The Bullet List {Marta Dansie}

For a full two weeks now I have been working on this post…trying to pull together the words that would do this amazing women and her work justice.  In my first draft I wrote about how I first came to love her eclectic blog, from her quote wall that is painted the perfect shade of serene, to her recipes that are wrapped up in the prettiest of packages, and her amazing handwriting that may very well put her on the map one day.

Feeling rather proud of myself on the first draft I realized I hadn’t shared the talent that was Marta Dansie, and really you must pay a visit to her store to see for yourself.   The mini diaries are the perfect thoughtful gift.  If you’re looking for the perfect tag to suit your gift giving season, she has that covered.

Then I thought it appropriate to share the post I read that made me think we could be really good friends.  Or maybe the one I read and I knew we could be good friends.  Only to realize those were all in her favorite posts section so you could easily find them yourself.  Instead I decided to try and put into one sentence the way I felt about Marta and her blog, and that my friends was not hard to do:

A breath of fresh air

Now, onto her list….enjoy!

10 lessons learned….

thank you, mother huddle for inviting me to jot my thoughts in..
• i often tease my husband for his inability to multi-task. however when i see him with my son – fully whole-heartedly – being present with him, i’ve learned that i should indeed turn off the computer, the phone, the tv, turn my back on the laundry and cleaning and figuring out what’s for dinner and wrapping gifts and making cookies and simply focus on my little boy. he will only be little like this for so long. and this is what life is all about.

• i’ve learned, there is no such thing as a birth plan. the books advise pregnant mothers to write their plan out and present it to the doctors. don’t bother. i thought after reading several books about babies and birthing, that i’d be somewhat prepared for bringing a child into the world. the moment my doctor told me i needed to deliver my son via c-section, i suddenly realized i had skipped all of those chapters. thankfully, i had doctors i trusted and a husband who was incredibly supportive. becoming a mother taught me to be flexible and open to all possibilities.

• just when you think you’ve got it all figured out… i’ve learned never to call and boast to my mother about what a perfect nap routine i have going or how my baby loves his bath or that he loves peas for lunch, the next day is sure to be a completely different story. babyhood is a cycle of phases no mother can completely keep up with.

• someone once told my husband and i that all we needed was four walls. what he meant by this was that our love could reside in any sort of environment we created together. i’ve learned that our home does not have to be a spic and span mansion to be a happy one. i’ve loved settling in new cities and making a home wherever we land. it is about the who in life not the what. a happy home is important, but the size (and shape and model and make and square footage) is not.

• i’ve learned that having a little stash of sweet ready-to-give gifts on your shelf will leave you looking like the thoughtful charming on-the-ball character you’ve always dreamt of being.

• someone once said going to the salon is better than prozac. i couldn’t agree more. i’ve learned that making it a priority to get my hair cut and colored is like taking a mini trip somewhere glamorous. i always come home feeling pretty and polished and prepared to take on the world. or at least, my world.

• speaking of the world… i’ve learned that seeing as much of the world, that you can possibly afford to see, is a very very good thing. i cannot emphasize enough that travel has changed me. my parents taught early on what wisdom and perspective my siblings and i could gain by viewing the customs, the people, the scenery of this big wide world. i have learned to break out of the bubble. i’ve learned to love the tulips in holland, the people of switzerland, the art in paris, the cobblestones covering england, and the buddhist temples in japan. i yearn to learn more and teach my children the same.

• i’ve learned that listening to, reading about, and involving myself with people i respect, admire and generally delight in makes me feel happier. i am a more grounded person only because of the strong and talented and amazing individuals i call friends. some of them i worship from afar, like in my tub while reading their words or listening to their music on a roadtrip or  even nodding my head while reading a blog post i stumble upon. influences are all around us; what we take in (good or bad) molds who we are.

• what goes around comes around. i created an art project based upon this statement and i’ve always known it to be true. what you give out to the world, comes back. i’ve learned that who you are to others comes back even stronger in your own heart. make of it what you will. if you are jealous, you will be miserable. if you are angry, you will be bitter. if you are rude, your burden will be heavy. if you are fake, you will feel guilty. however, if you are genuine, you will touch others. if you show love, you will feel love. if you are fair, you will gain friends. if you are thoughtful, you will feel joy. if you are kind, you will feel light.

• i’ve learned that putting my heart on the page is not as scary as it once seemed. this is true not only in blogging, but in all aspects of life. everyone relates to a personal story, on some level. it is when someone begins to tell a personal story that your ears perk up during a long boring ceremonious speech. you begin listening because it is new, authentic and good information. and most importantly, it is coming from the heart. try it out for yourself. write about something that matters to you, something that you believe in. some may tease you, but most will thank you. i promise, it is well worth it to be true to yourself. every inch of the way.

Thank you Marta for sharing a few life lessons in a beautiful list, and to our peeps, she has many more where that came from and we won’t feel to super bad if you decide to go spend some time with her now.  Just promise us you’ll come back.  Just a hint her FAQ page is fabulous.

Please leave Marta a comment with one of your lessons learned, I am certain we all have one we could share.