The train ticket is booked. Suitcases that claim they are big enough to fit my life in their tummies have come tumbling down from the attic. I am moving to New York City in 25 days. A little less than a month.

The original Pearls of Wisdom came right before my college graduation, three months ago: a compilation of wisdom that I found strewn throughout my four years at Assumption. This second strand of pearls is in dedication to the woman who made me both a seamstress of stories and a searcher of the soul. Every single day I gather these pearls and more from an individual whose heart, in comparing sizes, makes New York City just a speck on the map.

 love you mom

Stay a lover of little things.

No matter what big cities you go off to and big opportunities you are graced with, always take time to acknowledge the little things.

Never give up on the things that make you smile because smiling is one of the most important things we can do in this world.

Find time to just wander. With No Direction. No Plan. No Time Restrictions.

Look for beauty every where that you go. In the ladybugs on the window sill. The sunflowers in the backyard. The sky scrapers in a new city. The faces of strangers and family alike.

Form family in every place. Form family by reaching out a hand to people who need to hold one, calling someone to brighten their day, giving up your time for others with no exasperation of ever needing to have those minutes repaid.

Leap. Leap High. Leap Far. Leap when you see the landing point. Leap when you see nothing but darkness.

Find God in the nooks of this world. Find God Everywhere Around You. Help Others Find Him Too. Because others are looking, and some don’t even know it.

It’s worth repetition: Stay a lover of little things. Spider Webs. Children Laughing. Band Aids. Light Weight Sneakers. Coins. Cheetos.

Refuse to keep your feelings bottled up: cry, scream, yell, stomp your feet, spit. Do whatever it takes to feel outside of your own mind.

Go to concerts. Dance on stage. Be the best damn tambourine player you  can be. Have a crush on the lead singer.

Be unafraid of your heart: Whatever & Whoever makes it beat. You could keep it sheltered forever if you please but hearts become more versatile the more we use them. Better that we risk them breaking through good use rather than breaking them from never using them at all.

Wake up every day with the intention of painting something beautiful. Some days you won’t feel like you have all the right colors. These days, borrow colors from others.

Carry a kazoo wherever you go. You will continually stumble across people who are having a birthday and are in need of a good song.

Aspire to be something wonderful. Something Remarkable. Every single day.

Don’t pay too much attention to all the hubbub about ultra violet rays. The sun is far too glorious to not let it kiss your face and plant freckles on your shoulders sometimes.

Drop everything. Absolutely everything. For a good friend in need.

Nothing in this world stops you from being an artist, a dancer, the best writer this world has ever seen. If anyone stops you… it is only yourself.

Counting Blessings. Don’t count calories too crazily. Count Kisses (especially the forehead ones). Never ever worry about counting friends. Don’t count money before you have it.

Ask outlandish questions.

You can tell a lot about a person by asking the question, “If you had one night to be any performer on stage, who would it be?”

Be good to people but don’t give them everything or every part of you. Especially if there is evidence that they may tamper with your heart.

Take long walks on the beach.

Walk sometimes instead of drive.

One last thing on walking, take time every day to walk outside of yourself. You will quickly find that the world does not revolve around you and sorry to say, it never did.

And remember: Stay a lover of little things no matter how big your dreams may be. Stamps. Sonnets. Hot Chocolate. Desert. Songs that read your soul. Tears of Joy. Tears, in general.

Home is not so much a noun as it is a cross-breed between an adjective and a verb. Be home to someone. Hold close to those who feel like home.

Add something sequined,silver or red to any outfit you wear out for a night. A silver bangle never fails and patent red pumps are unstoppable at any age.

Write poems. Without Rhyming or Worry about Iambic Pentameter. Without judging them. Just write poems because they are groovy and we are all poets.

Make pet names with every letter of the alphabet. Leave no B, G, or E unused.

Start the morning quietly. When you step outside or get stuck in your dose of morning traffic you will have wished you had that solitude.

Make your efforts big but remain little. No one likes a big head.

When you feel a pulling in your heart or a weight on your chest don’t push off the feeling. Let it flood you, push you around, challenge you. Under pressure diamonds are made. Welcome Darkness and Welcome Change.

Never stop asking yourself, “What do I want to be when I grow up?”

Not everyone in life is going to care about you, your favorite breakfast foods or your pet peeves. Don’t even try to make them. Just appreciate those who come into your life and do care.

Have coffee or tea in the morning. Or just something warm. Feel the warmth on your hands. Let it spread to your soul.

Be mindful of bikinis that are too small and tops that are too low cut. No one buys cows when they get the milk for free. And its better to be classy.  Always better to be classy.

Don’t expect the world to understand all that you attempt to do. Your dreams will only fly if you first give them wings. And another thing, let the world think you are crazy. Crazy is Good.

And never forget: Stay a lover of little things, above all else. Prayers. Pearls. Compliments. Movie Nights. Letters from Home…. Home.

And those who believed in you first.