The end of one of ‘those’ days. Not particularly good, but not particularly terrible. A middling mixture of professional-but-not-professed boredom, summertime sadness, a vague but insistent nostalgia for ‘better days’, that undefined feeling that our days should not be spent enclosed in grey cubicle walls, that our conversations and emotions should not be overpowered by the floor-wide white noise machine, that no matter how important and vital the projects we do, there is something missing, something greater than us which is somehow eluding us amidst the conference calls, outlook meetings, debriefs and grant documents.
Something like this, maybe?
For those days, a true introvert can do nothing better than return home, cook a delicious meal from a different culture’s cuisine, sit down on the couch and become reacquainted with friends who – it seems – feel the same way. Inspiration, a lifting up from the mundane, is possible to find even in the din of the internet’s blogposts.
The blogs below do not belong to people I know. They are not necessarily my favorite blogs, the funniest blogs, the blogs with the most interesting discussions. They are – quite simply – beautiful blogs, where you can rest your mind, heart and eye.
You might be surprised if I told you that at the top of the list is a blog that features photos from Romanesque and Gothic churches in Europe. That sounds dry, and, well, not very inspiring. But perhaps this does:
“Stillness crieth out that something Great is nigh.”
We seek connections every day, among our family, our friends, our colleagues, and sometimes even complete strangers. We seek connection with each other, and with life itself. We are surrounded with the tools of connection more now than ever before. The web, email, cell phones, texting, Twitter, Facebook, and social media in general. We can see almost instantly what those we care about in some way are doing or thinking. What we find lacking in human connection, we try to find in other things. We seek to connect with ideas or feelings. We study, play music, paint, sculpt, build and write so that we can connect to that ineffable thing that eludes us. And not finding those ideas or feelings, we settle for something else, something that carries the trappings of meaning while not having anything intrinsic itself. We settle for fashion.” Stillness crieth out (Via Lucis Photography)
2. Hovercraftdoggy. A design blog bringing forth always interesting, often stunning views of art, architecture, and nature. Fittingly enough, today’s post is entitled “We are not alone”.
3. Soundlandscapes. Transport yourself to a different land – the land of my nostalgia, France – simply by listening to sounds. “Unforgettable sound recordings are limited only by one’s imagination.” says the author, whose imagination seems unlimited to me.
4. yosport28 Finding beauty in Philadelphia, the Jersey shore… not places you would typically expect.
These are just a few of some of the beautiful sites I know that you can stumble upon and spend hours perusing, riveted.
What are the blogs and websites that lift you up and give you hope?
Where Is My Suitcase 