I've been feeling inspired lately. By art. By this city. By people & the words they put together to create something meaningful. I recently finished a wonderful book called Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist, recommended by a dear friend. Now, this is in no way a book review, i'm just flat out telling you to trust me & go buy the thing. You can purchase online here.

Anyway, on the back cover of the book there is a paragraph which can only be described as the most amazing, smile-inducing life mantra I have ever read. Here it is:

“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift.”

The first time I read this, I got chills. Not because I wasn't living my life this way, but because Niequist describes life as a "gift". We are presented with the chance to squeeze every ounce of opportunity from our time here on earth, so why not do it? In response to these words, I wrote my own affirmation:

"I'd like to be able to close my eyes & see all the good things about my life, without even thinking about it. I want to feel full of love, so full that I have to send it back out to others in response. I want to grow & travel & try every flavor of ice cream at least once. I want to write about things that make you remember the times you laughed the longest, cried the hardest, & felt like you were exactly where you were supposed to be. I want to move in a way that speaks to you and shakes you and makes you want to hold on tight. I want to play music without headphones & take the stairs three at a time & learn something about this life from every person I meet."

Few feelings are better than the one you get when you know exactly what you want. Write your affirmation. Type it. Scribble it. Tweet it. Tape it to your bathroom mirror. And never forget it.

XX,

C&C