this and that

i tend to be a pessimist and see the worst in things, especially PEOPLE. josh and i often laugh about how perfect we are for each other because we get so annoyed by people in public that we would rather stay home with just each other. partly because of this, i sometimes forget the good there IS in people...and i forget just how lucky i am to have some of the most amazing friends and family surrounding me that are an exception to the rules. having those exceptions in life are priceless and i can only hope that maybe someone else thinks of me as an exception. i don't normally make new years resolutions, but i want to try harder to do random acts of kindness. pleasant surprises are the best feeling in the world, and i think it would do my soul some good to pass on the warmth ; )

for example: recently a friend of mine asked if i knew where she could sell a vintage silver christmas tree. my stomach dropped. i have always wanted one! i told her she could sell it to me, not knowing if i could afford to since she could probably make more selling it to a vintage shop or something. the friend responded by asking, "would you promise to love it and give it a good home?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? i would probably start sleeping under the tree at night just so it was the last thing i saw before i went to sleep and the first thing i saw when i woke up! that was when my friend admitted that although she no longer wanted to keep the tree, it belonged to her parents and it was their first christmas tree together. she wanted to make sure it went to a good home where someone would actually appreciate it, so she would just give it to me if i promised to take good care of it. that warmed my heart more than i can express! i love anything with a special history or memory attached to it (that's why i collected strangers pictures when i worked at the thrift store..or all the other old junk for that matter). the fact that the tree is as old as it is (her parents will be married for 50 years this summer!) and was loved and passed down, then loved and passed down again by my friend...it's like i'm getting this really special one-of-a-kind gift. that's soooo cool. plus, like i said, i always wanted one and can't wait to put it up :)

another cool thing happened thanks to a friend. it's easy to get down about things considering how rough the times are lately. and it gets really annoying after a while to see people promoting themselves over and over again without supporting others. does that make sense? i know everyone is just trying to SURVIVE out there, but sometimes you have to give a little in order to get a little in return. i'll be the first person to admit that i'm broke (both literally and spiritually sometimes) and i feel like i don't have much to give...but maybe i have been looking at things the wrong way. for instance: my friend called me up and told me she really needs some new music. being a dj/record nerd, she knew just who to come to. in return, she offered to cut/color my hair because she is a fantastic stylist. perfect, because i reeeally need a haircut and my roots are showing terribly! we both have something to offer and are able to support each other while getting something we need in return. that's so cool. i have thoughtful, resourceful and talented friends. i won't feel so useless because i'll be helping someone out. i won't feel guilty because they will be getting something they want as well. win/win. why didn't i think of this before???

i feel like i had really important themes to touch on in this post and i don't know if i expressed them very clearly. i'm just extremely grateful for knowing the wonderful people i know, and for the reassurance that people still do care about one another. it gives me hope at a time when i really need it.

on a completely unrelated note, my radio show HOT TRASH now has a fan page on facebook. feel free to be a fan if you might already dig it :) it is listed as "hot trash on wcsb 89.3fm":

hot trash on wcsb 89.3fm

off to make a big pot of soup and enjoy sunday with my sweet boy.