ciao./ciao.

I'm sad to say this is my last post on Beauty in the Blue. I've been a bit absent the last few months and I know it is time for me to pull the plug. I've enjoyed blogging and have gotten a lot out of it, but I'm going to shift my time to other things. And so I say good-bye.

I labeled my last post ciao/ciao because ciao means good-bye and hello in Italian. I say good-bye to this blog, but hope to say hello to a new blog for just photography at some point in the near future.

Thank you for reading my posts over the last few months, I truly appreciate it. As a bridge into what I hope will be, I'd like to share a few photos with you. My friend asked me to help her with a wedding she was shooting. This is what I saw.

the joy of Christ.

"My key to heaven is that I loved Jesus in the night. I know what you feel - terrible longing - with dark emptiness - and yet He is the one in love with you. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow, as to make you forget the joy of the risen Christ."
-Mother Teresa

go fly a kite.

If you care to find me, look to the western sky. As someone
told me lately everyone deserves a chance to fly...a kite.

passion, not posts.

Facebook and Twitter are going to save the world. Or so some may say. In the recent history social media has been heralded as the savior of the masses, giving a voice to the causes of the disenfranchised. Perhaps that is a bit too strong of a statement, but when you hear about the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street and the like it is clear that many see social media as the catalyst to change.

I disagree.

Revolutions and upheavals have been occurring for centuries. Social media doesn't create revolutions, it is impassioned individuals with a will to fight. I read an article the Economist did a few months ago, "How Luther Went Viral" and I think it speaks well to the nature of communication in revolution.

Exhibit A, the Reformation. When Martin Luther and co. wanted to get their message out they turned to printing pamphlets and writing songs. The result: well many of us are still living in the wake of that today, it impacted faith and understanding in massive ways. To quote the article:

Modern society tends to regard itself as somehow better than previous ones, and technological advance reinforces that sense of superiority. But history teaches us that there is nothing new under the sun. Robert Darnton, an historian at Harvard University, who has studied information-sharing networks in pre-revolutionary France, argues that “the marvels of communication technology in the present have produced a false consciousness about the past—even a sense that communication has no history, or had nothing of importance to consider before the days of television and the internet.” Social media are not unprecedented: rather, they are the continuation of a long tradition. Modern digital networks may be able to do it more quickly, but even 500 years ago the sharing of media could play a supporting role in precipitating a revolution. Today’s social-media systems do not just connect us to each other: they also link us to the past.

I like social media. It connects us, it has given voice to individuals, and it is fun! But, to prop it up too high would be a disservice to ourselves and the past. (For the record, I do think social media is impacting our society in significant ways.)

Social media might not be the driving force of change in the world, but it also isn't a non-factor. So keep posting, tweeting, pinning, but don't just communicate for the sake of communication. If that be the case we will just turn in to a society that sits around delighting to hear about every new idea and happening, to no end or purpose. Instead find your passion, then use whatever means you can to light it up!

scary stuff.

love.

the thirsty.

 ...Jesus walked into a group of people whose ritualistic practice of religion had so numbed their souls that they no longer were conscious of unsatisfied desires. To move them from lifeless ceremony toward the vitality of knowing God, He stood up and shouted 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink' (John 7:37)...After Jesus asked if anyone thirsts he didn't tell people to ignore their thirst, to get on with duty and stay away from people so you don't get hurt, or deeply explore that thirst, understand it with others. No, He says "Come to me". - Larry Crabb, Inside Out

Larry Crabb's Inside Out is a fantastic book for anyone looking to grow in personal wholeness, connection with others, and in relationship to God. The book focuses around the idea of taking an inside look - looking at our desires, unmet and otherwise, our past, and the unsuccessful methods we use to deal with life. I recommend it to you whole-heartedly.

I would say that I tended to fall in the camp of one with buried desire. It seemed far too dangerous to me to want too much from life. I thought, if I actually felt my deepest desires I would be consumed and eventually disappointed. In reading Crabb's book I realized this: if we ignore desire we will be half-hearted and disconnected people at best. Conversely, if we chase after each desire as it crops up we will be at the mercy of want – no longer over it but under it, serving its every whim.

No, the only way to deal with desire is to go to the One who says: come to me in your thirst. He knows our thirst, He knows the very fabric of your being. There is no one else that can handle and fulfill our desires like He can. But even this is not an easy, painless, or buttoned up process. It does however allow us to leave that safe, lifeless state and step into the world with hope. Dangerous, I know. But it is entirely worth the fight. If reading this strikes any chord with you, think about reading this book. It just might impact you in a way that you desperately need to be.

Just one more thought from Crabb's Inside Out, "Desire much, pray much, but demand nothing."

the path that leads to nowhere.

There's a path that leads to Nowhere

In a meadow that I know,

Where an inland island rises

And the stream is still and slow;

There it wanders under willows,

And beneath the silver green

Of the birches' silent shadows

Where the early violets lean.

Other pathways lead to Somewhere,

But the one I love so well

Has no end and no beginning –

Just the beauty of the dell,

Just the wind-flowers and the lilies

Yellow-striped as adder's tongue,

Seem to satisfy my pathway

As it winds their scents among.

There I go to meet the Springtime,

When the meadow is aglow,

Marigolds amid the marshes, –

And the stream is still and slow.

There I find my fair oasis,

And with care-free feet I tread

For the pathway leads to Nowhere, 

And the blue is overhead!

All the ways that lead to Somewhere

Echo with hurrying feet

Of the Struggling and the Striving,

But the way I find so sweet

Bids me dream and bids me linger,

Joy and Beauty are its goal, –

On the path that leads to Nowhere

I have sometimes found my soul!

-Corrine Roosevelt Robinson (1861-1933)

Whimsy.

On Monday I had the great pleasure of meeting Leif Enger, the author of one of my favorite novels. He was impossibly insightful, witty, and his speech possesed a cadence and warmth that was like being wrapped up in a heavy, patched quilt. 

The topic of the evening was excellence. Enger described excellence as a mix of discipline, dedication, hard work, and whimsy. Enger explained even further, "Ambition without whimsy leads to every dark corner".

Whimsy. I was enthralled with this idea. I am quick to throw whimsy and beauty out the window when I have "more important things to do". I too often see these things as frivolous and opt for activities that seem more necessary, more significant. Hearing Enger speak sparked something inside of me. I wanted to chase beauty, read poetry, and find the whimsy of the world. Not because there is a significant reason, but simply for the sake of beauty and freedom.

The more this rolls around my mind the more I start to realize that as we pursue whimsy and find beauty I think we will find even more purpose and truth. The things which I hope to achieve will find a new richness and vitality that truth alone can not afford. Or perhaps beauty and truth are not so separate, but inextricably linked?

To quote Enger who quoted Keats:

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st, 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'

In finding beauty we find truth, and in finding truth we have found beauty. I hope you find whimsy in your day today, in shared laughter, an impromptu dance party, doing something frivolous but fantastic. I'm going to look for it in my today, but with whimsy on my mind I can't wait for spring this year - to sit by a lake, lay in the grass, to find beauty at every turn. I think I will take a cue from the Tallest Man on Earth:

         Well, if I ever see the morning
         Just like a lizard in the spring
         I'm gonna run out in the meadow
         To catch the silence when it sings

Working with dogs.

Rucky at her lookout post.

One of my favorite things about my job: I have furry co-workers.

Rucky is a "designer", she barks like a muppet, loves treats, will follow you into a meeting if you aren't watching, and has a habit of staring. I once saw her staring at a wall: a blank, white wall. I came back 15 minutes later, she was still staring at the wall. My co-worker calls her the love loaf.

I must warn you though, if you work with dogs expect to get crop dusted. I won't name names, but a certain little dog has the habit of slinking past desks, dropping a bomb, and escaping without fessing up. Just hope that you aren't with someone you don't know well and can't point out the dog's offense....leaving you wondering, do they think I did it?!

Gassiness aside, working with dogs is a delight and a treat - of the Milk-Bone variety of course!

Peace and Rest.

 "Finally, I want to teach you the way of peace and true liberty. There are four things you must do. First, strive to do another's will rather than your own. Second, choose always to have less than more. Third, seek the lower places in life, dying to the need to be recognized and important. Fourth, always and in everything desire that the will of God may be completely fulfilled in you. The person who tries this will be treading the frontiers of peace and rest." -Thomas a Kempis

Music free for all.

1) Love & War & the Sea in Between

I stumbled across Josh Garrels in a quest to find some new music to listen to at my 9-5. I went to Garrels's website and to my happy surprise found that he is offering a free download of his current album! I've only listened to it twice, but I like it already. He is a christian musician that creates music that is lyrically deep and creative, but not saccharine. I don't mean to be a hater on popular christian music...but we need more artists like him. At first listen I especially enjoy: Farther Along, Ulysses (a lovely mythological tie-in), and Beyond the Blue. 

For the download go to: http://joshgarrels.com/. 

2) Tiny Desk Concerts by NPR

Here is how it goes: NPR invites musicians to come in to their office and play a few songs, fun ensues. And bonus!, on most you can download the audio for free (or just subscribe to their live concert podcast on iTunes). 

Might I recommend a few for you to check out?

The Tallest Man on Earth (one of my favorite folk artists)

Hilary Hahn (Beautiful violin music)

James Vincent McMorrow 

David Rawlings and Gillian Welch (Especially "Sweet tooth", it may put a smile on your face like it did mine)

A moist and thrifty winter.

Winter brings us many a wonderful things - the perfect time of year for fireplaces & fantastic holidays - but with it comes dry air that chaps and cracks the skin. Ouch. I had a little electric humidifier in college that worked fine enough, but it is no more. I didn't want to go out and buy a new one...my room is already full enough with stuff and it costs dollas. Instead, I have found a few thrifty moist makers:

Put a container filled with water on your radiator.

Same principle as boiling water on the stove, but here you are using heat you are already paying for AND it is sustained 24/7. Sweet! Just make sure to use metal or glass, no one wants a melted plastic winter. If you don't have radiators placing water next to your heat source works well too.

The best affordable lotion I've found:

I've used better lotions in my lifetime, but Neutrogena's Norwegian hand cream is the best thrifty choice I've found. Admittedly, it can feel a bit sticky, but it really does seal moisture in.

Add a plant to your home decor. 

These visually appealing buddies not only add moisture (and oxygen!) into the air, they also provide Minnesotans like me the joy of nature in an otherwise barren season.

That my friends is a total of $7 ($4 for the lotion, $3 for the plant), assuming you own a radiator friendly container. A few other ideas I've come across: dry your laundry in your room or shower with the door open.

Does anyone else have any winter survival tips, moisture or otherwise?