hope for the future

My sister graduated from high school this week. I walked in to graduation, already exhausted, feeling a little negative about the past week of my life. But there was something about how excited everyone was about their future that was contagious. 500 kids are going off, taking a step into what might feel like an unknown. It was comforting for me because I feel like I am doing the same. But yet, in the moment where everything is new, there was so much enthusiasm for the next step of their lives. I left feeling really inspired.

I like empty things. I like the way an empty space feels because I feel like it can be full of anything, it's a blank space. It doesn't need to be filled up, it can just be open and vast. I like the way that empty bottles look on window sills and I like the way that bowls and jars look when they are bare. So any time spent in these places really encourages me to take a step back, re-center my life, and realize that I can start over. It allows me space to explore, to find, to breathe. And I decided, what use is holding on to things, emotions, that weigh you down?

I've started to give away things in order to live my life more simply. After last summer when I lived out of my car with a small feather bed laid down over the seats, a backpack, my guitar and a harmonica, I realized how easy things can be when you eliminate the unnecessary.

So this week started and ended with the thoughts that there are good people in the world, and I'm surrounded by a lot of them. I'm feeling really lucky for having a circle of friends that can calm my mind after it's been running around for far too long.