No longer going lightly

I wanted to take a minute to explain the significance of the name of this Blog.

Holly Golightly is the main character in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, memorably played by Audrey Hepburn in 1961. This is one of my favorite movies. Holly lived a frivolous life full of parties and excess, always chasing happiness and fooling most people that she was content. At the end of the movie, sad and lonely, she realizes that the two things that truly make her happy and loved are her pet cat and her best friend, Paul.

The last two years in Boston I was lost. Working at a job that was not spiritually fulfilling, I spent money I did not have and tried to become more like the people around me; happiness was elusive. By moving to Tucson and becoming a part of the PC-USA Young Adult Volunteer program, I am claiming as my own the things that truly make me joyous-- God, a community of faith, a lifestyle driven by social and environmental consciousness, and work targeted at educating children in an engaging and well-rounded way.

Extravagance rarely feeds our souls. This year I will be stripping away the extravagance and holding onto what I know is fulfilling to me.

Also, the Desert Holly is a flower found in the Sonoran desert, where Tucson is located: