The Life Enthusiast Chronicles – Page 3

The Life Enthusiast Chronicles with Stan

Last month Mike from heylookawriterfellow shared a funny and touching story about how parenting has made him enthusiastic about life. In my monthly series, The Life Enthusiast Chronicles, awesome people from all over the world remind us about why life is just so damn good.

Today I’m happy to have Stan Mitchell over all the way from Tennessee. I believe I stumbled upon Stan’s blog a couple of years ago through my good blogger friend, Tim Dittmer. What drew me to Stan’s writing is how open he is about sharing his life experiences, with all of the ups and downs.

Keep Reading…

The Life Enthusiast Chronicles with Mike

Last month Zen from Zen Scribbles reminded us never to lose sight of the child in ourselves, to enjoy things that makes us happy—no matter what they are, no matter hold old we are. In my monthly series, The Life Enthusiast Chronicles, magnificent human beings from all over talk about what makes them excited to be alive.

Today I’m stoked to bring you guys a New Jersey native, Mike Allegra from heylookawriterfellow. Hands down, Mike’s blog is one of the funniest and most entertaining blogs I read on a regular basis. He puts a humorous spin on day-to-day experiences that will make you laugh your ass off. Seriously, I’ve spit out my coffee in the mornings on numerous occasions.

Beyond that, Mike is just a great family guy with a great talent for writing (and doodling). I’m so glad that he took me up on the Life Enthusiast offer. Enjoy.

Keep Reading…

Love in Ten Lines

You all know I can’t pass up a challenge. And when that challenge involves an outrageously difficult love poem to write…well, I’m gonna give it a shot.

I haven’t heard from my good blogger buddy, John (aka Meticulous Mick), in some time. I was overjoyed that he thought of me to participate in this challenge.

I’ve worked with Meticulous Mick a couple of times now.

He was a Life Enthusiast last July.

Photo by Meticulous Mick (aka John Grant)

A few months before that, we collaborated on a poem/photography project…

When I am me, I am free

Needless to say, I was happy to connect with him again. I must say, though he is known for his stellar photography, MM wrote a fabulous poem for this challenge.

Be sure to check it out.

Here are the rather insane rules for this poetry challenge…

Write about love using only 10 lines.
Use the word love in every line.
Each line can only be 4 words long.
Nominate others who are up for the challenge.
Let them know about the challenge.
Title the post: Love in Ten Lines
Include a quote about love ( this can be your own)
You may write in any language

This love poem challenge comes at an interesting time as Mr. H and I will be celebrating a marriage milestone next month. Ten years of marriage.

When I was in the bathtub last night, I started playing with some ideas. Love is such a vast subject and even with the restrictions of the Love in Ten Lines challenge, my mind wandered quite a bit.

I remembered something we say to each other every now and then. It sneaks into our domestic repertoire and I thought it was perfect. Rather than I love you, sometimes we say I love you so.

Four words. Perfect!

But first, even though there were so many love quotes to choose from, this one is fitting for the two of us. When we first found each other, we were resistant to falling in love but we did anyway…

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi

And, here’s my poem…

Love in Ten Lines

He loves me so
Loves my stubborn ass

They laughed at love
Said love wouldn’t last

Somehow our love prevailed
Love won, bitterness lost

Love is forever young
Love has no decay

Love will never die
Our love lives on

My nominations are all former Life Enthusiasts, who I think will come up with some awesome masterpieces. It just so happens that all of their names end with “a”.

The End of A Physical Perspective

Many times I considered giving up on blogging. I always joke around with people that it’s a full-time job, because it kind of is.

If you’re not writing a post, sharing on social, responding to readers, and commenting on other blogs (tired yet?), you’re thinking about your next post and possibly the post after that.

But whenever I think about the “work” that goes into blogging, I think about the “awesome” instead. It’s actually quite easy to do, because there has been a lot of awesome.

Almost three years ago I started this blog, and I am not lying when I say that I had absolutely no freaking clue what I was doing. I knew that it was a big commitment, which is why I shied away from it before and why I refused to take on the responsibility at my job at the time.

I just knew. It’s a lot.

Back then I started a blog because I needed a platform as a writer, especially an Indie Author who nobody would have a chance of hearing about otherwise. I heard phrases like “build a tribe”.

Build a tribe? How in the hell am I supposed to do that? Is anyone ever going to read this crazy shit?

At first, nobody really did. Except for family and friends…thanks, guys. xoxoxo

But then, I started meeting people in the blogging community—people I had never met and had no association with my family or friends who might have forced them to visit. There were some likes, even a few comments, and eventually they shared.

I first came up with the title for this blog, A Physical Perspective, when I felt like I needed some sort of title.

It was thought of on a whim. I remember standing over my dining room table on an evening after work or something and writing it on a notepad.

It’s open to interpretation, which I won’t go into here, but I started thinking recently…who cares?

And, I listened to my people.

It’s very rare when any of you guys even use that name, because you say “Britt’s blog”. So, going into another wild year with this blog, I have ditched my old name.

Many of you were here the other day for Zen’s Life Enthusiast post, and you commented on the new look. Thank you all for your sweet compliments.

I think the space better represents who I am and what I have to say. There’s no need for a fancy blog title that leaves you scratching your head about the meaning.

This is Britt’s blog.

I am a flawed human just like everybody else, and all I do is write nonsense that sometimes makes sense. I am a Life Enthusiast, because I am flawed…and that means I’m alive.

Thank you all for being here. I’m excited to share many more of life’s ridiculously gorgeous moments with you…my tribe.

The Life Enthusiast Chronicles with Zen

Last month Julie of Les Petits Pas de Juls showed us what it’s like to drop everything, go absorb every ounce of life, and make your own way. In my monthly series, The Life Enthusiast Chronicles, gorgeous human beings from all over talk about what makes them excited to be alive.

Today I’m so happy to bring you guys this lovely gal I know all the way in Dubai, Zen from Zen Scribbles. Zen has been one of my faves for a long time. When I read her posts, it’s like seeing life for the first time. With her delightful views on books, chocolate, and more reading, and more dessert, her sweetness remains with you long after you’ve left her blog.

That kind of youthful joie de vivre is exactly why I asked Zen to be a Life Enthusiast.

Connect with Zen on Twitter.

Like others before me, I want to thank Britt for this opportunity. I’m actually quite honoured; I never thought – looking back at all Life Enthusiasts before me – that I could fit the bill, so this makes me happy.

It also made me realise that this is very difficult, haha.

Though I’ve always been one to take pleasure in the little things in life, I feel I haven’t really started “living” until I finally left the nest a few months ago.

In the Middle East, girls typically have to live with their parents until they are married, and mine were especially firm about that. It took quite a lot of effort and persuasion, but I was finally able to convince them to let me go, and so began quite a new adventure.

Mural — I see this mural on my way home every day, and it always puts a smile on my face.

In some aspects I am more of an adult now; I have my own place, I stress about bills and get buried under huge piles of work.

You would argue that, since I’m 26, I am already a fully-fledged adult, but I still feel like that teenager sitting between her best friends on graduation day, awkwardly accepting her diploma from the headmaster and darting off before her parents could even snap a picture.

Even now that we all have our careers and our responsibilities, when we all get together we are still able to have the same childish fun we had when we were younger, spending hours over a board game, watching cartoons and eating more sweets than our bodies can handle. I’m a very nostalgic person, and this whole formula suits me just fine, allowing me to relive the past with all the perks of being an adult.

A game of Pokémon Monopoly that got a little bit heated towards the end!

I think it’s really important never to lose sight of the child in you, and to continue enjoying the things that made you happy in that innocent phase of your life.

Though my tastes have developed over the years, I still squeal with delight when I hit the candy aisle of any store – especially now that there’s no one to tell me I only get to “pick one”, haha – and I cannot hide my joy when I step into a patisserie, often failing to control myself and my wallet in face of all the sugary goodies.

Jelly beans are like the best treat ever!

I still enjoy animated movies most of all… and cry during almost every single one of them, even on the fourth or fifth watch.

I still snuggle my stuffed bunny when I sleep.

An avid reader, I still allow myself to indulge in the innocence and simplicity of a good children’s novel. I still love “looking at the pictures.”

This one has so many pictures. :D — This one has so many pictures. 😀

I laugh easily, I cry easily, my foodie buds still crave the childhood comfort of mac & cheese… and at the end of the day, when I’m feeling particularly down, a scoop of ice-cream can cheer me right up.

I may not have everything figured out, but at least I know, I will never grow up to be a person who doesn’t delight in the simple things in life.

And when a toy store clerk asks me if I want Toothless wrapped up as a gift, I’ll firmly say, “No, thank you. This is actually mine.”