Happy sigh.

It's a shame that most of my moments are made up of wishing for another moment.

The most valuable thing I've learned since I've been here is never taking a moment for granted, as cheesy as that sounds.

Even my mother, who rarely shares any pearls of wisdom, said I need to do this more often. Need to loosen up the ball and chain I usually drag around with me and enjoy the moments as they come.

For some reason, hearing her of all people say this was liberating. My mother is learning at 48, I think, what she wishes she would have learned at my age. And yet she's still hoping for the future. She's still okay with the way it's been, but not okay with letting it stay that way. 

My 48 year old mother has a future, and that gives me hope that I have one as well.

Barnes and Noble somehow opens up places in me that I didn't know were there. I pick up just the right book each time, leaving the store with something I didn't know I was going there with. 

So much to learn. So much to see. So much to experience. The world is a daunting place, no doubt, but that doesn't mean it has the power to bring me down. That doesn't mean it's going to kill me. 

I'm so joyful right now, just knowing that there are still so many caverns and caves and undiscovered valleys inside me. 

I want to trek through them all.