i was nine when i started watching oprah. i remember that because that was when i got my first job...my very own paper route. when the boss at the detroit news called me a few days after my grandpa polleti took me to apply, he called...during oprah. i remember wanting that job so badly, i prayed each night asking god to get it for me. oh, how i wanted that job. BUT, he called during oprah and he needed me THAT day because they just lost the paperboy who used to do it. damn.
i remember wanting to lie to him. i wanted to tell him i was babysitting for my brother that day, but that i would LOVE to begin the route the next day. my mind was racing, but before i could invent a juicy little story that would cement my at-the-time small-butt-on-the-couch 'with oprah'...the paper boss reeled me in with...
"you get to deliver on your own street!" croissant street. so i began my job and missed the rest of oprah and that memory has stayed with me.
i simply love her story. her heart. her compassion. her generosity. her spirit. she's real.
on many a girl's night, i have been known to come to oprah's defense in late-night convos where opinions are welcome and where debates quickly ensue. those are the best nights, aren't they?!
well, most of you know that this is oprah's 25th and last year on air. i hate that. so, like any good friendly 'stalker' i am sure to DVR & watch every single show because i don't want to miss one moment.
and while i'm not really into oprah moving on with her life (selfishly, i want her to stay) this is, to me, oprah's best season yet because it feels like a celebration of life. her life and other's lives. our lives. i feel it and i like it and it makes me excited for the new possibilities ahead for oprah.
the other day, i received a text from a friend who must have just watched an emotional oprah show. the text read...
i just watched oprah. i never do. she just sent 600 people to australia. is she always that crazy? are you going to jump off the ambassador bridge when her show ends?
i laughed and then ran like the wind to play the show.
that text made me think about things that make us...us. in a group of old friends or in a family, we all have our roles whether we realize it or not. we don't always know what others really think of us or how they would describe us to someone else but i am sure it happens. the young me would feel insecure about that, but not so much today. this is what i adore about being 30-anything...you just become who you were meant to be. still evolving and learning, yes!...but i believe thats the fun part even though it comes with it's highs and lows.
obviously, me loving oprah isn't some monumental piece of intel about myself but it is a piece of me and all of this made me wonder what other things are obvious about myself? you know, what are the things that i give off unconsciously...my likes, dislikes. which arguments do i defend most often? am i for the underdog or top dog? how i react to any given situation? would my oldest friends and family know?
in my case, i wear my heart on my sleeve so what you see is pretty much what you get. but on a deeper more complex level we all have our 'stuff' but this is not what i am talking about here tonight. i'm just saying, that we all have a story but what is on the cover of the book called Heidi Darwish. what do people see?
it's interesting to think about what we out out into the world and on a deeper level...is their a direct correlation between what we put out and what we receive? hmmm.
wow, i am so...weird tonight! i think i like it. see what oprah does to us? she makes us think!!
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on another note, the other day i was watching oprah and she was talking to goldie hawn about what makes people happy and since i chase happiness around like it's an olympic sport (and this is not to imply that i am always blissfully happy.), i had to watch. i love to hear what makes other people happy because it inspires new ideas for me to be happier and in turn helps me find all the happiness in my own life because sometimes i just plain forget how lucky and blessed we really are.
so this is what i remember from that show:
silence and sex will make you happier! hmmmm. sounds simple, huh?
i also learned that 50% of our own happiness is genetic, while 40% of our happiness can be learned. this really surprised me and it got me thinking that jeff and i hold a lot of power in our hands in regards to the happiness of our children. it's a wonderful gift and daunting at the same time. so here a few pointers...
*so i am going to try to give myself ten minutes of COMPLETE silence each day as it is supposed to boost happiness and change perspective. i think this is harder to do than it seems because we are all so busy, but we so deserve it and so do the people around us.
*having more sex (or buy a puppy!) is another way because it produces a hormone called oxytocin and this causes a calming/warm effect over our bodies. oxytocin is the same hormone that is produced when we see a new baby or puppy.
*and the age old question was asked if children make people happier? the answer was a shock to me.
people responded with yes (which i totally expected), but happiest when the children turn 18 and move out!!!??? i thought that was funny.
wth? i never want my kids to move out ;) so let's ignore that portion of the answer and just go with YES! children make people happier, but i so get what they were saying. kids are are a lot of work when they are young and the big payoff seems to be when they are more independent.
oh yeah, apparently grandparents are buckets of daisies and rainbows when they are with their grandchildren!
i love it. can't wait, but i can. you know what i mean!
end of long ass tangent.
another thing that makes me really happy...
spending time with this little guy!
we had a date!
and when chrissy was here, we found an old train museum that i never knew existed even though i used to pass it daily on my way to work...
and it rocked!
it is run by a group of men that were so proud to show off these treasures. they had rows and rows of vintage lionel trains. it was really cool. most of these older guys used to work with real trains in some capacity or another. i loved hearing their stories and i could see the pride in their faces when they spoke. i think these guys are all best friends...and i think they all hang out and drink old manhattens and talk richly of their past with one another. i am happy these guys have each other because they were lovely and they took care of my boy.
my loves.
i miss his baby-ness soooooooo much. so so so much. where did that baby go?
today, he is all boy and he is learning to ice skate and he calls me...dude and then waits for a response so he can crack up.
when he hears any kind of music, he dances like nobody is watching!
when we enter the house, he jumps up and down, laughing and smiling like he hasn't seen us in year.
he loves to cook and play hockey. he adores with a passion his big sister, daddy , and mama. he laughs when he speaks and he is kind and good and i just can't get enough.
i love this boy and his sister.
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lots of love your way. xoxo