Heart-shaped rock...

Picture text I received yesterday. <3

Quote-o-the-day

"Give all to love.
Obey your heart."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quote-o-the-day

"And that's where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are."
-The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho

To Dos, Spring/Summer 2011 Edition

I'm on a mission to live a better life and be a better me. One of the things I have been trying to do lately (and it's probably one of the hardest) is to take a step back from my work life. No, I'm not slacking on my work, I'm just not letting myself get overwhelmed and engulfed by it. I'm cutting back on staying long hours, stressing out on my days off, and constantly checking my email. I'm basically just trying to take and enjoy my personal time, to focus on myself and take care of myself. So, I have a list of to dos for the next couple of months...

-Go to the dentist (get those teeth cleaned!)
-Go to the optometrist (need new contacts)
-Get a haircut (my hair is getting way too long, it's currently at my waist)
-Buy new running shoes (my feet will thank me)
-Run a 5k race in July (considered a 10k but I think I'm chickening out, will do a 10k at the Turkey Trot in November)
-Join the Wednesday night running club (I've been wanting to do this for a while)
-Buy new sunglasses (as everyone around me knows, mine were completely scratched up and I've been needing new ones for a while, I now need a new pair more than ever because I've just lost the other pair. It's a sign.)
-Go on a Meetup outing (I need to get out there and do something new, meet new people.)
-Ride my bike more (especially since gas prices are so high and we have new bike lanes in town)
-Get another tattoo (this has been on my list for years, I think it might be time)
-Cook more often (I enjoy cooking, but have not been taking the time to do it that often. Maybe I'll even finally put my Vietnamese cookbook to use?)

There are also some things that cannot easily be tracked or checked off, things that will be an ongoing process and that I want to be a part of my everyday life and who I am...
Love and give more, practice patience, forgive better, open up, make connections, be positive, live fully...

Quote-o-the-day

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."
-The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho