i miss dc so so so much lately.
it feels like it has been a very long time since i have been.
after having lived there for months during my internship it's hard not to visit frequently.
the last time we were together was in the summertime.
i usually go every few months.
i love it so.
here are some of the things i miss the most.
riding the train everywhere
sitting on these seats next to unusual people
cherry blossoms in the springtime
e street cinema... just e street in general!
good food at every corner
pitango. need i say more?
walking this street way past the world's bedtime
georgetown!
beautiful buildings of u street
i miss it so much.
i love dc.
i want to go back so badly.
like... nnnnnow.
it seems like every stop on this map brings back good memories.
just walking around the area makes me so happy.
i love it so much.
i was in for a surprise, then...
when adam heard of my longing to go to dc
he ordered some cupcakes from one of my favorite places in dc
to. be. delivered. to me.
as in from dc to utah.
sheesh.
so i've been eating these babies
and feeling something similar to homesickness.
i looove music...
as does just about everybody else on the planet.
i have a soft spot for corny songs.
this very spot is what turned me on to hannah montana several years back.
ok iLOVEhmontana.
loveher.
she just sings about awesome stuff. like her double life and being a rockstar.
but one of my faaavorite hannah montana songs is this one:
i literally cried when i heard it.
if i were to get into politics, the FIRST thing i would want to do would be to instate a "self-esteem" program into schools.
i talk about it all da tyme.
not just confidence and standing up for yourself in a crowd,
but that silent self love that makes you want to look yourself in the eye and tell yourself how wonderful you are.
that moment when you can't help but smile because you love being you.
that appreciation that brings you one step closer to seeing yourself the way Christ does.
when other people publicly declare that it is a-okay to love yourself,
that it is beautiful and wonderful and magical,
it makes me oh-so joyous.
it's so easy to get lost in what is happening around you.
not just the crazy stuff, but the neutral stuff too.
when you can sit back,
take a deep breath,
and really evaluate yourself,
coming out on top?
that's magic.
take care of yourself.
"remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God". d&c 18:10
i loooove that.
it doesn't say "the worth of man", but "the worth of souls"
that is what really shines.
your strength, courage, patience, endurance, benevolence,
your true beauty...
that's in your soul.
and the worth of your soul is great.
think about this.
if there are 6billion souls on the earth right now,
think about how many there have been, total...
trillions!
and we ain't goin nowhere anytime soon.
5 people are born every second, but only 2 people die. That’s a population increase of 180 people every minute of the day.
lots and lots of people.
in order to fit everyone in the salt lake valley, we would have to fill in layers,
stacking ourselves four people high.
just close your eyes and imagine that for a second.
in that crowd of people,
you are the only you.
i know you hear that all the time, but seriously.
think about how monumental that is.
from the beginning of time to the end of time,
there will only be ONE you.
ONE!
nobody else gets to live your life. nobody else experiences things from behind your eyes.
that body?
it's yours and yours alone!
you spend your entire life with your own, precious body.
nobody else gets to do the same things you do every day.
nobody gets to look like you.
nobody gets to think like you.
nobody gets to be you BUT you.
you. are. a. legend.
everything you do is history.
every move you make is significant.
when somebody asks "what kind of a person was ayley yasuko johnson?"
my life will dictate that response.
everything i do answers that question in some way.
songs that tell you to let your light shine, telling you that you matter...
these songs are just telling you in so many words that you ARE a legend.
it's inside of you.
it's everything that you are.
share it.
you just gotta ignite the light and let it shine.
show em what you're worth.
make some noise.
i think that's something to cry happytears about, donchathink? :)
p.s. if you have any songs in this same vein, feel free to share. i will love you for it.
i realized i have neverending lists.
i'm aaaaalways making one, adding to an existing one, whatev.
i have to-do lists, to-see lists, to-wear lists... you name it.
i guess i like itemizing my intentions in life on paper.
what can i say,
i like lists.
in fact, i find myself on listverse a lot.
something about the format of a list is really attractive to me.
if you were to explore through my many tree-derived assets you will find a lot of written lists.
it's not like i have a written inventory of all possessions or nothin',
but you could find out a lot about me by reading my lists.
liiiikeee...
what i wanna do with my life,
what movies i want to see,
what things i consistently procrastinate,
places i want to go,
things i dream about, &
why i wake up in the morning.
lists are awesome
and they never seem to end,
which is good.
i never liked endings.
i watched up in the air again last night.
in the movie he says "moving is living".
in the context of the movie, it's not such a positive thing.
in my life, however, it is a good mantra to add to my ever-growing list of phrases that inspire me.
lists keep me from collecting dust.
they keep me organized.
they further my body and spirit.
no wonder these are some of the books i've been most happy to acquire in the last year.
amazing things come in lists:
the commandments,
restaurant menus,
and the oh-so famous
bucket list that everybody has, whether it's written down or not.
etcetera.
so cheers to ambitions, organization, and enumerated aspirations.
go, lists.
{i have no idea where that picture directly came from. it was sent to me by a friend via icanhazcheezeburger.com. sorry, person to put that caption over a picture of a cat. no photocred for you this time.}
