The year is 2016.
Where do I see myself in 5 years?
In five years, I will be 24 years old. And if all goes according to plan...
I'll be a college graduate, ideally living either on the East Coast (in one of the Carolinas, perhaps?) or in Europe, and beginning my career as a book editor or journalist. But most importantly, continuing my walk with Christ and delving deeper into our relationship everyday. Married? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I hope to be completely in love. And doing a lot of traveling, if I can afford it. Sending my parents postcards from every new place I visit, but never forgetting to go back to my Cajun roots. In 5 years, I plan on being the world's greatest aunt to any nieces and nephews that I might have (please God, give me nieces and nephews!), and I'm counting on these three amazing amigos to still be a huge part of my life.
If even a few of these predictions come true, I will be a very happy girl.
But a lot of things can happen in 5 years. Honestly, who knows where I'll be?
Style me pretty.
Okay, I must admit right off the bat that I've never had much fashion sense. Honestly, there's not a fashionable bone in my body. My wardrobe consists mainly of jeans, oversized cardigans, and neutral-colored flats. (What can I say? I like to be comfortable.) Terrible am I at mixing and matching different items of clothing to create uniquely beautiful sets. Before I "go out" on a Saturday night, it usually takes me half an hour to decide what I'm going to wear, simply because I'm trying so very hard to make my ensemble appear original and cute. However, I almost always end up getting frustrated and settling for the same old thing: jeans, comfy top, flats. I just need to accept the depressing fact that fashion will never be one of my talents.
But at least I can say that I know what I like. And I pretty much gasped with girly excitement when I saw this Black Swan inspired color palette, put together by the ever-so-fashionable Elodie.
The combination of pale pink and subtle grey are right up my alley—so lovely and delicate and exactly what my chosen "style" would be if I had one. But for those of you who are more into darker colors, these other chic pieces (also inspired by Black Swan) may suit you.
Gorgeous, I say! Which one do you like?
Chocolate cake and lots of sunshine.
A brief photo story of my weekend:
^^^ Megan and I shared a gigantic piece of chocolate cake at Hyde Park Bar & Grill, my new favorite restaurant. ^^^
^^^ My parents came for a visit so that we could have our traditional Valentine's Day celebration a day early. ^^^
^^^ This young woman looked so peaceful on top of Mt. Bonnell. You know me, I just had to take a picture. ^^^
It has been a very beautiful weekend indeed.
On love.
Love is sort of confusing sometimes, isn't it? (I think that might be the understatement of the century.) Let's be honest here, folks—most of us will question the whole concept at least once in our lives. We have a tendency to obsess over the meaning, the purpose, and the effects it has on us as human beings. I mean, think about it. There are so many different types of love, all of which seem relatively simple in theory, but can become awfully complicated when mixed into the chaos of our personal relationships and experiences. But what is love, really? Could we possibly attach a single definition to the one thing in this world that has the "sheer power to alter and define our lives?" Doubtful. For example, does it mean the same thing to love your spouse as it does your sibling? How about the difference between loving your Heavenly Father and loving your favorite television show? It seems ridiculous to use the same four-letter word for each of these things, considering that they are all significantly separate. I'm pretty sure that the Greeks knew what they were doing when they created not one, but four different words for love: Agape is known to be the highest form of love; it is unconditional and divine, often referred to as the love that we receive from God. Eros means romantic love and is associated with passion and desire. Philia, on the other hand, has to do with platonic love, specifically in friendships. And storge is the kind of love that family members naturally share for one another.
I don't know about you, but I feel like life would be a lot less complicated if we used these distinctions in our own language. But instead, lazy English speakers way back when must have decided that one measly word could sufficiently encompass all four categories. So now, in the 21st century, we're stuck having to decode our friend's text message or email to figure out if the ambiguous "I love you" actually meant "You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I never wish to be parted from you from this day on," or if the notion behind the three words was strictly platonic. (Keep in mind, this is just a lame example of what could happen. In no way am I condoning the ridiculous and cowardly habit of taking part in such a serious conversation through text messaging, of which most of us are probably guilty.) Of course, we can usually rely on context to help us tell the difference. But sometimes, the clues are not always so obvious. This brings me to my second challenging factor in assigning a definition to the word "love."
Some people would say that love is a noun, as in a feeling or emotion; however, a select few might insist that it is predominantly a verb. A few years ago, if you would have asked me which side of the argument I was on, I would have told you without hesitation that love was definitely a feeling. The magical, heart-pounding, head-over-heels, butterflies-in-your-stomach type of feeling that spreads throughout your entire body when you are kissed for the very first time. But, as I've grown and matured, I've come to discover that love is so much more than that. I may not be an expert on the subject, but I know with most certainty that true love cannot be contained within the limited barriers of our emotions. Sure, as humans, we have the tendency to fall in love—from what I've seen, an out-of-this-world experience (igniting a whole plethora of emotions) that I would hate to miss out on during my lifetime. But actual love, as in to love, is a choice that each of us make every single day. It is choosing to be faithful, patient, caring, and kind to our husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, friends and strangers. It's honoring the sacred vows that we have made and learning to forgive when others don't. It is giving away bits and pieces of ourselves without expecting anything in return.
I'm sure that we've all heard this before, correct? I'll admit that "my" definition for love is nothing new—on the contrary, many people have spoken and written about the topic in greater detail and with much more insight than this blog post could ever hope to emulate. But sometimes, I feel like the rest of the world (myself included) forgets all that true love has to offer. Most of us are so enamored by the idea of love, but how can we really understand what it means when we're constantly bombarded with whimsical stories of self-fulfillment disguised as love? Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy the fairytale romanticisms as much as the next person (or even more so)—but I can't help but think that we are all hung up on a misguided representation of love, one of more take and less give.
So, to wrap up this incredibly lengthy post, I pose the question, is love really all that complicated? Well, I guess that depends on the person you ask or the situation to which it pertains. But, to be honest, I don't believe that it is. In fact, I'm willing to bet that the very essence of love is more straightforward than we'd like to think. If you're not so sure, go ahead and check out the oh-so-popular bible passage from Corinthians; the proof is right there, in black and white. I'd say that it's the truest definition of love there is, for the most part. Even still, I have a feeling that humans will never stop discussing, pondering, and obsessing over the captivating mystery that is this four-letter word. And I really don't see anything wrong with this. Because, let's face it: love, in its purest form, "awakens the soul and makes us reach for more." (Okay, I'll stop with the movie quotes now.)
|| movie quotes from The Holiday, Pride & Prejudice, and The Notebook //
Book characters.
My favorite storybook character(s).
This will be my favorite question of all, methinks. (Which makes a lot of since, considering I made this one up. Well, what can I say? The actual question for this week had to do with "the best mashup" I've ever heard. Boring! And I totally don't care. But I do care about books, of course. So here goes.)
1. Hermione Granger (The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling)—I kind of want to be this girl. She's highly intelligent, courageous as all get-out, and beautiful without even trying. She fights evil in the wizarding world with two of her best friends, whom she cares so deeply about and would do anything for. But most of all, Hermione has a wonderfully unique personality that I can't get enough of. Sure, she can lose her temper every once in a while, but her unwavering beliefs and good instincts are what fuel her strength as a character (and keep the trio alive in the most dangerous situations). She's pretty much the epitome of an independent, go-getter kind of gal with a huge heart who isn't afraid to risk her life for those closest to her. Talk about one-of-a-kind.
Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have. | Hermione to Ron, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2. Atticus Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee)—Before anything else, I must ask the question, who wouldn't love this guy? Seriously, he's the most heroic character I've ever come across in all of my years of fiction-reading. As a middle-aged father and devoted lawyer living in 20th century Alabama, Atticus Finch doesn't seem like much on the surface. Let's just say, he isn't your typical superhero. But by the time you get through half of the novel, it is clearly evident that his character is so much greater than most people in the story realize. As well as being a loving parent to Jem and Scout, he is also a wise and humble friend to just about everyone else in Maycomb County. With tireless determination and amazing fearlessness, he fights for justice in even the most hopeless situations. I'd say that he's basically a modern-day St. Jude. (And if I didn't see him as the ultimate father-figure, I would be madly in love with him.)
Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. | Atticus to Jem and Scout, To Kill A Mockingbird
3. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)—Of course, this brief list would not be complete without the ever-so-clever Miss Bennet from Austen's infamous classic. How could I leave her out? Lovely yet fierce, this lighthearted heroine refuses to waste her time with anyone who doesn't give her the respect that she deserves. She's the kind of person who questions society's norms and goes against the grain, no matter what the cost, to ensure the happiness of her beloved family. Money and security mean nothing to her, while love means everything. Lizzie believes that true fulfillment, rather than just contentment, can be found, as long as you're willing to look for it.
Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger. | Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
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