National Hairball Awareness Day

"First, I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it. We do not write in order to be understood, we write in order to understand." ~Cecil Day Lewis

Today is: National Hairball Awareness Day and Tell a Story Day

The quote resonates with me, because it is while I am writing that things hit me square in the chest. I figure things out about myself that I hadn't really thought of before. Yesterday, as I was writing a comment on Abby's blog, I realized that I have always put a huge emphasis on "pretty" and perfect things. I make sure to eat the prettiest crackers, pieces of cereal, etc., first. And I always gave preference to my prettiest dolls and toys. I always find the prettiest kids cutest. And when I was little, I wanted to grow up to be pretty. It is no surprise, then, that my first word as a tiny little thing was, "pretty".

As the story goes, my parents took me to a Christmas ornaments store. The store owner picked me up and went around the store with me pointing to everything and repeating, "pretty. pretty. pretty." When we got home, I went around our apartment, pointed at everyting, and said my own version of "pretty".

For most of my life, anything that was less than pretty was not good enough. When I looked in the mirror and saw lots of blemishes, I felt bad. When I saw "extra weight" I felt bad. Now, I look at myself, and I look pretty. More importantly, I feel pretty, because I am finally figuring myself out. I am treating myself well, and giving myself the permission to take joy in the things that I love! Good, right? Right!

Here is what we had for dinner tonight!


Sweet potato, salsa, black bean balls coated in ground flax seeds. Yum!

Scrambled eggs, vegan pancakes.

Steamed broccolli.

And bacon! I focused in on the balls. They were pretty phenomenal, in my opinion. But I adore sweet potatoes and black beans.

My dessert was a small piece of brownie and banana "ice cream" from my vita-mix. I continue to be impressed by this machine every time I use it.

I worked on my painting more today and added some details while sipping on a new beer that I ust bought. Another Samuel Adams, but one that I haven't tried! Coastal Wheat. Verdict: Not bad. Not my favorite, but really good!

The painting definitely looks more alive now.

I added some planty things.

Some detail along the border.

And little splashed of color.

I may or may not be done, we'll see how I feel about it in the morning.

Be sure to enter my awesome giveaway!