tender loving care

my momma is excellent at giving tlc. i'm the baby of 3 and at the dawning of my 21st year-- she's had plenty of experience wrestling out her kids' needs and wants.
following my root canal this week {which went quite well, though half my tongue was numb for the whole day-- an extraordinarily strange sensation} we sat at home on the soft brown leather sectional where she inquired of me some questions that.... i haven't ever even asked myself, really.
not deep enough to know, anyways.

Q: what do i want?

Q: what do i need to be happy?

Q: how do i redefine my joyful existence?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A: i haven't a clue. 

my momma pressed the importance of nurturing myself. escaping the pressure of not having a boyfriend. and giving service. 

here is the list i have composed-- tlc i can give myself:

• painting my nails whatever color my mood is.
• sushi.... oh sushi
• especially tempura
• art
• history. enjoying gustav klimt. rodin. da vinci. monet. picasso. 
• projects. creating something. "creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. we develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter in our hands and mold it into something of beauty" -president dieter f. uchtdorf-
•  nature. standing in awe at the majestic beauty of the universe.
• yoga. or something of meditation and relaxation.
• music. music. music. especially ingrid. and playing the piano.
• swinging. cartwheels. and other childish things that remind me not to take myself seriously. 
• grey's anatomy. this show is my therapy.
• cupcakes from cocoa bean.
• writing/blogging. it cleanses my soul.
• going to the temple. 
• dancing. dancing in the shower. in my car. dancing with a boy. dancing with my girls. just dance it out. 
• alone time. sometimes this is a pure remedy that nothing else can touch.
• long walks. thinking things over. 
• cooking. making a mess in the kitchen while blaring the ipod and shuffling around in my cute apron. 

as for the lack of boyfriend {and absence of huntman} i shall turn a blind eye to the gregarious couples multiplying around me.
so i'm starting a gratitude journal, in this darlng thing:

 curllygirldesigns

and attempting to begin to give as much service as has been rendered to me.

because:

"the more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls" -president spencer w. kimball-

"those who bring sunshine to others cannot keep it from themselves" -james barrie {author of peter pan}-

&

"in the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the sincere prayers of others around us; and let us be an instrument in the hand of the lord to answer those prayers" - president dieter f. uchtdorf-