Posts Tagged ‘writing’
Book Review
When was the last time you wrote one of THOSE?! 8th grade? Yeah me too. 
However, recently, I read an incredible book that definitely deserved some attention and acclaim. As someone who greatly admires words and the power and impact they can have as well as ancient myths, this book completely captivated me.
Ransom by Davild Malouf is an astounding novel. Malouf’s poetic prose is so fluid and powerful the novel is a true piece of art. I highly, highly recommend it for a delightful, inspiring read.
On the surface, Ransom is a story that unfolds between two men on opposite sides of the war for Troy. However when peeling back the many layers of Malouf’s poetry there is so much more to the story. The novel is a “moving tale of suffering, sorrow, and redemption.” There is much to learn from the morals and lessons in the pages of this book. It is a truly timeless piece.
Some of my favorite lines:
“One of the chief concerns of a good king is the image he presents, and most of all, as he grows older, the image that other men will keep of him when he is gone. That is what I am concerned with now, in these last days of my kingship.”
“It seems like such a simple thing to a big strong fellow like me — a breath. You’d think you could just give it to them, free, even if it meant a little tightening in your own chest.”
“Ah, there’s many things we don’t know, sir. The worst happens, and there, it’s done. The fleas go on biting. The sun comes up again.”
“Even the ghostly recollection now of what he had never in fact allowed himself to see made his old heart leap and flutter.”
“We’re a long time in the earth, father. Plenty of silence there.”
I realize this wasn’t much of a review, my English teachers would probably be disappointed. 
I hope I made a strong enough case for you to give it a try. If not, read this NYTimes review from when the novel was first released.
The Leiter side makeover!
To my dearest Leiter side followers,
(I asked my mom to send me my absentee ballot and my phone charger this is what I got.)
Last night I was writing in my journal and coloring in a Peanuts Halloween coloring book (compliments of my mother’s absurd package of love) when I started having one of those reflective moments asking myself, “what do I love?” “What makes me happy?”
Deep, I know. It was post my first yoga class in a long time.
I love to do many things. Write this blog is one of them.
I started The Leiter side back in February because I missed writing and sharing the little things that make me, well, me. Recently I’ve been writing my blog posts as though they have been a chore. Something I have to do because I started this project and I want it to remain a consistent in my life. Routine is important to me.
Even though my days right now are made up of very little routine. Not important. Job is coming (will blog about when I get one to all you nervous friends and family members back home).
The point is, I don’t want the Leiter side to be created for the sake of routine, but rather be created for the sake of expressing creativity and the things that I find uplifting. After all, it really is the little things in life that we remember, that make it special and a unique experience for us.
That being said my approach to the Leiter side is changing. I apologize, but you may start to see less consistent posts and/or spurts of more frequent posts with less content. I will still continue to do the Favorite Foto Friday posts, but I am no longer going to do New Music Monday posts or post content daily for the sake of posting content. Instead I’m going to share songs I like when I like them, articles I like when I want to talk about them, and things I do that I think are truly awesome be they in photos or wordy accounts.
More of a social media approach I guess you could call it. 
Furthermore, when I started this blog I was often very cynical. There’s always going to be a part of me that applies a certain sense of cynicism to certain topics, politics being one of them. But recently, I’ve been changing my approach to life and trying to rid of any negativity. It’s really hard and I’m definitely not a master of the technique, but ultimately it makes for a much lighter load.
Just for fun, over the course of the next week try to recognize how often you think and/or talk negatively. How often do you talk about someone else? How often do you complain about work? How often do you grumble about not getting enough sleep? When you think about it we all do this stuff a lot more than we may intend to. On those days where you’re doing it a lot, how do you feel at the end of the day? Probably not all that great.
Recently, I find I’ve been getting down about how often I do these things. Sure, you can say that we’re human and that’s what we do, but really, it shouldn’t be. It’s proven to be fairly disappointing and only contributes to a lower quality of life.
Okay, okay, I’m not trying to get all preachy! I’m just saying the whole if you will it theory, may have some clout.
I hope you still enjoy The Leiter side and continue to follow. And please never hesitate to share feedback!
Love always,
Melissa
Living your passion or funding your passion?
The other night a fellow struggling artist (would we call me that?) stopped in to the bar for a quick beer and we got to chatting about our mutual quarter-life crises. He was telling me how some of his art work was finally getting some long-over due attention, from what I hear, and he was starting to make a little bit of cash. I was happy for him, but I wasn’t envious. He was still struggling. He was living his passion and has seemingly more woe than wealth (not talking financial here) to show for it.
We then got to talking about my desire into PR. The main reasons being:
- I want a 9-to-5 job, incase you’ve been reading my blog and didn’t pick that up.
- It’s an industry that still allows me to greatly utilize my writing and my creativity.
- It gives me satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.
- And, lastly, you can make a decent amount of money doing it.
When I was in high school, I was a naive, wanna-be anarchist that had long hair and a “f**k- you-authority” attitude (sorry Grandpa!). I listened to a lot of Nirvana and the Ramones and went to high school in a poor city where a majority of the teachers were kids who got picked on too much when they were in school and were on a power trip to get the “cool” kids back.
I didn’t need money. There was more to life than money and to conforming to consumerist society. I swore I would never be a part of it. I just wanted to write and I never wanted to sit at a desk from 9-to-5.
Enter me seven years later. I am aching for a 9-to-5 job. One that ultimately has me assisting in fueling a consumerist society. What can I say?
Maybe it’s because there aren’t any jobs now and I have always had a tendency to want the things which I cannot have.
Nah I don’t really believe that. But I do want that job, and, more importantly, I want it to pay. I know I may sound like a total sell-out, but hear me out.
I’m too stubborn and too independent to ever work a job where my creativity was stifled. Further more, I have a great support system who knows the real me and won’t ever let me lose touch with myself.
But money matters. And it matters so that I can do all those things I love and believe in. I don’t want to make a ton of money to have a nice house or a sick car, I want money to live comfortably, to travel, to experience life to the fullest and then write it all down. One does not get to do that for free. In fact, very few paid writers get to live that lifestyle.
So here enters the question that many 20-somethings are toying with, “Do I fund my passion or do I live my passion?” Each individual has to ask themselves that on a case-by-case basis, but I think the answer lies in what will bring you the most amount of happiness, of love of true life, for that is real wealth.
100 posts!
I have written 100 blog posts for the Leiter Side of Life!
(In my head this is where one of those cheesy Hooray! calls goes off and confetti and balloons fall from the ceiling.)
Moment to pause. Both for concern of actually thinking out the above statement and to soak in the feelings of success.
I started writing my blog back in February on a weekend getaway to Higgins Beach. I had decided to leave my job as assistant manager and work towards something that was more “me.” Something that would bring me more happiness and sense of accomplishment. Obviously I’m still on that quest and I know it’s not going to happen over night.
My blog has been an outlet to channel my struggles and the lighter moments along the way. I have almost 2,600 visits to my blog, 2,594, to be exact, and while most are family and friends I’m still so grateful for their support and that others have gotten to see, and hopefully relate a little, to my quarter-life crisis.
When I look back and see how far I’ve really come in the past four months it feels good. Though most days present a lot more challenge then days previous, I feel like I’m working towards something for the first time. The little successes along the way, like getting my surfing story published, have more prolific feelings of success then I’ve had previous in my life.
This blog has really help me get more in tune with myself in many ways, seriously and light-heartedly, at times.
Every time you post on WordPress, a little quote of encouragement comes up. Along the way I took screen shots of some of my favorites. Enjoy!
