A Letter to Me at 18- The finale of the 4

Dear 18 year old me...

You thought this final letter would never come, I bet! Well, here it is- the grand finale, the final chapter of the quartet. While this letter serves with no theme, no overall idea to take with you into the office or out on a date, it is still a very important message in which I hope you take to heart. Short and sweet, here are my final words of advice that I hope you'll take with a grain of salt and a pinch of sugar-

Take leaps of faith, the bigger the better. The landing may be rougher after some dismounts than others, but you will not fall on your face as long as you keep your head high and your heart open to new experiences.

Crd*t

Learn to enjoy being alone. Learn to enjoy days without breaks from human interaction. Time is time and whether you are sharing it with your closest friends, mere acquaintances, or alone, it is time that is to be savored and soaked up by simply being alive.

Enjoy your body, please. Don't compare it to magazines, Victoria's Secret catalogues, TV actresses, and even your friends on Facebook. Instead of focusing on what it looks like, work it to enable you to do amazing things. You've already built up amazing strength to jump over 5 feet, 4 inches in the high jump. You will go on to run over a couple thousand miles with the short and long runs accumulated throughout your late teens and early twenties.

Eat right, fuel a motivated and active spirit. Don't dwell on the fact that you are either pear shaped, apple shaped, strait shaped, etc... "Confident" is the best body type, and the best thing about that is the fact you get to choose that body type- so choose it and move on.

Crd*t

Don't ever shy away from an opportunity to strike up a conversation. Even if it's with the man sitting next to you on the plane, the girl waiting behind you in the coffee shop line, or the family browsing the supermarket aisle beside you. Human interaction is a complex, beautiful, strange, and bemusing thing. We'll never understand why, but just complimenting her hair or their children's smiles brings immense joy in many forms to you and the ones on the receiving end.

Laugh. Everyday. Notice how it makes you feel. Now, go out and make sure that you can make at least one person experience that happiness just by being in your presence. If you can make someone laugh and encourage happiness, you are doing a great service to humanity.

Crd*t

Learn to enjoy children. You will want them some day (don't worry- not at 23, but you will later I'm sure). Plus, they know what's going on. Their spunk, enthusiasm, perspectives, and joy are the key ingredient to a young soul- keep this young spirit within yourself. Our bodies may grow old, but you can choose to always be young at heart.

And finally- don't take life so seriously. I know this is a hard concept to grasp (I know because I am still trying to conquer this myself). But every single person on this earth is on the same team just trying to make it in this chaotic arena we call Earth. Thank God every day for your blessings, laugh off negativity, and just be you- you're the only You this planet will ever have so make your presence light, lasting, and full of life.

Until you're here sitting behind your computer, typing letters to your ghost of the past, remember you are well on your way to the rest of your life. Every step counts, every word matters, and your thoughts define you. Make them beautiful, and make them yours.

Love always-
M

A Runner's Prayer

Dear Lord...
Thank you for waking me with a starry sky
a promise that you're watching with a twinkling eye
as my feet are lifted to the floor
place my shoes on my feet and head out the door
Thank you for the crisp September air
and the subtle breeze that catches in my blonde hair
thank you for the friends that bring a smile to my face
and a painfree body for this 70 mile race
Thank you for comforting our restless nerves
a grace in which not one of us deserves
you place your hands on our wheels until we park at the start
and press your ear to my chest to keep my steady heart
Thank you for the dew, and the foggy sunrise scene
for my teammates and I to run into at a time so obscene
thank you for the silence and the cricket churps too
the hills and the hurdles that we all had to work through
Thank you for my muscles, stretched and warmed up for strength
and for removing my mind of worry, doubt, and angst.
Thank you for family and their encouraging words
and thanks for the humming of insects, the chirping of birds
Thank you for each breath: whether short, sharp, or deep
that carried us up and down bridges, slippery and steep
Thank you for headlights, reflecting vests so bright
and getting us through the 77 miles all alright!
Thank you lord for my teammates, for our competetors too
and we all survived the madness that is this sport that we do
and as I lay my head down at the end of the night
I say this runner's prayer and turn out the light.

A Place to Call Home

It's official. I am currently living in my new abode. Upon moving all of my furniture and bigger belongings into the third floor of my new apartment, I sensed the excitement finally running full force through my finger tips.

Without internet and cable for the first week in my new apartment, I spent some free time (what little I could find) at the Starbucks a hop and a skip away. Yes, it may be dangerous how close and convenient this caffeine nook is to my quarters, but it allowed me to look up plenty of good decorating tips (for this girl on a budget). Thank you, Pinterest! You have saved me once again!

Tile 1:
1. Square Mirror- Dollar Tree- $1
2. Hexagon Mirror- Dollar Tree- $1
3. Aqua-Marine ribbon- Wal-Mart- 1 spool- $1.89

Tile 2:
1. Small Glass Vase- Dollar Tree- $1
2. Blue Opaque Pebbles- Dollar Tree- $1
3. (2) White life-living flower- Dollar Tree- $1 (x2)
4. Mainstay Floral Bouquet Candle- Wal0Mart- $3.50
5. Coffee Mug (gift from my homeland, Maryland!)

Tile 3:
1. "Get Naked" individual letters- Michaels- $.79 each (x8)=$6.40

Tile 4:
1. Tack and Tuck homemade cover (sheets) Wal-Mart- $5.69 (x3)= $17.20
2. (2 packs) Cushion Tacks- Wal-Mart- $.87= $1.75

All together, all seen above cost me approximately $37. Not too shabby when one couch cover averages $50! Hope everyone's weekend was crafty, not the least bit soggy, and all around lovely!

Picking Up the Pen

It's been a while since I've picked up a pen and written down a rhyme. So here it comes, after a mini-vacay from hittin' the sheets (of paper, that is!) Happy Thursday, everyone!

I wake up, my hair in knots
my toes are cold, my cheeks are hot
pressed against the pillow case
a tired and aging face

I slip on my socks and shift across the hard wood
pull on my cotton pants, adjust my sweatshirt hood
reach into the cupboard, pull out the coffee tin
measure one scoop, two, three..add water, dive in

Can't find my toothbrush, my lips are dry
splash water on my skin, watch droplets fly
return to the coffee mug on the table top
await the sunshine, pray the rain soon will stop

Pick up the phone, dial the number on my mind
bring up conversations, any topic I can find
he doesn't answer, I'm not surprised
hang up, no message, close my eyes

Wipe away steam, tears, from coffee or a broken heart
just in time for the lightning strike, the thunder starts
turn on the radio, people murmur nothing new
I turn the off the sound and think for a few

Street lights flicker off, the rain now a misty gray-white
the sun fights the cloud cover and pronounces daylight
a door slams out in the stairwell, the world starts to wake
take the towels from the dryer, give the sheets a shake

The phone rings, I run in the bedroom where it sits
just my brother, I'll call later, unless I forget
return to the kitchen, pour another cup coffee
as he does the same, somewhere far from here, without me.

New Apartment, Saving Spring Break, and Still Gluten Free!

It seems that with the ever-churning wheels of adult-hood, this girl has been going full throttle since day one of work. I thought about what it would be like to pull the emergency brake and stop for a few days to breathe... and then responsibilities kicked me out of this daze and back into the drivers seat 

0 to 60...

This past weekend, I road tripped to Charleston (for the first time!) to celebrate my roommate's last "Fling before the Ring." I met amazing ladies, ate some delicious food, and got into too many adventures... wait... is there such a thing? I think not...

Yes, that is my roomie and I... 

and yes, those are lady mustaches we are sporting out in public...

But with all good times come an end and we found our way back to the real world this week full of work, bills, and cleaning. Unfortunately, my roommate came down with a silly sickness and we have been wishing her a quick recovery...

On the other side, I have been feverishly searching for my new home here in Charlotte, and thanks to some quick thinking and a nice lady in the front office of the apartment complex... I have found my new bachelor-ette pad. 

How I'll decorate it, I do not know. I'm about as clueless as a turtle in an airplane about what to do to put an entire apartment together. Kitchen appliances, bathroom extras, living room furniture-OH MY!

 All I can say is Thank Goodness for Pinterest! 

How I'll incorporate different elements such as seen above... beats me. But once the furniture moves and space is reserved... I'll figure it out. If you have any input for this new apartment dweller, please share!

Also... while I am out of college and far from a standard "Spring Break", I will be packing my bags for a long weekend trip down south for some sunshine coming up in the next week! 

 

Who said I'm too old for spring break? Oh no, not I, says the girl on the fly! 

 

XOXO

A Simple Act of Kindness...

I wish to take this morning to share something extraordinary that occurred as I was walking in to get my much needed dose of caffeine after a sunrises 6-miler...

It was the start to an ordinary Friday. Traffic seemed a bit sparse, the rain left the roads twinkling in the glare of the moonlight mixed with streetlamps, and I was rocking out to some serious Mumford and Sons. I was feeling a bit tired after waking up at 4:45am to tackle a long run with the lovely roommate, so of course a coffee stop on the way to work was inevitable.

Upon arriving to the Starbucks parking lot. I noticed an older man drive up and park his car in the handicap spot. I put my Rav in park, got out and walked past his Honda, noticing he didn't have a handicap sticker in his window. I immediately had the though, "Gosh, that's selfish of him" just before seeing him struggle out of the front seat, wincing and limping up onto the sidewalk to come inside. Strike One, Maxann...

I put my tail between my legs and walked into the coffee shop. The door was held open for me and the old man struggling behind me by another man in a pants suit on his cell phone. "Thanks" I told him. The old man behind me stayed silent. "Gosh, he seems ungrateful" I thought to myself again too quickly...

But something tapped my conscious as I got up towards the front of the line that told me to let this old man ahead of me. For what reasons, I couldn't explain... Hadn't I already made up my mind that this man was selfish ungrateful?  But I motioned toward the counter, nodded my head and spoke, "You can go ahead sir. I am still deciding." He looked at me, limping forward, and whispered, "Thanks", just before coughing into his sleeve. The man sounded like he lost his voice due to a cold. Strike two, Maxann.

The man ordered his coffee, I ordered mine, we both received our coffee and walked out towards the pavement. As I was crossing the lot to my car, the man turned to face me, we caught eyes, and to my surprise spoke soft and kindly, "I hope you have a great day, Miss. You just turned mine around by your kindness." I stood in front of him, bewildered and taken-aback. He smiled a weak yet pronounced, struggled into his front seat, and drove away.

The morals of the story are of two lessons learned in that short 10 minute interaction with this random man at a random coffee house on an idle Friday morning. Don't judge others. You have no idea where a person is coming from and the battles they've been fighting to get them to this place and in this time. And secondly, never be afraid to give a simple act of kindness to any one person. Whether that be holding the door, helping pick up dropped groceries, or allowing them ahead of you in the coffee line... it will mean something to some one- enough to make someone's bad day better. And there shouldn't be any other goal at the end of the day than that- to make an impact on a stranger. (Cross that off the bucket list!) 

Of Morning

Seaside mist imposter
crawls into the basin
waking the foothills
from a slumber so sweet
winter warmth left its fingerprint
in the form of green grass
sprinkling the frost
breathing into the morning moonlight
serenade.

Stepping out on the stained concrete
ankles crack and toes bend
in filth smothered sneaker mesh
knee one creaks
knee two straightens
heel toe, heel toe
upon green grass
trampled into the earth
turning sparkling frost
into murky mud
dents.

Mind wanders to yesterday
old conversations tucked in pockets
cell phone speakers
online forums
lost in the crowded cyberspace
cluttering our concentration
with hustle bustle
contentment lost
in comparisons
and confusion
of where we are supposed to be
and who
with who?

Street lamps flicker
car horns echo against bleachers
brick walls and cinder blocks
Dog walkers chatter
neighbors wave
the world awakens
to another day
of mass communications
overshadowing the sweetness
that lies behind
the silence
of morning.

Dance Dance

I was never a dancer... perhaps in another life I could shimmy and shake with a little more grace than this current body I inhabit...

As much as I wish I could dance like a ballerina with smooth, crisp movements and grace like a swan on a placid lake... I'm more like a cat thrown into raging rapids- flailing and gasping for air...

No matter, I am still captivated by those who can do something so mesmerizing using their muscle control and concentration alongside a melody.

A Little Bear Hug

With the big move down south TOMORROW!! Nerves are a' tremblin' and tears are a' formin'!

Sometimes we all just feel a little better with a little Bear Hug.

(I know my momma and I do!)
Happy Thursday, all!