Saturday, January 28, 2006

wooly reminder

i found myself today. i am not sure exactly where i had gone, but i was feeling disconnected and even though everything is going really well here with my course and people, i think i needed to remind myself of a few things.

i managed to do this while walking through the hills with a good friend, passing through flocks of sheep and enjoying the view. it was so clear you could see right to the bay. i sometimes forget i am so close to the ocean. this prairie girl isn't used to it!

this past week i have been having the saddest dreams. not nightmares or bad dreams, just sad. and about home. i am still not sure exactly why but i know that being outside today and having such great conversation helped me deal with whatever was causing those dreams.

i went to a village today that had a cafe, a post office, a phone booth, and a bridge. i am a city girl at heart, but i can never be too far away from that pace of life either.

my sister sent me this quote, i think it seems to sum up my sentiment as of late:

Whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in a pond; and whenever you're sad, no one anywhere can be really happy. And it's much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.

Norton Juster, "The Phantom Tollbooth"

11 comments:

Heather said...

I adore that book... I was JUST thinking about it the other day. I think I should re-read it soon.

Good Quote.

kristen said...

i've actually never read it. what a weirdo i am. anyway...i just thought i'd let you know that there are people here that think you're pretty cool.

(and hey, i'm even closer than "home" and i miss it a lot too)

lu said...

i have never read it either! perhaps i will add it to my list of Books To Read. honestly, i have a word document with that title so i don't forget what i want to read in my lifetime.

how is this for bad...i don't even know what The Phantom Tollbooth is about, i just liked the quote. but it is a good one, isn't it.

Joy said...

I enjoy quotes immensely. They may be blurbs of wisdom, but wisdom none the less.
You were the reason I started a list of books to read. It started with the books you had in SA, and has been expanding ever since. Love it.

lu said...

joy, i am so glad that you've started a Books to Read list too! so do share...what is on it?

i read on your blog that you are reading A Million Little Pieces and i have heard people rave about it, but what is this now, it is made up? or parts of it made up? and poor oprah was defending him...

send all your book recommendations my way, i can't do too much fun reading right now, but the list can always grow!

lu said...

ps - send any music recommendations my way too!

without tv or any decent radio, i listen to A LOT of music on my laptop and i am always interested in new stuff.

Joy said...

Of course you must know Tegan and Sara - west Canadian girls. I was at a Wintersleep gig lately and they were really good. I am not too sure about download-ability, but it might be worth a shot.

Anonymous said...

When ever I think I have found myself or at least become "normal" I find myself with more qustions then i started with. I loth and love it...the more i ask the more i know,and the more i do the more i feel...i need to feel right now!!
Great quote...

Heather said...

I saw Tegan and Sara in concert this year in Calgary... They opened for The Killers. It was a great concert and I was an instant fan!

A Million Little Pieces is a great book... Apparently some things were exaggertaed and changed a bit, but the base of the story IS true. I personally don't care how long he spent in jail or how someone died... The message of the book is still just as powerful to me, exaggerated or not. Oprah "took back" her support for him and basically attacked him on her show, and I felt really sorry for him. She was going on and on about a few things, and I just wanted to say to her "who cares? were you moved by the book? do you feel the message is just as meaningful? if yes, then stop giving the poor guy such a hard time!"

That was a little rant ish, but I just wanted to pu in my two cents!

lu said...

Wintersleep, the Killers, and Tegan and Sarah...all great! i will investigate Tegan and Sarah more now though, with such popular support! i am recommending City and Colour and Idlewild these days.

i am glad to hear that Million Little Pieces is still worth the read, i will find myself a copy and maybe even the time to actually read it as well as finish the two i am currently in the middle of - Bel Canto and The Constant Gardener (see the movie, the book is so similar and not as moving)

lu said...

that is Sara sans h.