After I got dressed this morning, I realized that my outfit was a good reflection of my life over the past few years.
Last week I stumbled across the link to an article about 21st Century Spinsters - since I pretty much fit that description, I couldn't resist clicking over to give it a read. I didn't have high expectations, I assumed I would come away feeling slightly sorry for myself.
Instead, I found myself celebrating, if just for a few minutes, my spinsterhood. While I do wish, like one of the women interviewed in the article, that I could brag about dating guys from every continent, the truth is, in most other respects I live a pretty amazing life. I get to live in and travel to amazing places. I have a job that sounds really cool (and, most of the time, is somewhat cool.) I have the independence to live life on my terms and spend my time doing the things that I enjoy, which typically means wasting too much time on the internet and listening to music. I can waste money on cute shoes and jewelry with only a little guilt. And I have an amazing family and friends who support and love me just as I am. So, yes, I life a pretty good life.
That being said, I, like many of my spinster sisters, still hold out hope that around one corner I'll find that guy who could be an amazing partner. But until that time comes, I'm going to keep celebrating my spinsterhood - and I'll live it to the fullest.
Ingrid Michaelson - Die Alone
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I'm not sure what is driving my shopping addiction in Delhi these past two visits, but I find I can't get enough jewelry or shoes here. I must have spent a bit too much time talking about shopping at work because a couple of my friends have offered to support my shopping habits by taking me to some of their favorite stores.
I had one of those rare moments in life where I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be, that I was a valuable part of a team working together for a worthwhile goal. It was a moment of pure joy that stayed with me for several hours.
This evening I found myself in my navy, polka-dot dress in the middle of a group of co-workers (all guys, or course) in a team meeting. As we talked over the challenges of the past week and goals for the coming week, I looked around and realized that all my silly fears of being smart enough, vocal enough, or just plain old enough - were really just that - my silly fears. I realized as I sat there I had the respect of my peers and that I bring something valuable and unique to the team. That spark of knowledge and contentment with myself was an amazingly powerful feeling - one I wish I had more often.
How often do we (especially women) think we aren't good enough, pretty enough or smart enough. How often to we step back or aside for someone else and diminish who we are. Why are those moments of recognition, where we know exactly who we are and are happy with that person, so rare? Why do we struggle to recognize just how powerful we are?
I don't have the answers, I just know how amazing that moment of recognition was for me today. I hope you'll slow down at least once today, long enough to realize how beautiful life can be.
Fell asleep last night to this gorgeous song, Brooke Fraser's "C.S. Lewis Song"
A final set of photos from the wedding - a few shots with some of the wonderful people I've met here.
The wedding was over the top - as is the typical wedding in India. There were hundreds of people there, enough food to feed twice that many, flowers and lights everywhere and a team of photographers capturing every moment. Here are a few pictures.
Welcome to part two of the Great Saree Adventure, which is as much about the great kind of people I've met here as it is about my saree.
When I bought the saree this past weekend I was thinking that I had nearly two weeks until the wedding, imagine my shock when I realized I had less than a week. This is a problem because typically when you buy a saree it comes with a piece of fabric that you then take to your tailor and have them use to make the top and things like that don't happen overnight.
When I arrived at work on Monday I started asking friends if they knew of a tailor who might take a rush job. One of my colleagues stepped up and said she'd make a few calls for me. She got her mom involved and next thing I know I had an appointment with a tailor Tuesday evening, right after I picked up the saree. My friend's mom had called and some how convinced her tailor, who usually takes 1-2 months per order, to do a rush job for me. At 7 PM I showed at Mrs. J's house (who I'd never met before) and sat down for a visit and some wonderful fresh juice which was prepared when I explained I didn't drink tea or coffee while we waited for her tailor (yes he makes house calls.)
When he arrived, she kindly explained that I wanted my shirt a bit longer than usual (no way am I baring my belly!) This led to a LONG conversation in hindi with much measurements of the fabric. The fabric had been specifically created with bands of the printing placed where the waist and the arms would end on the normal length, but since I wanted mine a few inches longer there wasn't enough fabric. Eventually we all decided to go with a fabric dyed to match with the printed bands added after the fact, seems like a workable solution to me.
How kind was it for Mrs. J and the tailor to spend part of their evening helping out a total stranger at the request of my friend. The more I travel the more I'm convinced the world is full of amazing people, you just have to see through the differences to realize it.
I'm feeling a bit Irish today and thought I'd share a playlist of my favorite Irish musicians.
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Have you picked up on this week's theme?
I listened to a bunch of U2 last weekend and was reminded again why they are who I'd chose if I could only have one artist with me on a deserted island. Not only do they have a deep history (which means lots of music) they write and perform songs with a passion that isn't often matched.
I had a couple of their CDs in my car last week when I did the roadtrip from SLC to Aurora. Driving back as I sang my heart out I realized U2 was a big part of the soundtrack of my life and I decided I would devote a week of posts to their music. I didn't know what that would mean post wise, but somehow I'm not surprised that it ended up also being a week devoted to family, love and home.
I was going to close the week with my favorite U2 song, only problem is I can't pick one. So instead here is the one that for me defines the journey of life, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." As a bonus I found a vintage clip of Bono explaining the song.
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A few months ago I complained to my mom about a dark patch of skin under my left eye. I hated looking in the mirror and seeing it. My mom told me that her mother had a similar mark. I won't go so far as saying that I now like having the mark on my face, but I do find myself thinking about my grandma now when I look in the mirror.
It was a crazy few days but I managed to spend some time with every member of my family during my whirlwind trip home. I saw Tiny T take a few stumbling first steps, I reassured myself that Miss M still knows who I am, and perhaps hardest of all I spent some time with my grandpa who may not know exactly who I am anymore, but who seemed to recognize at least that I was someone he loved.
I won't be watching the Oscars tonight - I'll be on an airplane where I hope there will be a great movie selection - if there, is I may finally get a chance to watch a few of the nominated films.
I do have an Oscar wish and I'm hoping putting it out there will make it come true. Ryan Bingham's "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart is amazing, I'd love to see it win and for more people to discover this talented artist.
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Taxes - I hate this time of year.
It seems that this is one of those weeks where songs just keep reaching out and grabbing my mind.
I stumbled across this song months ago when I listened to an Eli Young Band album on an airplane in their entertainment system. I liked this song so much I picked up the CD when I found it on sale at Target. I hadn't thought much more about it in months, until I read an article this week that the band was finally putting out the song "Guinevere" as a single.
Apparently they hadn't planned to release it, but fan reaction to the song changed their mind - to the point that they pooled their own money to make the video.
What caught me about the song the first time and even more so as I've listened to it this week is that a few of the lines hit a little uncomfortably close to home. While I would appreciate having the line, "for as much as she stumbles she's running" applied to me, I hope I never think "forgiveness ain't nothing but a lifeless tire on the shoulder of her soul that never rolls."
I'm on an airplane again today with a "pocketful of memories" as I make way home for a very quick stay before I take off again. I can't help but wonder if I could survive my somewhat crazy work life if I didn't have, like Guinevere, "a handful of records" to turn to when I need to land.
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I'm packing again.
When I was trying to come up with a name for my blog I knew it had to relate to music, I landed on lyrical because nearly every time I find a song I like I find myself compelled to track down the lyrics so I can better understand the the meaning of the song. I believe in 100 years students will study the lyrics the way we used to study 18th and 19th century poetry - maybe not songs like "Sexy Chick" but perhaps songs like Ben Harper's "Diamonds on the Inside."
This is the type of song I could easily see a student breaking down and analyzing in a term paper. Its the sort of song you can listen to over and over and pick up on a different lyric and meaning depending on your situation at that moment.
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Using papers from Sunkissed and Just Saying by Jesse Edwards.
