Daydreaming in Church Hill

There are lots of reasons why I love living in Church Hill. The history, the homes, the people and the transformation are a few things I cherish. But, what I love most is the daydreaming. Church Hill isn’t just a place where people eat & sleep, it’s a place where dreams, big and small, are had, shared and maybe brought to life. Almost every gathering with friends who also love Church Hill includes a conversation where daydreams are shared.  The conversations usually include one friend sharing an idea, then another friend adding their twist to it - and someone else pointing out an abandoned building that would be the perfect location for it to all come together.

My current day dream for Church Hill is a mixture of ideas from several friends & neighbors, and a few of my own….

Like most (if not all) of the people living in Church Hill, I want to see something done with the old movie theater on 25th street.  I think about that building a lot, and the potential for it to become something as unique as the people living here - something that represents our diversity and passions.  I envision the first floor of the building being a place for anyone to share their creative side - an art gallery, handmade crafts for sale, a cafe/bakery, a stage for musical and theatrical performances.  The upper floors of the building will contain rooms where neighbors teach neighbors anything and everything - painting, crafting, music, home repair, computer skills, pet care, foreign language, cooking, how to start a business….  Also, contained in upper floors are open spaces like a beautiful studio for yoga & pilates and an open office space available for anyone to use.  Maybe there will be room for a natural health practitioner to have an office, or for a few artists to have studios.  These are just a few of the ideas that have been discussed at my dinner table. And I love them all.

I love the idea of a space in Church Hill that allows each of us to answer that soft question we hear inside asking us what more do we need/want other than work & homelife.  Sharing our skills, learning new things, meeting neighbors, and maybe making daydreams come true.

Tags: Church Hill, Crafty, Daydreams, From another, Richmond

My new Etsy favorite

My friend introduced me to The Black Apple, which I quickly fell in love with. So, to celebrate getting a new office at work - I ordered a new mouse pad with one of her cute creations on it:

Tags: Crafty

Coping

Earlier this evening I read a short article about January 21st (tomorrow!) being the saddest day of the year.  The author said this was due to people being ganged up on by things like holiday credit card debit, miserable cold weather and failed new years resolutions.  (I honestly don’t know how people have already failed, I have yet to start my new year resolutions.)

Anyway, the article has me thinking about how we cope with sadness and grief.  I don’t have a clue how to deal with my own grief.  It has been nine months since the greatest lost I’ve ever known, and I feel like at any moment I am going to all fall apart and I have to fight to survive each day.

The wisest person I know once told me that everyone is grieving about something.  I agree and see it in friends who are lonely, unfulfilled and isolated.  Even without looking in the mirror, I see people who are in pain everyday and don’t know what to do.

But I believe that there has to be something we can do, together, to help lessen the pain. Or at least provide some company in our misery.  I’m not really looking for healing, just some coping companions who want to try to be honest about grief.

Tags: Insanity, Spirituality

Go Ravens!

Yet, another reason to pursue my dream of becoming a Baltimore Ravens cheerleader:

Welcome to B’more, Coach Cutie.

Tags: Sports

Smile - maybe

Tags: Family

I will probably sleep well tonight

Today has been an emotional roller coaster for me.

Maybe I stayed up too late last night, maybe I drank too much this weekend, maybe it is just time for another round of breakdowns.

But, today has been very difficult to get through.

I was angry at how some people easily dismiss the reality of pain and brokeness.

Frustrated, I realized I am not good at articulating what angers me.

I cried.

I had a few happy moments.

I got a small makeover.

I felt that intense loneliness that makes life seem worthless.

I watched football with friends.

I, again, thought about how horrible I am at relationships and that I truly do not fit in with anyone.

I cried again.

I wanted to give up on everything.

I felt cared for and not alone.

Once again, I cried, unstoppable tears responding to love.

Tags: Insanity

An Inspiration

About a year ago I was in a very cute shop in C’ville. I came across this watercolor painting that has a touching poem about love on it. Tonight I finally bought a damn frame for this piece of beauty. On the back of the art there is a love note from the artist, this is how it starts:

“during the most painful time of my life, i made a promise to myself. instead of numbing my pain, and avoiding it, i would turn into it, feel what was going on inside of me, and explore it. at times the emotion was too much for me. filling me up so completely that i needed to let some spill out.”

She goes on to say that the “spilling out” became bonesigharts.

This is so fitting for me to read tonight, since I just spent the past couple of hours sipping wine with a friend and dreaming of what we want to spill out of our pain.

Tags: Art Heals, Crafty, Richmond

A friendly reminder

Just wanting to remind all Anne Lamott fans that she is coming to Richmond this spring!

Tags: Art Heals, Celebrities, Reading, Spirituality, Writing

And the Silver Medal goes to….

Me!!

Thanks to everyone that participated in RVA2k7BA.  Special thanks to the four or five of you that voted for me as Best Kept Secret….your efforts made me the Second Best Kept Secret in RVA for 2k7!!!

Tags: Blog, Richmond

Today’s Food Journal

I am living the life of an EX-personal trainer. I haven’t worked out since before Thanksgiving and here is today’s food journal:

Breakfast: Bowl of Life cereal

Morning Snack: Egg & Cheese Sandwich from Dunkin Donuts

Lunch: Asparagus

Dinner: Bowl of Life Cereal

Before Bed Snack: Beer & Multi-vitamin

Tags: Healthy Living

From Coco Chanel

Tonight I pulled out an old journal my mom gave me because I decided I wanted to write in that old-fashion way of using a pencil and paper. Anyway, the journal is called “A Woman’s Notebook”. I’m sure I’ve never used it because of the huge, ugly flowers on the cover of it. However, each page has a thought-provoking quote by a woman in history, including some of my favorite authors and this from Coco Chanel:

“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something, but to be someone.”

I think this short quote captures the essence of simplicity and authenticity.

Tags: From another

Magic & Sickness

Today was my first day at work since before Christmas.  I’m very surprised that I was able to stay awake all day and that the work day went by quickly.  After work I went to Barnes & Noble to spend a holiday gift card (got a book of short stories and a book about jewelry making).  Bookstores are magical to me.  I can spend hours just walking around, browsing and adding books to my “To Read” list.

However, going to big store like Barnes & Noble now has a eery feeling to it as well.  It wasn’t until after I got my tea and walked by the Virginia section that I remembered there have been some books published about April 16th.  It is unreal to me that I can walk into a bookstore and read a biography about Jarrett, a biography written by a complete stranger.  Also, that I would have to pay money to take it with me and read about my brother.  Not saying that I want the book, just that it seems weird/wrong that people are paying money to learn about my brother’s life…..even dirtier and sickening….that people who never knew him are making money from his death.

Tags: Insanity, Reading