"Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

"Genius: one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."

--Thomas Edison

“Mix a little foolishness with your prudence: It’s good to be silly at the right moment.”

-Horace

"I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely. No one knows me or loves me completely. I have only myself."

-- Simon de Beauvoir

"Do not speak of your happiness to one less fortunate than yourself."

-Plutarch

Spontaneity

What does it mean to you? How do you act spontaneous?

Are you attracted to spontaneity or does the thought of doing something unplanned make you break out in hives?

To some, spontaneity means hitting up a different bodega for their morning coffee. If you are like me, much to my husband's dismay, spontaneity means traveling to a foreign country without a schedule and seeing what happens.

Here are some spontaneous acts/things that I love:

1. Photo booths!

2. Spontaneous dance parties! They are very common in my family, very! In fact, it was my husbands first time spending the holidays with my kin and he experienced the dance party of a lifetime. I, of course, was at the center of the action. Love love love it.

3. Spontaneous affection! As Stevie Wonder put it, "I just called to say, I love you. I just called to say how much I care. I just called to say I love you and I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

4. Spontaneous laughter! I've been known to laugh at my desk for no apparent reason. Something funny pops into my head and I can't control myself. It annoys the people around me.

5. Spontaneous adventures - My dear friend M is known for these, she always has a good idea for something crazy to do in the New York area and it usually involves martinis.

6.  Spontaneous acts of kindness!  Marcus Aurelius said, "Execute every act of life as thought it were thy last." This quote has many different meanings, so apply it as you like. For me, it is a good reminder that time is not infinite and to act with kindness whenever you can. If you need ideas, check out the 35 Little Acts of Kindness by Oprah. Later I will write the 35 Little Acts of Kindness that can be done by New Yorkers. Stay tuned for that!

7. Spontaneous purchases - enough said.

8. Spontaneous opportunities for learning? If you live in a city, like New York, you have plenty of opportunities for unexpected learning. On any given day you can walk in, right off the street, to a book reading, a lecture, a wine-tasting, anything. It's brilliant. Whenever you are in a big city you should stay alert and look for opportunities for learning. You never know what fun activity is lurking around the corner, like this or this.

9. Spontaneous cocktail parties! Invite over a few friends, turn up the music, and shake up some cocktails.

10. Spontaneous new friendships. This one is truly my favorite.  Have you ever sat down at a dinner party and instantly knew that you would be great friends with the person next to you? After a few "me too(s)" it is pretty much confirmed that you will be lifelong buds.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season, I know I am. I spent last weekend with my family and my husband. It was a wonderful snow covered weekend with lots of love.

(Photo by a WNY photo booth)

"Excess, upon occasion can be exhilarating, because it prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit."

- Somerset Maugham

Anna would agree and so would Zsa Zsa!

Zsa Zsa's version of that would be: Excess at every occasion is exhilarating and necessary, because it prevents a lackluster life.

I hated Hollywood. It's a town without pity. Only success counts. I know of no other place in the world where so many people suffer from nervous breakdowns, where there are so many alcoholics, neurotics, and so much unhappiness.

- Grace Kelly

I wonder what Madam Kelly thought about New York City. Hmmmm. New York is a magical place to live, but it definitely attracts people with a competitive streak. For some, here in New York, only success counts as well.

"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities."

- Bruce Lee

"The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real."

- Lucian Freud

Lucian Freud's Girl in Bed, 1952 via here.

"I'm not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."

- Carl Jung

The only real elegance is in the mind; if you've got that, the rest really comes from it.

- Diana Vreeland (via rememo)

Don't be a woman that needs a man. Be a woman a man needs.

(Quote via that kind of woman)