Positively Weightless

 Today’s post is going to be a little different as I took inspiration from an unexpected place. When you hear the word “Mystery” what do you think of? Some of us may think of the “who done it?” genre of movies and novels. That is where my mind immediately jumps to as well, but there is a lot to be said about mysteries. When you are first getting to know a person they are, in a sense, a mystery to you. You do not know their favorite food, childhood memories, emotions or feelings. But what about once that mystery is gone? I think in most cases that is a good thing. Today I want to dive into the topic of mysteries a little more.

So, where did this random topic come from you may be wondering? Well you might find it a little funny, but I was just casually scrolling though some news headlines when I saw an article about the street artist Bansky. I am not going to go too much into him, but for the sake of this post I will say that he works completely inconspicuously. No one, other than some very close people to him maybe, knows what he looks like or who he truly is. I first heard about him when he created this massive mock theme park, some might say a spoof on Disneyland, called Dismaland. Dark and different art has always caught my attention, so I was immediately intrigued, and the mystery of who this artist truly is only added to that. Every time he pops up in the news (like a few years ago when his painting that sold for over one million dollars immediately started to shred itself) I am intrigued all over again. The mystery behind who this artist truly is part of the allure.

We come across new mysteries all the time in our lives. When you meet someone new, as I mentioned in my intro, they essentially are a mystery to you. You chip away at that mystery bit by bit until one day they are your friend, lover, mentor, etc. Sometimes the ending to that mystery is you find you are just not compatible human beings and need to move on from each other. Other times as you peel back all of those layers on someone you find out just how wonderful they are and you cannot wait to have them in your life forever. Part of the fun of getting to know someone new is deciphering that mystery and seeing what truly lives behind the masks all of us seem to put on to people we do not know. 

What about when the mystery is gone though? I think in some cases the unknown is what adds so much to the allure of things. I understand why some people write or create art under different names or keep their identity secret like Bansky. When someone keeps themselves a secret like that you as the consumer can imagine they are anyone you could possibly imagine. Maybe you picture them looking just like you, or you even imagine them being one of the most handsome men you've ever seen. If a time came that the person did in fact reveal themselves and it didn't meet their expectations you might be completely turned off from their work completely. By having that mystery it takes them out of the equation and you can solely focus on their work. Meeting someone online can have the same effect in a sense, if you do not know what each other looks like at first, you can focus on just getting to know each other's should rather than possible writing someone off at first glance.

Overall I say that a little mystery in life never hurt anyone. Sometimes they can be fun and add a little spice to life. There wouldn't be so many successful mystery movies and books if people did not love the thrill of trying to find out who a fictional killer is while watching a mystery movie. My whole point in writing on this topic is to tell you to embrace it. Life is always a little fun with a little mystery added in. I recently read a book of poems by a poet that keeps their identity a secret and I personally loved it. I wondered who was behind these love poems and even who may have inspired them. I found that pretty fun to consider as I read them. So have fun in your life solving the mysteries you can, and embrace the ones you can't.

 Happy Sunday! I hope we are all doing well and hanging in there during spooky season! I have said it every week basically but I pretty much love this time of year! I have made two kinds of soup today, and even baked an apple pie since we have so many apples from picking last weekend. I hope you all are enjoying the Fall in the best way you know how too! If you don't have Fall traditions like we do, I think today's post might be for you! I want to talk a little bit today about being adventurous and trying new things.

Trying new things can mean anything from trying a new food to going on a thrilling new adventure on a vacation, and everything in-between. I personally love to try new things, even if I am someone who really does not like change all that much. I think this global pandemic has forced a lot of us into taking on new hobbies, experimenting with new foods in the kitchen, or just in general this new way of life has turned our normal routines every which way but up. I started baking homemade bread from home and I did a lot of reading in the process. I am sure in some way you took on some kind of new adventure as well if you were stuck at home for all of those months. Let me dive into a few more examples here.

Are you a picky eater or an adventurous eater? Overall I would say I am a pretty adventurous one, and I personally think that is a great thing to be as it opens your palette to a big variety of foods. Now I understand we all have different diets and dietary restrictions that can hold us back sometimes, so I of course am not telling you to go out and eat something that will harm you, but if you overall are just a picky eater it might surprise you what new foods you just might like. I was just talking to my mom recently about how I used to despise eggs with runny yolks, but now I eat them almost every day. I used to drink wine that was so sweet it was pretty much just grape juice, but now I enjoy wines that are drier than that. Our taste buds grow and evolve as we age, so I am betting there is something out there that just might be your new favorite if you give it a try. 

What about activities? As I mentioned a little earlier why not jump into a new hobby or experience you otherwise may not have ever done? I personally used to hate poetry. Reading it, writing it, revising it. In high school and college I really hated the poetry units. In college as an English Major we had to take a Shakespeare, Chaucer, or Milton class for a requirement all of which, if you are not familiar with, wrote in verse. I ended up taking the Chaucer class strictly because I knew how easy the professor was. Fast-forward 6 years and I read Paradise Lost by John Milton on my own just for fun and I loved it. Pretty ironic if you ask me! Not only do I read poetry for fun now, but I write it as many of you know as well and have been published in a few different places now. If I have let my preconceived notion about poetry cloud my vision forever, I would not have one of the things that brings me a lot of joy in my life now. I highly encourage you to take a second look at these kinds of things in your life as well because you may be missing out on so much.

Overall I don't think life should be boring ever. If you eat the same exact foods all the time you could be missing out on your new favorite dish. If you don't take any changes on new experiences you just might be missing out on a new love in your life. Heck all of our parents most likely were very nervous and scared to be new parents, but if they didn't look past that then we wouldn't be here today. Life is meant to be lived and not just observed. Take some chances and go on new adventures when you can. I can almost guarantee you will thank yourself for it later!

 Happy Sunday everyone! I am to the point where I feel like it wouldn't be a true start to my weekly blog if I did not wish you all a happy Sunday! I am actually writing this post a little earlier in the day than I usually do because me and my family are planning on going apple picking in the afternoon. I considered just blowing it off, but I really did not want to do that, and this is always such a nice space for me to just write once a week, I shouldn't let some family fun take away from that. Instead I am drinking some caramel apple flavored coffee with my pup in my lap ready to write! So now that I have all of my usual yapping out of the way, let's get to today's topic. Today I want to talk about listening.

Now of course listening can mean a couple of different things. It is how we are able to communicate with others. Without our sense of hearing we would never be able to hear our favorite songs, listen to all the sounds of nature at night, or be able to listen to a loved one sing. Unfortunately there are some people in this world that cannot hear, and of course there are just as many ways that those people can enjoy the beauty of life. Today's post, however, is not only about physically listening with our ears anyways. I want to dive into how we listen to other and show we are listening as well. But first I want to talk a little about some of my favorite sounds.

Just a few weeks ago I was laying in my bed at night before falling asleep. I just listened to all of the sounds of nature with my window open as I softly drifted off to sleep. Faintly I could hear an owl hooting as well, and owls are my favorite animal so that was nice and soothing. As I am typing this out I am listening to some soft, instrumental, classical music which helps me focus to write. Back in college I listened to Justin Timberlake's newest album at the time, 20/20 Experience, while I studied for the most difficult exam I took as an English Major, and was able to remember information on the test based on the lyrics of the songs. Pretty crazy to be signing Suit & Tie in your head while writing about different literary philosophers. Our sense of hearing really does bring a lot of beauty in the world as well. The first song bird singing of Spring, hearing your newborn baby cry for the first time, listening to the voices of the ones you love, beautiful music on a lousy day. They say you should always stop and smell the roses, but I like to stop and listen to the music myself.

Now that we have talked about the obvious type of listening in this post, I want to talk about my real purpose for writing this. One of the other ways we listen, is listening to those around us. When someone goes to you about something are you truly listening? I have said this before but we as humans are all pretty selfish by nature. Most of us, even the most giving ones, still have that tendency of being selfish. If your friend is telling you a story or about a problem, do you strictly listen or do you find a moment that you can bring up a story that relates to theirs? If someone is telling you about something that they are excited about do you automatically tell them about something you are also excited about? Look, I am willing to be we all do this to an extent. I myself have caught myself doing it of course. I don't think any of us really mean any harm in it but I do know that we also expect others to listen when we speak rather than changing the direction of the conversation.

My only request is to ask you all to do a lot more listening in your life. Stop and listen to the sounds of nature when you are on a walk or hike. Listen to your loved ones when they speak, truly take in what they are saying, but also enjoy the sounds of their voices because you never know when it may be the last time you hear it. Instead of bringing up a relatable story when a friend is confiding in you really listen and absorb what they are saying and then offer up any advice or comfort you can. There will be a time and a place for your story. Compassion and composure over selfishness... (as I was typing that sentence out I realized this whole post can be read as a response to the most recent presidential debate but trust me, that is not my intention. I like to keep politics well off of this page) Listen with your ears of course, but also listen with your heart.