Gafas de Soul

Nebraska -> Seattle -> Chicago -> Boston -> Austin -> Nebraska. A full circle journey. Lover of baseball, television, words, boots, coffee, whiskey, orchids, rediculousness, travel, people watching, and seeing the world through my gafas de soul...... Email me: [email protected]

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

Nobody will protect you from your suffering. You can’t cry it away, or eat it away, or starve it away, or punch it away, or even therapy it away. It’s just there and you have to survive it. You have to endure it. You have to live through it, and love it, and move on and be better for it … across the bridge that was built by your own desire to heal.

Cheryl Strayed  (via h-o-r-n-g-r-y)

[iamsmilingatyou]

[gafas-de-soul]

Synopsis

- I’m still living in Nebraska. It’s been 7 years total and 3 years here in Omaha. - For the first time since I moved out of my parents home into college, my mailing address, drivers license, and checkbook all have the same current address. - I love my home, and I love having my family and good friends so close and accessible. - Yet everyday I have a serious pang of pain that I’m not where I should be. - I, for the 3rd and final time, ended my relationship. It was a toxic rollercoaster, and I’m grateful for the love, but more grateful for the lessons learned. - My full time job is fine, but I’ve also been there for 2+ years, which really makes my feet itchy. But so far, every time I make a list, the pros always outnumber the cons. - I just started planning my 20 year high school class reunion. I did so under duress, but whatever, I love a project. - This summer I packed in river tubing, red beer Fridays’, patio dinners, Bruno Mars concert, hosting (many) brunch(es), an overdue trip to Chicago, nurturing my garden, and making the most of these few rare months where 4 of my favorite people and their kids all live in the same town I do.

- Roosevelt is still the cutest dog in all the land.

Will try to update again soon, but let’s be real, will probably see y'all again in the winter.

[houseofjonn]

[impatient14]

Golden Girls was more progressive decades ago than half of America now.

[glassceilingbreakers]

[purplebuddhaproject]

[a-new-hope-1975]

[davidkendall]

Sound life plan.

[gafas-de-soul]

This caught me off guard today. I’ve been pretty absent from this place for quite awhile, but the reminder of starting my blog, and where my life was 7 years ago was both startling and sobering, comforting and consoling. There’s no real reason I’ve been gone except for life is hectic and real and I’m living it instead of blogging about it. But think I get now that I want to start again, not for the narcissism, but the perspective. And the documentation. And the accountability.  7 years ago when I started this blog I had newly and begrudgingly moved back to Nebraska, trying to keep my old self alive, about to embark on a romantic journey that ended in heartbreak that paralleled and coincided with my mother’s death. I kept blogging through it then, using the outlet as a tool for grief and expression and a touchstone. But as time went on and I had less to talk about and I suffered more loss, the ability to drop down this well all but disappeared. Besides the occasional Instagram crossover and West Wing re-blog, I haven’t even thought about sharing my life here. But today, as I pondered the beginning, I compared it to the now, and snickered at the coincidence. 7 years later here I am, still in Nebraska, perfectly content and totally unsatisfied, trying everything I can to get some sliver of my authentic self to emerge from the mud, unraveling myself from a great love that is ending just as his mother has died. It’s not full circle, it’s more like mirrored chaos. But as I’ve been spinning out the past few weeks, looking for something to grab on to for stability, I realized this morning via an email that likely should have gone to spam, that writing is my home. Here. Blogging, sharing, helping through my stories, entertaining through my slip-ups.  So, TL;DR (are we still doing that?) I’m back.

[donnajosh]

[politickingindingbatland]

coffeefirstalways:

donnajosh:

You’re not an unthinking liberal, are you?

CANNOT SLAM REBLOG FAST ENOUGH

[gafas-de-soul]

My intern. He's no good at fetching coffee, but great for office morale.

[littlehobbit13]

The Will of the People choose Trump to be President in 2016 and I, as an individual, can’t do much about that.

But as an individual, there are things I can do.

I can be kinder to those around me, infusing goodness back into the country one person at a time.

I can vote to support local government initiatives to make small but important changes where possible in my own community.

I can volunteer and donate to charities, to promote acts of goodness and human decency.

I can help educate people so that ignorance and fear does not take future elections.

I can give my strength to those around me when they need it.

I can work with fellow citizens to protest laws and actions that do not and should not define our country.

I can encourage tolerance and acceptance in those around me.

I can write my government representatives to tell them what I want from them as my stewards in government.

But most importantly, I can get up tomorrow and know that Trump and his flunkies cannot take Hope for the future from me.

They can’t take Hope from anyone not willing to give it up. That’s one victory you can deny them.

[gafas-de-soul]

Church, brunch, bowling, Sunday.

[softlenaluthor]

[gafas-de-soul]

Austin inspired breakfast tacos. Remember when I lived in Austin? Yeah, me neither.

[gafas-de-soul]

Nails are painted red, pinstripes on, @steph_summers on speed dial. I am ready. C'mon @cubs - prove 36 year old me AND scrawny 11 year old me right that it's worth the wait and next year is finally here! #LetsGo #FlyTheW

[theliteraryjournals]

It’s dark now and I am very tired. I love you, always. Time is nothing.

Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler’s Wife (via theliteraryjournals)

[gafas-de-soul]

Well maybe I'm a flowers kind of girl after all....