been meaning to write this for years ...

so a lot has happened in the last two days.

i think i'll start with the mundane and work my way up. i made soup yesterday. i was actually very proud of myself for doing so because i was nursing the aunt of all hangovers (not quite as close to me as the mother, but same genes). and even more proud because it was one of those soup packages with everything in one bag. you know, the kind you get as a present from a rustic country store that sits at the very top shelf WAY in the back between the canned kidney beans and the baking soda. OR if you don't get it as a present, someone gives it to you, because THEY got it as a present, and now their moving house and have to clear THEIR pantry. that's what happened in my case. my friend joanna moved to italy and left me a bag of black bean soup. and i'm not sure what inspired me to think that making a 5 hour soup would be a good idea when i was looking to feed the bottomless pit that was my stomach. but once you start, it's kind of a process, so you have to finish. and finish i did. and it was delicious. moral of the story: don't be afraid to make the soup you've been given. moral of the story is not: meagan might like those soups as a present. once was enough, thank you.

i also went to church yesterday. there is a student mass during the academic year at st. cecilia's church in boston and i just love it. it is such a nice vibe and the priest is amazing. quite possibly the most inspiring priest i've ever heard - mainly because he is so REAL. he admits he's not perfect, that just because he's wearing the cloth that doesn't make him holier than anyone in his church, that life is hard, that we make mistakes, and (what i liked most of all last night) that yankees fans were most welcome in his church. (the sox were playing the yankees last night at fenway... the rivalry of all rivalries). he's the kind of guy that shakes hands with you and really looks you in the eye, and really cares to remember your name. not that i've introduced myself, but if i did. anyway, he inspires me the way the church used to inspire me when i was young and part of the youth group at HC. like there is hope in the world and all is not lost - and that it's not about religion. it's about love and forgiveness and being a good person. for a minute there in church, i forgot about my aunt and felt inspired. though she returned on the way home!

and finally, the bit i've been meaning to write for years ...

i resigned today. yes. i did. i told my boss that i would be leaving, because life is taking me elsewhere. no. scratch that. because i am taking life elsewhere. he was shocked. it was, afterall, completely out of the blue to him, even though i've been thinking about it for awhile now. i can't say much more because i can't recall who knows about this blog and who doesn't from my work. so i've got to keep it on the DL for a little longer. but it feels good. it feels like i am in control, in the drivers seat. taking charge of my own destiny instead of letting it happen to me. i think this might be the first time in my life that i've done this. and dammit, i think i'm going to do it more often. it feels good.

so now onto africa for some volunteering, a drive across the US maybe, a masters out in california ... or wherever else along the way i might decide to stop and find inspiration. bring it on.

so after yesterday's black bean, the soup du jour?
3 part unknown
2 part confidence
1 part unbridled excitement
1 tbsp serendipity
1/2 tsp hope
and a pinch of moderation or rationale (to taste - but really, you can leave this out, and be careful, too much can spoil it)

what kind of soup are YOU making today?