Growing up, my sister and I used to wish on everything. Stars, wishbones, eyelashes, candles. Each wish I made was full of every stress I felt in life - for my grandpa's health, to keep my family safe, to have more money, to make Stephanie not be mad that I stained her shirt, to feed starving children in Africa. A few years ago, Elizabeth and I were talking about wishes and she told me (at the risk of her wishes not coming true) what she always asks for. "I wish to be happy." Oh! I was so mad at her! Her whole life, that was what she wished for, while I was busy trying to wish on behalf of all the stresses in the world. I thought that her simple wish of happiness was selfish - as if I was really doing the world a favor by wishing for its betterment. And so, I continued on the higher wishing path, doing my part for humanity.
Fast forward 5 years, and here I am in Seguin, Texas. A job I thought was perfect, turned out to be an ulcer-producing mess. I quit last week. Outside of mine and Cris’ jobs. . . I don’t know anyone in this town. Cris has been named the "Social Butterfly" here in Seguin - give him 5 minutes and he's befriended everyone in the room. Just yesterday, we were at a hip hop concert. I swore Cris was with me the whole night, no opportunities to escape and make friends. But, as we were leaving, one of the rappers came up and yelled "Worm!" Gave him a big hug, then turned to me and said, "You're from Puyallup, right?" When did he have time to meet this guy, let alone talk about my hometown? It's like Cris leaks out these friendliness pheremones that latch onto everyone. I however, have not had such pheremones here. My only friend outside of our roommates is the neighbor dog, who always greets me through the chain-link fence. I don’t even know his name, only that he’s had his rabies vaccination. Cris and I talk about not enjoying this town that is seemingly stuck in neutral, but in truth, we haven’t given it a fair shake. We just live inside our little bubble, and escape as often as possible.
And so, now, my only wish, is for happiness. I wish for Cris and I to be healthier, to live less stressed and more intentional, to explore more and laugh louder. We are using this blog as a catalyst to try things we’ve never tried, to share and learn each others’ hobbies, and to cross things off our bucket lists. This is also a vice for us to share Texas with our friends and family. We can easily get caught up in our day to day stresses, and forget the things that make us happy and we forget to keep up with the people who are important. This blog is a daily reminder for us, to be more intentional, and keep the things that are important closer to heart.
“So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed).” – Dr. Seuss
In our aim for a more balanced life, our mantra is “Feel good, have fun.” With that in mind, we need to feel better. December, for us, will be dedicated to living healthier, and de-cluttering our life. You’d think, moving across the country with only a car load of stuff, we wouldn’t have much clutter. Wrong. We both have inherited our families love of stuff. . . and love of buying things we don’t really need, but that look cool and might come in use over the next decade. We are trying to cross things off our to-do lists – including returning a vacuum we’ve held hostage from Cris’ boss for 4 months. And paying off library fines I’ve accrued at 5 libraries! We will practice getting better sleep, and staying hydrated - I swear I nearly shrivel up every day. Doing things for our bodies – yoga, massages, zumba. And while this is our goal for ourselves – feeling better – we will spend our blog time bringing you into Seguin with us.
To be more dexterous and deft - every month from here until July will be dedicated to something new – food, music, creativity, channeling our inner Susie Homemaker and our inner cigar-smoking, sport talkin’ man. We will make time to play, and meet our neighbors (and learn their dog’s name). Cris will play accordion and I will milk a cow. And if Cris has his way - he'll get me into some cowboy boots. We'll see. We are seizing this opportunity by the longhorns, and giving this town and our time here the chance it deserves. We're not here for a long time, but we're here for a good time.
Welcome to Seguin. Welcome to our journey.
