Protect the Polar Bears!

I ran into Greenpeace again. This time they were trying to appeal to my animal loving side by encouraging me to save the bears of the far north. Perhaps, because I’m so cute, they think I have a special bond with other cute things. That might be a good theory.

But first, I’m not sure how cute polar bears actually are. Sure, they are fluffy and white but they are still actual bears and I’m a firm believer that past the age of enjoying little stuffed bears there are no more bears that are cute. Second, I don’t really know anything about polar bears, I mean, are they actually endangered? Do the Eskimos hunt them? Probably. Finally, if they are hunted by Eskimos I have no idea how I could personally save them. Oh if only we could stop global warming and Eskimos!

Anyway, one thing I do know about polar bears is they like Coca-Cola, especially around the holidays. So, for the first time ever, I decided to take Greenpeace’s challenge. I’m sending a case of the good stuff to my fellow cute friends chillin at the pole. I hope this helps with the whole endangered thing…and I sure hope they share with the penguins because they are cute too.

Cute, sappy...and so true

It is no secret that I enjoy cute, little things and I have yet to stop the rumors that I’m fairly skilled with crafty projects and such. It is also not a secret that I do NOT like sappy-cute-crafty things. I don’t care for motivational wooden plaques, feel good embroidery pillows, silly animal pictures with cheesy sayings, ridiculous generic forwards adorned with angels and I certainly don’t scrapbook. It’s just not my thing.

Sure, my own taste in craft projects might not suit another, but the brilliance is I don’t care. I know what I like…and I’m mostly ok with others enjoying the crap they like. Sometimes I feel bad if I gag when you show me your little puppy pillow embroidered with: “I wuf you”…but it is not my fault you have creepy taste.

Sidetracked…anyway, my best friend is a member of a card making club which she really enjoys and is rather good it. It is a form of scrapbooking that I’m not completely opposed to so I’m ok with it. Occasionally she shows me something that is a bit cheesy, she admits it and I just giggle. Overall, they are really beautiful and rather sweet and I enjoy getting them. Recently she posted one of the cards she made on her blog and for the first time I saw a cheesy, gag inducing quote that actually gave me a genuine smile:

“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same”

This simple little quote described our friendship better than I ever could. Our friendship has lasted more than a decade because we truly know each other and we love each other despite and because of what we know. There are not too many people in my life I’d be prepared to say that about and without question she makes the top of the list. We have seen each other from laughter to tears and together we have forged through the wonderful and the despair. A friendship like this does not come along every day and when a cheesy but beautiful quote appears as a reminder you find yourself most grateful for the opportunity you have for them to be in your life.

I did not intend for this posting to be homage to my best friend, in fact I was prepared to bash more warm-fuzzy quotables, but perhaps this is long overdue. We are human, and honestly just not that easy to love sometimes. Some of us pose challenges because we are clueless, guarded, broken or quite simply a tad bit feisty but we all desire to be and have good friends. A true friendship is more than completing sentences or bursting into laughter by the look of an unspoken joke. A true friend loves you despite all faults and cares enough to patiently encourage you to overcome them. A true friendship stands the test of time, distance and change. As two peas in a pod, together, we have weathered all three. I am so lucky to have a friend like her that can make a cute, sappy quote mean something very real to me. I am proud to call her my best friend.

Little Purple Things

I finally caved last week and purchased a new iPod nano… a purple one. It is a very good purple and it suits me well. I can honestly tell you I purchased this iPod for two reasons: it’s small and it’s an amazing shade of purple. When I saw the ad release for the new generation iPods I was filled with glee – you put anything in the right size and color and I’ll buy it, so good job Apple. After my joyful purchase, a friend of mine generously loaded my new baby with some sweet jams and I drove home in high spirits singing and dancing with my new pretty purple pal entertaining both myself and fellow roadies.

It has been just over a week and I have proudly displayed it to everyone I know as if they have never seen one. That little electronic gem has brought me so many warm fuzzies. I feel slightly bad for my old fatty iPod because he just was never that pretty, but he has a new owner so I am sure he is just fine. BUT, the point is, the current joy. I am truly amazed at how happy I have been to get in my car after work and sit in traffic so I can play with my new friend -I actually look forward to it. Although this strikes me as somewhat strange I think the real reason is rather quit simple. It is the simplicity of it.

Recently I’ve been stressing in my life over huge things. I am starting to feel a tad older and daily more aware of things I thought I’d be doing by this point in my life and am not. Unfortunately, long ago, I approached these goals from the wrong angle, placing unnecessary time frames and silly expectations, so instead of standing as pieces of hope and excitement they have continually brought discouragement. Maybe I’m naive, but I guess I thought goals should be motivating and rarely discouraging, so…ooops.

While I know there is a place for long term goals and a genuine focus on the bigger picture I have spent far too much time recently overlooking the small things in life that bring happiness every single day. Thank you my pretty, purple iPod for reminding me of the little things that make life worthwhile on a very, very small and simple scale.

Election Exercise

I did not vote for a President yesterday. I did not care for any of the candidates and this whole campaign season has really been a huge disappointment. I voted yesterday because I can. I voted because years ago a group of inspired, wise, strong individuals fought for the right to be heard, to choose, to vote. I voted yesterday because just shy a century ago a few brave women stood up in a society telling them no and paved the way for me to have the right today to be heard, to choose, to vote.

My heart ached yesterday when I heard the indifference of some of my friends and colleagues. “Who cares, my vote doesn’t count anyway,” “I don’t like any of the candidates so it’s just not worth voting.” What a sad state our nation is in when today we are unable to appreciate the simple privilege of heading to a local polling station and casting a vote when there were so many willing to die for it. I refuse to take this for granted no matter how poor the ballot may look when I get to it. I refuse to silence myself by apathy. I will not pretend to think my individual vote will flip any election but it does not really matter because it is my vote and that is the most important vote to me.

Yesterday I voted simply to exercise a privilege given to me long ago by others who would not be silenced. I voted for them and I voted for me. I voted because I am woman and I voted because I am an American.