spring fever

in india, the crazy place which i recently called home, the arrival of spring warrants a big, huge celebration. the indians are so excited, in fact, that they sing, dance, and throw colored water and powder at each other in a yearly festival of pure exuberance. dani, sara and i got to experience all the "holi" hoopla twice - once in delhi and once in spanish fork.

well, i don't blame the hare krishnas for being so thrilled; the coming of spring really is an enchanting little phenomenon. the gorgeous weather of the last few days has magically turned me from sulky to smiley. i feel like i have made an almost 180 degree turn back into being wildly passionate about being alive. dear pretty blossoms, green leaf buds and sparkling sunshine, thanks for that!

on saturday we went up provo canyon and piled in dani's truck for a little cruise around in the mountains that were just waking up for spring. it was delightful.

at work i've enjoyed spending time with the girls out in the sunshine. we've had dinner outside on the grass, a wicked kick-ball game in the field for rec. therapy, and have probably spent a little too much time squeeling on the awesome rope swing that juts out over the pool. on sunday night we were out there, surrounded in mountains and laughter, as the sun was setting and all the world around us was perfect and happy. i love my girls at work. they teach me so much.

on monday i went to work with sara on campus and after we ran into some friends we spent a few hours just sitting in the grass under the balmy sun. it was glorious. i am soaking up being in a time of life where i can just sit on the grass with friends for hours on end and let my worries get swept up in the magic of new spring. campus is blossoming like crazy and it is really, really beautiful.

and this morning i got to go with my dear dear friend and old mission companion brianna (i am still weirded out by calling her by her first name...) to the salt lake temple. our mission president was just ordained as a sealer and it was so exquisitely wonderful to perform sealings with him this morning. i felt heavy peace in the house of the lord and am so grateful for that.

yes, indeed, the arrival of spring is delightfully bewitching. i feel effervescent with warm-weather giddiness this morning. adding to the joy is this announcement that came yesterday: my brother and sister-in-law welcomed a new baby boy to their family.

welcome to the world, little jacobson! hooray!

heartbreak therapy

everyone who knows me would agree that i sometimes am a teeny tiny bit romantic and passionate. well, i've experienced some heartbreak and subsequent aftershocks in the past few weeks and i've tried to quell my tendency to be over-dramatic.

i have been mildly successful. i have developed some coping mechanisms (sometimes i bring home therapeutic jargon from work...) and am still sorting out which ones are beneficial.

1. food/bumming around therapy

sometimes i wonder: is life sometimes like the movies because a) movie makers are good at mimicing the emotions and experiences of life, or b) we subconsciously mimic our lives after the movies?

you know in romantic comedies where, after a break-up, the protagonist drowns herself in sweets and stays locked in her room vegging? i totally did that. did i do it because it's a natural reaction or because my psyche tells me i must because (according to the movies) that's what everyone does? hmm.

either way, the truth is that food makes me feel better, okay? i ate 9 packets of fruit snacks in one night. oh, then it starts making me feel real gross. in addition, i figure i have a legitimate excuse to skip out on exercising. hey, my heart is broken! how should i expect it to speed up enough to pump my body when running?

deep down, i know it is ridiculous. but i really believe in feeling things deeply and fully, and somehow i have convinced myself that this is part of the experience. okay, i need to snap out of it. i will tomorrow after i finish off the sweedish fish i compulsively bought at the bookstore yesterday (i'm surprised they lasted this long!)

2. retail therapy

it's amazing what a cute new shirt from j. crew can do to heal the heartache. a 4-month late christmas present from my sister has never been better!

due to lack of sufficient funds, this coping mechanism is limited for the time being, but i really need to be careful when i get my paycheck. yesterday i window shopped in the mall by myself. wow, that's really lame.

3. sister therapy and sunshine therapy and art therapy

i spent last weekend in balmy arizona with my mom and three sisters. it was glorious. we had so much good food (see #1 above), soaked up the sun (vitamin D is good for the soul), visited a spectacular modern art exhibit in phoenix, and talked and talked and chatted and chatted and gabbed and gabbed and discussed and discussed. yes, lots of talking. all of it made me feel better and made my heart glow with happiness and love.

4. distraction therapy

thank goodness for our newly-instated roommate date night. every wednesday 5 of us brown house girls invite a boy to have a little adventure with us. first it was hot chocolate bar hopping, then cooking asian food in hotpots and eating sitting on the floor with chopsticks, then a visit to the springville art museum, then a picnic on the front lawn in the sunshine.

we've had a lot of fun and learned a lot and there are many more adventures to come. nothing like a hot date to mend the heart, right?

5. music therapy

sara introduced me to "forget about the boy," a charming ditty from the musical "thoroughly modern milly." and when she did, she belted along and even did some cute little tap dance moves. how can that not cure me instantly of any attachment or sadness?

the song has been replaying in my head for the last couple of weeks. sometimes i just have to sing the chorus out as loud as i can. i only know about four bars of the music and it's all the same four magic little words, but what a thrill.

6. semi-professional therapy

my roommate kerianne is seriously one of the coolest people on the planet, and she happens to have written a handy little book about how to survive a break-up. she supplies her wisdom to me in daily email installments. it is brilliant beyond brilliant. keri is graduating with a masters in social work in a couple days, and she's just so darn wise, so her advice is practically expert!

7. professional therapy

one of the perks of my job is that i get a little free therapy from some of the best therapists in the state from time to time. i am learning so much from the things my girls at work go through and it is actually quite amazing how i can relate it to my situation.

8. blogging therapy?

i dunno, we'll see if it works...