You better believe I'm looking for an oasis.

Some days, I am disgusted by people's obsession with convenience. Driving home from work, I notice the wind has picked up and scattered trash throughout the neighborhood. Before turning into my own neighborhood, I see a young tree in the median has captured a plastic white Walmart bag. This reminds me of the same kind of bag that has been hanging in the tree of our neighbor's yard for the past couple months. It is there to greet me everyday as I come home. It has been able to withstand wind and rain and perhaps even the ice storm we had last month, although I'm unsure of the exact time that it's been there.

How lazy are we? Trash in our trees. Wall- e may not be too far off. Plastic bags should be banned. They are ugly. By ugly, I mean hazardous and distrubing. They hate the environment and only serve to placate the desire of convenience. I mean really, could you imagine bringing your own bags to the grocery store to carry your purchases?? Sure, I believe in recycling (big fan actually), but let's be real. There is a big pile of trash floating in our ocean. Think about this the next time you see the wind capturing the mini-parachute of your plastic bag and taking it towards the trees. Here's a link about it on the Popular Science Blog: http://popsci.typepad.com/popsci/2007/10/giant-island-of.html


It's ugly. And I am concerned about how the earth's problems stem from the selfishness of humans. Recently, my company has taken a measure to reduce it's own waste by not handing out beverage sleeves on most hot drinks- with some exceptions. I support this 100%, but you would not believe the looks from some customers that we get. I secretly laugh inside at them.

On the same note, I'll admit to my love-hate relationship with technology. The advances and improvements that it has given us are outstanding. Some much as been accomplished with it, and I'll definitely say that I have several of these items and enjoy them completely. But, I'm saddened when I see it interfere in people's personal lives.

Here's a brief list: teenagers with iPhones (really? so they can watch youTube in English class?), people who mySpace and Facebook more than they call old friends (hello!! don't be shy!), people who haven't picked up a pen or pencil in months because the computer is their only source of communication (handwritting and cursive are becoming ancient!), cellphone users who talk more to the device in their hand than a human face (sorry, you have eyes?! umm... call me.), people who forget manners because texting is easier (g2g, TTYL- :) , and basically all users who are unable to function without their phone or computer for one day- and admit it.

Resorts on remote islands must be becoming a big industry. Getaways to faraway places and spa days have to be popular. Is our society conditioning itself for total technicalogical reliance that we have to leave the country and escape the rings and beeps to get any sort of relaxation?

I like letters in the mail. I like handwritten notes. I like your face talking to my face.

Maybe it's my overly analytical mind that warns me of the loss of personal connection that comes with technology- or maybe it's the threat of robots- or maybe it's my lack of faith in human inventions- or just maybe, it's my love of pure simplicity.

Smile like you mean it.

Please don't ever underestimate the power of a smile. There is a reason that you have lips and teeth and dimples. Yes, to kiss, but mostly it's to smile. A smile doesn't need words. A smile can be communicated in every language and non-language in the world. A smile conveys a positive, uplifting emotion- joy. A smile is meant to be contagious and spread. A smile is not only to show one's own satisfaction, but it is an act that is given to another. No one talks about how they smiled in secret. Smiles are to be shared.

Trust me, as a barista at a busy coffee shop, a smile is a welcome and wonderful thing to see. There is a lady who always smiles and laughs with us every single day! She genuinely appreciates us and what we do, but she is sincerely sweet in showing it to us. It is so pleasant to see. I wish I could smile as much as she does. Everyone loves how nice she is and we always remember her.

There is a reason people want you to smile for a picture- 99% of the time, a smile is your better look. It shows that you are happy. Yeah, it's that simple, but we often forget about the simple things in life. Don't make life complicated, smile.


*She's the best smiler in the world. Although, I'm not sure if she is smiling or laughing here. Way to go, sis.

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." Psalm 24:1-2


Lately, I've had this intense yearning for discovering nature. When I travel, it is one of my favorite things to discover. New landscapes- beaches, mountains, hills, huge fields, rain forests, trees, oceans, lakes- are fascinating to me. The feeling of being so small with all of nature around is such a humbling experience. Watching the clouds move, the sun rise and set, the stars come out, the moon shine, the ocean waves come in, the wind move over the grasses, the leaves fall, waters cut through the ground to form rivers- it's all brilliant to me. I love the smells and seasons of new places. Sometimes when I watch a storm roll in, I feel that just maybe it is a glimpse of what it was like when God created the world. The strength and power and uncontrollable force of weather is a phenomenon that is new every time I witness it.

I long to be in a place where I can see for miles in every direction. The expanse of the ocean is frightening but at the same time so mesmerizing. One of my most treasured memories was when I watched the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean on the coast of Australia at Watson's Bay. I could almost see over the edge of the earth. It was incredible to watch the sun slowly peek through the clouds and spread it's light over the ocean. The colors grew in the sky and water and on the cliffs. We also watched the birds come to enjoy the morning on the cliffs.

I miss touring the landscape of Cairns, Australia. We took a tour of waterfalls through the rain forests of the area. Actually, we got to swim/ slide down all four of them. I felt like I could have spent an entire year exploring that area and I couldn't have seen it all. We saw sugar cane fields and the banana crops, both things I had never seen before.

Hiking in Colorado gives me the same great memories. There is something so freeing about being out away from the city and taking in the ground, trees, mountains, and lakes of where you are walking. It's like you are at the mercy of the land. Once again, the vastness and greatness of nature overwhelms.

This post was inspired by several factors in my life right now. First, it's been almost a year since I last traveled. I was in Colorado briefly last summer but not long enough. Second, I feel like nature, the outdoors, and traveling have been themes of many of the conversations with my friends lately. Third, being outside has been a good release for me in the past year, and so at the very least, it deserves a post on my (almost forsaken) blog. I would post my own poetry here, but it's hard to compare with Wordsworth so I'll save it for another time.

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud
by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed-- and gazed-- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.