Beautiful spring day
Taken at Walgreens – Grand Ave
Como Lake at dusk
Taken at Como Lake
Make a list. Check it twice.
I’ve never seen it before, but earlier this week I decided to check out the 2011 TIME 100 list. I will admit, I got the link via Twitter when Diana Aragorn tweeted about Chris Colfer being named to the list, but I digress . . .
I had a number of thoughts as I was going through the list. There were a few people that I have a strong dislike for who I wished weren’t included. There were a number of people on the list who I like and thought were perfect to include. Then there were the people who I had not idea who they were before reading their blurb on the website. This list hit many facets of society – politcs, entertainers, scientists, etc – and also includes people from around the world.
I also took note of the short blurbs that accompanied each person’s photo or image. These were written by someone who knew the person, not just some staff writer, and you could tell. The statements captured why this person was worthy to make the list, but also shed light on to the author too.
I began to wonder – if I ever was on a list such as this, who would I want to write my blurb? Would I want a coworker? A friend? A family member? Who would truly know me – or would it depend on what part of me I would like to highlight? What would they even say?
Needless to say, I didn’t come to any conclusions or make any decisions, but it was interesting to think about and made me wonder.
Who would you have write about you if you were in this situation?
For your listening pleasure. . . .
There’s just something about the melody and general feel of this song that I really like. Enjoy.
Need vs. Want
Over the last year or so, I have begun to get more structure in my life in one very important place – my personal finances/budget. It’s not to say that I was completely hopeless (they did let me buy a house afterall), but there was room for improvement.
One of the major things I needed to work on was pointless/discretionary spending – you know the cups of coffee, meals out, CDs, random impulse buys, etc – that you could either a) take care of cheaper by making/cooking/doing youself b) could wait to buy when it was on sale c) didn’t really need at all. This does take some discipline and planning ahead, i.e. actually grocery shopping, comparing prices at various places, and took me a while to get used to. One major thing that needed to change was my mindset – learning to better distinguish between the needs and the wants.
I was shopping the other day with a friend and caught my self saying “I need ____.” It is a pretty common phrase for most people, but for some reason, on this day, I stopped and corrected the statement to “I want ____.” It’s interesting to see how changing one word changes your preception of something. No, I didn’t need a new iPhone case. No, I didn’t need a new pair of jeans. Things like bills, food, and *gasp* saving were more important in the long run.
I was oddly proud of myself for this. Seems like a small thing, but to me shows how much I’ve worked on viewing things in a different way. I was taking time to think and plan and have patience – things that historically have not been a strong suit of mine.
Moral of the story – most of the things we think we need are actually wants. Taking the time to realize that helps you make better decisions and prepares you for the future.
“Wild World”, et al
Sometimes I can listen to a song on repeat for hours or days.
Currently for me. . . .
Exhibit A: “Wild World” (either the Cat Stevens or Skins version will do)
Exhibit B: “Like a Prayer” GLEE version
Exhibit C: “Dying Day” Brandi Carlile
I often wonder what songs other people have this reaction do. Feel free to share.
