Books and Coffee

Maybe this is a fluff post but I'd like to share some things that have made me quite happy lately.  Contentment has often been an elusive feeling for me.  I spend so much time being busy and stressed that happiness has usually been a fleeting emotion.  Since making some changes and moving to Apartment 1925, I've felt like good things are just washing over me and I'm enjoying them.  I wake up a lot of mornings now and just think "I love my life!"

It's a funny thing because there's so much uncertainty in my life right now.  As someone who thrives on schedules and plans, it's odd for me to find so much happiness even while I'm lacking direction.  Some days I feel empty without the structure of school, but mostly there is enormous joy in the freedom and the change.  I try not to use the word joy lightly, but I feel this truly is joy- it's soul-deep and so fulfilling.

Yesterday, I went to a local independent bookstore.  I admit I don't spend much time in brick-and-mortar bookstores.  I'm an amazon.com girl through and through.  I like to know what I want, search for it, and order it.  I tend to be overwhelmed by big-box bookstores.  Don't get me wrong- I love bookstores but I get so stuck.  It's like museum fatigue- there's so much to see and you want to give it the attention it deserves but you just run out of focus.

I bit the bullet and went to this little bookstore and it was amazing!  There were certainly tons of books and I spent quite a bit of time scampering from one section to another.  It was a sensory overload of sorts but I loved it.  Some books were highlighted as "staff picks" and had mini-reviews.  I liked the human facet and it also made it so much easier to look at only one book at a time.

I didn't end up buying anything for myself but here's one of the books my brother picked out:

The pictures are amazing and the language is beautiful.  It's one of those gorgeous picture books that's not necessarily for children, my favorite kind.

I keep saying that I'm living in a new city, which is true, but I did live here for a couple months last summer.  During that time, I had an internship that I loved.  Today, I had coffee with one of my former supervisors.  It was wonderful.  I loved that internship and I really miss it.  What I hadn't appreciated until now is just how nice my supervisor was.  Having coffee with her today and updating each other on our lives made me realize that she is one of the sweetest and most caring people I know.  It blows my mind that she really only knew me for two months and yet she feels like a friend.

Google

I guess this is all just to say that I have a lot to be happy about lately and I want to be aware of that.