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Lula Harp

~ one girl's journey into cooking, crafting and self discovery

Lula Harp

Tag Archives: Self discovery

What defines you?

23 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by Lula Harp in just a thought

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Tags

favorite things, happiness, joy, Self discovery, smiles

In college I studied English and art; the things that made me happy.  I am still the English and art major at heart.  It is still the written word that brings me joy.  The use of language to tell a story and transport you to another place.   A splash of color, a glistening dewdrop, or a majestic sunset bring me such happiness.  Seeing the pure pinkness of my cat’s nose while she naps in the sun and how water droplets bead on my dog’s coat when we walk in the rain.  These are a few of my favorite things.

I now sit at a desk all day pushing a pencil, really a mouse and a keyboard.  It drives some of my friends a little nuts that I don’t want to talk about work.  I have the luxury of being able to leave it at the office and that is where it stays.  It is not the thing in life that brings me joy, so why would I want to talk about it?  It certainly does not define me.

I want to be defined by the happiness and joy in my life,  the new knowledge I glean each day, and the smile I leave for someone else.  I love to learn now that I am learning on my terms.  School was never fun and that’s why I thought I wanted to be a teacher.  Today I teach what I want, the way I want.  I teach people tiny ways to be happy and how to spread joy.   Even when I teach at “work”, I have fun.  Because otherwise, why do it.

If we can’t have fun, what’s the point?  What defines your life and how you live?  Are you working just for another paycheck?  We all have to have money to live, but do you make the best use of your life outside of that paycheck?

A few recent snaps that made me smile and I hope they will you as well.  May this day bring you all the smiles and joy you desire.

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Word of the day, week, month…

06 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by Lula Harp in just a thought

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

blogging101, Broken shoulder, coworkers, doldrums, ennui, Gilmore Girls, Self discovery, unhappiness, writing is cathartic

Confession time. I LOVED the Gilmore Girls. It was a fast, funny, smart tv show that focused on a woman my age struggling to get her footing in the world. Other than the fact I did not get knocked up in high school, I related to these characters on so many levels.

I remember the first time I heard the word ennui. Being a word nerd, I loved this new word. It sounded so intriguing and mysterious. Now, I’ve had ennui for about a year and a half now and I’m ready to be over it.

What is this, you ask…
Merriam Webster defines ennui as: a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction : boredom

Examples:
the kind of ennui that comes from having too much time on one’s hands and too little will to find something productive to do.

Synonyms: blahs or doldrums

I remember my mother saying something about the doldrums when I was a kid, but who knew what that really meant. Now I know. A supreme feeling of disinterest and dissatisfaction.

Since I broke my shoulder last April, I’ve been cranky, unsociable, and intolerant. Who am I kidding?! I’ve been a colossal bitch! Last month I had surgery on my shoulder and was off work for two weeks. Upon my return, I found I had even less tolerance for my coworkers than usual. The sound of their cell phones constantly dinging grated on my nerves. Their inane chatter about fried chicken, diets, and couponing nearly drove me to hurt someone. So for the last month, I’ve plugged in my headphones and blocked out as much of my surroundings as I could.

I took a long weekend for myself and other than the barest of commitments, I had four days of ME TIME. It was glorious and I found entering the building on Tuesday morning not so annoying.

My header says, this space is for cooking, crafting, AND self discovery. Well, I am dragging myself out of this ennui and I find writing a good outlet. I feel better when I get the clutter out of my head and on paper (or iPhone as the case may be). It is so incredibly difficult to admit the unhappiness I have felt. When we open up and share (as I’ve admitted I’m not good at), we find we aren’t as alone as we feel in those times.

I mentioned the other day, I’m finding inspiration in my daily walks, taking in the beauty that is all around me, and slowly getting back to finding the humor in the absurd life that surrounds us.

A couple of sidebars: I’ve added a few extra links, in case you’ve missed my earlier rants and musings.

And I spent last night sleeping (not sleeping – writing this), in a thunderstorm, with no power, on the floor with my fraidy, flatulant dog. I clearly win best dog mom award

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  • New Deal Distillery
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  • The Meadow
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