'The Sandman' is a Dream

I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit that before watching this show I knew of  Tom Sturridge mainly because he's often associated with Rob Pattinson (I'm still a full fledged Edward Cullen fan) as they are best friends.
 

However, his portrayal of Morpheus in the Netflix fantasy series "The Sandman" has converted me into a fan of him as an actor.  Without giving away any spoilers, his divine character goes through a traumatic situation that evolves his motivations and forces him to examine his purpose. Because of the nature of the character, Tom portrays him on the stoic side, hardly showing much emotion. However, the feelings are there, deep but also on the surface (I know that contradicts, but that's how complicated the character is). He mainly displays emotions through his eyes and his deep voice is both soothing and menacing--whichever is appropriate in the situation. He is undoubtedly the star and in my opinion, no one steals the show from him. 

That's not to say that the rest of the cast isn't brilliant and perfectly selected. Boyd Holbrook is intense as 'The Corinthian' and showed both his charming and sinister side. Kirby Howell-Baptiste portrayed 'Death' not only with purpose and meaning but also with a tenderness I've never seen before for this iconic character. And the list goes on and on....talented actors uniquely portraying divergent manifestations of repeatedly depicted characters. I was all-in. 

 Also, big kudos to the creators, writers, set designers and all the crew members...everyone involved in making this show entertaining in multiple ways.  

If you enjoy fantasy-type shows, don't have issues with watching dark themes on film and are looking for something to watch on Netflix, I recommend this one: The Sandman.

 

My Happy Place of Home

**Not my quote & credit to unknown artist**

In recent years, I've embraced the notion of being a homebody. 

I feel like the word itself garners a negative reaction--like whoever is perceived as being a homebody is dull, anti-social, lacking in stimulation, without inspiration, etc... and with these viewpoints, I once instinctively rejected that label for myself. I mean, who wants to be considered in such a gloomy, disinterested viewpoint?  

But over the years, I have come to the realization that it's not about how others perceive me, but about how I truly feel when I'm in the comfort of my own home--space-- alone and/or with the people that make me feel the most secure physically and emotionally--my solid family unit. "Home", for me, is also not just a physical place, but a state of being with myself and with the ones I love and feel the most comfortable with. Even when traveling and experiencing adventures, it can still feel like "home" if I feel those warmth of emotions.

I'm not an unfriendly, withdrawn person. I've had many acquaintances and friendships stay steady throughout the years as well as come and go in my life, sometimes naturally, sometimes intentionally. I enjoy stimulating and interesting conversations, being out and about, appreciating and actively participating in what life has to offer.  I appreciate all types of interactions (maybe not right away sometimes, but definitely with some introspection) that help me continually learn the value of who I am and what makes me a flawed yet worthy human. 

I feel like societal pressures, mainly manifested through social media, show that being surrounded by a ton of friends, partying and constantly jetsetting is what is standard and anything less is weird or boring. How would a simple, joyful, peaceful life doing the things that spark interest, surrounded by only a select few that truly matter look like on Social Media? Probably not "influencer" desirable. Would the "homebody" life ever be glamorized?  LOL!!  I think not. But when you're comfortable with yourself, all that superficial stuff doesn't matter.  As the saying goes: when you know, you know.

I've found that it's hard to find compatible people that collectively share personality traits, interests, values, ideologies, priorities, loyalties with and also find people that hold no judgements or expectations. The idea of truly, authentically connecting with people is actually harder than it actually seems because you can know a lot of people, be surrounded by a ton of people, even call them "friends" but it could all be on the surface or a shallow connection. That's why I often use the word "acquaintance" because just knowing someone doesn't automatically mean you're friends. I mean, I've witnessed so many "friends" talk about each other behind their backs and say some awful things about each other. There's a saying out there about how if a person can say bad things about others to you, they can also highly possibly (highly probably) say bad things about you too. I can attest to that saying first hand as I've heard many an unkind word said by people about people they are seemingly close to. I don't have room in my life for those kinds of immature, toxic behaviors anymore. Trust (knowing someone will not say mean-spirited things about you behind your back) and loyalty (which is not about controlling what your friends do, but knowing that they understand and support who and what you stand for) are non-negotiable when it comes to considering someone a real friend.

Fortunately, I do have a handful of people that I am blessed to have a genuine solid connection with and I'm wholeheartedly filled with gratitude and love with that small solid core. And no, not every interaction has to be posted on social media. 😄 I've made a commitment to not accept being in toxic friendships and limit toxic interactions if I can't cut certain people off completely. It's not about being anti-social, but about purposely and intentionally choosing what only brings me joy. It's about choosing to be surrounded by kindness, by people who make me laugh, and people that don't disturb my sensibilities. Will I always be able to avoid people I don't want to be around? Most likely not. But I'm certainly aware of their affect on my peace and my intentions will always be to avoid or limit.

More and more, I crave the simplicity of peace and the absence of toxic people, toxic situations, and unnecessary drama in my life. I feel like I've had my fair share of that existence in the past. And I've had to examine whether or not my energy unwittingly opened up these interactions and situations (I have to hold myself accountable too). Again, if I learned anything valuable from a person or situation--even if it's a realization of the kind of person I don't want to be--I don't regret any of it. 

So, yes, I'm a homebody--a person who adores the comfort of home in all its interpretations, my hobbies and interests that stimulate and excite me readily available, and the non-toxic humans I freely and fervently choose to keep company with that bring peace, joy and love to my soul. My happy place of home. 😙