Marathons.

"Remember: it's a marathon, not a sprint"

If I had a nickel...

I have come to realize in normal human adult life (what I like to call this strange, post-college, pre-actual maturity that I currently reside in) that this is everyone's FAVORITE phrase to throw at you when faced with something challenging that takes a lot of time, energy, sanity, lost of hours of sleep, etc. And the more I repeat it to myself, the funnier it starts to sound to me.

Here's why:

1. Has anyone really considered JUST how long a marathon is? "Oh don't worry, it's just 26.2 miles vs. a 100 meter dash" - oh yes, thank you, I feel MUCH better! Hand over those weird goo packets & a sweatband, I'M JAZZED! #justkidding

2. The colloquialism also seems to imply that this amount of time allows you to compartmentalize, do a different task every day, check things off a to-do list one-by-one - except that in a marathon, you're basically just repeatedly running mile after mile with a differet song on your iPod. (Not that I've ever run one, but I imagine it goes a little something like that, mixed with the inevitable self-loathing that results from voluntarily running that many consecutive miles.)

3. In real sports, there are marathoners and there are sprinters. I was on the track & field team all four years in high school and have been watching these events in the Olympics for almost 20 years (yes, seriously, I'm old enough to have memories that are ALMOST, just almost, 20 years old...) and I have yet to encounter someone who does both.

Also, perhaps most importantly, we can't forget about all of those people who LIVE for marathons. It's their lifeblood. The people whose cars have "26.2" stickers on their bumpers and you just drool in envy over their superior athletic ability to your pathetic attempts on the treadmill (don't even get me started on those "100.4" people, or whatever...) To say "it's a marathon, not a sprint" seems to imply that A. I have to choose which one I like better and that B. somehow, one is preferable to the other during a particular timeframe.

Ok, I understand - I am picking apart a phrase that has made it into our vernacular and that most people don't think too deeply about before speaking.  But am I wrong or is this phrase simply meant to communicate a single word - "BREATHE?" All I am saying is that I prefer the simplicity that only obliges me to take a sigh in rather than choose a vein of a sport I no longer even participate in.

Life is a series of hours, a series of days, a series of life events that will make us both marathoners and sprinters at various times. We have to be prepared for both. And in both, the simple advice of "breathe" is always relevant. You are never too busy to take advantage of your vices (brownies, anyone?), to pick up the phone and call your best friend, or to get and stay organized about something you are incredibly passionate about achieveing.

There are crazy challenges to running both marathons and sprints. But even when life gets challenging, breathing is always easy. 

♥mb.

Old love.

Driving to Santa Barbara a few weekends ago, an iPod shuffle of old-school tunes landed on Owl City's "Hello Seattle". As a result of this song's prescense on the stereo, a random pang of homesickness hit my soul like a wrecking ball and I burst into tears as my sister explained to me that she loved listening to this song as she drove across I-90 and the city skyline slowly came into focus. And I just couldn't handle it - I had to change the song and fully grasp that what I was feeling at that moment was something I hadn't felt in MONTHS.

Ever since my parents sold their house in October of 2012, Southern California has been home. The second my plane hit the Tarmac after moving the last thing from that place, something in the cosmos shifted and I suddenly knew that Seattle wasn't my home anymore. This place was. And I was honestly at a point in my journey where that made sense and felt right.

Now, I will be the first one to tell you that I rag on my old hometown. All. The. Time.

I sometimes feel a little guilty - like I'm saying unkind things behind a good friend's back, like in saying "I'm never moving back" I am somehow directly hurting the collective feelings of the Pacific Northwest. It's no secret - I am head over heels for Southern California. But this last time back, walking to a friend's apartment on picturesque Queen Anne hill, the Space Needle peeked out from between the trees and I felt something I can only explain in terms of a romantic relationship.

California is new and exciting. A place that came into my life a bit later and bewitched me, body and soul. I fall in love with it all over again with every new adventure and I couldn't bear to be separated from it. It sets my soul on fire in a way that no place ever has and no place ever will. I'm staying for the long haul - and coming from someone who always used to speak so non-committally about where I would end up, this is a pretty big submission.

But Seattle? Seattle is my first love. The city that was there for me when I went through the perils of being a teenager; the backdrop for my college years and the place where most of my best friends came into my life. It will always be familiar and comfortable, but we're just too different to ever make it work. But just because I recognize that doesn't mean I will ever stop loving it. Coming back into its open embrace will forever feel like the biggest and best bear hug. No matter what life throws at me, a part of my heart will always love it and being here will always stir up those emotions that make me feel like I'm home.

This line from the Macklemore song "The Town" sums up my feelings more effectively and more beautifully than I could ever hope to do:

The skyline is etched in my veins

You can never put that out

No matter how hard it rains

(Photo courtesy of etsy)

Seattle will always be there for me. And I couldn't be more thankful for that.

♥mb.

Pick-Me-Ups.

I, for one, never pass up the opportunity to have something gift wrapped...for myself.

Because why would my answer to the question "Would you like this tied in pretty ribbon?" ever be "No, thank you, it's for me." More like, "yes, absolutely, BECAUSE it's for me!" It takes the term "treat yourself" one step further - besides, you never know how much that little token of self-love is going to pick you up on a night when you really need it.

Now, isn't that a much more lovely sentiment than simply opening up the box & enjoying what's inside?

♥mb.

It's been too long...

Well, friends, I just realized my last post was in August. Which is a lot of months ago.

I feel like a lot of life has happened since then, which (surprise!) is probably why I haven't been writing much. I've made a lot of friends, had more fun than can possibly be legal and have fallen even more deeply in love with California (to the point I don't think I ever want to leave - I'm a smitten little kitten for this place.) I'd suffice it to say I am pretty dang content.

If I believed in New Year's resolutions (which I absolutely do not) one of them would be to write more. Let's just see my return to the blogosphere in January as an interesting coincidence, rather than a reflection of our society's need to hit "Refresh" every January 1st. My soul just happens to be craving this today.

Welcome back, self. I missed this place.

♥mb.