stubborn as an ox

The Chinese New Year was recently celebrated all over the world, as the year of the OX was welcomed in.  Oddly enough, the Ox has some interesting attributes that are strangely applicable to our current state of affairs in the world...So, I now plan to bestow my wisdom (or lack, thereof) onto you regarding the Ox (though I may be better versed in the art of being stubborn...).

My good friend Wikipedia has taught me a few things about the the Ox(en)  [boxen?  moosen?!]...

• They are a sign of prosperity by way of hard work
• They are capable of achieving great things
• They are dependable, calm, patient, and do not complain
• They use logic and common sense, and have active minds
• THEY NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF THEIR GOALS
• They are detail oriented, tireless workers
• They have a deep appreciation for beauty (ok, this one doesn't follow suit as much as the others, but stop and smell the roses, you know what I mean!?)

See a trend?!

Now this is not only the year of the Ox, it is also the year of the element Earth, which also brings some cool ideas.  Earth is...

• The balance of masculine and feminine
• Centered
• Associated with patience and thoughtfulness
• Has seasonal changes

While I am definitely NOT an avid follower of astrology, I say let's approach 2009 with these things in the backs of our minds...Maybe all this hard work / never lose sight of your goals mumbo-jumbo is what this world needs right now! ;o)  Let's be as stubborn as the ox (for those of us who aren't already...uh hum) and push through what seem to be dire and desperate times.

And maybe more importantly...the world needs us to appreciate beauty a little bit more...

So on that note...Happy Chinese New Year!

home for the holidays

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

According to an e-mail forward that I received recently, a seven year old boy said that.  Whether or not that is true, I have no idea, however this is a statement of beauty to me and absolutely epitomizes my time home at the holidays.

I had a blessed two week long visit home, and got to see so many important people.  So, to those with whom I was able to visit, thank you, and I love you...

Here's how the holidays were for me...

[lunch with some Pi Phis]

[zoolights with some roommates]

[breakfast with some college friends]

[and most importantly...my fabulous family]

I also got to see many old high school friends, but missed all of the photo ops!

Love was, indeed in the room.

a letter from mike

This past Christmas, I received the annual Christmas card from our McCarthy CEO, and it started out with one of his favorite Chinese proverbs, which I thought was very thought provoking for some reason...

\May you live in interesting times.\

When I first read this, I really liked it for two reasons, I think.  

First, I liked the thought of 'interesting times'.  The obvious thing to think about right now is the economy, wars, etc., but I prefer to think of other things ;o).  I loved the idea of ALWAYS living in 'interesting times'...

In the thesaurus in my brain, synonyms for 'interesting' are...

[not boring]

[living in the moment]

[always trying new things]

[learning things daily]

[challenging]

[being surrounded by DIFFERENT people]

[involvement in all sorts of things]

[different that my expectations]

[random]

...and the list goes on...you get the idea.

The second reason I liked this is that when I initially read it, the natural emphasis in my head was on 'live'. 

Again, my synonyms for 'live' are...

{not being passive}

{always questioning}

{seeking adventure}

{enjoying the moment}

{soaking it up}

{loving}

{making choices...to LIVE}

{take charge of my own destiny (to the extent that I think I can!)}

As you can see, I loved this 'proverb' and thought it was a sort of blessing...However, upon further research, I was disappointed to find that the Chinese actually meant it as more of a curse.  I attribute my seemingly incorrect interpretation of the proverb to my recurring choice to see the good, and not the bad, in things...

So let's take the 'glass is half full' approach that I so much enjoy, and be blessed by *LIVING in interesting times*.  

Carpe diem?

resolutions

Most people make New Year's resolutions, right?!

Well, in the past, I have done the typical resolutions...lose weight, write in a journal every day, etc., and as per most people, they lasted for about three days.  

This year, however, has been different for me.  We are officially 23 days into 2009, and I am feeling great about changes I'm making in my life.

I'm trying to focus mainly on two things: 

1.  Everything (almost) is ok in balance / moderation, and 

2.  Every situation (and how we respond) is merely a choice.

So here it is in a nutshell...

...eat a bit less...

...save a bit more...

...love everyone, including myself, better...

...to be healthier...all around...