“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It's the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.” 
― Audrey Hepburn

ready. set. go.

I kinda feel like I have been running a never ending race - excited, exhausted, determined.  This morning a song came on my Pandora and it made my whole morning.  Have you seen the adorable movie Matilda?  It is based a story written by Roald Dahl.  IMBD describes it as, "Story of a wonderful little girl, who happens to be a genius, and her wonderful teacher vs. the worst parents ever and the worst school principal imaginable." I first heard this song in that movie - I remember awkward dancing to on my bed, curls flying, feet squishing, without a care in the world.  Today, it was just what I needed.

"After The Storm"

And after the storm,

I run and run as the rains come

And I look up, I look up,

on my knees and out of luck,

I look up.

Night has always pushed up day

You must know life to see decay

But I won't rot, I won't rot

Not this mind and not this heart,

I won't rot.

And I took you by the hand

And we stood tall,

And remembered our own land,

What we lived for.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see what you find there,

With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

And now I cling to what I knew

I saw exactly what was true

But oh no more.

That's why I hold,

That's why I hold with all I have.

That's why I hold.

And I won't die alone and be left there.

Well I guess I'll just go home,

Oh God knows where.

Because death is just so full and man so small.

Well I'm scared of what's behind and what's before.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see what you find there,

With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see what you find there,

With grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

Promise yourself that you will be

 honest 

about how you 

feel - 

that you will let yourself fall hard and take a risk.  

Promise you will let yourself feel so strongly about something,

 you will choose to 

be 

vulnerable 

over-and-over-again 

to 

risk 

being told 

no 

 just because the hope of getting a 

yes 

is 

too

 strong

 to ignore.

  Promise yourself that you will care enough to be hurt 

to hurt

 in a way that 

will 

not 

go away quick or maybe even ever 

but

 is a constant reminder that what you had 

was 

true.  

Promise yourself that you will be strong

but not cynical -

 hopeful,

 not helpless

 and kind,

 not cutting.

Promise yourself 

these 

things 

now

because someday when all is spinning and nothing makes sense, 

these are the things you will cling to,

 these are the things you will know to be true. 

...this sounds like the dream job - messy, crazy, hard, but absolutely magical

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karin-badt/personal-experience-set-d_b_67799.html

"...with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed but attentive."

"By the way, would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split, and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of barroom vernacular, this is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed but attentive. The method may not be perfect, but it is all I have. I think your proofreader is kindly attempting to steady me on my feet, but much as I appreciate the solicitude, I am really able to steer a fairly clear course, provided I get both sidewalks and the street between."

-Raymond Chandler

...time to start running

"I recommend the following course of action for those who are just beginning their careers, or for those like me, who may be reconfiguring midway through: heed the words of Robert Frost.  Start with a big, fat, lump in your throat, start with a profound sense of wrong, a deep homesickness, or a crazy lovesickness, and run with it.  If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve.  Do what you love, and don't stop until you get what you love.  Work as hard as you can , imagine immensities, don't compromise, and don't waste time.  Start now, not two weeks from now.  now."

Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersections of Life and Design, Debbie Millman

If I could go anywhere today, it would be here:

MoMA Rain Room - a room dumping, pouring, dripping, rain.  People, creativity and technology continually inspire me, this is just exceptional.  When the sensors detect a human body, they shut off the rain right above the patron.  So, you can literally sing, dance or kiss in the rain all while never getting wet.  How magical does that sound?  It sounds absolutely astounding - it got me looking at  MoMA memberships and flights to NYC.  

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1380

Silly, happy, pick-me-up song!

"Sometimes I need a little sunshine, a little hope for a better day, a little love to find a way..."

Listen to it loud, enjoy.