THE NEW(er) SOUTH

"The paradigm is shifting in the South. There is plenty to dislike or feel bothered by, but there is also more to be excited about down here than ever before."

-Patterson Hood

The lead singer of Drive By Truckers band, Patterson Hood, recently wrote a commentary titled THE NEW(er) SOUTH for the website The Bitter Southerner. As an Athenian and my former neighbor, I enjoyed reading Hood's article and the past, present, future and a way to work though it all. 

I highly recommend reading the article! Hood's a powerful musician and a brilliant storyteller. 

Enjoy y'all!

Twain on Travel

Photo: Point Clear, Alabama / Fall 2008

On How to Let Go

She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear.  She let go of the judgments.  She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.  She let go of the committee of indecision within her.  She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go.  She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go.  She let go of all of the memories that held her back.  She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.  She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.

- Rev. Safire Rose, via laurennicolelove.com

I needed this tonight. Maybe it can help you, too. xx

wait!

hey, i'm still here. don't forget about me. 

The 5 Stages of Grief: Study Abroad Edition

1. Denial – The days leading up to May 16, packing, saying goodbyes, throwing a coin the Trevi, heading to the airport, getting on the plane... Is this really happening? We're not actually leaving.. right?

2. Anger – I'm just mad I had to leave Rome, my friends, a wonderful school, the opportunity to explore and be on my own. This anger stage still comes out from time to time. Ask those closest to me. 

3. Bargaining –"Ok, Mom & Dad... Just let me stay for a few weeks after to travel. I reallyyyy wanted to go to Budapest and Munich..."

4. Depression – Not even Crazy, Stupid, Love, Casablanca and an ice cream sundae on the airplane could ease my heavy heart. I woke up from my nap wondering where my roommates were and if the kitchen was clean only to find myself on the airplane headed to Atlanta. Yeah, I cried. Then cried again when my sister gave me a collage of pictures of my trip. Then cried again when I was singing by myself in the car.

5. Acceptance – When the plane landed in Atlanta, we were one of the first group of passengers to go through the new terminal. It opened earlier that day. The employees were excited, the walkways were beautiful and I got to see my family for the first time... in a few weeks. It's been a little overwhelming since then, but I'm happy. Driving is more fun than I remembered. I love having Netflix on Demand. I can stretch out my arms in bed and not touch a wall. There's no sirens, no neighbors yelling at 8 AM, no dirty floors. My friends smiling faces and genuine happiness at my return gives me a little slap in the face. Life is good and all of the exciting things happening at home makes me feel ok about being back. It happened. It was wonderful. Now, get on with your life but don't forget a second. 

Before I left, there was a C.S. Lewis quote that I constantly repeated when I was sad or anxious about spending four months away. "There are far, far better things that lay ahead than any of those we leave behind." Lewis is a smart man and I believed his words. Now, I'm repeating it again and looking at things lying ahead. I may turn around a lot and think of Italy, but hey... who wouldn't?

Ciao Amici.

...and by 'Ciao', I mean 'a domani', because the blog is keeping on. 

emerson don't lie.

A person will worship something, have no doubt about that.  
We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out.  
That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. 
Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshiping, we are becoming. 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

under the sun

So I commend the enjoyment of life because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun. 

- Ecclesiastes 8:15

so, stop being so hard on yourself. get out there and grab this life by the horns.

little this, little that.

Books, love, a slight melancholia, and an overwhelming excitement for the next few months... I think it all fits rather well together.

this...

... is incredible and gave me goosebumps.

I'm starting the final stretch into finals, then home next Wednesday. 

Hope you have a great weekend <3

"Be happy...while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth."

-Ecclesiastes 11:9

words are music to the mind

 

That was cathartic. It's all gonna be ok, ok? Happy weekend!

feeling restless

“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.”

— Marcel Pagnol

"... and be done with it..."

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

magic

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

- c.s. lewis.