On Roses

I am feeling rather stressed right now.

It's all about silly stuff- job, apartment, money- you know, the usual.

In the long run, this stuff doesn't really matter that much. In some way or another, it will work out. It always does. Stressing out about it more than necessary isn't going to help anything at all.

So I'm not going to think about my stress when I don't need to. Instead, I'm going to think about roses. Here in New England, late spring is a glorious time- all the flowers are finally in bloom, the farmers markets are getting started, and there are roses everywhere. They smell wonderful, and look even better.

Right now, rather than dwelling on the things that are freaking me out, I choose to dwell on the roses.

I'll let you know how it goes.

The other day, my neighbor put out a box with a sign on it.

It said "free mason jars."

I took six. They make me happy.

Happy Friday, friends!

Tonight, Emily and Ben and I are going to go eat dumplings in Chinatown, then at 11 o'clock, I'm picking Lisel up at South Station, and we'll have a weekend of adventures. I can't wait!

How about you? Anything fun in store?

p.s. Aren't these ranunculus gorgeous? I'm sort of in love with them. Not to mention, they were only a dollar a stem!

A Springtime Walk

Yesterday was so gorgeous, it seemed like it was a good time to take another lunchtime walk.

The South End is such a gorgeous neighborhood, with such a rich and fascinating history* (not to mention delicious cupcakes), I am always so inspired after these walks. I need to keep that in mind for grumpy days.

*True story: I wrote a paper about the history of the South End for my City of Boston class in ninth grade.

Here's to Happiness

Inspired by the Here's to Happiness Project, I've made my own happy list. Here goes:

Ten things that make me Terribly Happy

1. Friends who know you so well they can guess exactly what you're going to say before you say it.

2. When Pandora guesses the song you needed to hear right when you needed to hear it.

3. Rituals and Traditions (especially my new favorite, Two Oceans in 12 Hours)

{Pacific Ocean, Ocean Beach, San Francisco, August 15th, 2009. two-thirty p.m. pst.}

{Atlantic Ocean, Revere Beach, Revere, MA August 16th, 2009 five-thirty a.m. est.}

4. Peach Pie at midnight.

5. Having two chapters left in a really good book.

6. Sitting in a cafe, drinking a latte, writing in my journal and watching the people go by.

7. Church on a Sunday morning.

8. Going to the farmer's market, talking to the farmer and finding the most delicious produce.

9. Fresh flowers on my windowsill.

10. Sleeping under tons of covers with the windows open all the way (really, there is nothing cozier).

What makes you terribly happy?

Farmer's Market Flowers

Today, my boss and I walked to the farmer's market down the street, where they sold bunches and bunches of lovely, reasonably-priced flowers.

Having these pink snapdragons in my room makes me happy.