Dear Younger Me

Dear younger me
Where do I start
If I could tell you everything that I have learned so far
Then you could be
One step ahead
Of all the painful memories still running thru my head
I wonder how much different things would be
Dear younger me,

Dear younger me
I cannot decide
Do I give some speech about how to get the most out of your life
Or do I go deep
And try to change
The choices that you’ll make cuz they’re choices that made me
Even though I love this crazy life
Sometimes I wish it was a smoother ride
Dear younger me, dear younger me

If I knew then what I know now
Condemnation would’ve had no power
My joy my pain would’ve never been my worth
If I knew then what I know now
Would’ve not been hard to figure out
What I would’ve changed if I had heard

Dear younger me
It’s not your fault
You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross
Dear younger me

You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed

Every mountain every valley
Thru each heartache you will see
Every moment brings you closer
To who you were meant to be
Dear younger me, dear younger me

You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed

You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed

You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed

 

Vintage Delights

Dear Wonderful Reader,

Today I splurged and bought a new watch. As I ‘m walking down the department stores’s aisles trying to make it look like I “accidentally” stumbled upon my reflection  in the mirror to check myself out, I realized how vintage or Old World my watch looked and was just musing trying to figure out why I have this attraction towards things that are of the past. I guess of I’m just one of those people… I find myself rather enchanted by sentimentality or nostalgia. I don’t know why. Is it because feelings associated with sentimentality, and nostalgia give mere materialistic items more worth than they deserve… Is it because social sciences say that we buy things to reflect who we are to people and I’m rebelling against this “tech” filled age (while I’m using a laptop blogging *rolling eyes at myself) and sticking my guns out by sticking to values and traditions of the past… does that fit better with my emotional nature…

Furthermore, I went to TJ Max and saw this lovely retro fan for $50.00 that I really wanted and kept thinking about, but don’t worry I was a good human being and made it out without buying it since I don’t need it even though my treacherous mind was telling me how summer is coming up and how that my birthday is too coming up and how that should be my birthday present to myself or I could buy it and tell my sister that I already bought my birthday gift from her and ask her to pay me back or I could just buy it for a friend and what was so wrong with giving…

OK. The point is I like vintage stuff. I want all these items in my house/at my place (when I have one). In an effort to embrace minimalism and save $$ I’m going to satisfy my cravings by sharing with y’all those lovely vintage, retro, Old World, whateveryouwannacallit things who just “so happened” to be blue. So enjoy this guilt-free window shopping experience.

How it all started…

Can’t realistically justify why would anyone purchase a typewriter but it’s just so lovely…On that note… Have a Coke 😉

The Beauty of Life: A Lighthouse

Dear Wonderful Reader,

I’m infatuated with lighthouses; I find them  quaint, symbolic, and somehow very setimental.

“There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue. It beckons through the storms of life. It calls,

‘This way to safety; this way to home.’”
― Thomas S. Monson

Perhaps its their classic charm, that brings me comfort. Unlike cars or phones, a lighthouse has always looked like a lighthouse and this sense of familiarity is so nice to have in an age where everything and everyone gets a makeover.

Gazing at a lighthouse fills my soul with a great sense of tranquility. They blend in so beautifully with nature, because they haven’t been altered and stained with modern day technology. Breathe deeply and take in the serene sky, the crystal water, and the peaceful lighthouse in this picture; relax and clear your mind!

Perhaps its the metaphoric significance of their function: they provide light to those who are lost or struggling in deep sea. The kind of light that promises home to the lost, and hope to those who are fighting vigorous waters.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

(John 8:12)

They symbolize God and his promise to us: no matter how murky it gets, there is always a guiding light to a  safe shore.

Perhaps its their graceful strength and how they stand tall and still in the midst of ferocious waters and ruthless storms.

This amazing lighthouse located in Long Beach, CA is where I had my very first, real date (along with other spots). It was a great day and the date was very special. This bitter-sweet Lighthouse will always hold a special place in my heart.

“Man must behave like a lighthouse; he must shine day and night for the goodness of everyman.”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

Works that Feature Lighthouses

• Most of Nicholas Sparks novels (Sorry, can’t remember which ones exactly)
• Share with me, any artistic/literary (music or movies even) works that feature Lighthouses in THAT way.

 

P.S. Shine like a beacon today!

A Carousel Ride Through My Childhood’s Nostalgia

Dear Wonderful Reader,Lets talk carousel, ferris wheels, and teacups. I don’t know about you but I have this growing obsession with carousels, ferris wheels, and anything carnival/circus/fair themed. I just find them so nostalgic, sentimental and meaningful.

There is just something about them that reminds me of childhood, innocence, and lost time. They take me back to a place that I long to go to. Maybe its their fantastical designs and whimsical colors that take me to fairy lands and revive the sense of wonder I enjoyed as a child.

“Nostalgia – it’s delicate, but potent. In Greek, “nostalgia” literally means “the pain from an old wound.” It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn’t a spaceship, it’s a time machine. It goes backwards, and forwards… it takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called the wheel, it’s called the carousel. It let’s us travel the way a child travels – around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know are loved.”

―Don Draper, Mad Men“

“I felt so damn happy, . . . I don’t know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all.”

―J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Maybe it has something to do with how they spin round and round, and up and down. I find their movement patterns so metaphorical and representative of life, and aging. 

“And the seasons they go ’round and ’round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game.”
― Joni Mitchell, The Circle Game

Life goes on…

Fun Fact: The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Works that I like that feature carousels and ferris wheels and all that good stuff: (Click on each link for more information!)

Uptown Girls (2003)- movie

The Notebook (2004)- movie

Mad Men- The Wheel, Season 1, Episode 13 (2007)- TV Show

Merry Go ‘Round by Kacey Musgraves- music video

Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy- music video

Hurt by Christina Aguilera- music video

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951)- novel (highly recommend it!)

Ferris Wheel by Marie Digby- song

The Following three music albums don’t explicitly mention carousels or ferris wheels but they’re so nostalgic in this way…

a. Lenka by Lenka (2008)

b. Made of Bricks by Kate Nash (2007)

C. Electra Heart by Marina and the Diamonds (2012) (Love this album, but be warned it’s a little dark!)

P.S. Please share with me any works that feature the aforementioned entities.

Enjoy…

Day 10: Message from an Old Friend

Dear Wonderful Reader,

I don’t have a picture of the message, but I choose this picture because the empty swing spot represents the void that they left behind and the idyllic setting represents the joy you had together. Then, when they message you out of the blue and especially if you had already got used to their absence, this huge wave of memories engulfs you into a vast sea of nostalgia. And, then you’re just happy that you crossed their mind.