one year (belated)

I almost missed it. I've been writing on this blog for over a year and I almost missed it. It's pretty exciting to see that I really have kept it up, and pretty consistently too. Even during some pretty busy times I've posted something almost every 1-2 weeks. So, in honor of this anniversary I want to tell you a bit about how this blog began and what it has become.

Ian and I spent the summer of 2009 studying and exploring Europe. We decided to create a blog so that we could share our adventures with all our friends and family without having to write multiple e-mails on a regular basis. It was fun to write together and now we have this great record of everything, and I think people enjoyed reading it. My mom even printed them out and mailed them to my grandparents because they don't use computers.

Actually, I should start with sharing that the idea of a blog came from recipe searching. I was never much of a cook until we got married and moved into an apartment together. I decided that if I was going to cook I might as well eat really good food. It turns out I love cooking. It has become a major creative outlet for me and today I usually don't use a recipe, but I still have fun reading blogs about cooking. This is what gave me the idea for a travel blog to begin with, and then when we returned this is part of what made me want to keep my own blog.

So, a few months after our return (Feb. 7, 2010) I decided to start my own blog. At first I didn't tell anybody about it  because I was afraid I wouldn't stick with it. I still don't tend to bring it up in conversation, I guess it makes me feel vulnerable. But I post links on my facebook page and get really excited when a friend tells me that they have been reading my blog. (hint: you can leave comments on each post too, I loooove getting those!)

The concept of mindfulness is still something that is very important to me and that I am constantly trying to make a more constant and natural part of my - well, of my existence, really. It began as a search for beauty and to enjoy simple things, mostly because I was so wrapped up in planning for the future that I was missing out on the present. Now, I've gotten much better at living in the present. Maybe because thinking about the future is a bit overwhelming (applying to residency, taking care of patients, making life and death decisions, a lifetime of test-taking, etc.). Now, for me being mindful is more about being present to each moment. It's actually listening and learning immediately while in a lecture (I am failing miserably at that right now). It's enjoying winter because I know Spring will come eventually. It's eating slowly. It's trying to be in my body through every pose and transition when I practice yoga. It's using my time wisely without being stressed about it. It's a life-long journey of trying to be aware and appreciate and learn from every single moment of every single day.

art everywhere

This weekend I visited the Fort Worth Modern art museum. I don't know much about art beyond an introductory art history course, but I have always loved viewing it. I find it to be a wonderful catalyst for relaxation and thought. The architecture of The Modern alone provokes many questions. The majority of the interior rooms are traditional rectangular rooms with white or gray walls, but around the border of the building are rooms with walls made of glass, allowing sunlight in and a view of the outdoors. Walking from an inclosed room to one with only a single solid wall is quite a contrast, and it made me very aware of the extent to which my surroundings affect the way I see a piece of art - or anything else for that matter.  If there had been flowers blooming and leaves on the trees outside, I probably would have seen more hope and life in the artwork in these rooms; if it had been storming, more gloom or wrath. 

This phenomena also made me wonder why we tend to separate art from our surroundings and our daily lives? Most people would agree that art is a good thing - we derive pleasure from its beauty and it allows us to reflect on the state of our present world, learn about the way the world used to be, and contemplate the way that others see the world. It seems to me that not only do we separate these objects by placing them in special buildings, but that on a daily basis we also overlook the things they represent.  This is what I intend this blog to be about: recognizing the art that exists all around us, the sublime in the ordinary, the beauty in the everyday.  I don't think that these things are hidden from us, but rather that we need only take a minute every now and then to recognize them.  This is my attempt to be mindful of beauty in my own life.  I hope it will help you to do the same.