Choose Your Own Adventure

BEDA Day 4, so far I'm doing pretty well. Of course, I wrote three blog posts this weekend and scheduled them to post, but that's beside the point. I'm not really sure what to blog about today...honestly, I feel like this summer has resulted in my IQ dropping several points, my brain melting and running out of my ears, and my stress level to skyrocket. I hate it, mainly because i don't want to whine and moan all the time. I mean, I have a great job, I get to work in my chosen field, I never work weekends, and I get to improve the lives of children. Those are all fantastic things! All those things make me INSANELY happy. So why do I feel like doing nothing but whine and complain? I'm just tired and in desperate need of a break, which I won't get until CHRISTMAS! So, instead of dwelling on all of the things that make me want to curl up in a ball and cry, I'm going to take a page out of my therapeutic manual and focus on things that make me HAPPY instead.

So what exactly makes me happy? Well, there are things I've talked about on here before. Generally my job makes me happy. Not this summer, but during the school year I absolutely love what I do. My family also makes me immensely happy. Whether it is watching Jeopardy with my grandmother, walking with my aunt, or hanging out with my cousins, I always enjoy the time I spend with my family. I went on vacation with my auntie, The Clone*, and Jerry this year. We went to Nashville, and the trip consisted of a seven hour road trip. We sang High School Musical songs, we played car games, did a scavenger hunt, and played a version of "Name That Tune" with the radio's scan button. It was one of the best things that happened this summer.

Other things I enjoy, things that can make me happy regardless of what is going on in my hectic crazy life? There are several things. Never fear faithful readers, I will list them for you!

1.  Harry Potter. Oh, Harry. You are always there for me. When I feel down-trodden or lonely or I need someone to share my joy, I can ALWAYS count on you. Need to be reminded why friendship is worth it in the end? Harry has the answer, be it trolls, merfolk, or Dumbledore's Army. Wonder if the fall into love is worth the pain that may follow it? Harry can answer that too**. Need to know what the ultimate weapon is? Clearly, Harry has taught us that the weapon is LOVE, whether it is familial, friendly, or romantic...love makes the world go 'round.
2. Books. I have a sick obsession with books. I love holding them and owning them and going to a bookstore and just looking at them. They fascinate me. I love the way the smell, the way I can loose myself in a story, the way my heart races when I read a book description that I just KNOW I will love. I just LOVE books.
3. Reading to Doodle, reading with Erin, and sharing books with The Clone. All female cousins ages 2, 8, and 13 respectively. I share my absolute love of reading with these girls. To see them pick up books, to hear them ask me to read to them is a wonderful feeling. With The Clone it is a whole other story. With her it is the "OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!! WHEN DOES THE NEXT BOOK COME OUT??? ARGH!!! I NEED IT NOW!!!!!!" phone calls that really make my day. Talking about books we love, or even just books she is required to read for school is so awesome. Watching her blossom into a critical reader, who will say "this book was great, even if it was just fluff, it made me feel good" is so fantastic. After all, we don't have to just read Hemingway now do we?
4. Baby Neville. This is BFF2's new baby. He's all tiny and sweet. I am his godmother, which is a scary amount of responsibility, but Auntie Chelle is so ready for it. Just seeing him makes me all tingly and gooey inside, so he is definitely on my "happy list."
5. My pals. BFF1 and BFF2 make my day. Whether it is discussing Harry Potter*** or trying on nail polish. Watching Disney movies or riding around town. Talking about serious world issues like poverty and war or trying to figure out if pink eye shadow makes you look diseased. No matter what we do spending time with one or both of them is relief for my soul. We can have total snark sessions or laugh until we cry. BFF1 and I are in almost constant communication with each other. We have worked together for the last four years, and it has been great, even if the last year we have been in different buildings. This summer has been so much fun, and I will really miss her when school starts again. Which is silly because she is the first and last person I talk to each day. We have an almost unhealthy attachment. =) 
6. Anything John Green has written. Alaska when I need strength and renewal, Paper Towns when I need to remember it is okay to be different, Let It Snow when I need to remember not to let the asshats get us down, and Katherines and WG/WG when I need a lighter reminder that things turn out okay. John Green's books are similar to HP in that they teach me, renew my spirit, and make me a better person for having read them.

There are so many other things I could add to this list. The bottom line is, the good always outweighs the bad. Even when it seems like all I get are lemons, I just have to remind myself how good lemonade really is! I know that things suck sometimes, but honestly, dwelling on the bad just makes it worse. Some days I can't help but get bogged down, but I am trying my very best to stay on top of my game and remember all of the good things I have to look forward to. Such as Jeopardy with my Maw-Maw!

*As usual all nicknames in this blog are a direct result of Twitter. Feel free to follow for bursts of randomness in 140 characters or less!

**I'm not going to lie...even Harry isn't enough to make me risk heartbreak like I dealt with after the Big, Bad Breakup...but it does give me hope. Which is almost as important as love.

***All roads lead to Potter.

Hello Again

Almost four months! I can't believe I've gone so long without posting. Actually, I can but I'm not proud of that. Not many things have happened in the past few months. I settled in to my new job, have read hardly any books, and just spent time with my family. I spend most of my free time with my cousins or one of my two best friends. I don't know why reading has been such a hassle for me lately. I love books more than anything in the world, but honestly I haven't had the attention span to read anything. I've started probably fifteen books and put them down without reading them. I did manage to finish Will Grayson/Will Grayson. It was wonderful, but what did I expect from a book written by John Green AND David Levithan? A lot of people on Twitter, Facebook, on blogs, and in real life have said WG/WG was their favorite John Green book. I can't say that is the case for me. Paper Towns remains my favorite John Green book, with Looking for Alaska coming in a VERY close second. The idea of how our misconceptions of others that Paper Towns deals with is a subject that speaks to be, and the realizations that Q makes on his journey in Paper Towns are ones that we should all be aware of. I plan on re-reading PT soon, so perhaps I will do a blog post outlining all of my thoughts and feelings about it then.

In other John Green book news, I am currently working through the summer at a day camp of sorts that my corporation sponsors for our clients, and I recently did a bibliotherapy session based on Looking for Alaska. I have to say that I was worried about how seriously a group of boys with behavioral issues whose ages range from ages 11-17 would respond to Alaska. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't have anyone make crude comments about Pudge's love for Alaska, no one laughed when my voice cracked as I was reading, and everyone was able to discuss how overwhelmingly difficult it is to lose someone that you love. Moments like the one I had on Wednesday remind me why I left my job at the library and instead embarked on a journey with these kids. Although I was happy and content to spend my life surrounded by books and people who loved them, there was more in store for me. I now have the opportunity to impact the lives of children, to help them realize that one bad choice does not have to equal a lifetime of bad choices, and to show them that someone believes that they too are destined for greatness. Yes, I miss the library, and I miss talking to teenagers who absolutely love books, but seeing a kid who has lost all hope regain a little bit of it is so much more worthwhile.

Now that I have been sappy and made excuses, I hope that I don't stay gone so long in the future. =]