July is Almost Here

My, time continues to fly by. It's hard to believe yet another month has almost passed. A month ago I was celebrating Memorial Day in Durham, NC--grilling out on the deck with Vicki, Kevin, Siobhan, and Clarence. (Well, Clarence isn't actually allowed outside, so he was not on the deck with us...) I hope by now Siobhan--a.k.a. "Velcro Dog"--has gotten over my absence!

Now the Fourth of July is just a half-a-week away. A bit odd to have a holiday in the middle of the week, but a day off is a day off! We don't have anything special planned for the holiday as of yet, but I'm guessing we may end up taking advantage of the time off to work on some home projects and then grill something yummy in the afternoon or evening.

My fitness goals have slid to the back burner once again as I have been focusing my free time on getting my honda ready to sell and working on household projects that had been put on hold during the school year. It's hard to live a multi-dimensional life--so many goals and so little time! But, I continue to see small signs of progress and I continue moving forward day-by-day. For the most part I am eating a fairly well-balanced diet. It's the physical activity that I need to kick up a notch!

I've had some thoughts recently about things I'd like to take the time to do this summer: in addition to working out at the gym, I'd also really like to find some time to "play art," as I like to call it. I'm particularly feeling the urge to do some work with polymer clay. I'm not sure what exactly...maybe try bead-making or doing something with image transfers. That's a project that would need to be left for a weekend, as I've found that working with clay can actually be pretty time-consuming. I also want to finish getting my bedroom and office in order--getting everything organized and assigned its proper place. I made a lot of progress last weekend after buying some shelving for my bedroom. It's gratifying to see things coming together! I also want to work on getting our basement more in order again. It will be a great space when it's finally cleaned up and re-organized. But, in the meantime it's a massive project to tackle.

Two months left before classes start up again. That still gives me time to accomplish some more goals!

Meaning of/in Life

This weekend one of my friends mentioned how sometimes life seems so empty, and with that comes the nagging question, "What is the meaning of life? There's got to be more than this." And another friend echoed, "I have those same thoughts every day!" Now, hopefully the "every day" was at least a bit of an exaggeration, but still...these comments gave my introverted self something to reflect on.

What is the meaning of life? I think, perhaps, a better question might address where we find meaning IN life. The first question suggests there is one definitive plan or agenda that explains why we are here or what life is meant to be about. I don't think there is one--single--meaning to life, but rather some underlying truths that help us to attribute meaning to our lives and experiences.

In spite of life's hardships, I am happy to be alive--to experience life in all its rich dimensions. I know that I am loved--by family, by friends, by God. We may dream, from time to time, of an easy life where we have enough free time, enough money and enough happiness to be fully satisfied, but I think as appealing as the image may be it is only a mirage. A life without challenges can have no celebrations. A person who never experiences sadness or heartache can never experience true joy or unconditional love.

Sometimes there are situations in our lives that wear us down. We become weary. But even in these times we must find little things to celebrate and to be thankful for. For those who think, "there's got to be more," I wonder what you are missing in the here and the now. What is it that you are searching for? Where do you find meaning in life? Where do you find joy? What causes you sorrow? What brings you contentment and peace? (Note that the peace component is particularly important, as I believe there are many times when we THINK we are content, but in actuality we are not.)

I would love to hear some of your responses!

Conflict leads to growth

Another insightful concept one of the speakers shared at my Library 2.0 seminar was that of "optimal fragmentation." Brian Mathews was referring to group dynamics when he articulated the idea that optimal fragmentation results in conflict that leads to growth. I thought this was a very insightful perception. Differences in ideas, opinions, and insights, have the potential to spark and inspire new thoughts and ideas--particularly if we can learn to listen to one another and VALUE such differences. In this sense, conflict can be constructive. It leads to dialogue.

I think "truth" is a concept that in many cases is continually forming or unfolding--it's essence may remain the same but we continually see it reincarnated and rearticulated in new ways. Actually, maybe instead of truth, I mean "meaning." I think many people--me included!--would be more comfortable saying that the meaning we ascribe to things can be ever-changing, even though the essence of truth remains constant. When we willingly place ourselves in settings in which we are faced with differing viewpoints, ideologies, beliefs, or opinions...we increase our capacity to learn, to be challenged, to challenge others, and ultimately to grow.

Click here for the original source of this image
(permission to use granted by Creative Commons license).

Picture a kaleidoscope with hundreds of tiny fragments of colors--gently turn the wheel and the same pieces dance into a new formation. How many different colorful patterned arrangements are possible? The possibilities seem limitless! If we close ourselves off to the social dynamics of "optimal fragmentation" we miss the beatiful arrays of colors awaiting on the horizon of our consciousness. Instead we are left with a stagnant view of the world, however picturesque such an image may be. My friend, Cheryl, makes kaleidoscopes with stained glass and beads and she gave me a beautiful purple one last year for Christmas. I will think of things in a new light the next time I look through it, gently turn the wheel, and watch the colors dance before my eyes.

15 Minutes of Fame

Woohooo! I beat Cindy at the 15 Minute Game!

Since our contest only lasted two days, we decided this would be

"Round 1" of our competition. Cindy decided the winner gets

BRAGGING RIGHTS...

so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity!!

(Please note: normally my head is NOT this big...)

This is for Terri...

BABY BEANS!

Library 2.0 Seminar

I had the opportunity to attend a two-day seminar hosted by the Ohio State University Libraries last week on the theme of "Library 2.0." The Library 2.o concept addresses how libraries--and librarians!--can incorporate Web 2.0 technologies into the services they provide to their users.

Web 2.0 technologies include such things as blogs (like Marginal Notes!), wikis (like Wikipedia), social networking sites (like MySpace and Facebook), photosharing sites (like flickr), video sharing sites (like YouTube), and many others.....all which utilize user-generated content in some fashion. A cool video portraying the concept of Web 2.o can be found on YouTube: Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us.

I find this topic to be an exciting part of what is currently going on in the library field right now. The opening keynote speaker, Steven Bell, used a phrase in his presentation that really struck me: "compassionate pioneers." He used it in the context of designating within your library staff who the compassionate pioneers might be before introducing new, unfamiliar technologies into the library. Immediately I felt an affinity for the title of compassionate pioneer--and thought this was a concept I could directly incorporate into my ever-shaping identity as a future librarian. Surely I was born to be a compassionate pioneer: someone who can be a leader in learning new technologies and applying them to the library context as well as a compassionate, gentle teacher who shepherds other staff members and library users into this brand new territory.

It's an exciting image...one that fits with my earlier post regarding reinventing myself!

It's the Simpsons...

Okay, so it may not be as cool as the FOX Lot, but here I am watching TV with the Simpsons at the Lennox Theaters:

Sorry about the poor picture quality--it's taken with a camera phone!

The 15 Minute Game

Today I started a new contest with my sister, Cindy. As a way to mutually encourage one another in our fitness goals I suggested we have a contest: to engage in 15 minutes of exercise per day--and the first person who misses a day is the LOSER. We have not yet decided what the award/penalty for winning/losing is...but I'm sure we will come up with something creative.

Tonight I walked Emmi around our subdivision...after one full loop she was trailing me, so I traded her in for Murphy and gave him the opportunity for a lap as well. Emmi can have her high energy moments, but put her outside in the heat of summer and she goes into slow motion! Murphy, on the other hand, is like a spring loaded bouncy ball.

Emmi in her slow motion pose:

Murphy, in a rare calm moment:

Joy and Peace

I recently ran across a wonderful quote, and was reminded of it this weekend in conversation with a friend:

"Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet." -Anne Lamott

It is as if joy and peace have a yin-yang sort of relationship. I had never thought of it this way before, but the idea rang true as soon as I heard it. The word simplicity also comes to mind. Seek peace and there you will find joy. Seek joy and there you will find a manifestation of peace. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? I think it can be simple...if we allow it to be that way.

Reinventing Myself

"I am not afraid, I was born to do this!" -Joan of Arc

I was reflecting last night about some residual thoughts from a lunch conversation earlier in the day with Anna, a fellow librarian. I find myself in an interesting and exciting place in terms of thinking about my future and all the possibilities for success. As I reflect on where I have come from and where I am going, I determined last night that I am currently in the mode of reinventing myself. What an empowering thought! Most empowering about that thought is that I actually believe it!

I have always been a shy person. Some of that shyness was my natural quietness. But another portion of it was dictated to me by others. I didn't know I was shy until others defined me that way. Growing up, I internalized that label and accepted it as an accurate definition. It was also clear to me that my shyness was a weakness--no one ever boasts shyness as one of their personality traits! It was something to be ashamed of--a curse of sorts.

I am not always in "shy mode." When I am comfortable, I am less shy. One-on-one settings, gatherings with close friends and family, situations in which my role is clear and well-defined...these are all times in which the "real me" can come alive.

In school this past year there have been a couple of occassions in which I successfully portrayed myself as un-shy. Internally I still have the same anxieties to respond to, but externally I am learning how to actively project confidence. "I fooled them once again!" became my cheerful mantra. In the past when well-respected teachers and friends have insisted I would be an excellent teacher I balked at the idea. Yeah, right: me, standing up in front of a room engaging in "public speaking" to the entire classroom for a living. This was not my vision of a successful future! Now I am beginning to see glimpses of my giftedness and potential for doing such things as well as appreciating that I might actually enjoy it!

I am, in fact, reinventing myself. Tearing off the shy labels and beginning to replace each one with confidence. If I project myself as confident, act as if I am confident....how is this any different than truly being confident? I'm not so sure there is much difference, except perhaps what I might feel on the inside. But, I think it is like any newly learned skill: the more you practice the more natural it will become.

One thing is for certain. I am loving library school and am excited about the many possibilities open to me in my future. "I am not afraid, I was born to do this!"

TGIF

It's Friday! It has been a fairly productive week. In trying to address my long list of "things to do" it has been my goal to tackle at least one item on the list each evening. In doing so, this also allows me--in most cases--to have a little bit of time left over for something that is more fun. In other words, I essentially have two lists running concurrently: the "chores" and the "interests." So far this approach seems to be working.

Things I have accomplished this week:

• Learning to change my own car battery.
• Taking my car in to be detalied in preparation for selling.
• Taking my bike in to be serviced in preparation for FINALLY putting some miles on it!
• Cleaning off my desk..and actually filing the "to be filed" pile.

Now the fun things:

• Visited The Park of Roses at Whetstone--a part of the park I had not yet seen.
• Learned to change my own car battery. (Okay, this is also on my "chore" list, but I was both excited by and proud of the accomplishment!)
• Visited Innis Woods Metro Park--this park is also known for its cultivated gardens and it was definitely beautiful! I can't wait to go back and check it out more fully!

This weekend is the Columbus Arts Festival, and the weather should be beautiful. I'm planning to go down Saturday evening with friends. I look forward to such events as ways of finding inspiration for my own creativity. Hopefully by mid-summer I can get sufficiently caught up on my major chore list to find more time for engaging in some art projects.

Happy Friday!

Spring Cleaning in June?

Okay, so my calendar is a little off right now, but I'm glad to finally be on the road to catching up with myself! It has been an intense year of working full-time and going to graduate school in my "free time." I am taking the summer off from classes to try to catch up on other things that had been pushed to the back burner during the school year. Essentially, I am now in the midst of attempting a spring cleaning of many areas of my life: housework, personal health and fitness, diet, spiritual life, creativity, relationships, etc. I want to take the time to intentionally devote energy and attention to each of these areas.

It's been many months since my last blog entry, but I hope to get back into the routine. This is the initial entry to say, "I'm back: keep watch for more to come!"