January 30, 2011

Dear Aerobics Class,


Dear Aerobics Class,

Thank you so much for reminding me of how many muscles I have. Who would have thought that my thighs, back, neck, arms, and yes...even my rear, had so many tiny muscles I had forgotten about. Well, they are not forgotten any longer!

Hears to heating pads and ice packs,

January 25, 2011

Bottled Memories

Do you ever wish that you could hold on to a moment? A happy time where the world is so perfect that you want to hurry and capture it in your memory before it fades. But before this can be accomplished, the moment has passed, and the memory is only a shadow.

There are several points in my life where I wish my memories could have been bottled and tucked away to be saved for later. Moments in Rome are some of the most common. The moment I first saw the Pieta, or stood a the altar in Saint Peter's with tears streaming down my face, the cow bells in Austria, the stillness of mountains, seeing the Mona Lisa, the feel of riding the metro, and the faces of the group I learned to love. Moments that are gone and can never be recovered.

Every now and then somethings brings one of these moments to mind. A photo, a word, a smell...somehow, it transports me back to that moment for a split second.

Moments are such strange things. They are so beautiful, powerful and even life changing...and then they're gone. But if we didn't leave them behind, how could we move onto experiencing the moments that the future holds for us? We can't relive memories but there are new ones to be gained every day.

Perhaps that is how we make it through life. Treasuring moment past and hoping for the ones to come.

From memory lane,

January 4, 2011

Imagination: Such A Slippery Thing

Its been a while since my last post on An Optimist's Alcove. Last semester traveling took over my life, then working consumed the summer, and once again I was back to school...in short, growing up, taking responsibility and trying to figure out how to be an adult. Exciting right?

The problem with the blogging bug is that once you're bit - it sticks with ya. Its been a while since my first bout with the blogging bug, but it would seem that I've got the itch again.

So what sparked this change?

A few weeks ago my Dad came home from work and shared a quote that he had received in an email:

"Every child is an artist,
the trouble is remembering
that when you're an adult."

If you know my Dad, he's more a slow moving type of person...it takes a lot to get him motivated, but that one simple quote seemed to do some magic. Before I knew it, he had built an entire website!

On my first visit to HendersonWorks I was really impressed with the snazzy layout and the the great display of artwork. My Dad truly is an artists, and I not only think he remembered it - but now the whole world knows! He's got a great vision too, and hopes that HendersonWorks will also someday showcase the artistic talents of his brothers.

Passing on the inspiration...

Helping with his blog inspired me to once again resurrect An Optimists Alcove as a place to ponder and reflect. With so much going on and so many changes on the horizon, I need to remember that little child with an overactive imagination, and not loose her in the shuffle of "real" life.

Somewhere over the rainbow,