katie. [i am a vegetarian. i'm learning to play the guitar. i love my cat. i'm going to school for elementary & special education. i'm overcoming my fear of organized religion.] and that's about it.
Max Ehrmann, “Desiderata” (1952)
but i'm so glad that you exist.
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.Therefore be at peace with God,
”
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Today, before class, I stopped by Starbucks to get a hot chocolate. I saw three of our school’s cheerleaders hitting on the new hot cashier unsuccessfully. They saw me order and rolled their eyes. I was wearing an I’m On A Boat t-shirt and playing with a little green bouncy ball I found in my pocket. Guess who got not only the cashier’s number, but also the numbers of three other guys in there? MLIA
Today, I tried #45 of 333 ways to get kicked out of Wal Mart. When a girl that looked my age walked by the tent that I was hiding in, I said “You can come in if you bring a pillow and a blanket” the girl looked at me, wide- eyed, then ran off. I laughed until she came back five minutes later, with two pillows and a blanket from the bedding department. We have a date tomorrow.
Today, I was volunteering at a nearby elementary school’s carnival. They had a DJ operating the songs playing on the sound system. At some point, Miley Cyrus’s “Party In The USA” came on. A child of about 9 suddenly dropped the the floor screaming, “MY YOUTH! MY YOUTH! IT’S BEING CORRUPTED!!!” The DJ immediately turned off the music, apologized, and then started a Beatles song. I have faith in today’s generation. MLIA
Here I love you.
In the dark pines the wind disentangles itself.
The moon glows like phosphorous on the vagrant waters.
Days, all one kind, go chasing each other.
The snow unfurls in dancing figures.
A silver gull slips down from the west.
Sometimes a sail. High, high stars.
Oh the black cross of a ship.
Alone.
Sometimes I get up early and even my soul is wet.
Far away the sea sounds and resounds.
This is a port.
Here I love you.
Here I love you and the horizon hides you in vain.
I love you still among these cold things.
Sometimes my kisses go on those heavy vessels
that cross the sea towards no arrival.
I see myself forgotten like those old anchors.
The piers sadden when the afternoon moors there.
My life grows tired, hungry to no purpose.
I love what I do not have. You are so far.
My loathing wrestles with the slow twilights.
But night comes and starts to sing to me.
The moon turns its clockwork dream.
The biggest stars look at me with your eyes.
And as I love you, the pines in the wind
want to sing your name with their leaves of wire.
Pablo Neruda
