It’s just a number

Today is my birthday, so I’m going to be away from the computer and off doing all sorts of fun things. I’ll probably do a bit of unpacking, too. I’ll come back with a full-sized post tomorrow, but while I’m here I thought I’d just say hi and encourage you all to have some sort of fun today, too.

As long as it’s my birthday, I also thought I’d say how wonderful I think it is to be forty-three. It always makes me laugh when people do not wish to say how old they are. The older I get, the better I like it because the more myself I become. I hope that’s true of everyone reading this, too. If it’s not, you can choose to make it so.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

136. Celebrate your age today. What do you like about your current age? How does it differ from other ages you have been?

76 Harleys led the big parade

 

Dear Reader: I’ve decided to do something different on the weekends—something less formal and structured, much like the weekends themselves. Enjoy!

 

I love a parade, and today I’ve decided to watch the Gay Pride parade. This will be fun for me, since I usually march in it. I was asked by a bunch of different groups, but I think it’s fun to be a spectator once in a while. Then I’m off to the country dance where I’ll be wearing my new cowboy hat. Yee haw!

 

See you tomorrow!

Yummy pancakes

Dear Reader: I’ve decided to do something different on the weekends—something less formal and structured, much like the weekends themselves. Enjoy!

I’m moving this morning, and I have two amazing friends who have volunteered to help me. It’s going to be a lot of work on a day that promises to be in the 80s. We’re going to need all the energy we can get, so I’m treating them to breakfast first, at a lovely little place called Café Mecca.

I love this place. It’s half diner and half dive bar. The diner part has counter stools with chrome trim, and a floor with black and white squares. All of the waitresses look like models and a few of them look like Bettie Page, which is a common occurrence here in Seattle. I like this place because it is real, down-to-earth and friendly. Their food is also very tasty. If you’re in Seattle, you should come check it out.

See you tomorrow!

I am who I am

Today’s blog is being brought to you by the pink triangle, the rainbow sign and the letter “Q”. This weekend is Gay Pride in Seattle, celebrated on different dates in different places but often near the very end of June to remember the Stonewall riots, a landmark in the gay civil rights movement.

I write Yay! Pigeons to focus on joy, not on politics, so I’m going to address Gay Pride from that angle, too. It gives me great joy to see committed loving couples who live in the state of California being able to celebrate their relationships by getting married. I celebrate the parade that’s going to go right through the center of downtown, acknowledging the diversity and presence of queers in this city. It gives me a sense of satisfaction that the cultural contributions of the LGBT community are being honored during this month.

I love living in Seattle, and part of that is the thriving gay community we have here. I want to single out one joyful organization for mention. I really like the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Abbey of Saint Joan. If you aren’t familiar with the sisters you might want to check out some of the links I’m including. The sisters are a global organization who raise funds for charity and provide community education and outreach. They do this while dressed in festive nun drag, which makes them controversial. As a devout seeker of joy, I love them for their mission statement: “We are an order of 21^st Century nuns dedicated to the promulgation of universal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt.” That’s truly a mission I can get behind.

Some gay people don’t like the inclusion of groups like this in the parades and festivals because they believe it reflects poorly on our community. I disagree—I am proud to be part of a community that has so many members who are willing to express themselves in all of their individual and creative glory. Members like the Sisters also help to support the community as a whole. I will cheer for them as they walk on by. Yay Sisters! Happy Pride, everyone.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

135. Take time today to celebrate the unique and marvelous creature that is you—gay or straight, nerdy or hip, skinny or fat. Be proud of whoever you are, and rejoice in it.

Links, should you desire them:

About the Stonewall riots: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall

About the Sisters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisters_of_Perpetual_Indulgence

About the Sisters, by the Sisters: http://www.theabbey.org/about/about.html

The pause that refreshes

Have you ever had a really bad cold, and when you recover you suddenly fully understand how joyful it is to be well? That’s what I feel like right now. I haven’t been sick—I’ve been busy getting ready to move. Everything is done now but the last minute details and I am suddenly able to relax. It feels tangible, like a holiday spent at home in the state of free time.

I started my sojourn into relaxation on Tuesday. I’ve been going to bed early and actually getting enough sleep. It feels good, and I’ll need the energy for the actual move. I’m going to a burlesque show with my friend, and the luxury of it feels good. The universe also gave me an early birthday present. I went to an Expo at the convention center last weekend, and I entered lots of drawings. I won a spa package. I’ve always wanted to get spa treatments as a birthday gift, so I appreciate the universe for thinking of me. I’m going to try to go the weekend after I move—it’ll be the perfect indulgence for a task well done.

I’ve been taking little relaxation breaks during the whole process, and I’ve been going dancing, but it’s nice to know that I don’t have to fit any extra work in after work this week. I’m looking forward to the unpacking process, because that always seems to be a lot easier. The excitement of a new place will help to carry me through all of those tasks.

This also reminds me to appreciate other joys I’m experiencing right this moment. I’m not sick, and I haven’t been sick for a good long time. I live in a city that I adore, and I have the greatest friends a person could ask for. Tonight I’m going to celebrate the simple things. Raise your glasses for a toast, and join along with me.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

134. Stress is so insistent on being noticed that we often forget to pay attention to the things that aren’t going wrong. Take some time today to remember what is going well in your life. Are you healthy? Do you have a great family, a cozy home? What is going right? Share your happiness with someone else if you can. Tales of woe get told all the time. It’s great to be able to share some positive experiences.

Find your inner chimney sweep

I work near the Seattle Art Museum, and that fortunate location is one of the principal joys of my current position. I am a member of SAM and I often pop over to the galleries to see art during lunch. This week I’ve been able to see artwork outside, too, and it’s been a delight.

The art museum has a new exhibit called Inspiring Impressionism. To celebrate its opening they held a sidewalk chalk art day. Professional chalk artists (what a cool job!) made elaborate drawings on the pavement. These temporary masterpieces are lovely. I also find it lovely that people are stopping to admire them, and even though they take up large portions of the sidewalk everyone is walking around them. It’s nice to see this respectful interaction with the art.

The museum also encouraged others to show their creativity, and there are many individual chalk pictures scattered around the larger ones. Some are skillful, others less so, but all are colorful and exuberant. I see a lot of graffiti around town, and I wish that more of the artists that choose that form of public expression would switch to chalk. It can be a stunning medium, and it causes no long-term property damage. Even better, the Seattle rains will erase the canvases over time, allowing more space for fresh art. It seems like a win-win situation to me.

I’m enjoying these pictures while they sit there, and I’m looking forward to the next bit of rain. I hope I’m in the neighborhood on that day, because I think that the chalk will look spectacular as it melts under the showers. It’ll be a great chance to practice non-attachment, to enjoy the transient nature of all things. There’s beauty even in transition and loss, and I hope to witness it. I’m also going to go get some chalk, so I’ll be able to make a mark of my own.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

133. Go buy some sidewalk chart and create a little masterpiece of your own. Put it where others can see it and delight in the beauty you’ve created. Enjoy it while it lasts, and then let it go. Repeat as joy dictates!

Not just for turkey day

Today is Tuesday, and it is a day of gratitude. I enter this mood today not in service to a religious obligation, but merely as a matter of reflection. I have a lot going on right now, and I’d be sunk without all the help I am getting from family and friends.

I have friends who are helping me move this weekend, and I appreciate them more than I can say—you know someone cares about you when they help you move. I’m not looking forward to all the lifting and carting, but thanks to my friends I won’t be carrying books up the stairs alone. One of these friends has a problem with his printer, and he needs a little help from me tonight. I’m glad to assist, and it’s great to know that none of us has to face our little crises alone.

I’m visiting family this summer, and we’re all getting together in North Carolina. I’m thankful for everyone who helps to make this happen. It makes my family stronger, and we’ve all got a lot of shared memories around this yearly vacation together. I’m also grateful for all the moral support I get from the people who care about me. I’ve had a couple of stressful events in the last few days, and my friends checked in with me to make sure I was surviving and thriving. It makes all the difference.

This may sound sappy, but I’m not trying to veer into Hallmark sentimentality. I think it’s important to stop once in a while and appreciate all the little things that people do for you. We all flourish because of the little kindnesses that happen around us every day. My mood lifts a tiny bit each time I notice one, and I try to give as much to the universe as I receive. Thanks for reading my blog!

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

132. What are you grateful for? Who supports you in your daily endeavors? Take a moment to appreciate your blessings and to give thanks.

Gotta dance

It’s Monday again, and my brain is once again a mishmosh of weekend experiences. I had a productive weekend, and I got a lot of things done. I was happy about that, but my favorite parts of the weekend involved dancing. Since I resolved to dance more often a few months back I’ve been vigorously keeping that resolution. This weekend I went country dancing and swing dancing, and I had a great time.

Friday night I went country dancing, and I started to learn a new aspect of Texas two-step—I started to learn how to lead. I’m glad that I’ve stuck to only being a follow for so long, because it’s confusing to switch. It’s also really interesting. I think that my practice as a follow is helping me to learn how to lead. I know what I like and don’t like in a dance leader, so I’m trying not to be tentative or bossy. It’s interesting to study the dance from an opposite position. I also did a lot of line dancing that night, and someone complimented me on my mastery of the Boot Scoot Boogie. This made me laugh, because I remember when I didn’t know any line dances but the Electric Slide. The Boot Scoot Boogie was the first one I learned, and I’ve come a long way in a short time. It made me feel good, too, because I don’t think of myself as graceful. I might have to revise my own opinion.

I also started my second class in East Coast Swing. I love the glamour of swing dancing, and I adore the music. I learn something from every new dance I take, and what I’m learning from swing is that if you really love something it’s worth the physical effort it involves. I don’t find the steps to the dance at all complicated, and can usually do a new pattern shortly after it is introduced. What I do find difficult—sometimes very difficult—is the pace of swing dancing. An hour of practice feels like running up stairs. I also find pace to be an issue with certain line dances I do—it’s hard to dance so quickly and not become breathless. It makes me want to work to get in better shape just so I can have even more fun when the music starts. Considering how far I’ve already come, I know I can get there. Cue the music!

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

131. Is there something you might like to do but you think it might be too physically challenging? Start working up to it if it makes you feel joyful.

And maybe mimosas

Dear Reader: I’ve decided to do something different on the weekends—something less formal and structured, much like the weekends themselves. Enjoy!

Happy Sunday! I’m going to be very busy today, going to meetings and getting things done, and I’ll try to take a little time to relax. If I had the time and funds, I’d rather be having brunch somewhere. I haven’t gone to a proper brunch in quite a few years, and it seems like such a relaxing Sunday thing to do. I offer the blog today as a suggestion, because perhaps you have some time.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to go out with some friends and sit somewhere with lovely table cloths and vases full of flowers? My fondest memories of brunch include buffets, so I’m imagining tables laden with fruit and all sorts of scrumptious goodies. If you can’t go today, perhaps you can make a date for later in the month. I plan to go soon, and I suggest it to you, too. What are you waiting for?

See you tomorrow!

Questions questions questions

Dear Reader: I’ve decided to do something different on the weekends—something less formal and structured, much like the weekends themselves. Enjoy!

I love to read magazines, and it’s something I don’t often have enough time for. Magazines are expensive, so I tend to enjoy them as a rare treat or in a place where I can peruse them for free. Sometimes people leave old ones at my workplace, and today I found the June/July issue of Atlantic. I’m looking forward to reading it. I mention it here, because even the title of the feature article intrigues me. In large letters across the face, the magazine screams “Is Google Making Us Stupid?: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains.” The author is Nicholas Carr.

I’m looking forward to his conclusions, because I’ve been thinking about this issue a lot lately. Many members of my generation, Generation X, did not grow up with access to personal computers. Most of us have adapted, and have learned to surf the web with the best of them. I’ve found a lot of useful information online, as well as a lot of diversion. I’ve also become concerned because it seems that a lot of people accept everything online at face value. This is more modern disguise for the old fallacy that “because it’s written down it must be true.”  This worries me as a scholar—I used to be a medieval historian in a past existence of this life. It worries me more as a person, because this fallacy is a powerful weapon in the aid of those who seek to preach hate and violence.

It’s something to think about, whether or not you seek out the article. Unwavering belief in the supreme greatness of computers is one of unquestioned assumptions of our times. I find myself more joyful when I ask questions about everything (or maybe that’s just my pesky curiosity speaking)!

See you tomorrow!