Wednesday, October 3, 2007

13 Places I Feel I Belong

Thursday Thirteen #12!

I’ve been thinking about “belonging” lately. As a wanna-be writer or perhaps because of some dent in my personality, I seem to be outside the “single working mother” norm. Or even the “stay at home mom” norm. Fine. I’m outside of the norm, period.

Lately, and I don’t know why this is, I feel like the vegetarian at the all-meat buffet. I look, but don’t really want to get involved.

So the other day, I started to ponder where I feel nice and comfy, relaxed and generally not worried; Panic/anxiety free, with a perky manner and happy countenance. Here they are, not in any particular order:

1. Curled up on my bed with my laptop, writing furiously, with a cup of tea and my 3 cats sleeping at my side.

2. With Sam on a lazy Saturday night, curled next to him on the couch, watching the Three Stooges and Svengoolie.

3. With Sean and Erin on the floor in the livingroom, sharing popcorn and watching an old Star Trek or X-files DVD.

4. Walking the track at the healthclub, my iPod blasting in my ears.

5. A Star Trek convention, mixing with the Classics crowd.

6. With my oldest friend just about anywhere, laughing our asses off.

7. BeatleFest (ooops, excuse me: The Fest for Beatles’ Fans)

8. At a Barry Manilow concert with my dear friend Colleen, or just talking together about how messy our houses are and what horrid mothers we’ve become

9. With my cousin at her house in California, laughing hysterically at the kitchen table

10. At the Chicago Symphony, listening to Chopin or Rachmaninoff or Grieg or Mozart…or some great jazz.

11. At the library, doing nothing but looking at tons of books

12. At my local bookstore, doing the same, with a cup of coffee (decaf please)

13. Outside almost anywhere, praying and breathing in the fresh air.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

#11 and 12 are my favorites! great T13! Mine is up also!

Chelle Y. said...

Sometimes, it's just the little things! :)

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful idea for TT!

Anonymous said...

I'm definitely with you on 11 and 12.

Anonymous said...

I love your list! Happy TT!:)
Mines up too!

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Oh, please don't stop blogging -- I don't fit in, either, but that doesn't stop me. I'm having fun and being inspired and the heck with the rest of it, ya know? Why can't I be my own category and build my own friends?

happy TT, babe.

Addicted to crafting said...

Happy TT!!! Don't worry for not fitting in. I don't either but I'm working on builing a group of friends!!!

I'll add you to my blogroll!! You "fit in" my heart! :)

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

this is such a good list, i totally get it!

Lori said...

It sounds like you have alot of places you belong:) Great list.

Bethanne said...

I think you fit in just fine! and I love this idea! There are places I feel the most like myself...including at Romance Divas [yes, it's a plug]. With my hubby and kids...in my mind. LOL

great list.

Anonymous said...

Being outside of the norm is not a bad thing. Introspection is good, too. Sounds like you are engaged in introspection right now. Hope you find your "place."

Anonymous said...

This list is so wonderful. I think we all need to think about where we belong, and what we can do to make that happen.

Happy TT!

Sparky Duck said...

anytime I need to relax, a blasting Ipod is usually involved

Ann Aguirre said...

There is just something comforting about a cat. Taking a nap with a cat is possibly the most relaxing thing in the world.

Tempest Knight said...

There's something very comforting about blasting one's favorite music. And if you sing along, it's even better. Heh!

Yuriko said...

Cool list!

Anonymous said...

That is a good list. It is nice to have places to feel comfortable and a sense of belonging, and it is good to recognize them so you can retreat to those areas when you need too. Many of your places just ooze the thought of comfort. Happy TT.

Anonymous said...

What a great premise! I know what you meant. I would say in the ocean, in the garden, with my sisters, in the hammock with my husband, spending time with my sons. Definately not driving or even at a Barry Manilow concert. I'm not THAT Colleen!

Denise Patrick said...

#11, #12, and #13 would be my picks. Great list - made me think.

Happy TT!

Addicted to crafting said...

Lara, visit my blog when you have time, I just tagged you in my "5 me" Meme

http://thenononsense.blogspot.com

See ya!!!!

Nicole said...

Sounds like some great places to belong! I agree with you on the curled-up-in-bed one, though for me it would be 50/50 writing and knitting.

Moondancer said...

I'm hard core with ya on #1 and #11

http://moondancerdrake.livejournal.com/

Anonymous said...

I've known you for about 200 years and this surprised me. For you always seem to fit in and put others at ease. I guess that's the difference between how someone's life looks from the outside and how it feels on the inside. And oh, wouldn't it be nice if we could actually "laugh our asses off?" Think how many inches we could whittle away without breaking a sweat.

Ann

Anonymous said...

I know just what you mean about feeling you're a vegetarian at an all meat feast. I never feel quite at home anywhere except when I'm out walking along, at home, or in my office...interesting post; I never thought about this.

thanks for visiting our blog and giving cockney robin some encouragement!

Jenny McB said...

I loved your comment about being the vegetarian. Do you think that we feel that way about being comfortable because of what we see on tv?

Wouldn't it be great to be independently wealthy and hang out at bookstores and libraries? But then I don't see that happening....

Love the pictures of your cats, we have one like your photo editor. thanks for the heads up about oxygen, may have to check that out.

Anonymous said...

It sounds like you "belong" to the human race. I empathize with you on so many levels.

This was a great idea for a TT. Work it out through your writing. That always helps me sort things out.

Tink said...

If I lived near to you, you might meet me at 5, 10, 11 or 12! :-)
Thanks for visiting my Tolkien TT.

Robin said...

That sounds like a wonderfully diverse group of places.

Malcolm said...

I've been playing catch up over the past few days so I am a little beyond on my TT visits. By the way, thanks for visiting mine.

Any lady who can appreciate the 3 Stooges is alright in my book.

Believer in Balance said...

Great idea for a list! You're lucky you have a lot of places you feel comfortable. I wonder how many I have!