Verbal Excursions

Every year seems to have a strong individual theme for me, usually summed up in just a few words. Historically, this theme has just appeared on my doorstep sometime around the beginning of the year – caught me still in my jammies, and dragged me along with it (sometimes kicking and screaming) to whatever end (usually to a place of great personal growth…eventually, anyways). This year, I’ve been paying particular attention to what is showing up for me – and the two words that keep ringing my bell are MANIFEST GRACEFULLY.

man·i·fest (mān’ə-fěst’) v. to make clear or evident to the eye or the understanding; show plainly
Synonyms:confirm, declare, demonstrate, display, embody, establish, evidence, expose, express, externalize, illustrate, incarnate, let it all hang out, mark, materialize, objectify, personalize, personify, proclaim, prove, reveal, set forth, show, signify, substantiate, suggest, utter, vent, voice

grace·ful·ly (grās-fə-lē) adv. characterized by elegance or beauty of form, manner, movement, or speech; with elegance or grace
Synonyms: adroitly, agilely, artistically, beautifully, charmingly, daintily, delicately, delightfully, dexterously, easily, elegantly, exquisitely, felicitously, fitly, graciously, handsomely, harmoniously, neatly, nimbly, pleasingly, rhythmically, skillfully, smoothly, sprucely, symmetrically, tastefully, trimly

If you were to choose, what would your words be for 2010? How are they different from 2009?

This year was the first year that my son (who is now thirteen) would not be with me for Christmas day. This is, historically, the only holiday I have ever been good at celebrating. You might not always get a birthday party in this house, but, By Golly! Christmas is down right picturesque… so I was feeling a bit down that he wouldn’t be here on the actual day, and vowed to make our time together the weekend before an absolute Hallmark-card event.

I should know better by now than to have expectations for anything, right? Long story short, due to inclement weather and a series of crazy happenstance, the weekend before Christmas found me sans the traditional family ornaments (or any kind of holiday decoration, for that matter), with no tree, and flat broke. My plans to bake special gingerbread for our own made-from-scratch gingerbread house went awry… etc etc etc. But my son, being the wonderful person he is, rolled with it. He expressed that he would rather build our own tree than take another one from nature, and that, as long as we still built a gingerbread house, that would be cool.

So, we built this incredible art-deco tree out of my coat rack, and some garland we bought for three bucks.

Much love to my friend Matthew, who graciously contributed the use of the holiday ornaments which were a gift from his mother (several of which sported his awesome elementary school photos). And the three of us shared the best belly laugh of the year, when we attempted (and failed horribly) to decorate and assemble a store-bought gingerbread house. I don’t know how the hell anyone ever gets those walls to stick together – but we made a diligent four hour effort, before ending up with a house that looked like it had been stepped on by a giant. A giant who had also taken a bite out of the roof.

It was probably the best Christmas celebration I have ever had – and it was definitely a much-needed reminder not to take things too seriously.

This one.

I <3 Harmonik Water Bottles.

Hrmonik Bottles

Each and every item they sell is an individually created work of art – an amazing amount of love goes into the crafting of these water bottles. And I personally believe that water carried in a container made of love will not only taste better, but actually be better for you. If you’re more of a “facts” person than a beliefs person, try this one out – Americans consume more than 70 million single serving bottles of water per day – and 8 out of every 10 end up in landfills. That’s alot of waste to contend with – but the folks at Harmonik Bottles have designed their functional artwork in the hopes that it will encourage more earth-friendly and sustainable practices. Cuz no one said that consciousness couldn’t be stylin’!

Of the numerous starts I planned to make in 2009, I only followed through with a few… but I’m still giving myself a pat on the back. First and foremost, I started this awesome blog. (And the extraordinary website which will replace it is already in the works!) Also, I finally started writing my first book. It’s slow going, but it’s going… and finally, a friend talked me into taking a semester of art classes at the local community college. We’ve since discontinued the, um, extremely valuable course – but I’ve discovered a love of painting, and have continued to practice it. Maybe someday I’ll make something I like enough to post pictures.

I’ve met a great number of extraordinary people this year, but after alot of thought, I’ve decided that the person who has likely made the biggest impact in my life is my ex-husband’s new wife, H. Alot of folks will probably think this is a little odd – but the truth is, if ever there were a person who held the power to make a negative impact in my life, this would be the lady. However, instead, she has been an incredibly positive figure in my life, and the life of my son. She has gone out of her way to be kind, considerate, and go the extra mile whenever possible, and I appreciate it greatly. There is no wicked-step-mother-syndrome to contest with – in fact, quite the opposite. She has hit the ground running when it comes to stepping into the parental role, and has done an admirable job. She has also been totally and completely cool with the fact that her husband and I maintain a very close relationship – she has never been jealous or resentful of our friendship, and even encourages him to maintain his relationships with my family. The idea of a dynamic family has always been one that I’ve encouraged, so to know that my son has another mother in his life who also embraces this philosophy is immensely valuable to me. I am very grateful that she has taken up such a strong role in my son’s life, and I truly appreciate her presence in mine.

I felt a vague sense of panic when I read this topic. I didn’t have a job for the greater portion of this year… and also, I am incredibly cheap. My entire home was furnished from thrift stores – the only item I purchased retail was my living room rug (and only because I had a 50% off coupon). So, I racked my brain for a while – but then remembered that this year, I attended one of the best places EVER to find some seriously cool shit – the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society’s annual Gem and Mineral Show.

Held every year, during the second weekend in February, and rumored to be the largest show of it’s kind in the United States, the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show attracts dealers and enthusiasts from all over the world. But apart from the extraordinary mineral, gem, fossil, and jewelry exhibits, it also boasts an amazingly eclectic collection of vendors hawking everything from artwork, to clothing, to musical instruments. It’s like a mini world bazaar, chock full of awesome – you can spend all day ogling, and the prices are nothing to shake a miserly fist at. I found gifts here for all of my hard-to-shop-for friends. There is truly something for everyone.

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

You would think that this would be an easy topic to start with, but this actually gave me a bit of trouble. I love music, and I’ve had my socks rocked by some serious tunes this year. After agonizing over the decision for ten minutes, I’ve decided that I can’t really choose. So, here are my top five!

The Best Parallel Album
This isn’t a new album, but I just found my connection with it this year. Take some diva, some funk, and some old-school soul, and mix it up with some fat beats – and Erykah Badu serves it up with flair. But the words are what get me – the lyrical genius of this album moves me. And it just so happens that there was a single song on this album for every phase of my life this year – including the heartwrenching-saga-of-my-break-up song. I listened to it a hundred thousand times, and it never got old. I <3 Erykah Badu.