i know i've been full of words lately, but let me share with you part of the last chapter of one of the best books i have ever read: cold tangerines (by shauna niequist)

"i believe in a life of celebration. i believe that the world we wake up to every day is filled to the brim with deep, aching love, and also with hatred and sadness. and i know which on of these i want to win in the end. i want to celebrate in the face of despair, dance when all we see on the horizon is doom. i know that death knocks at our doors and comes far too early for far too many of us, but when he comes for me, i want to full-tilt, wide-open, caught in the very act of life. i think that's what we're here for, not for a passive, peaceful life, but to stand up in the face of all that lacks peace and demand more...

that's what i want my life to be, like a well-loved gift. i think life, just life, just breathing in and out, is a great gift. God gives us something amazing when he gives us life, and i want to live with gratitude. i want to live in a way that shows how much i appreciate the gift. if life were a sweater, i would wear it every day. i wouldn't save it or keep it for a special occasion. i would find every opportunity to wear that sweater, and i'd wear it proudly, shamelessly, for days on end...

it's rebellious, in a way, to choose joy, to choose to dance, to choose to love your life. it's much easier and much more common to be miserable. but i choose to do what i can do to create hope, to celebrate life, and the act of celebrating connects me back to that life i love. we could just live our normal, day-today lives, saving all the good living up for someday, but i think today, just plain today is worth it. i think it's our job, each of us, to live each day like it's a special occasion, because we've been given a gift. we get to live in this beautiful world. when i live purposefully and well, when i dance instead of sitting it out, when i let myself laugh hard, when i wear my favorite shoes on a regular tuesday, that regular tuesday is better..."

i probably could've posted the whole chapter, but geez she just knows , she just knows whats up. praying to live my life full of celebration and take on everyday with this kind of mentality.