publishing peace

Y'all, I been thinking again. I've been thinking about a lot of things. It seems like my brain is overcrowded with thoughts, teeming with ideas. It's been hard to narrow down what I actually want to say here, what words I feel like should be shared. There are plenty of things upstairs in my brain that are sifting around waiting to become ideas with a little bit more substance and a little more time baking in my Brain Oven. But let's talk, shall we (or I guess I shall, since this is my blog and I'm the one writing here), about  happiness. I have been thinking about this particular topic probably for my whole life. Recently, I've been thinking about what makes me happy. There are actually quite a lot of things -- I love sunshine-y days, banjos, my mom's sweet pork enchiladas, cheesecake, flannel shirts, swingsets, soft fabric, bright lipstick, pretty dresses. I love laughter, the sound of my fingers against the keyboard of a computer, Claire de Lun...

Recently I saw a screenshot of a tumblr post that was addressed to twenty-year-olds who've never been loved, and my heart and mind wanted to continue in a similar vein here. With Valentine's day coming up, I've been thinking a lot about love. About what it is, and how to give it, and how to receive it. I've realized that this is a lesson I need to learn better, and I've been working on it. So, know that this post is just as much for me as it is for you. So, say you're twenty-something, and you've never been loved. Sure, you've been liked. But I'm talking loved . You're twenty-something and no one has ever cared enough to ask you how your day has been for more than two days in a row. And you watch as your friends interact with their spouses, and you notice how he's gentler, and she smiles more, and you wonder what's wrong with you, why you don't have somebody to be gentle, to smile with. You're twenty-s...