"Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind"

"(Now) Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy." - Kansas "Dust in the Wind"

Despite the scarcity of blogs lately, my life has been going quite well. Last week, I cut myself from the Internet approximately 4.5 days at home. I originally planned for seven days, but... I lasted longer than I originally thought.

And it was kinda hard - impossible - to avoid the web at work considering I am always logged on. But I was inspired when I realized how many hours are sucked out of my life just by surfing the net. Well, I ended up being a lot more productive than I thought I would have been. Things are coming along quite nicely with the scarf I am crocheting, I spent quality time catching up with friends, I finished "Twilight," my guitar playing is getting exponentially better and I was able to run around with the puppy in the backyard. Although at the end of all this, I came to a different, yet simple conclusion: All in moderation.

Even though I had access to the net on the weekend, I still finished the final 200 pages in "Twilight." Being productive has nothing to do with your environment and more to do with perspective. My focus in life has been getting stronger, and things around me have seemed to change because of it. Not that they have actually changed, but because now the glass is half full... and things are making more sense because of it. And I plan to keep it that way. It may be hard to explain many things in this world, but I have reasons to get up and enjoy each day, and have no problem falling asleep with the person I have become at night. There are more things I would like to do to help out though... and I just have to keep on keeping on; not losing sight of my goals.

I am going to look into volunteering with animals for Saturday or Sunday mornings. I love all animals, big and small, and noticed that my attitude is incredibly more optimistic when I surround myself with them. It is all about the little things in life... in all their 'average' beauty. And if you can enjoy these things and help out, that's the best way to live life.

Everything happens for a reason... or does it?

"One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering."

Had a wonderful, relaxing weekend with the fam bam. Well, it was only really a day, but it was jam-packed and fun nonetheless. My parents arrived 10 a.m. Saturday and left 10:30 a.m. Sunday. In that short period of time, we went to Capitola for lunch at Margaritaville and walked down the pier, went to downtown Sunnyvale (Murphy Ave. really) walked around and got a pint at Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub & Restaurant, went to Outback Steakhouse where the server mistakenly gave us a free dessert for my dad's "birthday", dorked it up at Dave & Busters and had Sunday breakfast at Hobee's. It was a great time and I have such a blast with my parents now that I am older.

It's funny how life works out. And sometimes it makes me think that everything happens for a reason. On Friday, I came home and saw that one of my ratiolis had blood in its eye. After a bit of unproductive freaking out, I went online, did some Google searches and found out it can be stress-induced, which makes sense considering I am pretty sure she has a respiratory infection. Well, when we got to Capitola Saturday, there was a couple sitting on a bench with one rat on a harness and another hairless in the guy's pocket. I struck up a conversation and then brought up the blood in its eye my rat had. Well, they have nine rats and told me it is very common and nothing to worry about. Just to keep adding vitamins to their water, which I do every week. Probably would be best if I got them more medicine soon as well. Now what kind of a coincidink is that? I don't know too many people that a) have pet rats and b) take them out. So this, along with a few other things that have been going on lately really makes me think everything happens for a reason.

But then again, it's hard to tell. I still can't reason many things in this world: why some children die so young, why drunk drivers seem to always be the ones to survive in car accidents. Sadly there are way too many things that can be named, but in short, how bad things do happen to good people. Many friends I have talked to about this say maybe it is the path that was set for that person, but I find this hard to believe. Especially because I believe in no set paths. And that really explains why I am a spiritual person, not religious. Before I get in too deep, I am just going to cut myself off.

Here are some of the highlights of my parent's trip:

My dad next to his two most favorite things, my mom and his new toy.

Don't know how I fit all of us in this picture, taken on Capitola pier.

Apparently, mentioning Outback Steakhouse's Bloomin' Onion's 20th birthday equated to a free dessert because our server thought I said it was my dad's birthday. Haha.

"Deal or No Deal" at Dave and Busters... mom may have came out with 24 tickets...

... but my dad took home 138. Guess they make a good team.

"And they called it... puppy love"

Caption: 8-week-old, yellow lab Lola became the newest addition to the Wheatley residence April 17. Combined pets in the household now include: two cats, two rats, two chinchillas, one lizard and one rambunctious adorable pup.

“Whatever the tasks, do them slowly
with ease, in mindfulness,
so not do any tasks with the goal
of getting them over with. Resolve to each job in a relaxed way, with all your attention.” - Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master

It has been both a mentally exhausting and rejuvenating week, and it isn't even over yet. I am glad that *knock on wood* the worst is over and the weekend is right around the corner. My parents are coming into town this weekend in their brand new Corvette (my dad's toy) and we are planning to go to Capitola, Dave and Busters and out to a few meals. It will probably consist of more eating out than I should be doing, but I will make up for it and work out double-time next week.

Above all else, this week I realized that life truly is about balance. Balancing what makes me happy versus what makes others happy and, unfortunately, you can't always have both things. But I realize - finally - that my happiness is the most important thing and I should live my life as such. No regrets or excessive guilt... it's just not worth it. And it's not worth overanalyzing what people are thinking about. If it's important enough, they can tell you and if they don't, nothing to fret about. Their loss, not yours. It's important to make the most out of life...

...and as such, slowing down to smell the roses. It is not about how many tasks I complete in a day. But how many tasks I can participate in whole-heartedly. And in order to do that, many times you have to slow down and stop multi-tasking, which can be hard to do if you are stuck in the 9-5 grind. But it is worth it. I have found that so many every day routines (brushing teeth, tying shoelaces, etc.) are done while thinking about other things and going through the many mental checklists that occupy our mind.

If you can, remind yourself to slow down every once in a while. Afterall, there are many people out there unable to do those "seemingly simple" tasks we often take for granted.

Mastering my mind

"Peace is not achieved by controlling nations, but mastering our thoughts."

As I drove to and from Aptos today, I realized I was unbelievably calm driving highway 17. It wasn't a new adventure, but I often found myself fearful of the turns when I would drive it before. But today, I felt calm and collected. I knew I was in control of my car and I could be as aware as possible of the other cars around me. And this is true of how my mindset has been shifting within the last couple weeks...

Because I am an overachiever and a perfectionist, I often found myself worried about the future, forgetting to live in the present. But now I realize that the only thing that matters is this moment right now. Life is so simple - and yet still so beautiful - when you actually wake up to the world around you... the people on similar paths or heading on a new one and the wonderful beauty of mother nature that surrounds us all.

"Oh, the places you'll go!"

"Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. ... Out there things can happen and frequently do, to people as brainy and footsy as you. And when things start to happen, don't worry. Don't stew. Just go right along. You'll start happening too."
-Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the places you'll go"

There is something about the experience of traveling that has refreshed my perspective on life. The combination of preparation beforehand, packing, stepping on an airplane and immersing myself in completely new environments was absolutely refreshing... even if it was a short vacation. On Thursday I took a short flight (an hour and five minutes) from San Jose Airport to Santa Ana. From the moment I stepped off the plane and onto a return flight Sunday at 4:40 p.m., it was absolutely non-stop and a ton of fun.
In that brief period of time I traveled to: Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Balboa Island, Venice Beach, Culver City and Santa Monica. Although I obviously didn't spend a ton of time in each place because of time limitations, I experienced breathtaking moments with wonderful company.
I came to a lot of realizations over the weekend and am still taking in my experience.
But I can officially say, I am looking forward to more traveling to come. I have a trip to Wyoming set for June and plan to go Hot Air Ballooning and Zip Lining at Moaning Caverns before then. And the trip I am most excited about... ITALY in 2009!!! Needless to say, I am already budgeting for that one.
So since a picture tells a thousand words and I am overwhelmed by everything I have gone through, here's a brief summary of my trip in 5,000 more words...


First night into Orange County and heading to enjoy a beautiful sunset at San Clemente pier.
"For Fish Eaters Only": Crab Cooker in Newport Beach.
Charlie Chaplin's former estate, Gingerbread Court in Venice Beach.
Mosh pit in the party van in Culver City.

"Life is a journey, not a destination"

Caption: San Clemente pier at night.

"What is happening is all that's important right now."

Thanks for reminding me of this quote Diana (see title). It is something I have been trying to live by for years, moreso needing to lately.

And as my journey through life continues, I am taking off to San Jose Airport in 16 minutes to catch a plane down to San Clemente. It's just an extended weekend trip and not too far, but considering it's been a few years since I've been on a plane, I'm excited.