What it means to me

A commenter recently mentioned she was curious why I named my Blog what I did.  Well, here's what it means to me.

This is my life.

That spot - right there - where the ocean meets the sand - that's where I live my life.

I'm not sure whether it's good or bad, but that's where I am.

That's not what the name started out meaning to me.  In the beginning I had another name for this blog - I really don't remember what it was.  All my friends were updating their blogs and had catchy names & I wanted something different too.  My sister and I brainstormed some ideas - her favorite one was "Florida Transplant". She said that anytime someone went searching online for "transplant in Florida" or something like that it would come up - kinda funny.  I wanted something related to where I was - the Ocean & Beach.  My favorite spot at the beach is right where the Ocean Meets the Sand.

Life in Florida was rough for my family and I.  It was almost the end of several relationships in my family.

We have since moved on and so The title means something different to me now.

That spot, my favorite spot, is a precarious place to be.

Nothing stays the same in that spot.

Proof of our existence there is wiped away with every wave.  That spot moves constantly & is ever changing.

JUST LIKE LIFE.

If you don't want something to be washed away by the tide you have to anchor it there.  Sometimes you have to bury it real deep.  I have learned though, that just because you want it to stay, doesn't mean that it will.  God/Mother Nature/Neptune - whoever you believe is responsible for the Ocean - has a different plan.  Hurricanes, tidal waves, ice bergs and even oil spills can take away what you thought would always be there.

So, that's what my blog name means to me.

Things are ever changing.  I live my life in that spot where the ocean meets the sand because I know that things are always changing and nothing stays the same.  It doesn't matter how hard I hold on to things or people, the waves can still come in and wash them away.  I have learned to learn to enjoy building the sandcastle and playing the game for as long as I can, because it might not be there when I come back the next day.

One step closer

I am one step closer to the life I have always wanted.

When I was growing up I loved that our house was "the house".  Everyone was always stopping by, hanging out, crashing on the couch.  It was interesting to see who would be there when you woke up.  I'm sure for my parents it was exhausting, but their doors & arms were always open.

Now, let's be clear.  That is not the kind of house I want!

I want people to feel comfortable enough to stop by unannounced if they want to, but, please, have the courtesy to let me know if you are going to be here longer than a day! I want the kids to feel comfortable inviting their friends over & I want their friends to feel comfortable being themselves around me.
I am working on having my house presentable at all times (as my neighbor knocks on the door and I die a little inside because my house is trashed!).  It's not always clean, and sometimes I stop people at the door so they can't see the mess.  You've got to cut me a little slack though because we have only lived here for a month and we're still working on getting everything unpacked and put where we want it.  I'll post pictures when it's all done. For now though, I have a beautiful house with a beautiful 1930's dinner table, a fabulous library, an awesome flat screen TV that looks great from any seat on my black leather couch.   I also have 2 antique chairs with Cheese Nips ground into the cushions, a TON on toys all over the floor, shoes crowding the front door (at least 2 pairs per person) and cup circles on my $10 coffee table.

My house.  Beautiful.  Lived in.

Soon I will have pictures hanging on the walls, great smelling candles burning, and fabulous decorations for the holidays.

A house is just a house, and I know that it doesn't matter what I fill it with, as long as there is love.

One Step Closer.

Poem of the Day

If You Forget Me

by Pablo Neruda

I want you to know

one thing.

You know how this is:

if I look

at the crystal moon, at the red branch

of the slow autumn at my window,

if I touch

near the fire

the impalpable ash

or the wrinkled body of the log,

everything carries me to you,

as if everything that exists,

aromas, light, metals,

were little boats

that sail

toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,

if little by little you stop loving me

I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly

you forget me

do not look for me,

for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,

the wind of banners

that passes through my life,

and you decide

to leave me at the shore

of the heart where I have roots,

remember

that on that day,

at that hour,

I shall lift my arms

and my roots will set off

to seek another land.

But

if each day,

each hour,

you feel that you are destined for me

with implacable sweetness,

if each day a flower

climbs up to your lips to seek me,

ah my love, ah my own,

in me all that fire is repeated,

in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,

my love feeds on your love, beloved,

and as long as you live it will be in your arms

without leaving mine

I just discovered this poem today.  I love how he expresses his feelings for his love.  I love how he talks like if she were to decide to not love him anymore, he will have already made the decision to no love her first.  As if our hearts will allow us to do that.