Walking on Diamonds

'Ello Reader,
Sorry for the long delay--it's been kind of a crazy week.  I'm actually sitting here redoing my hair since it's looking a little minty green.  It's supposed to be purple... it turns out blue.  Don't ask.  So I'm sitting here, a bit bored, I haven't blogged in about a week, and it's a good way to procrastinate on my homework.  OH!  I'm going to a conference from Friday to Sunday and I am super excited about it!  So yep, that's what is new with me.

Hmm, so let me talk about thought and the mind for a bit.  Our minds are incredibly powerful and incredibly mysterious.  I mean, why else would a branch of psychology (cognitive) be dedicated to the mind and how it works?  We can slip into altered states of consciousness through things like meditation or hypnosis, which are really solely due to the mind. Our minds can also cause physiological symptoms, especially those associated with pain or anxiety.  There's a whole slew of psychosomatic disorders out there, and I don't know about you, but stress and worry wreak havoc on my body.  I especially carry stress in my shoulders and as someone put it quite eloquently to me, "You have knots on your knots!"  So yeah, it's a little crazy to think something so intangible can manifest thought and worry into physiological symptoms.

What I think is a little bit cooler though, is the concept of attention.  If we don't pay attention to something, especially something visual, it's as if it doesn't exist!  I find it both interesting and a bit freaky to think about the extent of what we miss on a daily basis, simply because we're not paying attention.  The other night, I was walking back to my dorm sometime around midnight. The temperature had just dipped below freezing and the very thin layer of moisture left on the street and sidewalk was beginning to freeze.  I wasn't really paying attention, but when I looked down everything seemed to sparkle.  It was as if I was walking on diamonds.  It was the most beautiful thing I had seen in quite a while,  though I must admit it was rivaled by the hoar frost we've had on the trees for the last two days.  Stunning. Here's a photo my friend took of that by the way.  I feel so lucky to be living in such a beautiful place.

I think I was lost in thought before I noticed the sidewalks and roads.  I love just sitting around and thinking.  It's why I kind of like blogging--it forces me to organize and summarize my thoughts.  I think a lot of people enjoy thinking, and especially having the time to think, but what gives thought it's value?  It is valuable because we enjoy it? or do we enjoy it because it's valuable?  Also, does the value of thinking come from the sheer fact that we do it and enjoy it, or from our explicit application into our daily lives?  I'll leave that last one up to you. Whatever answer you come up with, I'm sure it will be epic.

So, go enjoy a few minutes of that epic thinking, but don't forget to look down--you never know when you'll find a diamond.

Please be well and be excellent!  Have a good week!

-Megan

Talents, Awe, and Art.

Heyo Reader,

How you doin'? I'm sitting around, procrastinating on a few papers due Wednesday. No worries though, I have all my work done for tomorrow. I'm actually just sitting on my bed, listening to Yellowcard. Life is good right? Or... at least it will be until those papers kick in. The good news is I have my philosophy class tomorrow, which I adore. Tomorrow's looking to be a good day--busy, but good.

Okay, so you know what's really great? Having friends who are willing to share their talents with you. I guess I'm thinking of artistic things, be they musical, literary, or visual. It's any kind of talent really, but the arts just seem to be on my mind lately. I cannot even begin to describe how blessed I am to know all sorts of incredible people with talents I only wish I myself possessed. I know painters, artists, writers, dancers, guitarists, drummers, pianists, poets, orators, philosophers, actors, potters, photographers, singers, and a number of other incredible things that escape my immediate consciousness.

Everyone you know has talents that you might not know about or might not have been allowed to see, and that's incredible when you stop to think about it. One of my friends is an incredible sketch artist and I remember her just sitting down for a couple minutes, getting into a weird zone, and cranking out incredible drawings. I don't even think I could draw a decent straight line in the time she would work. The art of your peers will enrich your life, just as it should.

The beautiful art and general talents of your peers are the kinds of things that make life bearable when it seems unbearable. They are capable of bringing to light the beautiful, and sometimes painful realities of life, and they are also capable of letting you casually slip into the softest, most comforting daydreams.

Appreciate your friends and talents, and encourage them to pursue whatever those may be. Sometimes we take the skills of others for granted, barely glancing at a friend's painting or missing someone's dance recital. I'm no artist by any means but it feels excellent to hear genuine compliments and praise from friends for anything artistic I do, and I can only assume they feel the same. It just feels good to be noticed.

Art makes life epic. It's a fact... 'cause I said so.

Be well Reader, and be excellent.

-Megan