paperie princess

for anyone who has had a roommate/lover/best friend/spouse attend law school, you come to realize that your relationship is headed into deep waters. in a good way, of course. not only will said law student have a new dedication/devotion outside of yourself, the subject of LAW becomes suddenly a concrete, tangible thing - a new addition to the relationship. ever since dan has become a law student, we talk about his studies so much, especially on long drives, it's almost like i should get the topic a car seat and buckle it in. the LAW is something that i can barely get my head around, so many complex issues, so many ways to bend around it and so many people dealing with it on a daily basis, it really is astounding. i am grateful for the laws, the constitution, and especially the people (like you, dan) who are trying to uphold goodness in this world and treat everyone fairly.

for me, i just try to obey the law like i try to keep the commandments. it's a daily thing to have in your mind. on the back burner.. remembering to not forget. and to keep remembering what is right. i can't be perfect, including jaywalking - i am a major offender- but i am just trying to be a good person, learn more everyday and do my best. i love that President Hinckley always says something to that effect... do your best. try harder. i believe this is the simplest way we can become perfect. i believe that is why the Prophet speaks of it so often. it is in the dailiness of trying harder/doing better - it is not a 'someday' type goal, we must try to do our best every blessid day. if we stop being so hard on ourselves and simply try to do better, reach higher, push ourselves continuously, we can someday look back on our lives and see all that we've learned/gained/become.

let me blog backwards. back to having your spouse in law school. inevitably, there are some nights, often many nights, which are completely void of any interaction. as only a spectator, i see law school as intense/demanding/fierce and totally time-consuming. i often think 'i'm so glad it's you and not me.' early in his educational career, dan found out that his secret to succeed would be to at least show up everyday. this has been a brilliant and winning strategy so far.

though, it takes getting used to - it usually ain't so bad to spend nights home alone, hanging out while he is concentrating on his studies. usually i fill my time with watching favorite chick flix (list to come), baking goodies, cleaning/scrubbing/laundry (i clean best while dan is away - is this just me?), writing, sleeping, reading.. but tonight i found myself involved in a project that was purely selfish and completely superfluous.

i sorted paper.
it's true: i am a paper connoisseur. paperie is my favorite thing to collect. i think it's no secret because friends and family have sent paper from across the country to my door in delightful tubes. (i love the postal service, another thing to blog about, but receiving a package is the ultimate high for me. especially if it's a tube of delicious paper.) so tonight i pulled out the grand collection of 12x12 savory choices. i discovered their 'categories' one by one and stacked them high and took inventory stock of my precious paperie. almost better than neatly assorted chocolates, i laid them out and listened to my inner excitement whirl up into seeing the potentials in these little beauties. striped/plaid/floral/whimsy/holiday/travel/and the ever-charming polka dot (which rapidly became the winner, had it been a categorical competition). it's amusing, the joys of buying paper...at 70 cents a pop, an extravagant spree of paperie is a drop in the bucket. it's a beautiful thing.

i learned tonight, though perhaps my purchasing provided joy, it has given my paperie no personalized potential. yes, recently organized/sorted/stocked, still it does no real good in this world. true, maybe my world, but the whole point of paperie is really in the sharing. i've been giving this advice to Marty for years. it yearns for the shears, the scrapbooks, the postbox (lick a stamp today). my collection has been held hostage. paper prisoners. it's a shame, i love it so much, it's hard to part with them. i suppose i ought to follow the wise words: if you love something, you must set it free. maybe that should be a law..