Why have I been quiet lately?

A church billboard in Vermont says, "Wisdom has two parts: 1. Having a lot to say. 2. Not having to say it.

I cannot claim to be wise. But I can surely be on my way to listening more and learning better.

For now, so many things engulf my heart: gratitude, love, peaceful joy. I'm afraid that when I begin to talk about it, it makes everything I feel so small.

I believe when the right motivation comes, the words will find its way to you.

In the meantime, allow me to grow in wisdom...

"à bientôt!"

Relinquish

I went to a cosmetic store recently to buy me some pregnant-friendly, no AHA, no bleach, paraben-free necessities. "Bare essentials" as marketed these days. It should really be cheaper for having less in it, I thought. The cashier must have read my mind: she decided to throw quite a number of samples in the bag. And perhaps to further ease her guilt, she happily added a 2011 desk calendar. It did make me happy. I love calendars!

The next minute I could, I excitedly looked at my new scheduler. To my surprise, not only did it not contain any of the Andy Warhol prints I'd hoped it had, it didn't even have dates in it. It just had days and blank pages. A whole year of blank pages made from 100% recyclable materials. Bare essentials. Nothing more.

The hardest part about a clean slate is deciding what to abjure. Habits die hard. Calories are stubborn. Characters are ingrained. Things are sentimental. People attached.

But it is true that the simplest way to be happy is to relinquish what makes you not.

It all comes with a price. But is must be well worth it.

After all, bare essentials is really all you need.

We're back!

It's been a while, that you probably wondered if Santa accidentally packed me up in his sack and brought me back to the North Pole. Well, close! On Christmas morning we learned I was pregnant. Since then it was a blur of gift wrappers and nausea.

Now I am back! Me and my little one within. I like being pregnant.

I get a seat on the bus (not all the time, but it is surely marked for me anyway), I glow like I'm keeping a little secret, and best of all, I don't feel bad anymore when someone asks if I am expecting when referring to my perennial bump.

So for the next 9 months I will be walking around with a little life inside of me. It feels elating. It feels empowering. It feels humbling. This is absolutely one of those moments I am truly happy to be alive. Having to experience life within life.

Although, you know you don't have to be a woman nor pregnant to feel that!

Happy New Year! May this year be full of life for you and me and all those we love.