Anthony Bourdain-inspired dreams

I woke up this morning instantly feeling dissatisfied.  This is unusual for me.  I would say half a day or so normally passes before I feel dissatisfied if that is how I am going to feel that day.  I quickly realized why I awoke with such an odd feeling: a dream.  Now, before I went to bed I happened to catch Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations in Ireland.  So I dreamt I was in Ireland.  Walking along the rolling green hills, peering into various enticing pubs, watching road bowling (which was one of Anthony's activities).  I later in the dream jetted to New York and took in some of the spectacular NYC lifestyle.  Then I awoke.  

I believe the travel bug is biting my quite persistently.  It's almost feels like a necessity: go somewhere new, see something I've never seen, change the way I see the world and the other people who are inhabiting it alongside me.  The problem is I'm not exactly sure when the bug can be satisfied.  So for know I'll just dream and plan future trips that will occur at an unidentified date in the future.        

Perfect Day

Saturday was an amazing day.  I went to a beach in Marin with my friend Noah and his friend David.  The weather was literally unbelievable to a Pacific NW girl like myself.  It had to be upper 70's/80's.  We actually got in the water and it felt amazing and refreshing.  We just played around like little kids, and, as Noah said, photosynthesized.  Then we finished the day with a little action in the form of 007.  That night I was so perfectly exhausted I didn't make it past 11:30.  It was the best night of sleep I've had in a while.  

Great day.      

Turmoil

This morning I took my turmoil to church wondering what I would find when I arrived. Would there be picketers outside as there were at the Mormon church, people upset about the Passing of Proposition 8?

I'm having issues with Prop 8. I'm not a registered California voter but it is impossible to not get involved in the issue considering it affects people around me, some of my classmates, my new friends. Proposition 8 (f0r those who do not know) bans gay marriage. A large portion of its funding came from the Mormon Church (thus the picketing outside the temple this morning).

To be completely honest Prop 8 upsets me. Laying aside the specifics of it, a group of people in our country are being denied a legal transaction because of their sexuality. I understand why the church would want this to pass. I understand that as Christians we have to fight for our principles, our morals and what we believe in. But at what cost? Will we as Christians ever be able to convince the picketers outside the temple this morning that we do indeed love them and care about them, no matter our voting decisions? Because the reality is that this group of people and many others sees Prop 8 as an infringement of civil rights, similar to racism and segregation. How can we convince them we care when they feel they are being judged because of who they are? I can't help but think that Prop 8 is pushing many people of different backgrounds and with different stories away from the church. The older I get and the more I see of this world the more I realize that what it needs most is more love and compassion and less judgement. I want to treat people as Jesus would treat them and, though I frequently fail, I want that to be my core. Loving people as Jesus would and does.

I realize this is an incendiary topic and I hope you readers understand my heart on this. Because it comes down to this: people in my life who I have come to see as my friends are feeling discriminated against and its upsetting.

When I did get to church there were no signs outside. During the sermon our Pastor explained that he thinks of our church as neither right wing or left wing but the whole bird which 1) made me smile and 2) really encouraged me. He spoke of all political ideologies coming together in the church. I don't know how we are supposed to deal with this issue. I don't have the answers. But I am struggling with how it is currently being treated. I pray that we can find a different, better way.

Just some thoughts from this wild week...

First: regardless of how you personally feel about the outcome of Tuesdays election (I for one am thrilled) you have got to be excited about the way the American public showed up and participated.  Young, old, every color under the sun getting out there and (I believe) setting record numbers at the poles.  That's incredible and has been really inspiring to me.  I'm proud of my country and the way American citizens beat off that complacency that so easily overtakes us to participate and hope for a different country than the one we've got in front of us right now.  My hope is that the passion that fueled this election will unite and inspire our country helping us become who we want to be.  

Second: I've realized I can monitor my own personal deep-down happiness with three simple questions about my daily doings:  

Am I singing?  

Am I dancing?  

Am I listening to music?  

It doesn't mean that I set out a time for these things.  It means I'm singing at the top of my lungs while driving, dancing down the hallway on the way to the kitchen and listening to music while doing homework even though it sometimes distracts me.  These just seem to be the ways my joy takes form, becomes tangible.  Good general information for me to know about myself.  

Third: apparently it's November