Felicities

{While Friday Felicities has an appealingly alliterative ring to it, I seem to have some difficulty meeting that otherwise arbitrary deadline.}

Things to Be Happy About:

*my mom

It's hard to put into words how amazing my mom is. I don't know anyone who is kinder, more generous, or more loving than my mom.  She is the most positive person I have ever met; this woman literally never complains. She's also smart and strong and brave and she can sing old, Lebanese beer commercials like no one's business.

Thanks to my mom, our whole family got the travel bug, and thanks to her planning and scheduling wizardry, we have had some amazing adventures. Thanks to my mom, I think getting lost can be fun. Thanks to my mom, I leave lengthy, highly informative voice mail messages. Thanks to my mom, I celebrate small things. Thanks to my mom, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and I try to have patience with the rude, the ignorant, and the incompetent. Although, my mom would never be so judgey as to label people as rude, ignorant, or incompetent. 

My mom is also a big part of the reason that I believe so strongly in trying to somehow be of service to others. I've mentioned it before, but a big part of my childhood memories of my mom involve her being of service to others. I remember her spending weekday mornings helping with the therapeutic massage treatments of a friend's injured child. I remember my siblings and I riding around town with her, picking up leftover pastries from local restaurants and delivering them to the food shelf. And, how could I forget Carol, the developmentally disabled woman whom my mother took shopping, drove to bingo, and basically adopted. My mom didn't have to preach or lecture to teach her children the importance of service and selflessness; all we had to do was spend a day with her.  

So many women joke about being afraid of turning into their mothers; I, however, am afraid that I won't.

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!

*my 'hood

I miss living in Coronado, but I do love Hillcrest. I am proud to live in a diverse neighborhood where everyone is welcome.

I also love that I can walk just about anywhere including: the farmer's market, a gourmet cheese shop, and outdoor movie theater, and a novelty store that sells tasteless t-shirts and Albert Einstein action figures.

{The Maltese Falcon at the Starlight Theater}

*discovering random weirdness

I was walking home from the library earlier this week when I discovered this ridiculous sign. Actually, discovered isn't the right word since I drive past it every day and had taken it for your average pedestrian crossing sign. This Tuesday, however, I walked by and really noticed the sign for the first time. It seems that the city is commenting on the particular type of pedestrians who are likely to cross at this particular junction. I must also point out that this sign sits at the corner of the street that one would take to get to the Canyon of Despair and the horrible apartment we almost inhabited.

{vagrant crossing?}