Required Reading

My sister writes (well, used to write) for a compilation blog that her friend Sam started, This Ordinary Day.
Sam vehemently protests that she did not start a blog, as she sees that as a negative thing. (btw I love that google spells better than me. vehemently.)
TOD is a compilation of people from all over who know one another somehow who write about ordinary successes and optimistic things. Many or all of them are journalism or english majors or teachers.

This is my sister on TOD. I think she's a pretty amazing designer and writer when she puts her mind to it. And so do most people she meets. She's kinda a genius.
And this is Susan, Cough. (said with a long oh, like coke w/o the ke) She is one of the best people I know for so many reasons. She has affected so many people I know, including me. and her writing, though uncommon, is beautiful, poignant, and touching. Her writing is rare because she spends her time helping young people write and helping them put together beautiful publications and put together their own lives. She was my high school journalism teacher.

If I had to assign required reading. I would require you to read some of Susan's TOD's. I would require anyone who knows my sister or anyone who has ever been mean to someone about something they love, especially when they are trying to do a good thing.. to read her Jayplay article about Trego. I would require the reading of John Green's novels, especially Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns. I would require Harry Potter, well because I love it. And I would require "Don't sweat the small stuff for teens" especially the chapter on 90-10.

And I wouldn't require my blog. I appreciate so much when people actually read this - even if I'm a bit perturbed at first when I didn't know you'd been reading. But reading this is like a gift to me, a chance to try to understand me a little better. And I'm trying really hard not to expect so much. Mostly for my own good, but also so I learn to appreciate people better for who they are and not who I want them to be for me. But that's another entry.

Love, optimism, and good quotes,
J

another good TOD:
I'm not a runner, but I've been trying to practice lately. I'm a Catholic, but I've been getting out of practice lately. (Last time I went to church was easter and last time I prayed was when I needed something.) So TOD's entry here made me smile. made me want to run. made me want to pray and read the bible.


Thoughts to expand on later:
Someone once told me that staying happy was the ultimate endurance.
I have always struggled with this because I truly put a high importance on staying happy and cheerful for both my benefit and the benefit of those around me.

I expect less from my guy friends, I think this is why I prefer hanging out with them. They don't let me down, not because they are more reliable at all, but because I expect less.

I'm a huge fan of finding out that more people I know have blogs. I feel like it's much harder to share a blog with a person who doesn't have one. it just feels strange to put yourself out there and not be able to see what parts of themselves they would put up there.

also.. I really like this song