i am a champion

i've got the eye of the tiger, the fighter
dancing through the fire 'cause i am a champion

...

and you're gonna hear me roar
...

louder, louder than a lion

'cause i am a champion

and you're gonna hear me roar

i can't win

tell me, what did i do to make you hate me so much?
why're you angry all the time?
why do you wanna run from me?
we used to make love
when you called, i would follow
now the only thing you love is a bottle
the only thing you've got left is a shadow

don't let this shit come between us

i'm wrong, you're right

it's okay with my heart

but it's not how it's supposed to be

you always say, "i'm done, we're finished"

fuck it: i'm wrong, you're right

please, God, help us

i guess i'm gonna leave it up to you tonight

[he] ain't bluffin'
[he's] gonna do it
i think it's time for me to face to the music
i could really give a damn about my pride
but the way you're acting is stupid
you're going back and forth with the lies, never compromise
if you love me better, prove it
i can't win
i can't win for losing

it don't even matter if you scream and yell
you don't love me
you don't love yourself
but it don't matter if you're raising hell: i miss you
i wanna kiss you
i can't remember who you are
remember when your heart used to say, "love me, baby"?
love me, baby

i'm not trying to waste our love

i'm just trying to save what's left of it

one day

one day, my love

you're gonna realize that you fucked up

and when that day comes, my love

i'm gonna be the same one, still loving [you]

how're you gonna cancel me out?

chasing pavements

About a week ago, I got a second job.

It’s the thing I’ve been avoiding ever since I moved back home nineteen months ago (oh god, NINETEEN MONTHS AGO I MOVED BACK HOME someone please kill me slash sorry, Mom and Dad). I’ve tried to make it photographing and subbing but since both of those are seasonal, I knew that when summer hit things were going to be a bit, ahem, tight. After my Thursday morning orientation as a summer counselor, I realized that only working camp wasn’t going to be enough.

So I tucked my tail between my legs.

And drove to Sonic.

And asked for my old job back.

I tried to promise myself when I graduated that no matter what happened, I wouldn’t go back. It’s not that it’s a bad job – it’s just, it’s the job I had in high school. I’m supposed to be better than that now, right? I have a degree from an incredible university. Shouldn’t that be enough to keep me out of fast-food?

Turns out it’s not.

And I’m trying to be okay with that.

I woke up Friday morning with Adele’s Chasing Pavements randomly playing over and over and over in my head. The lyrics made (and still make) me wonder, should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements, even if leads nowhere? Trying to be a teacher for almost two years now, trying to just get by in the meantime by subbing and working summer jobs, trying to wait it out so I don’t have to give up on my dream…is it stupid? Am I being stupid?


via

Some days (okay, most days) I feel the pressure to “grow up” and get a “proper” job. I feel like a bum, a loser substitute who’s just not good enough to be a “real” teacher. I feel like I should take a job with a salary, with benefits, with 9 to 5 hours so I can be like my friends, so I can get my own place, so I can be, well, “normal.”

But I’m just not a desk job kind of girl.

The thought of working in an office makes me (metaphorically) break out into hives. And okay, sure, maybe I’m a little gun-shy about offices and cubicles and fluorescent lighting because my first “grown up job” was such a fucking nightmare, but I don’t think that’s just it. I think that in general, it’s just not for me. I need to be mentally engaged, physically active, up & walking around, talking to people, doing something new every day.

Does that make me flighty?

Or free-spirited?

Lazy? Or dynamic?

All I know is I can’t lead a life crunching numbers or filing faxes or taking memos. And I’d rather be somewhat unhappy with where I live and happy with my work than happy with where I live and miserable forty hours a week.

So because I gave up an interview for a “proper" job and instead found myself face-to-face with a summer position that’s turned out to be part-time, I had to swallow my pride and go back to the basics. My roots, you might say. And you know what? It’s not so bad. I felt weird walking back into the store after a five year hiatus and it’s sort of strange not knowing most of the girls who work there now, but it also kind of feels like home. It feels like a job I can do (and do well) because it is. Yea, that’s right: I kind of kick ass at Sonic-ing.

JUST LOOK AT HOME CUTE I AM IN MY POLO.


See? I’m trying to focus on the whole gotta-make-that-dolla aspect of the situation as opposed to obsessing over the fact that I’m 24 and working at the same job I did at 16. Yikes.

And while I’ve mentioned before how much I sucked (read: was ugly and judgmental) in those days, I do feel a little like sixteen-year-old me again, meaning I should probably call up my high school boyfriend so we can awkwardly make out in his bunk bed or the back of his ’98 Ford Explorer. I’m sure his wife won’t mind.

Good times.

But back to my original question: am I kidding myself with pursuing a career in education? To be honest, my gut tells me I probably am. My gut tells me it’s going to be years before education is back to a place where alternatively certified teachers (like me) have a better shot at being hired. But (and get ready for some grade A cheese, y’all) my heart just won’t let me let go. I feel like a teacher even though I’m not employed as one, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I have something of value to bring to kids.

So.

Do I struggle in the meantime, sacrifice my wants, and ultimately continue to put my life on hold, waiting for the right school, the right principal, the right students to take a chance on me, whenever that may be?

Or am I just chasing pavements?

shit-talking up all night

Lately this blog must give the impression that my life is completely devoid of anything even remotely interesting or fun. If it was otherwise, I'd be writing about all the cool things I do, right? RIGHT?! Y'all, I promise I do cool things. Maybe not all the time and okay, yea, I STILL LIVE WITH MY PARENTS which is the opposite of awesome but hey, just last week I saw a quality community theatre production of Bat Boy: The Musical and if that's not cool, I just don't know what is.

Things have just been busy and I've been all sneezy and do you know how bothersome it is to write when every six seconds you're recuperating from the Mother of All Sneezes?

Answer: extremely.

And while that's really just a ridiculous excuse, the truth of the matter is that I've been so consumed with subbing and looking for a Real Teaching Job and freaking out about looking for a Real Teaching Job that all the fun, cool things I do (and want to write about) fall by the wayside (much to my own personal disappointment). On top of it all, I had (have?) become a bit overwhelmed by this whole blogging universe. As much as I once enjoyed reading posts every day, it started to feel more like a chore and GOD FORBID IF I FELL BEHIND BY A DAY because I just felt like I was drowning in words and holy shit I'm such a failure if I don't catch up, like, yesterday.

Can you tell I suffer from anxiety? More specifically, anxiety over meaningless things which in turn turns them into personal failures that I'll never recover from?

I repeat: anxiety.

Let's not pull at that thread.

Mitch and I were driving back from a quick jaunt over to Nacogdoches a couple Friday afternoons ago, talking & bopping along to the radio when a song came on that we both stopped and really listened to. The words felt so applicable to both of us and the place we're in in our lives, a place of complete uncertainty with a side of Fear of the Unknown. Something about the lyrics gave me peace because they mean that other people in the world have navigated these same waters and you know what, I bet they made it out just fine. So we will too. And even though we're facing huge obstacles (the education job market, bills that have to get paid, skyrocketing gas prices, and very little money in our pockets to boot), it's okay because this is what our twenties are for: figuring this shit out one day at a time, occasionally with the help of a cheap bottle of wine.

But until we get back to our regularly scheduled programming, please enjoy this picture Mitch and I's matching watches we bought on completely different days at completely different Wal-Marts (cha-ching!) and completely by accident.

Yea, it's love.

she's all laid up in bed with a broken heart
while i'm drinking Jack while alone in my local bar
and we don't know how, how we got into this mad situation
only doing things out of frustration
trying to make it work but, man, these times are hard

she needs me now but i can't seem to find the time
i got a new job now on the unemployment line
and we don't know how, how we got into this mess
is it God's test?
someone helps us 'cause we're doing our best
we're trying to make it work but, man, these times are hard

but we're going to start by drinking on cheap bottles of wine
shit-talking up all night, saying things we've haven't for awhile
we're smiling, but we're close to tears
even after all these years we just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time

she's in line at the DOLE with her head held high
while i just lost my job but didn't lose my pride
but we both know how, how we're gonna make it work when it hurts
when you pick yourself up, you get kicked in the dirt
trying to make it work but, man, these times are hard

oh, these times are hard
yea, they're making us crazy
don't give up on me, baby

can't stop, won't stop: april

It's time for some April jams, friends (better late than never, right?)! Here's a peak at my current playlist:

• Glee's cover of Animal (originally belonging to Neon Trees)
• Knockout by Lil' Wayne and Nikki Minaj
• Love Lost by Temper Trap
• Who Says by Selena Gomez & the Scene (I'm embarrassingly into this song)
• And I know I've mentioned it before, but I'm still really loving Freelance Whale's debut album Weathervanes. You should check it out immediately (and perhaps fall in love with the likes of Broken Horse and Kilajoules, samesies as me).

And because I'm ridiculously into that Selena Gomez song and just feel like posting the lyrics, I will. No big deal.

You made me insecure, told me I wasn't good enough
But who are you too judge when you're a diamond in the rough?
I'm sure you've got some things you'd like to change about yourself
But when it comes to me, I wouldn't want to be anybody else

I'm no beauty queen
I'm just beautiful me
You've got every right to a beautiful life

Who says, who says you're not perfect?
Who says you're not worth it?
Who says you're the only one who's hurting?
Trust me, that's the price of beauty
Who says you're not pretty?
Who says you're not beautiful?
Who says?

PS: Promise I'll actually post something soon. Well, maybe. It's just hard living the glamorous life of a substitute teacher, y'all.

currently

Currently I'm listening to Freelance Whales' Generator ^ First Floor and marveling at how lovely their sound is.

I highly recommend their entire album Weathervanes.


Currently I'm reading How English Works: A Linguistic Introduction by Anne Curzan & Michael P. Adams and marveling at the beauty of our language.

Nerd alert.


Currently I'm watching The Break-Up on USA and marveling at it's upsetting relevance.

Brooke (Jennifer Aniston): I just don't know how we got here. Our entire relationship, I have gone above and beyond for you, for us. I've cooked. I've picked your shit up off the floor. I've laid your clothes out for you like you're a four year old. I support you. I supported you, your work. If we ever had dinner or anything, I did the plans. I take care of everything. And I just don't feel like you appreciate any of it. I don't feel you appreciate me. All I want is to know, is for you to show me that you care.

can't stop, won't stop: march

A can't stop/won't stop March edition? Oh, by all means:

• More by Usher (looove me some Usher Raymond ever since those You Make Me Wanna days, mmmmmmmmm)
• If You Run by The Boxer Rebellion
• Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds
• Grazed Knees by Snow Patrol
• And I know I'm a bit late on this bandwagon, but Adele*'s new album, 21? To. Die. For.

Swoon.

...

when laying with you
i could stay there,
close my eyes,
feel you here forever
you & me together -- nothing is better
set fire to the rain


In unrelated news, I'm definitely enjoying this unexpected spring break. Well, kind of. So far I've literally slept all day, every day which, let's face it, is totally boring. BUT tomorrow I get to play sand volleyball in the morning with some friends then hit up Lemon Bar around 3pm for some St. Patrick's Day day-drinking with Mitch, Harrison and anyone else brave enough to get on our level. Obvi.

Meanwhile, I'll be rocking out to some ballin' tunes. Happy (early) St. Patrick's Day, y'all! Wear lots of shamrocks, avoid getting pinched, and partake in several green beers. :)



*Also loving Chasing Pavements by Adele. I had completely forgotten how great this song is! Whoadang.

tear it open, let the rain fall in

photo credit: caroline sweatt

...
oh, my love
help me open up my heart again
tear it open
let the rain fall in
wash this hardness underneath my skin

oh, my love
let me hear your voice come through
i wanna know the love inside of you
make this dark heart believe in what is true

i know that in the dark there's a fear of letting go
i know it in my heart that i fear what i don't know

here's to friends in need and friends indeed

Just a little Ray to start my Thursday off the way I like it: slow and sweet.

if it's a friend you need, let it be me


PS: I just realized that this past Tuesday was my one year blogiversary. Yay! Happy birthday, little blog! Who knew when I started you just to cope with the misery of being an accounts receivable coordinator for a TRUCKING COMPANY (where at times every single person in my office left early for the day to go skeet shooting...ahhhh, first grown-up jobs...) that you'd become such a lovely part of my life. :)

3x5

via

...
oh, today i finally overcame
trying to fit the world inside a picture frame
maybe i will tell you all about it when i'm in the mood to lose my way with words

can't stop, won't stop: january

Presenting the first can't stop/won't stop of 2011, y'all: songs I can't and won't stop listening to on repeat as of late. Holla!

• Yeah 3x by Chris Brown (Oh, Chris Brown, my love for you is eternal)
• Dog Days are Over by Florence + the Machine
• Rocketeer by Far East Movement
• 3x5 by John Mayer
• Enchanted by Taylor Swift

...

there i was again tonight
forcing laughter, faking smiles
same ol' tired lonely place

walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and
vacancy vanished when i saw your face
all i can say is it was enchanting to meet you

I remember the first time I ever saw Mitch. It was at a party in Nacogdoches; I was visiting an old friend for the weekend, sitting around someone's coffee table when he walked in. He was wearing a long-sleeved, oatmeal-colored shirt and faded jeans that were ripped up at the knees. I remember staring at him and his mesmerizing smile before immediately texting my friend across the room, Who is that guy? What can I say? I just had to know.

December 2008, the first night we met. YIKES.
And yes, it was a bit scandalous on my part since my boyfriend at the time was also at this party. Don't worry - nothing happened that night (or any night for that matter while I was still with said boyfriend, I swear), but that didn't stop me from being curious about the sweet boy at Jordan's party, the boy who made me laugh and asked me to play beer pong with him (against my aforementioned boyfriend...oops?).

your eyes whispered, have we met?
across the room your silhouette starts to make its way to me
the playful conversation starts,
counter all your quick remarkslike passing notes in secrecy
and it was enchanting to meet you
all i can say is i was enchanted to meet you
I realize the beginning sounds a bit sketch, and maybe it is, but every time Mitch walks into the room, I'm enchanted just as I was two years ago when he walked through that apartment door and unsuspectingly into my life. I love that we had no idea what would become of us when he innocently asked for my number. I love that there were too many times I blew him off, pushed him out of my mind as some silly boy with some silly crush on me, and all the while this was the future God had in store.

I love our story, totally & absolutely.

this night is [flawless]
don't you let it go
i'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
i'll spend forever wondering if you knew i was enchanted to meet you

...

for anna

I've mentioned my intense love of Relient K before, as well as the fact that the acoustic version of Be My Escape is my favorite song of all time. Seriously. I never ever skip over it on my iPod, so I mean, that says a lot.

Anyway, I just wanted to share it with all of y'all, as well as my friend Anna (who I know loves me and faithfully stalks this blog, haha).

Oh, and sorry the video is clips from Grey's Anatomy set to music? I don't know. Whatev.


I've been housing all this doubt & insecurity and I've been locked inside that house all the while You hold the key.


Enjoy. :)

it was all for you

I love Pandora.

I probably even love it more than my iPod, which is saying something because Gad has a pretty important place in my life (and yes, I named my iPod). When I hit the Pandora app on my phone this morning, it was immediately apparent that Mitch was the last one to use it since I found myself listening to Gucci Mane radio (really?). Me, I’m more into Jason Mraz radio (the absolute best station for any mood).

Anyway, this morning I was, of course, listening to Jason Mraz radio as I drove to today’s shoot, jamming to the likes of Ingrid Michelson, Matt White and, of course, Jason Mraz, when an old favorite came on. As soon as I heard the opening chords of Sister Hazel’s All For You, I felt myself slipping back to wintertime two years ago.

The boy I dated before Mitch was a guitar player. Well, is a guitar player because I really have no reason to assume he’s not still playing. Our relationship was (at best) tumultuous and (at worst) absolutely devastating, so when it ended I tried to push every single memory of him out of my mind. Even the good ones. Or perhaps especially the good ones. But this morning, listening to Sister Hazel, I remembered a good one and found myself less inclined to cringe than usual.

Leo said he had a surprise for me and, no, he couldn’t tell me where we were going. We drove through and all around our small college town until we arrived at a park, a park I had never really taken the time to visit. At first I was less than impressed; it was chilly and I wasn’t really in the mood to traipse around some stupid park grounds. But as we parked and made our way out of the truck, he grabbed a picnic basket and his guitar from the back where he had hidden them both.

C’mon, he said, and so I followed.

We waded through weeds and brush and thorns until we stopped in a small clearing, secluded enough by the tall trees to feel like this was ours and we were alone. I stood behind Leo as he spread a blanket on the cold ground and started to lay out the food he’d brought for us (peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies). We sat and we ate, but then he started to play. And then he sang, words can’t say / and I can’t do / enough to prove / it’s all for you. It was like magic and I was transfixed.

I mentioned that there was a lot of hurt, a lot of dishonesty, and just plain a lot of bad in our relationship. I’d get so angry, so completely fed up and want to walk away, but then Leo would manage to do something like this, something unexpected and special, something that made me feel special.

And for whatever reason (love?), those moments were enough to convince me that everything would be okay.

Now, obviously, things didn’t end up being okay, and it’s taken time (lots of time) to be in a place where I can write about this without bitterness. A year ago, maybe even six months ago, I don’t know that I could have heard All For You and not have been momentarily thrown into a downward spiral. Hearing it this morning and being able to immediately remember the good instead of immediately remembering the bad…well, it’s nice.

It’s nice to be able to dust off old memories.

It’s even nicer not to cry in the process.

can't stop, won't stop: december

Oh yea, it's time for this again (because, really, I'm always finding new and old favorites to obsess/re-obsess over). And as for my most recent playlist? Well, here ya go:

• What I'm Looking For by Brendan Benson
• Baby by Justin Bieber (am I for real with this? ughhh...judge me)
• If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz
• No Hands by Waka Flocka Flame (what? sometimes I like to get my rap on)
• If I Die Young by The Band Perry

(photo credit)

Have y'all ever heard of The Band Perry? I hadn't until I heard their song If I Die Young over the weekend. It's so beautiful, y'all, that I really think I need to check out their entire (self-titled) album.

sink me in the river at dawn

send me away with the words of a love song

...

I would really love to do a bit if a re-cap of the totally fantastic weekend I had, but I'm picky and want to post pictures, pictures I haven't even seen yet because I'm waiting for my friend Diana to upload them to Facebook. My camera(s) bit the dust recently and, needless to say, I'm going insane not being able to take my own pictures. Anyway, I suppose it'll just have to wait.

Oh, and I mean, it's still in the works, but I believe I will have someone new for y'all to meet very soon. :)

with my mouth so full of questions

I've been wrestling with God lately.

And by lately I mean months and months and months.

See, I like to do things my own way. I like to be in control. It'll come as no surprise then that relinquishing said control is not an easy thing for me to do. Even though I don't make the best decisions, I still can't seem to trust that He'll do a better job. Even typing this now, I don't trust Him. I don't even trust myself. How sad is that?

Yes, I am a constant work in progress.

I mentioned yesterday that I've been going through a particularly difficult time over the past week. And while I feel my anxiety level has lowered the teensiest of bits, I know I'm not out of the woods. Anyway, I found myself reading the lyrics to Ray LaMontagne's "Hold You In My Arms," purely by chance. I know the song, sure, but as I sat here reading the words, it hit me: holy shit, this is exactly what I needed to see. My eyes welled up and I fought back tears as I thought to myself, "Okay, God, I can maybe kind of see that you're trying to get through to me here. Maybe. Kind of."

I don't profess to be a big believer in signs, but I know I'm always subconsciously looking out for them. Maybe this is a sign. Maybe I need it to be. Maybe I need to take this to heart and, metaphorically, let myself fall into His arms. I hear that's the safest place to be.

When you came to me with your bad dreams and your fears,

It was easy to see you'd been crying

Seems like everywhere you turn, catastrophe reigns

But who really profits from the dying?

I could hold you in my arms

I could hold you forever

I could hold you in my arms

I could hold you in my arms forever

When you kiss my lips with my mouth so full of questions,

It's my worried mind that you quiet

Place your hands on my face,

Close my eyes and say, "Love is a poor man's food, don't prophesy"

I could hold you in my arms

I could hold on forever

I could hold you in my arms

I could you in my arms forever

So now we see how it is

This fist begets the spear

Weapons of war, symptoms of madness

Don't let your eyes refuse to see

Don't let your ears refuse to hear

Or you ain't never gonna shake this sense of sadness

Powerful, that's all I have to say.

what's my name? (not again)

i just really love this picture of us for some reason :)
...
hey, boy, i really wanna see
if you can go downtown with a girl like me
hey, boy, i really wanna be
with you 'cause you're just my type
oh nah nah nah nah
i need a boy to take it over,
looking for a guy to put in work
ohhhhhhhhhhhohhhhhhhhhhh

baby, you got me
and [there] ain't nowhere i'd [rather] be
than with your arms around me
back & forth you rock me
so i surrender to every word you whisper
every door you enter, i'll let you in

you're so amazing
you took the time to figure me out
that's why you take me way past the point of turning me on
you're about to break me
i swear, you've got me losing my mind :)

I love it when I hear a new song that hits me at just the right moment. I'm home alone this weekend and the quiet of this big house is already getting to me, so I left for a drive a few minutes ago. I just needed to get out, go somewhere, do something, even for just a second. Anyway, this (new?) song by Rihanna featuring Drake, What's My Name?, came on the radio and I fell in love. Something about it just moves me. Isn't that the most fantastic thing about music? It's ability to shake our core?

Mitch Baker, I hope you are having a great time hunting with my dad this weekend, but I miss you. Every day I love you more than I ever thought possible, and I feel so lucky to just know and be known by you. I know it's silly to think of you while jamming to Rihanna and Drake, but what can I say? I think about you all the time.

Happy Friday and happy weekend! :)

can't stop, won't stop: october

It's (the end of) October and I'm crushing on this playlist so hard and I can't stop/won't stop listening to it on repeat (hooray for run-on sentences!):

• Something in Common by Free Energy
• Like a G6 by Far East Movement (this song gets me pumped the hell up every.single.time)
• Give A Little More by Maroon 5
• Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift
• The Dan in Real Life official soundtrack by Sondre Lerche (in particular, To Be Surprised...it's excellent)

(photo credit)
...
when i wrap my arms around you,
every mistake we've made crumbles
- sondre lerche
PS: If you've never seen Dan in Real Life, please do so immediately. It's a great movie. Just sayin'.

the everglow

(photo source)

Here's a night & it shines
And it calls us on and on
So be here by my side and watch the stars
They're ours
Make a wish or just take charge
When the moment comes, get lost and go far

I think that we've got what it takes to get this heart start beating again
So take it all the way

Oh, now our hearts are on the everglow
So just let go and fall into it

We begin (breathe in)
Here's our chance to go for something
So this is where we win and take the game (no blame)
There's a neon light inside that shines
And it's tearing down the walls in the way

I think that we've got what it takes to get this heart start beating again
So take it all the way

Oh, now our hearts are on the everglow
Deep inside we both know it
Everything's hanging on this moment
Oh, and our hearts are on the everglow
So just let go & fall into it

Let's go inside and look deep in the night
The light is bright enough to save the weakest ones, and you're in the running
Oh, don't you give up or fade away

Oh, our hearts are on the everglow
Every action makes a reaction
We'll figure it out and make it happen
Oh, and our hearts are on the everglow
So just let go and fall into it

oh, sweet tattoo

On Thursday evening, I finally got my first tattoo. :)

I've been wanting one since my freshman year of college, but since my parents were/are so opposed to the idea (ie. threatened to cut me off financially if I got one), I held off. But damnit, I'm an adult now (although I assume it hardly looks that way, what with me living with and working for my parents...), so I sacked up and tatted up.

My tattoo artist, Lane, was fantastic. Admittedly, I was a little afraid he thought I was a total lame-o, but throughout the entire ordeal he was funny and really nice. My friend Kelsey tagged along for support and to take pictures. I'm so thankful she came, too, because she ended up being the one to pick the finals colors! Yay for sweet, creative friends! :)




For the record, tattoos hurt a lot more than people let on. Or at least tattoos on one's wrist. I had heard over the years that the pain is mostly "uncomfortable" and "annoying" than actually painful, but I'd say that's only true 60% of the time. The other 40%? Hurt like a bitch. I didn't even think about what a vulnerable area the wrist is, what with all the veins, tendons and bone. There were certain spots where I could tell Lane was having to go over and over and over because they were difficult to ink, and those were always the spots that were the tenderest. Ouchhhhhh. In the end, it was so worth the discomfort, but I'm definitely not looking forward to going back next week for touch-ups.

Oh, and no, I didn't cry. Props.




I chose the word dig from the Incubus lyric, if I turn into another, dig me up from under what is covering the better part of me. I wanted a reminder to always look for and bring out the good in others, even when it's not easy. Dig is about how we all fall to our human weakness, but we have each other to bring out the best in us. I know I personally need that so much from the relationships in my life, need my friends to remind me of the person I really am under it all, and I aim to do that for the people in my life as well.

It's so easy to get caught up in my own problems, my own stupid worries, that I forget to make the world a better place in my own small way. I wanted this tattoo as a visual cue to stop focusing on myself and dig up the good all around me.

I kind of can't believe I actually did it, but already I'm so glad that I did.

djohariah

(photo source)

...

go on, little sister
go on
for the world is yours, world is yours
all the wilderness of the world is yours to enjoy

go on, little sister, go on
for you're beautiful, [beautiful]
all the fullness of the world is yours