Words to Live By

This is one of my favorite quotes, and it just occurred to me to put it here:

“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?”

— George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), Middlemarch

I’ve always loved this quote, and I try to keep it in the front of my mind and to allow it to guide the decisions I make. I’ve been an escort for a little over a year, and I’ve had this website and blog since March of 2012. Given the unique nature of the relationships I have with my clients, I’m surprised that it took me this long to realize how appropriate it is in this context.

New Year, New Resolutions

Last year I made a few New Year’s resolutions, and I’m pretty proud to report that I actually kept them! They were:

  • Work out regularly
  • Do yoga regularly
  • Make a website
  • Make Greek yogurt a part of my daily balanced breakfast ;)

I’m still working out–I actually kept with it! I found that, for me, the key was to make it as easy and convenient as possible for myself. I only work out for about 20-30 minutes, and I read the Short Fiction inThe New Yorker (generously gifted to me by a particularly awesome client) while doing so. This way, I’m doing two things at once, which makes me feel like I’m being efficient, haha. Also, the story distracts me from the fact that I’m doing something not only strenuous, but boring.

As for yoga, about halfway through the year I started taking weekly yoga classes. I cannot extoll the virtues of (good) yoga enough. There’s nothing like that post-yoga-practice “high.” It’s amazing.

Obviously, I made a website. This, I have to say, might be my proudest accomplishment this year. I never thought I’d be able to figure this kind of thing out. I remember when I first bought the domain and hosting back in March. Wow. I’m ashamed to admit it took me DAYS to figure out how to point a domain to a server and then download the software. And that’s before you even start making the site.

Greek yogurt: OK, I know this one sounds hokey, but that stuff is really good for you! Live cultures are great for keeping your digestive system balanced. Also, I went years without eating many animal products–I’m not big on dairy products, and I rarely eat meat other than seafood (and I only get seafood about once a week)–and I finally realized that it’s just too difficult for me to get enough protein from a plants-and-seafood-only diet.

So, what’s in store for 2013? I’m not quite sure yet. I want to set sensible, reachable goals.

I’d really like to learn how to work on cars, but as you can probably gather from that statement, I have no idea what that entails, and I’m sure it’s far too complex for me to figure out in my spare time.

Maybe I should aim to get back into photography? I wanted to take a course, but I missed the deadline to sign up. :(

I’m really at a loss on this one. Obviously, I should continue with the progress I’ve made on my previous goals. For instance: a few years ago, I decided to start donating money to a different worthy cause each month–that’s one I’m still doing (Check out the one I chose this month: Pets of the Homeless), and will continue to do. And there are things I always need to work on, like writing more, etc. But it’s fun to have a new project to work on. I had a client recently who writes a quick note on a postcard and sends it off to a friend every morning. Perhaps I’ll do that. I love snail mail, and I know others do, too. I know I loved getting this little gem in the mail a couple months back. I’m just afraid that the whole “do this every single morning” thing will be too tough and I’ll get discouraged. My morning “routine” is, um, not very efficient. I’m actually surprised I was able to add the Greek yogurt commitment in there for an entire year; it’s more of an accomplishment than you might think, lol.

Well, if you have any suggestions (or especially cool resolutions of your own that I might be able to adopt as well), feel free to comment or shoot me an email!

Chick? Or goat? Or how about a sheep? No, it’s not what you think (get your minds out of the gutter!).

I guess I should have posted this BEFORE Christmas…but this is one of my favorite charities. If you haven’t heard of it, well, I’m gonna be the one to change that. I can’t even count how many people have received flocks of chicks, flocks of ducks, a goat, or a couple sheep from me in the past few years: Heifer International.

One day I’ll buy my mom a heifer. One day…(probably for her birthday this year, lol).

In all seriousness, it’s a great “gift” for the person who has everything, and it’s especially meaningful for anyone who is a fan of “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.”

This year I bought a couple goats from Oxfam, a similar organization.

I also threw in some manure for a certain someone who appreciates that sort of humor. I just couldn’t resist!

So yeah. Next time you’re shopping for that hard-to-shop-for-friend, think about buying him some chicks (the feathered kind). If you’re lucky, he’ll see the humor. And either way, you’ll be helping someone feed and support their family for years to come.