Hello Seattle

This song came on this morning while I was getting ready and it just reminded me how much I love living in this city. Enjoy the song and scenic pictures.

Mr. Sun

I know I shouldn't do it, but sometimes the temptation is just too much: I caved and looked up the weather on Maui. It is always a bad idea because knowing that the sun is shining somewhere only makes me crave it more. So here's the deal, all this week Maui will be experiencing lows of 67 degrees and highs of 85 (sounds terrible, right?). It is painful to read that as I look outside at the grey rainy sky. I love Seattle, don't get me wrong, but I feel as if I would do ANYTHING for some warm sunshine. The good news, I will be laying on a Maui beach in a short 6 weeks!! I hope my pale skin can hold out for that long :)

Paradox

This picture (go to image 4) caught my attention as I was catching up on the news this morning. It is full of contrast and irony. It makes me think of war and pain and also the innocence of children and the freedom of play. In a way it is very peaceful but then you see a soldier with a gun and a tank in the background and are reminded of the devastation and brokenness of our world. This image is haunting me. There is so much depth and so many vantage points to view it from. It exemplifies our universal humanness-at some point that soldier was that little boy on the swing. Is the soldier wishing he could go back in time? What does the boy think of the soldier? Is the soldier missing his family back home? Does the boy have a family or has his life been torn apart by war, by people that look like this soldier watching him? There is so much that goes unsaid, leaving much room for contemplation and reflection. The paradox of our world today was captured so vividly for me in this picture-it amazes me the impact a single image from halfway around the world can have on me, a girl whose life seems so disconnected from the reality displayed in the picture. It goes to show you how inextricably connected we all really are. I hope this image gives you something to think about today.

henry

There is a man who signs his name simply "henry." He has been somewhat of a mystery to me ever since I journeyed to Seattle and began to call this place home. He colors the city with whimsical creatures and childlike imagination. What used to be blank walls, garage doors, even cars and buses are now brilliant pieces of art that brighten any gray Seattle day. Until today, all I have known of henry is what I have just shared with you. But as my wonder has grown, I did a little research and am even more inspired by "henry" who I now know has a full name: Ryan Henry Ward. A man who has a dream to paint 50 murals throughout Seattle, brightening up ordinary spaces. And yet, he has even bigger dreams. Dreams of traveling to the developing world and helping people through art and even more murals. Dreams like this inspire me to dream. So thank you, henry, for dreaming and painting and sharing your gift with the world.

For an article all about henry see:

http://monkeygoggles.com/?p=1824

And here is henry's webpage:

http://www.ryanhenryward.com

Pensieve

The above picture is a pensieve from Harry Potter. A pensieve is a basin of swirling silver clouds that has the ability to hold a person's thoughts and memories. Once you remove these memories from your mind and transfer them to the pensieve, your mind is free of them. You may revisit these memories as you wish but the pensieve holds the burden of them for you.

A week and half ago, after a particularly hard day and during a particularly overwhelming week I mentioned to my roommate that I wished I had a pensieve. I had too much going on in my head and I just wanted some relief from it all. I wanted to remove my thoughts and come back to them later.

And then I realized that she was my pensieve that night. I sat on my bed and let my thoughts flood out and she graciously listened and held my thoughts for me. She was my real live pensieve. And the more I think about it the more I appreciate the people in my life who serve as my pensieve, and the more I want to be that for the people in my life. Because let's face it, we all need a pensieve every once in awhile.