Category: feelings

feelings

think BIG

abby mumford

bria recently said: “Seriously, think big, huge and let other people rein you in!”

the comment wasn’t made to me specifically and i’m pretty sure it was made about writing, but i got to thinking about how it related to other areas in my life so here are some of my BIG dreams.

*become a storm chaser photographer. i mean, look at these! and this makes it seem not *too* difficult. forget the fact you have to read weather reports and do complicated math and have all sorts of photography equipment that i don’t own. this is totally attainable.

*see the northern lights

*go to thailand during Loi Krathong.

*own a pair of christian louboutin shoes.

*go backstage at a rock concert. CHECK!

what about YOU? what are some of your biggest, wildest, hugest, most outrageous, unrestrained and untamed dreams?

feelings

informational interview

abby mumford

it turns out when you speak to a professional about their job, you learn something.

the last two comments (one by adriana and one by prgrmr42) are in and of themselves poetic and isn’t that the beauty of the conversation? of poetry? it speaks to us in “hints, suggestions, implications” not to mention imagery, emotions, and experiences.

i think this is what i’ve been doing “wrong” all these years. i’ve been reading poems too literally. i’ve really only studied poetry when in school, so i suppose my pavlovian response is to read to come up with an answer that’s acceptable by the teacher instead of feeling the words, drinking them in, and repeating them to see how i perceive the poem. no one else, just me. me and the words.

now that’s a duet i can get behind.

and now that i’ve been freshly enlightened, i need me some poetry to read! suggestions welcome.

feelings

musical chain of events

abby mumford

it began with a question from maga: “have you heard of [a rock band]?”

it continued with brunch with a musician who had an unusual connection to my family and me with his.

it all went down saturday night when nancy, lauren and i showed up at will call at the paramount theater (where guster was performing) and i nervously spoke up.

me: “i think there are supposed to be some tickets waiting for me.”

girl: “sure. what’s your last name?”

me: “mumford.” *starts to spell…*

girl: “oh, yeah, abby.”

me: *turns to N and L with wide eyes*

girl: “here are your 3 tickets and here are 3 after show passes.”

me: *not sure which is falling faster — my jaw or my eyeballs out of head* *giggles* “umm, what? are? those?”

girl: “they’re like backstage passes, except there’s no backstage here. it’s like a meet and greet with the band.”

me: “oh, wow! thank you! i mean, wow, yeah, okay. GREAT!”

basically, the people i know know the people guster knows and i landed in the middle of an unbelievable situation: free tickets + backstage passes to meet the band!! have i mentioned that guster is one of my most favorite bands ever?

so not only did this concert have an unusual beginning upon entering the theater, but it had an unusual beginning when the show began. instead of an opening band, there was an opening comedian, which changed the tone of the evening turning it from a music concert into an event. (an event that, if you ask me, would have been better if it had included just the main attraction.)

*ahem*

fortunately, once the comedian’s time was up and guster took the stage, they did what they do so well — they rocked it out — with humor and charm and that’s why i’ve seen them (at least once) every year since 2003.

they put on a live show like no one else.

and this time i got to tell them so.

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feelings

losing

abby mumford

when you lose your way while driving home at 1am at night, you’re forced to concede control to rudy, the GPS. (she’s named as such because she gives you, you know, the route.) i had misheard the instructions from my friend’s mom and instead of taking route 70, i used it as a marker that i was on the right path. (yeah, yeah, we all know i’m horrid with directions.) and of course, rudy was no help because she wanted me to take 95N instead of the more direct route of 295N to 95S (don’t ask, 95 is weird) (and this is why i wasn’t following her in the first place. the only way i know how to make her recalculate is by actually knowing where i’m going!), so i flew by my exit and then had to trust rudy would get me home. she did, even though it was the scenic route at 2am.

when you lose your bodily fluids (such as blood during a massive and unexpected nose bleed [you should see the other guy]), you’re forced to ask for help. fortunately, bubba mac (my almost 1 month old nephew) was sleeping, so sister J and baby mac (my almost 2 yo niece) were able to come to the rescue with extra tissues, ice, plastic bags, books, and bro-in-law T (a doctor) on speed dial. we holed up in the bathroom and waited it out because there’s not much else you can do in a situation like that.

(of course, it felt a lot more dramatic than that when it was happening and then when baby mac threw a very unusual temper tantrum because she was a bit scared of what was happening to me. hey, me too!)

when you lose your voice (yup, same culprit which caused the aforementioned issue), you’re forced to let others speak for you. sometimes the person that speaks up first is baby mac. she explained my nose bleed as, “abby ouchie. nose running.” it was simple, direct, and made me laugh, which is way better than what i was doing before she started talking, not to mention, we could actually hear her whereas the lack of my voice rendered even my mumblings mute.

let’s hope this bout of losing is over and a whole bunch of WINNING comes my way (and soon)!

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