Our Very Own Operating System

Her. 

A movement, a motion, a movie... a motivation.

Weekends are an ever-changing world for me lately. I used to be littered with to-do lists, events, heart pounding deadlines, and sheer exhaustion. I've since slowed it down a bit... giving my little lungs a chance to relax, along with my mind, body, and soul. 

Sometimes those three days are fun filled, sometimes they're a whipped up couch, comfort food, cuddle concoction. 

May 30th-June 1st was one of these three-part recipes. The end result... food for thought. 

I began this month with a movie. It was called, "Her." Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson and Amy Adams lit up the screen with a not-so-far-away reality on a futuristic set. But that wasn't the only thing they shed light upon. The three of them came together to relay a message that has been on the tip of our technological tongues... one that everyone is so hesitant to let slip. 

We're losing our, "togetherness."

The love story that is highlighted within this plot is one that lies between a man and his operating system. His ever-changing, ever-evolving operating system. She has a voice, a personality, but no body... no soul. The struggle with the desire to truly touch one another is excruciating for both the characters and the audience. The love they share they feel is real, but it is intangible, so... is it truly REAL?

In the day and age of cell phones, tablets, dating sites, advice columns, have-it-done-for-yourself (as opposed to do-it-yourself) resources, communication without having to speak to, see, or interact with one another... falling in love with the face of a screen... whispering sweet nothings that sound like the clicking of the keyboard... far enough away to reveal ourselves, without having to actually reveal ourselves... we're losing it. We're losing the 5 senses of this world, of love, of life.

Repeat after me:

"We're losing our togetherness."

In this futuristic flick, the soul of this man is poured into his writing, much like mine... but his writing is not a collection of words he can call his own. Instead, his heart is poured into the letters of others... letters he has written to their loved ones, along side a staff of hundreds of word masters meeting requests of those who couldn't find the time, or the words for themselves. Complete with the creation of the "sender's" handwriting, written by, stamped, sealed and delivered by a complete stranger.

Think about this.

We're all obviously in full awareness of the slow death of the Pony Express (USPS). Who writes letters anymore? We can text without calling, we can e-mail without responding, we can avoid interaction to gain satisfaction exerting a fraction of the effort into the action (or inaction) that goes into the transaction. 

It's quite sad, really. 

Where is our touch? Where is our feel? Where is the sight and audible beauty that was once shared amongst each other in our day to day lives? A city as large as New York, NY can involve the passing of hundreds of thousands of people per minute... the majority of which are busy sending and receiving a digital message, as opposed to enjoying the noise of the true communication between one another.

Look at this still shot in one of the scenes of, "Her."

Look familiar?

Ahhhhh... the, "selfie" shot, the face time, the self satisfaction that comes with the far away shot and illusion of "time" spent with one another. 

That's what this is, my friends... 2 hours of (brilliant cinematographic) face time. An entire love story, beginning to ultimate demise... through face time. Although there is a true development of a relationship and merge of personality, truth, passion... there is no touch. No eye contact. No way to memorize the perfect imperfections of a loved one's face. 

Sure, it's a bit exaggerated, but for some people... it takes years to meet the person they've fallen in love with through a dating site. It's easier to be heard than to be seen. 

THIS is what we're coming to.

I took a little walk with my guy upon the closing of this movie. I was sure to hold his hand. I watched his face as he told me how he felt about this movie... how it changed him... as it did me. I was thankful for his expressions... for his smile... for his tangible presence.

Remember how precious this is, my friends. Human interaction is the heart and soul of the good in this world. It's what truly feeds our hearts. Go SEE your friends. Take your lunch break WITH your partner. Don't just call. Drop your resume off... get face to face. It's scary, sure, but it's REAL. It's twice the impact you may have on any one person as opposed to shooting a text or an e-mail as an easy way out. 

Put a FACE to your name.

Don't settle for, "Her."

Love,

Les.

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Off on a Tremendous Tangent

Been a while! Yep, I know. Feels like a lifetime.

Wanna hear about it? Here it goes.

Absence:

Four months.

Four life altering, mind molding, character building, heart breaking, love making months.

Presence:

A forward journey.

A life altering, mind molding, character building, heart breaking, love making forward journey.


There was a point during this absence in which I thought for sure I had gone off on some sort of mad hatter ride. One that was leading to a place so unknown it was frightening. I was buried in work, out of my mind exhausted, pushing through heart ache, tossed around by a shake up of success (I know, woe is me...), but experiencing a loss I was convinced I would never recover from... That of myself.

It is possible, you know... To actually catch yourself from falling... To become aware of your current state so clearly, that you're able to take the steps necessary to be like a flower and turn your face toward the sun. You CAN save yourself from a cold dark face plant. It's totally possible.

I've done it.

Here's the gig:

I took a little bike ride. And although it was through streets of poppies and puppies, it took turns in flow with my thoughts. They got a little wobbly, and got me a little lost, but pushed me further forward than I was the turn before. That work I was buried in began to turn with the pumped up tires and became the momentum I needed to keep moving. The exhaustion that had debilitated me before hit a second wind... And it was blowing though my hair cooling my noggin and pinking my cheeks. The heart ache got lost in the heart pound and sweat, and fell from my brow to my smile, down my neck, then dissipated. I was reintroduced to that sweet success as I dismounted the bike, and there I was... Found again.

I've been on car rides that seemed to last for days... And the thoughts that I was able to process during that time were plenty... But progressive? Few.

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. It's life in motion.

There had been so many changes in the past four months of my life it got hard to keep up. But, I feel I've become more of a woman in these short four months than I have my entire lifetime. It was a turning point... Where two paths of my life-that of which I walked the days before, and that of which I was taking my first steps upon-met. A tangent. A tremendous tangent.

I met at two points... And instead of getting lost at the intersection... I took the turning point in a straight and strengthened line.

That's all it took... A bike ride, a face to face with choice and happiness, and a TANGENT. It's a labor of love that I'm sure I'll come across again... And I could have made it way more complex than this short and simple solution... No need.

Just a few fruits of that simple labor:
A new, BEAUTIFUL, therapeutic city high rise
A new, BEAUTIFUL, routine with the pup, my rock and a warm place. (WOMAN'S best friend)
Career build
Second business plan
Reigniting of  that good-good friendship vibe with some beautiful souls
A new found love, commitment, faith, and confidence within thine.own.soul.


Les-1
Bent out of shape- 0

Welcome back, Myrtle. Way to be, you wordy woman... Way to be. THERE she is, there she was, here she'll stay.

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A Recipe For Renewal

Wheeeeeeee!!!! It's fall harvest time at the farmers market....

Of COURSE this means undeniable jaw dropping colors and fresh smells that tease your taste buds as they permeate the crisp, cool air. It also means FALL... One of my favorite seasons... And this year, it happens to be a very a moving, progressive, trying season. 

I've recently had the pleasure of both anxiety and accomplishment accompanying my life quite frequently. They hold hands through my present like best buds as they skip their way around all aspects of my life... Truly complimenting each other in a surprisingly constructive manner.

{hardship, like happiness, is what you make of it}

It's a lot like how tang meets earth on the palate. Tang and citrus can break a dish, but it is balanced by the calm undertones of an earthy flavor. When the two meet and partner within the heart of a dish, ingredients are brought together in sweet harmony and the dish tends to let off a warm, comforting glow.

Anxiety (our theoretical "tang") can be so consuming it's hard to focus on anything but the relinquishment of it. So you fight, or you refuse (a, "no thank you helping" as my grandmother would call it), or you learn, and you grow. When choosing to pair that anxiety with hard work and accomplishment (our earth element), we hit a state of equilibrium. The anxiety fades just enough to keep us aware, yet GROUNDED... In harmony. Without that bitter tang behind the need to pull through hardship, that warm, comforting collaboration wouldn't be possible, and we would lose out on some of that wholesomeness of life.

{you rarely arrive anywhere worth while by accident}

You must have a spirit lead courage that transforms anxiety into a will and drive to go and do. Harmonize your bounty of life with the right balance of awareness, not fear... courage, not clash. 

Got some financial tang? Add some earth by making due more with what you've got... Rather than stretching your means for what you'd rather.

Got the relationship tang blues? Trust in the ultimate plan... Trust in your heart. If it's not fulfilling you, or adding to the wholesomeness of your love life, add some earth by finding and focusing on yourself, regrouping, then starting again. 

Tang all over your job? Polish that earthy up by considering your employment as a means to an end... Allowing the possibility of feeding and clothing a loving family within a loving home. Or, take it back to the starting line and reconsider your career choice. It's perfectly possible to merge passion with profession... Rooting into doing what you love. TRUST ME. I'm the poster child. 

Just... Remember to find beauty in the breakdown. Through the hustle and bustle and tang of daily life, notice those colors down the breezy aisles of the market... Plan heart warming hearty meals that reach deep down into your soul, not your pocket. Know that seasons of stress are temporary, and if followed by the grounded drive to grow, you'll be gifted with the harmony that is hardship to happiness... Tang lassoed by earth... Balance.

{good n plenty}

OH, and... Enjoy this recipe... It's sorta the inspiration for this bit of mind work.
 Farmers market fantastic!

Cilantro Lime Red Cabbage Stir Fry over Quinoa 

1 cup prepared Quinoa

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 head of red cabbage (sliced thin)

1 green bell pepper (sliced thin)

1 green onion bulb (sliced thin)

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

1 tbsp lime juice (fresh is best)

-Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat

-Add cabbage, onion, and bell pepper

-Sauté until tender, but not mushy (about 8-10 minutes)

-Add salt, pepper, cilantro and lime juice

-Sauté until cilantro is wilted

-Serve warm over Quinoa

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Choosing Wisely

I am near to tears... truly elated with my life. 

Today was so yucky... the yuckiest of the yuck. But, I sat in the misty rain over coffee and photography with one of the best talents in Jacksonville, Krista Rae Fischer...

{You may find her work HERE and HERE}

... and it's like that little bit of time slapped a lifetime of happiness onto 24 hours of crappiness.

It's amazing what a little appreciation can do for ones soul. It picks you up out of your "self" and places you smack dab in the middle of everyone else. THIS is where the purity of selfless love stems from. When you finally realize that without these people... without everyone else... all that has been gifted from God... from the universe... you wouldn't be you...

YOU become a BETTER you. A GRATEFUL you.

I MADE A BIG MOVE FOR MY CAREER RECENTLY...

A BIG, BOLD, EYE OPENING MOVE.

I performed my very first Styled Shoot {solo-dolo} with the help and irreplaceable talents of K. Rae Photography. During that little meeting over coffee, I OO-ed and AHH-ed over the (quite LITERAL) "fruit" of our labor.

As I looked at the pictures, then back at her, I realized... however it happened, whatever the weather, she had given a bit of herself, a lot of her time, and all of her support to me... for no reason, really... she just... had faith and wanted to help me.

Without this rad chick... I couldn't have done this. ANY of this. Not like it is, at least... not as WONDERFUL as it turned out to be.

Let me tell you, folks... I grew ten feet taller today. All because I saw it... I cherished it... I thanked God for it... 

I became GRATEFUL.

{The Orange Crush Styled Shoot can be viewed HERE}

She packaged the media up and sealed it with love... in the most creative way I'd seen anything of its sort bundled up. Sealed with literary tape, adorned with sweet striped string, an inspiring charm, personalized tags, and... THIS:

Right?!

Yeah. 

It's like that.

Creativity like this is deeper than color coordination or a quick stick of a bow. It's a true display of a full heart... similar to the heart of a child... which is the biggest, strongest, fullest heart of all.

The package in itself... the personalized note that came with it... made me feel just as emotional as the actual pictures from the shoot, if not more. I would have been completely whole by receiving it alone... all in its sweet little glory.

I just need to say that we all need to think a bit more about what others are doing for us. 

How they are building us...

How they are holding us up...

Giving us strength...

Educating and enabling us...

Adding pieces to our puzzles...

Completing our stories...

Working with us to create a better world for everyone else.

You must choose wisely...

We wouldn't be us without everyone else. 

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BiFolds(Focal)

PROPS to the wedding prop.

I have this bi-fold door leaning on the wall at the back of our office. I used it for the most recent wedding I had the pleasure of helping to execute {SHOUT OUT ANDREWS! WOOP!}. 

For the past couple of months, in the post-wedding haste, its home has been where it fit. It's become "a place to hang your hat," if you will.

I find it a sentiment magnet.

A place that I've placed love and accomplishment.

Beautifully written letters that I will *forever* treasure. From friends, and family, and friends becoming family.

Winter greetings with fuzzy designs.

Best wishes and happy birthday's and congratulations...

...my cap and gown.

My year is summed up within these slats. My life is hung up on this peaceful little prop.

Here, on this little bifold, lies one of the most fantastic, thoughtful, heart filling, fitting, HANDWRITTEN cards I have ever received.

My Uncle, Ken...

Felt the only way to capture such a cluster of events...

*a graduation*

*a birthday*

*Christmas*

Would be to use a card with the phrase, "Mazel Tov," or "ALL OF THAT" in Yiddish.

"What a SERENDIPITOUS RECCOLLECTION and how fortunate I was to find just the right card" he states. 

He reminds me of my mother's constant eye on me from heaven, and... as always... beautifully states his love... and his pride... just being the super duper guy he is.

Wisdom card.

I mean... reallyyyyy let that sink in:

I made kind of a crappy dinner tonight {my sweet man chewed and politely swallowed until I admitted to failure. Love the man.}.

I cleaned up the mess and plopped down on the couch feelin sorry for myself... pouting and such... 

*I don't DO culinary failure very well...*

And there it was... sitting up against the wall all... proud-like. Decorated with

love and pride and journey and creativity and wisdom and time and tradition and family and friends and romance and 

ACCOMPLISHMENT.

Talk about reality check. 

Props to the prop.

FORGET the crappy dinner... I pretty much ROCKED at this year. And this bi-fold bi-focus was just the proof I needed.

Little things all around you... potentially BIG meaning behind them.
 Happy Monday!

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United We Mend, Divided We Stall

"Twinkling Tuesday..."

... it's a term I made up to help brighten my sister's morning today, and it ended up being so close to literal, I smiled from ear to ear upon the realization of it.

This is what my morning looked like. I caught up on that soul stuffing Word of God that I had been missing in my daily life for quite some time now. Our tree was lit, the message fit, and I suddenly began thinking of all the twinkling going on in my life.

Today is December 4th, 2012.

This year is coming to an end, and reflection has become a regular practice for me. Last month was Facebook's famous Give Thanks November (it was also, "no shave November," but anyway... I don't have a beard... so...). I didn't feel the need to post each day for the things I'm thankful for, and here's why:

1. I am thankful for the same BILLION things I'm thankful for any other month of the year. My posts would be long and repetitive.

2. I was reminded by the love of my life just recently that actions speak louder than words. I may be good with the ol' English language, but... he's right. So, I spent my days SHOWING those I love just how thankful I am for them.

3. HERE'S THE THING, YA'LL... there is only one thanks-giving, a TRUE praise that should trump all and cover all bases... and that's that of God's love. It's omnipotent, it's never dying, it's THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

I had forgotten, too...

I had forgotten what it's like to watch the sunrise through the window to the right, while admiring a sparking, ornamented, beautiful symbol of the season, sip on some warm Blueberry Cobbler coffee, to listen to AND... 

FEEL the love of God 

through the Word.

Upon closure of Pastor Stovall's message, I immediately shot a text over to my best bud. I needed her to help me pass along a message.

There is a girl in our lives that is going through a weeping season. 

PRAY FOR HER.

The same loss that we had suffered just a few months ago, has eaten at her so deeply that she has become a mere shell of who she used to be. She has walked to the valley and set up shop, ya'll.  I mean... she brought a generator, her favorite slippers, some numbing toxins and herself into the valley to stay. 

After the initial anger that came with the destruction she is burdening everyone else with, I chose to channel that anger toward my purpose in life, as God's daughter, to be quiet, and gentle... to love unconditionally and help to heal.

I'm requesting a little prayer.

THE WORD OF GOD...

It's the original social network, right?

United we mend, divided we stall.

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Oh, HEY THERE!

So here it is...

My first post in nearly TWO MONTHS.

WHERE have I BEEN!?

"Pack it in, pack it in, let me begin..."

School... {I GRADUATE NEXT SATURDAY!}

Planning (and executing) a BEAUTIFUL wedding... {My first as the proud founder of Worth Wiles Events!}

And Georgia for Thanksgivin'{Most likely on our way there as our permanent humble abode}!

And now... I'm celebrating {nearly}

1,000 views!!

I know, I know... it's not a HUGE number. But, it's a HUGE deal to me. It takes a lot of guts, you know--sharing so much of your life with such a large part of the world.--but I'll tell you, I'm so glad I made the step. The influence a simple happy thought can have on the rest of the globe is absolutely undervalued. 

I have a friend in a far away state...

... and SHE'S got a blog.

In fact, that's how we caught back up--on the subject of blogs--and since then, she has shared one of her own, her canvas prints business is building, she has sent me inspiration via the pony express,

{Super SUPER cute Island Wedding magazine all the way from Nantucket!}

and continues to support me from afar, and I, her.

[PEEP THOSE AWESOME PAGES HERE and HERE]

We both have had positive influence on each other, and I sure do hope I'm doing the same service to those 1,000 views (I'm so proud... tehehe).

Anyway, I don't expect to be barking up the blog tree this week... I've got to finish finals STRONG for my LAST week as a student at Flagler College!

**MOM, I KNOW YOU'RE PROUD, AND I LOVE YOU.**

Stay cool, mates. I hope you had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving, and I'll be sure to check back in soon! 

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