Title Change

I have changed the title of my blog to "Abigail and the Great World."
(Formerly "Abigail and the Real World")

This change comes after long deliberation, from wanting to completely overhaul the theme of the blog to feeling scared to make any change at all. Yet, the word 'real' didn't seem to fit my life. That's not to say that 'real world' things never happen-- I do things like pay bills, get my car inspected and stickers up to date, wait for someone to come fix the garbage disposal, and price compare when grocery shopping to keep within my budget-- but perhaps the real world does not actually exist, or if it does, I've not lived in it and hopefully never will.

I just see so much beauty, joy, and everyday-magic. It's everywhere! Life is usually not dull, or tedious, or even nerve-wracking the way I imagined 'the real world.' There are moments, of course, of tedium or feeling blue because that dress on Anthropologie.com costs too much; there is sadness, too, and sometimes anger, both in my personal life and at things like the oil spill, politics, and war.

Generally, though, I just see abundant goodness in humanity and nature.

So, "Abigail and the Great World." The title was inspired by one of my favorite Betsy-Tacy books, Betsy and the Great World. After she finishes school, Betsy travels abroad to the 'Great World' to experience life. Though I have a thesis to finish, I'm essentially done with school-- for the first time in my life I won't be returning to class in the fall. It's time for me to experience my own 'Great World.'

And the Betsy-Tacy series has always given me such hope and comfort. No matter what happens, whether it's losing the writing contest, cooking a terrible meal for Joe, or finding herself friendless in a foreign country, Betsy picks herself up and carries on, always pursuing her dreams unflaggingly. She always believes in herself and her potential. She has such deep and true friendships, something I count myself lucky to have also, and Betsy never lets things get her down for long before she discovers something beautiful about the world. She certainly never lived in any 'real world.'

And for that matter, I don't think the author, Maud Hart Lovelace, ever really lived in a 'real world,' either. No matter what occurred, Maud could turn it into a lovely story, taking both victories and disasters and turning them into a celebration of life. She seems to have had such a rose-tinted spirit: she saw so much good in the world and in humanity, even as she lived through two World Wars.

Anyone who knows me well can attest to the impact these books have made in my life, and it only seems fitting that I should do them homage. So, welcome once again to my life, now "Abigail and the Great World."

(In other news, I got a Canon Rebel! So excited for photography!)