Friends

So, maybe I should have entitled this blog as a breath of fresh air because that is what old friends bring. I had an amazing opportunity to spend some quality time with some friends that I grew up with this past weekend. I was able to stay with my friend Laura Daspit, a girl I hadn't talked to or seen in a year but can talk to like not a minute was spared since the last time we saw each other. Laura is one of my favorite people and it always astonishes me that we can skip all the superficial stuff and go straight to the heart of what is going on in our lives. She and I are in similar living situations right now and it was so good to just be able to talk about life with her. I learned from her that the people of New Orleans are emotionally worn out and the church is so focused on outreach that they have forgotten what it's like to build themselves inwardly. I learned that it would be easier to see ourselves as if we were characters in a book and could see the big picture and I learned that God is continually working and wants to use us in his work. I came back from my trip feeling refreshed and I truly think it was because I was able to be with old friends for a few days. I guess what I'm trying to say is that life is hard, routine is inevitable but God called us to live life together and I found that companionship in my old friends. What a breath of fresh air it is to be with friends who love you unconditionally and spur you closer to Christ!

Here is a funny little story -- so I was walking down St. Charles Ave when I found this note attached to a futon -- it reads "Dear Futon Owner, thank you for this futon. We sat on it and ate some ice cream and have grown quite fond of it. If you are sitting it out on the curb because you don't want it anymore we can take it off your hands. Please call us at 606 - 389 -0259 and we'll come pick it up. If, however, you do still want it, than thank you for letting us use it. Love, Nicole, Evian, and Tara."

I just thought it was funny that I was walking down the street and saw this futon on the curb with such a personal not attached to it. Kind of makes me want to meet the ones who wrote it.

 

A Breath of Fresh Air

I had the opportunity to travel to my homeland of New Orleans, Louisiana this weekend. With too many plans and not enough time I found myself welcomed into my city by flooding rains and lots of traffic. Ahh, back where I belong. Growing up I never thought it "cool" that I was from New Orleans. Wasn't every other city like this except maybe with less trash on the ground? Didn't everyone hear ferry boat horns before going to bed, and use box fans to cool their rooms? Surely everyone did. Going to college in another city in Louisiana brought culture shock as I realized no other place in America, or maybe even the world was like this place I called home. Now, I find myself missing the different accents from people on the streets, talking to neighbors, and hearing jazz breeze by on the riverwalk. With a very valiant yet futile attempt to present myself as a local I hit the streets with a confident stride and a big camera around my neck. I think it was the camera that fooled people. I think people were actually disappointed when my answer to their "Where are you from ?" question just revealed Algiers. Oh, she is one of us -- well, tell ya mom 'n them we said hi. It wasn't until I was removed from this city that I actually missed it. It was the parks uptown, the neighbors practicing their sax for Mardi Gras parades on the front porch, and the man talking, in a local TJMax, about how he can make a gumbo with 11 different ingredients that would knock your socks off that brought back the love I have for this place. It is as if once you've lived here the place leaves this impression on you. It's in your blood and the city has somehow shaped who you are as a person. I realized that just maybe the reason why I'm a talker, sarcastic and a people person is because I'm from New Orleans. I may not always live there but it will always be a part of me. 

Creativity

Some have said that I can paint pictures with my words. Some have said that I am a creative girl. But what happens to that creative girl when her creativeness goes away? What happens when she feels as though all her creative ideas just take second place to those who are actually good at what they do and what happens when she feels like she's just copying off of someone else? Well, she keeps on creating because just maybe in the midst of it all something great will come out of it. Lately I feel as though I am just copying off of someone else's great ideas. I wonder why I couldn't have thought of it before and I wonder why I long to create only to find myself frustrated that really I'm not good at it. Maybe the reality is that I have so many other friends that are so talented in the arts, such as photography, sewing, and writing that I feel I don't rank. Not that life is about ranking but none-the-less the feeling is still there. The truth is I truly do want to blog but find myself empty of words. I think all I need is a teacher to help me perfect my potential but who will teach me? Well confidence or no confidence I will continue to create and in the process of it all hope to find a diamond in the rough.