies in orphanages all over the world
17. Have multiple art shows
18. Jet-ski before a wedding
19. Learn to play the violin and meet the best there is: Natalie MacMaster and Mark O’Conner
20. Star gaze on deck 6 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with all my best friends
21. Adopt a love for Pho (and master chop sticks)
22. Go to a yoga class
23. Listen to country music more than never
24. Remember to wear my retainer every night and become an avid flosser 

24 Things still to do:

1.     Learn to play the guitar and be able to sing like Dar Williams (Dream BIG!)
2.     Learn to knit big chunky scarves
3.     Be fluent in more than one language (preferably French and Arabic)
4.     Road trip across the United States
5.     Travel by train
6.     Learn to do a perfect hand stand (a cart wheel could be cool too)
7.     Learn to sail
8.     Trapeze
9.     Refurbish an old beach house
10. Run a marathon on every continent
11. Go camping–the real kind of camping–not the fake kind
12. Travel the world for an entire year
13. Learn the ins and outs of all the Adobe programs (easier said then done)
14. Start up a small restaurant (you know who you are and we know what it will be)
15. Mountain Climb: base camp Everest (not to the top, just the first camp) & climb Kilimanjaro (the whole thing)
16. Zip line through a rainforest 
17. Learn to tap dance
18. Ride in a hot air balloon
19. Have my own gallery and studio space with lots of light and deep sinks
20. Live in a foreign country
21. Work: for a small NGO and a big wig organization
22. Learn to drive a stick shift–essential for travel purposes
23. Make a difference on a global scale (we are talking Hilary Clinton style)
24. And of course the big stuff (eventually)–Marriage, kids, house, la, la, la.

It's a start...a drop in the bucket. This cup is for all the Pisces out there and for everyone who has helped me celebrate another year. Cheers. 

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Blooming




It is still a winter-y mix of snow and slush in the big apple, and as I made my way home, dodging deep puddles and dark rain clouds, I decided to duck into Whole Foods on a whim. As the double doors opened, a huge display of yellow daffodils pulled me in. I instantly felt better. Like a sugar rush from eating too many jelly beans, the daffodils screamed spring and gave me a surge of vitamin D.

As I made my way home I couldn’t help but think of spring in Portland. I always knew it was getting close to my birthday when my grandfather would bring big tin cans full of daffodils to dinner. Year after year the bulbs would multiply like bunnies, until eventually the whole side garden turned into a sunray of yellow.  Rusty cans filled with fresh flowers are one of my very favorite things and a telling sign that spring is just around the corner.

Earlier this week my best friend from childhood sent me a picture of us holding hands in my front yard. It was taken on my fifth birthday. We are dressed to the nines, donning bright floral dresses, complete with sparkle headbands and white gloves. It made me nostalgic for the days of sparkle plenty accessories, not a worry in the world, and spring play dates outside. I smile every time I look at this picture. It reminds me of the simple things–flowers and friendship.

I finally made it home, soggy around the edges; I couldn’t help but feel a little bit homesick for Portland and old friends. As I shed my layers and headed for the kitchen, I noticed a large vase on the dining room table, bright yellow, the smell of fresh daffodils filling the air. 

This cup is for Granddad: for all the tin cans of daffodils, love and support
And Mary Claire: for the memories


Monday, March 4, 2013

Cover to Cover




A drop in pressure, a change in the winds, a cloud cover, a cover of covers, I am buried deep. For some reason I just can’t get my mojo. As February comes to a close I am reminded that we still have a few more weeks of winter, and most creatures are still hibernating, and those that aren’t hibernating have migrated to a sunny corner, with clear skies and plenty of vitamin D. And then there is the rest of us, who are bundled ten layers deep, be it coats and cashmere, work and deadlines, to-do lists and plans.

The other day I stopped by my local Kiehl’s to pick up my favorite lip balm and the expert in the lab coat met me at the register with a handful of samples. Only after I got home did I take a closer look at each little tube to find an assortment of anti-aging wrinkle creams, under eye brightener to eliminate dark circles, and youth rejuvenating cream. I took a long hard look in my mirror and wondered what exactly the expert in the lab coat had seen?

New York has a way of rubbing off everything from the soles of your shoes to burying itself deep under your skin, and people go to extremes to cover up with creams or tame their stresses with caffeine. In truth, there are not enough samples in the world to cover the “mice” under the eyes that are a direct result of long days, long lines, and long hours. Sometimes, the best cure is just to hibernate–be it five more minutes under the covers or five more weeks deep in a cave.

And then suddenly you wake up and it is March 4th

While there is still a chill in the air that bites the edges of your ears and numbs your finger tips, if you look closely enough, blossoms are about to burst, sprigs of green are peeking out to see what they have been missing, and the world is slowly about to wake up as everyone prepares to spring forward and climb out from under it all.

This cup is for Courtney: who came and pulled me out of my den.