mariannejosette-blog-blog

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

Keeping in mind...

A LOT of things piss me off during the day, including:

people, the city, rancid smells of urine and cigarettes on a cloudy day, bad coffee, backaches from a poorly constructed chair, slow elevators, low battery life, city hall, the rain, wet feet, angry emails, etc. etc. etc. 

Clearly, these are first world problems that really don't mean much in the grand scheme of our design. 

This is why I've decided to just let it go and to practice, in some capacity, the art of detachment and self-control according to the Buddhists. And, as the late and great Mother Theresa would say "be kind to them anyway." And I will.

Life is too short and the days are too long to add even more negativity to the world. It may seem idealistic and a bit of stretch but I know there are real problems out there in the world and while I am at my desk, typing away, I will keep this in mind.

...Because the worst thing you can do is to piss yourself off and turn yourself inside out.

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

I believe in this.

Women hold up #halfthesky. Submit your own photo:http://halftheskymovement.tumblr.com/submit

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

~Have a positive day~

Washington Square Park, NYC

November 2011

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

Year 3

In November of 2009, my entire life changed in a matter of hours.

It's interesting the things we carry with us, the events we never forget that -as hard as we try- are etched into our hearts and minds.

And then there are the lives we choose to lead following these jarring moments and the constant struggle to find a sense of normalcy again. 

It's been almost 3 years and since then- well at least today- I can say I'm ok. I'm here.

But, even on my worse days, when the doubts are especially loud- it feels, for one instant- that I am back there with him. I hear those words again as if they were freshly delivered and it's cold, it's dark and I'm wearing that purple shirt and everything is spinning. We must've looked like quite a sight out there.

November is a particularly cold month for me.

Sometimes, I wonder if everyone can tell, if I still wear that night on my face, in my attitude and in my movements. In my daily defeats - I do. And in that despair- I imagine that they'll know why it happened to me. They'll see through my thin skin and my fragility and say "no wonder that happened to her."

In 3 years, I still can't say I'm "over" it or I've forgotten. I don't quite know how to forget without denying it happened. It was real and who I was- changed.

It helps that I've since reclaimed my own body, choosing carefully what to do with it. It is healing how my soulmate has helped me learn to love again these same arms and limbs that were taken for granted so many times. It really is. 

It's also a bittersweet thing what I carry now -in my life- as I grow older, each year more challenging and rewarding than the next. I'd like to think I'm safe now but I'm still searching to feel peace in my mind, spirit and body. 

Maybe another year, two years or 20 may help but I'll get there, wherever "there" is. 

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

9.18.2012 (the beginning)

M: Do you think people wake up one day and decide they want to be photographers, artists, humanitarians, etc.?

A: Nah, I think it's in them the whole time.

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

I read once...

That we spend our entire lives recovering from adolescence. And to some degrees, I believe that’s absolutely true. A lot of the bullies and jeering I was subjected to as a kid, I carry with me like incessant ghosts.

I was asked yesterday why I felt the need to be perfect and if I was overly criticized as a child. I lost it and was overwhelmed with emotion and discomfort. We can assume what my answer to this question was and is.

I wonder, If these ghosts didn’t exist, imagine the person I could be today…

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

The planet does not need more ‘successful people’. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds. It needs people to live well in their places. It needs people with moral courage willing to join the struggle to make the world habitable and humane and these qualities have little to do with success as our culture is the set.

Tenzin Gyatso, The 14th Dalai Lama (via Swanfeather Songs)

This is what I've been leaning towards, as of late.

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

My good friends and musical extraordinaires, Hunter and Wolfe, have done it again!! This is pure magic in the highest musical form and clearly a personal fav of mine. Love it!!

New video! Hooray!  Michael performing ‘From Way Up Here’ off of the EP.

Shot in the basement of Animal NY. 

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

There is so much optimism and beauty in this picture. I love it.

Nắng chiều ở Nam Cương, Phan Rang (by Khánh Hmoong) | Tumblr

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

There is...

beauty, here, in the light of the mid-afternoon Sun and the warmth of a new season on its way.

calm, here, in an empty house- devoid of the hustle and bustle of bills needing to be paid, rooms to clean and a world to consume on an HD light box.

curiosity, here, in what a year can bring and take away from the spirit of an adventurer forced to sit still and work, work, work. Always the work and never about the worker. 

dancing, here, when no one is watching, to the tunes and hymns of a generation on the search for inspiration, motivation and comfort during a tumultuous era.

There is, love, here.

There is, hope, here.

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

Note to my future self...

If I ever procreate and have a child (shudders), specifically a girl, I want to remember to tell her this:

There will be people in your life who don’t give two shits about your dreams and tell you it won’t make you any money. Don’t listen to them. Don’t even waste anymore of your energy thinking about them.

Don’t live your life waiting for approval. You might just wait forever.

It won’t make or break your life if a boy doesn’t like you. They’re trouble and you’ll spend your whole life on another man’s agenda if you keep at it this way.

What you think and how you feel is important. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl, a minority, first generation, Asian, meek, quiet, too nice for your own good or a little scared. You matter. Your thoughts matter to you.

You are beautiful, every inch of you is pure magic. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect the way you are and the world is lucky to have you. So, if you ever feel like leaving before it’s time to go, don’t. Stick around. The world needs you.

Whatever life does to you, don’t stop being kind or sweet or daring in your own way. It would be a damn shame for bitterness to claim your spark.

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

That is why it is so important to let certain things go. To release them. To cut loose. People need to understand that no one is playing with marked cards; sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Don’t expect to get anything back, don’t expect recognition for your efforts, don’t expect your genius to be discovered or your love to be understood. Complete the circle. Not out of pride, inability or arrogance, but simply because whatever it is no longer fits in your life. Close the door, change the record, clean the house, get rid of the dust. Stop being who you were and become who you are.

Paulo Coehlo

I needed to read this today.

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

An underrated piece of advice. A powerful rule to live by.

e-pic:

by lisa leonard

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

Location: somewhere towards Connecticut on Amtrak Here is a sunset just as breathtaking as the sunrise I saw nearly 12 hours prior. This was taken on the same day as my image from my previous post. Even as I was fighting fatigue, a delayed train home and whatever other worries I had, I made time to appreciate this.

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

Location: Boston, MA This made waking up at 5:45am incredible.

[mariannejosette-blog-blog]

Living the old dream

I'm currently sitting in a live taping and I can't help but miss TV right now. What I really miss is making tv magic and the hustle and bustle of the hour before showtime and the team work it takes to make a show happen. Even if you're the lowest person on the crew, your part is important.