prairie girl musings

Category: Quotes

Let Freedom Reign

Last night, a light went out in the world.

South Africa lost its greatest son, Madiba, one of the most courageous and profoundly good human beings this world has ever known. The world was truly fortunate to have Nelson Mandela for 95 years, and his legacy is the peaceful South Africa we see today.

In memory of Madiba, here are a few of his many influential quotes:

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

“As I walked out the door toward my freedom, I knew that if I didn’t leave all the anger, hatred, and bitterness behind, that I would still be in prison.”

“There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling for a life less than the one you are capable of living.”

“Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world.”

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

“Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed towards the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair.”

May his legacy live on.

December 6, 2013
Balancing Two Polar-Opposite Jobs

Whenever I’m lacking motivation, I turn to my favourite source of inspiration – Pinterest. Sure, it’s visually stimulating, but I get an extra special kick out of the quotation boards.

She designed a life she loved.

Follow the call of the disco ball.

Remember why you started.

Short one-liners are sometimes all I need to remind me why I do what I do. Working from home, as a freelance writer, will certainly test one’s limits. When does the work begin and when does it end? Have you ever checked your inbox at 1am only to start preparing tweets and Facebook updates for the next day?

While I know I’m not alone here, I do know that balancing two very different jobs can be a challenge. When I have a pile of blog posts, social media updates, and newsletters to complete for my freelance job, (which, by the way, I adore!) there’s nothing I want less than to shower and put on my most fashion-forward outfit. Rushing out the door to my other job as a stylist can be daunting. After all, who really wants to leave the comfort of their apartment with its endless supply of French press coffee and atmospheric candles?

On the flip side, the constant isolation from being a freelancer can be terrifying. I’ve learnt the importance of scheduling coffee dates with friends, and in-person meetings rather than relying solely on Skype. And I know I’m lucky. I’m able to juggle a social, customer-focused job with a more internally, self-guided position. It’s just my time management skills that need a bit of fine-tuning.

What do you do for work? Are you happy in your current position?

October 29, 2013
“She’s mad but …

“She’s mad but she’s magic. There’s no lie in her fire.”

– Charles Bukowski

July 4, 2013
Tuesdays in Toronto

I’ve always liked, not loved, Tuesdays. Love is much too strong a word for Tuesday. However, I do like Tuesdays because Mondays (despite being a fresh start of sorts) always feel a bit out of sync. I’m out of routine from the weekend’s festivities, and it takes me awhile to get my groove back. By Tuesday, I’m more present and engaged. I’m a lot happier to be back at work, especially since I know what’s left to tackle for the rest of the week. I’ve been doing a lot of blogging and writing for Weddingbells, which is basically a dream come true. I’m really fortunate, both of my internships have enabled me to develop my writing skills along with my journalistic skills. My goal this week is to learn Adobe InDesign, and get a start on Photoshop. It pays to have a boyfriend who studied design and several colleagues who went to journalism school.

Usually after groggily dragging myself to the gym, (thank goodness it’s in my building) I spend a couple minutes online gathering my thoughts. Tuesdays are quote-days for me. I love reading and re-reading my favourites on Pinterest.

Today, I’ve been thinking about travelling. But let’s be honest, I think about travelling EVERY DAY because I’m infatuated with new experiences and new people. The fact that I’m settling into a regular routine so easily is quite surprising to me. 2012 as you know, was characterized by travel. Yes, I finished my degree and started a new job (internship) but those experiences were overshadowed by travel. My friend, Mary, (a Torontonian I met in Auckland) sent me this article yesterday, I urge you to have a read:

Converge Magazine: Why You Should Travel Young

Worthy advice! Without further ado, here are some of my favourite travel quotes and images:

“I was not born for one corner. The whole world is my native land.”

“Paris is always a good idea.”

“If your 22, (or 24) physically fit, hungry to learn to be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as wide as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them, wherever you go.”

– Anthony Bourdain

“Be a traveller, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding the amazing world we live in.”

– Andrew Zimmerin

“I love the feeling of being anonymous in a city I’ve never been before.”

“She said she usually cried at least once a day not because she was sad, but because the world is so beautiful and life was so short.”

“Once in awhile it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they’ve been told.”

– Alan Keightley

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”

-Jack Kerouac

“I fell in love with the world in you.”

February 5, 2013
American Literary Greats

After my first week back at work, I decided to pick up a novel I’d been yearning to read for quite some time; F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise. Published when Fitzgerald was only twenty-three years old, I was eager to read this novel based on his own experience as an undergraduate student at Princeton. Given that I’m twenty-three years old and nowhere near completing my first novel, the novel Fitzgerald penned at the start of his career inspires me in a myriad of ways.

My ongoing obsession with the Roaring Twenties goes all the way back to my high school days when I was first introduced to the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Fitzgerald. My first Jazz Age novel? The Great Gatsby, of course. English had always been my favourite and strongest subject, I adored tucking away to read and re-read our course list while diligently neglecting my math and science homework. A few chapters in, I was ready to declare the 1920s as my favourite decade, a statement I can still attest to. These characters, despite their multitude of flaws, represented glamour, intrigue and a je ne sais quoi, that we can’t help admire. Luckily, with a Bachelor of Arts in English, I’ve been able to venture further into these works. I’ve seriously enjoyed discussing the 1920s and, whenever possible, throwing in some Gertrude Stein for good measure. Woody Allen’s film, Midnight in Paris, continued the trend, featuring an array of characters we were all familiar with, in one way or another. It’s one of those films you can watch again and again, laughing and wishing you, like Owen Wilson’s character, could transport back in time to this decade of boozing and canoodling.

I am clearly anticipating The Great Gatsby in its new film-format, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Carey Mulligan (my favourite) as Daisy Buchanan! The music, the costumes and the sets will be oh-so-fabulous! I’m already devising a plan to score tickets to the premiere! I can’t help but explore my favourite authors previous works. After This Side of Paradise, I’ll be diving into Ernest Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden. I’m looking forward to it already!

Furthermore, who can’t resist 1920s fashion? Short hemlines, sequins, shift dresses and drop-waisted skirts are accentuated with elaborate headbands and feathers galore! Anyone who knows me is aware of my fascination with sequins and shift dresses. As much as I try to shop and dress practically, my closet is brimming with impractical and fantastic ensembles. My favourite dress is a Topshop 1920s-inspired number that suits any occasion, from New Years Eve celebration to a cocktail soirée with your girlfriends. Here are some of my favourite 1920s-inspired images:

What’s your favourite decade?

Love, Vanessa

August 10, 2012
they were kids that I once knew

Isn’t first love amazing? This photo is exceedingly nostalgic, and too adorable not to post on a overcast Friday morning. I’ve just finished a brisk, 6km run and am pouring over old photographs from the past three years as I’m on Nick’s laptop (mine was left at university during finals, oops!) We’ve reached the end of our three week long holiday in Saskatchewan, and Nick is heading back to Auckland to resume his Honours degree in Transport Design.

As Nick packs up his bags, I’m left with the remnants of our time together this summer. He recently spent his twenty-second birthday in Saskatchewan, as well as his twentieth and twenty-first. I’m utterly perplexed as to how we made this relationship work, despite the endless shifts we’ve encountered due to being from different continents. So, here we go again; another three months apart until I (possibly) return in October for my university convocation. My heart has been stretched, has expanded in so many ways over the past three and a half years. I neglected my first love, dance, in favour of new loves: travel, romance, and adventure. I never fathomed I could exist without it, but somehow I managed, even thrived without the thing that once defined me. Upon my return to North America, I jumped right back into it and planned on dancing on a cruise ship for 6-9 months. My first (and only) audition was flawless, and my mother watched as they ruthlessly cut the dancers down from 76 to 20, then to eight and finally, four. But foolishness always gets the best of me, and after my audition with Royal Caribbean Cruises in Edmonton, I decided instead to move to New Zealand to give love (and a liberal arts education) a fair chance. I’ll blame it on listening to far too much Celine Dion as a child.

Before we head off to the airport, I’ll leave you with a photograph taken two summers ago. It was taken at a pub we still frequent in Saskatoon called O’Shea’s during Nick’s first visit to Canada. We hadn’t seen each other since February, and I was about to move to Auckland to begin my BA at the University of Auckland. Life was full of possibility as I embarked on a new journey.

As we grow and evolve, I hope we continue to see the choices we’re making at the moment as the right ones. Perhaps I’m a walking, breathing cliche, but following my heart has never failed me. I hope you have the courage to follow yours. x

V.

July 13, 2012