bagel friday

New York is known for its bagels, and rightfully so.  When I lived there, I fell in love with bagels.  Not the kind you buy at the store, or the type you'll get in a Starbucks. Real bagels - thick, soft, delicious bagels.  

To treat myself for making it to then end of the week, I had Bagel Friday!  It also prevented me from having Bagel Monday-Thursday.  I looked forward to that bagel all week and cherished it once it came.

It's the little things.

I recently decided to bring back Bagel Friday!! There is a really yummy bagel shop in town called Old School Bagel Cafe, with the tag line "No New York in the name, but the bagels are the same!"  And I will say, they are the closest I've had to a good NY bagel.  And they have pretty good coffee too which isn't so much a plus as it is a requirement.

Bagel Friday is the best.

Backwoods Norman Hiking Club

On Saturday I went on my first hike with the Backwoods Norman Hiking Club.  They go on a hike once a month, and this was the first time I was free to join them!

I love winter and seasonal weather, but on Saturday I welcomed the sun inspired, 60 degree, t-shirt spring teaser.  Barely even breezy, you couldn't have asked for better hiking weather.  

I really enjoyed hiking with a big group of others, all of which I had never previously met... but there was a lot of wait time involved, which I wasn't so keen on.  Too many pauses and breaks for my liking.  Lots of different personalities... from the nice older lady kicking it getting some exercise outdoors, to the annoying overenthusiastic backpacker obsessed with his gear.  

The hike was lead by a professional wilderness photographer and I enjoyed hearing about his work and his experience outdoors.  Additionally, instead of going on a standard trail, he lead us on a "game trail" - meaning, we followed the tracks of elk.  This felt so much more authentic and really added to the experience.

I connected well with a woman on the hike and we hope to do it again.  We carpooled home and it was nice to meet somebody new - making friends is always invigorating isn't it?

Outdoor fun makes me so excited for the upcoming adventures in my life... which begin in 93 days!! 

But more on that later...

TED

"Ideas worth spreading"

People are amazing

 and TED is a phenomenal place to enjoy the blessings of their minds and spirits.

People who see uniqueness where others see normality.

People who make incredible discoveries.

People who dedicate their entire lives to just one thing.

People who see opportunities where others see limitations.

TED has several themed playlists available - some curated by TED, others by celebrities.

There is an enormous number of TED talks I enjoy, but here would be my playlist.

"8 talks that inspire me to live a more beautiful, open life"

Brené Brown: Listening to Shame

This is Brené's talk to follow her discussion on vulnerability - mentioned in my post "ingredients for joy and meaning."  This talk made me think a lot about the presence of shame, even in the smallest and most hidden ways, in my life as well as how it is almost embedded into the way our society runs sometimes.  Brené inspires me with honesty, an open heart, and a positive outlook on the powerful impact of understanding ourselves and each other in sympathetic and encouraging ways.

Benjamin Zander: The Transformative Power of Classical Music

Zander has an uncanny way of captivating his audience and sharing his passion for classical music with others.  Not only do I love the enthusiasm of this presentation, I also love the message - both that of a positive outlook on opportunity and the simple explanation on how wonderful music truly is. 

Amos Winter: The Cheap All-Terrain Wheelchair

This talk challenges my idea of limitations - constraints push innovation.  Additionally, a good example of the business/personal practice of a user-centered focus.

Candy Chang: Before I die I want to...

What I love about this talk, is the extraordinary connection Chang brings to people in ordinary places and ways.  Public art that takes an abandoned home and turns it into something great.   Her sense of community, and how she brings it out in others, is truly beautiful.

Aaron Koblin: Artfully Visualizing Our Humanity

Data and technology play a substantial role in today's world.  And let me be clear that I absolutely love data.  I love creating it, compiling it, analyzing, etc.  But in this talk, data becomes something unlike what I had viewed it before.  It is art.  Beautiful and interesting art.  It might just turn you data-haters into data-lovers. 

Paul Nicklen: Tales of Ice-Bound Wonderlands

Two things I love about this talk.  1)The fragility of nature and the importance of protecting and preserving it.  2)The amazing things that can come from stepping back from our judgments and giving people (or in this case, leopard seals) a chance.   Nicklen is a fantastic nature photographer and has an amazing, amusing story to tell. 

Dan Gilbert: The Surprising Science of Happiness

Happiness is something we're always seeking out or holding on to.  So what makes us happy?  And how do we find happiness where it doesn't naturally occur?  The idea of synthetic happiness was not surprising, but I found this talk very interesting and thought-provoking.

Louie Schwartzberg: Nature. Beauty. Gratitude

I'll end my playlist with one of my absolute favorites. The title of this talk sums it up perfectly: nature - beauty - gratitude.  

2012

Time present and time past

Are both perhaps present in time future,

And time future contained in time past.

- T.S. Eliot

As the year comes to an end and a new one begins, reflections come to mind. 

2011: Home & Reset

In moving back to Oklahoma, I came home both literally and figuratively.  I feel like this was invaluable in allowing me to reset my goals and expectations and life in general. 

2012: Meatless Happy/Sad

Looking back on this year makes me think of two things - no meat, and emotional contradictions. 

Assuming I make it 12 more days I will have had a meatless year.  Honestly, I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  Without intending to do so, I've become way more sympathetic to the animals.  By removing meat from my diet, I now see meat as animals... whereas before I simply saw it as food.  That being said, I do plan to return to the carnivorous lifestyle and we'll see where I decide to go from there.  

Emotions... sheesh.  Am I right?   

The insatiable desire for the good ones; the persistent reality of the bad ones.

This year, more than others, I have been filled to the brim with joy and felt emptied by sadness. 

Explanation of the sadness:

- Even when life is going great, when it doesn't match up to your expected and/or desired reality... it can leave you feeling disappointed. 

- Having a pointless job with waaaay too much free time and waaaay too little challenge can leave you feeling insignificant, bored, useless, and stuck. The mind and time can be your own worst enemy on this one... when it wanders it often wanders in the unhappy direction.  I've realized that sometimes the distractions in life are really helpful. 

- No matter how many loving people bless your life, it can be a lonely world sometimes.  And I don't handle the lonely feeling very well.  I identify strongly with being independent, but I also thrive off human interaction in a powerful way.

- Honestly, sometimes I couldn't even explain my emotions and for the first time in a long time felt controlled by them.  Although it may be weak and/or seen as taboo to talk about our emotions in this way, I'll go for honesty and openness and admit that it happens and it happened and will probably happen again.  Not all the time, and not in a significant way... but I feel its worth mentioning. 

Sharing of the many joys!

- OUPS reunions!  I have felt so lucky to have seem my amazing friends from college so much this year - in small groups and large ones.  These people are my family and I could not love them more.  Being surrounded by them fills my heart with joy!

- Friends!  I have rekindled old friendships, developed new ones, etc.  Wonderful friendships continue to be one of the best blessings in my life. 

- Weddings!  By the end of this year, I'll have been to 3 awesome weddings of 3 spectacular couples.  I have honestly felt so happy for these dear friends.  Weddings are such a fantastic celebration - both in the actual party, and more importantly in the significance of the event.  To watch your friends feel so complete in that aspect of their lives to make a vow of forever is such an unbelievable thing.  To share in the happiness of that moment for them is truly a joyful blessing. 

- Trips! Lots of traveling this year - from little hops down to Texas and to a big hop across the pond!

Houston, Austin, Dallas, Tulsa, Devil's Den (Arkansas), Denver, Memphis, Atlanta, Portland, NYC, Glasgow, Dublin, Cork.  

If I were to say how much happiness these trips brought me, I'd be going on for hours - fun fun fun!

- Time. While time was previously noted as my enemy, it is also my friend. I am still very much enjoying having a stress-free job and no schooling to worry about.  I can be involved in my community, do fun things, and relax at my leisure.  It is a luxury I won't have for too much longer.

- Home.  Being in Norman has still brought me a tremendous sense of relaxed happy belonging.  It is familiar, yet evolving.  It has people and places I love dearly.  It is full of simple joys.

All in all, 2012 was honestly just a year of transition.  Of not being where I was and not going where I'll be.  And celebrating awesome events and making great memories in the meantime.  And as with all things in life, there was the good and the bad.   Overall - good year... but looking forward to the next one.

2013...

My only resolution is to floss more... my dentist would be so proud.  

But my vision for my life in 2013 is one of change and forward motion.

I'm not sure what will happen in 2013... I have no idea what my life will be like, where I will live, what I will be doing, or who I will know... and I'm excited for all the possibilities that exist in those uncertainties. 

Okla-home

Downtown Norman may be laughable to others, but it has such a quaint sense of home for me.  To calmly stroll the streets, passing by favorite local shops and restaurants to explore the new ones popping up in the ever-changing and growing culture of the town.  Running into friends along the way, providing an even greater sense of belonging.

Home is a feeling, and I think that in this past year, combined with the four from college, Norman has truly become a home for me.  Not my home forever, but a very distinct home in this very distinct time of life.  It is a place for reunion, and a place for memories.  It provides both a sense of security and a sense of development.  

Life lead me back here to find a home here.