Looking Up

Looking up in New Hampshire after Hurricane Sandy, 2012

 

 

What a phrase... It's been used as a title for Michael J. Fox's book, "Things are Looking Up," described the behavior of the most powerful "super man" in the comic book world, and even featured in song lyrics like Selena's "Dreaming." But let's break it down for a second... The word "looking" implies the use of eyes to view something or someone. It requires one of our five senses, the sense of sight. Second, the word "up" gives the notion of something taller, bigger, or above a designated subject. Together this phrase can have multiple meanings.

It can have a literal meaning. "Joe was looking up into the eyes of a giant bear." Physically, Joe's head was tilted back to look up into the eyes of the bear which stood taller than he. Many of us look up to see things, whether it is to see a bird flying in the sky, a street sign, or, in my case, a friend that is taller than 5'5". We all have eyes that are positioned in the middle of our head; we have to look up to see anything above our heads. And if we never looked up, odds are we would never see the magnificent height of trees in a forest, the looming buildings of a cityscape, or the beauty of a flying bird.

"Looking up" can also have metaphorical meanings. Many times it is used to describe the behavior of someone who has recently experienced a traumatic or upsetting event. This could be a death in the family, the loss of a job, or even a bad grade in school. The most common response to one of these events, "Keep looking up," or "Keep your chin up. It will all get better." In this situation, "looking up" refers to keeping positive. Move forward, as hard as it may be. Stay confident, things can and will get better. In this type of situation, a negative situation produces positive support. The phrase used in this way needs a negative event to happen first. "Looking up," then, can have some negative connotations attached to it.

However, it can also have positive connotations when used with metaphorical meaning. Life may not necessarily be on the downward turn for you to start "looking up." Growth, change, opportunity. Dreaming of bigger and better things. "Looking up" can mean wanting more...

This is why I am currently "looking up." I have a great life; I have a job with great coworkers, a wonderful family, gracious friends, a caring and supportive boyfriend who loves me, and I'm living in a city which has been a dream of mine since the age of 5. Yet, I am looking up. I feel like I'm in a rut. I feel like I'm ready for a change. I'm ready for a challenge. I may not know what it is just yet, but I'm dreaming and hoping that it's one I can grow from.

So here's to looking up, growing, and knowing your full potential. Have faith that things will get better, that you will grow in the areas of your life that you feel are lacking. And never be afriad to look up and see thosee birds flying above your head...

Chick Flicks...

Last night, I was totally "girlie"... And how did I classify this notion you ask? Well, I did my nails. Yup, that's right. For the first time in about a month my nails are perfectly rounded, not too long or short, and are rocking a taupe-mauve polish--perfect for the "professional world."

And as if this was not "girlie" enough, I also reveled in the sounds and images of a good ol' fashion chick-flick...Younger versions of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan starring in one of my favorites, Sleepless in Seattle. The perfectly witty film about a lonely, young, widower (Hanks), his caring and over concerned son, and the hopeful woman destined to make their lives complete (Ryan).

Now I'm not going to get into the unrealistic plot or the daring decision to place this winter love-story in one of the gloomiest cities in the United States. That would be too much and quite frankly ruin the happiness that I felt after watching the ending. I want to talk everything that Sleepless in Seattle is:

This film is a classic. I think it is fair to say that a majority of Americans have seen this film, or at least heard the title being thrown around in conversation. Classic scenes, like when Annie peels the skin of an apple in one long strip (coincidentally--or not--coinciding with Sam's favorite qualities about his late wife), are heat-warming to any woman in America.

www.victoriadreste.blogspot.com

The cast of A-list actors is one of the best collaborations of our time: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Rosie O'Donnell, Rita Wilson, Bill Pullman, David Hyde Pierce, etc., etc.. An Affair to Remember is strategically integrated throughout the film to reinforce the destiny of the two main characters. It is the home of countless memorable lines, some of which can't help but make you swoon or giggle:

"Now that was when people KNEW how to be in love. They knew it! Time, distance... nothing could separate them because they knew. It was right. It was real. It was..."- Annie Reed

"I am NOT going to New York to meet some woman who could be a crazy, sick lunatic! Didn't you see Fatal Attraction?" - Sam Baldwin

I love the feeling this chick-flick film gives me. In fact I am a fan of this genre in general. Most may be sappy and lack some genius writing (whether or not this film did is debatable). But they give a girl hope. Hope that love (not just for a partner) can be found, even in the most unlikely of circumstances. Hope in the magic of destiny. Hope in the existence of happiness. And hope that one of these days, my nails are actually something worth prioritizing...at least while watching a chick-flick.



Gotta Love the...

...nice cool breeze today. It's a small glimpse into my favorite season...Fall or Autumn depending on how politically correct you would like to be... But there was no better feeling on my bike ride this morning than this same cool breeze cooling me down as I huffed up the three hills on my route.

www.boston.com

Today on my commute into Boston, we passed the two of the newer wind turbines on route 93. These huge structures serve a purpose; they are a clean way of collecting renewable energy for consumers in the suberbs of this historical Massachusetts city. To some they may be ugly strcutures, defiling the Boston skyline. To me they give me hope that we, as a society, are opening our minds to new and innovative ideas; today the turning of the blades gave me hope that things will continue to turn, move and change.

Last night I was a little down in the dumps. Just one of those moods. I was a little upset that my plans to go for a bike ride with a friend were canceled. And this lead to feelings of discouragement at the fact that I was still living at home. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and am so thankful that they let me come home after I graduated college. I just saw myself living in Boston if I had a job there. And I'm not...A girl can get sad every now and again right?

But this windmill on my way to work this morning opened my eyes...life keeps going, moving, changing. It creates different expereinces, memories, and energies. And I need to stop thinking about how my "life plan" isn't playing out like I thought it would. I need to float, be flexable, move with the changing winds. Stay positive, stay strong, and keep the hope that I've had all my life; everything will work out!

My Life-Long Dream...

This week I was a stalker. Yup, that's right. I was a full-fledged, Facebook-creeping, blog digging psychopath. And not with an old crush or ex-friend, with someone I barely know...

When I was a freshman in high school, there was this older senior. She was a star basketball player and wanted to study Communication. Yet, she did what many from my small town are scared to do; she left. And not just go away to college, but full on took the world by storm. She went to school in California, did a semester at sea, traveled the world. Now she is living her dream, working for one of the top women's magazines in New York City. As an outsider looking in, she is living her dream; she has surpassed her goals and seems to have found something we all strive for, happiness. 

Sifting through all of her posts on her blog, I came to the realization. I must, need and most of all want to travel. By seeing the world, my former schoolmate was able to find out who she was and what she wanted out of life... I feel stuck...I have a job with people that I love, working to make a change in my local community... But what else is out there? What am I missing out on? 

As a result, here's my list. The top 10 places I want to visit. Absorb. Touch and be touched by the cultures and the sights. These are by no means in an order of attainability. Just the top 10 places that intrigue me:

1.  Petra, Jordan

2.  London, England

3.  Tuscany, Italy

4.  Grand Canyon

5.  Botswana

6.  Bermuda

7.  Panama Canal

8.  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

9.  Santorini, Greece

10. Great Wall of China

It's a random list yes, but a girl can dream can't she?

1910 Map of the World
(emersonkent.com)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain