The World

The world. A beautiful and confusing and brilliant thing. A lot of people think of their town as the world, or their country, but in truth, there is so much that we are oblivious to. The miraculous thing is that some oblivion is held in our own hands! By travelling, the world becomes both bigger and smaller. We are people of the earth, rather than just people of our city. We see more culture, we're aware of more people, music, history, politics, art, religion, education. And the thing is, the thing so many people are unaware of, is that we hold what portion of the world we will see in our own hands.

"There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it."

That is a quote from Brave the movie, one of my favorite movies, and I completely agree. The world is not a sugary thing. There is beauty, there is terror. There is misery, there is joy. Like yin and yang, they coexist. To see the beauty of the world, we have to scare ourselves. We have to put ourselves out there, and it is not easy. You will cry, you will feel very much alone, you will have to leave people behind. But it is worth it. Oh, God, is it worth it. 

When you learn a new language, the expanse of The Unknown shrinks considerably. You sing songs in foreign tongue, learn a whole different side of history, and are exposed to so many more people, experiences, and culture. Buy one plain ticket. Take one language class, and work so hard and I promise you will be changed! 

Personally, I long to see the world. I want to study abroad, in high school or college. I want to become fluent in another language. I want to live overseas and explore different cities and countries and regions and the world. Oh, it's wanderlust. It's a passion that will last a life time, and those who have it are extremely lucky people. Where would I be if I didn't want to see the world? 

One place I long to see very much is France. I've read a lot of stories, and I'm on my second year of studying French. I didn't take the language because I needed a credit. I took it because of the beauty, the thrill of when you can speak freely, and the rich culture. Wanderlust. 

Do you long to see the world? Where do you want to go? The hopeful thinking is just part of the adventure, but every adventure is meant to begin, and every adventure has an end for a person. When will your adventure begin?

She Art

Have you ever heard of "She Art"? It's a collage inspired kind of art, mixing motivational words, pretty papers, watercolor art, and whimsical style. It's one of my favorite kind of modern art, and it's so beautiful! These two examples are my favorite. And the beautiful thing is that the illustrations are mostly simple, but so unique. So even if you don't have that artist hand, you can recreate these with much more ease than your ordinary pieces of art. With a few splashes of color, a creative back round, and a few lovely words, you can have your own She Art. Aren't the details surreal? Artists use all kinds of material to create an effortless looking product. What do you think? Are you a She Art fan? Or do you stick to your classic Rembrandt and da Vinci?

Happy Fridays!

Hello, Friends! How has your week been? My week has been very busy. The summer is drawing to a close, and that means high school. In less than a month. I'm nervous and excited, and can't wait until I can see my friends again, and having daily things to accomplish. 

Am I the only one who makes a list of activities I want to do in the summer? Every year I make a list. And I've done most things, some I've skipped. Summers are about relaxation, and we don't get to do every single thing. Yesterday, I got to scratch off something from my list--go to a nearby spring I love. The water was a bit dark from all the rain we've been getting, but oh so chilly and crisp! It's so fun going there, swimming around, lying in the sun, and then grabbing a bite (or two!) of ice cream before heading back home. My brother and I always jump off the high dive there, and what an experience! Lots of people do, but it's so far above the water, staring down can make your stomach swim for those few seconds before you jump. It really goes against the survival instincts to jump from so high off into icy spring water!

I hope your week has been sunny and full of fun!

xoxoxo,

Robin

photo not taken by Robin Bird, but by some source unknown. 

Hello! I'm Robin, and this is my first post ever on a blog. To begin with, I should probably state my thoughts on blogs. They're ridiculous. Or, at least, they can be. A lot of times, people use blogs to feel better about their lives--they post the prettiest things, people around the world sigh with envy, and wonder how they can have the perfect life, living in a lovely house with lovely children and always lovely weather. We see the best, manicured moments, the prettiest clothes, but hardly ever the truth. It's all a joke. I want people to understand that I don't want that to be my blog. I want a place where I can post discoveries, treasures, and cool moments on a page I can organize and embellish with pattern and color. And maybe some others will want to hear of these discoveries or treasures! That is why I have decided to start this blog. 

Maybe we should get to know each other a bit! I'm Robin, of course, named after the red bellied songbird. I've always appreciated my name, because people say I'm like a bird--free and bright. I was born in South Africa, as my parents taught at a school over there. We live in the US again now, but travel all over. My favorite place I have ever been is London. How about you?