If someone tells you that that they lived in Asia but didn’t have a few laughs over the proliferation of Engrish there, they are way too serious, and likely also lying. I loved being surrounded by Konglish when I lived in Korea. English deserves to be taken down a few pegs. Once I found this bag laying around our school. I had the smart idea to take a picture of this message on it:
There was another caption on the bag that serves my purposes more aptly today. I didn’t take a picture of it, but just trust me that it was there. It said:
Happiness is a small rabibit in your heart.
It stayed with me. Maybe it was just the rhythm of the sentiment or the fact that it made no outward sense, but years later, I remember that sentence.
In the last couple days, there have been several small rabibits in my heart. On Sunday, I was lurking around the corners of WordPress I seldom explore and decided to check out the Recommended Blogs. Behold my surprise when I found my own little blog included in the Recommended Family Blogs section, along rockstar blogs I truly enjoy. Me? Really? This was a small rabibit.
The next day, I randomly submitted the post I wrote on Monday about baby shower gifts to the BlogHer Family section. An hour later, I received an email saying that the post would be featured on the site that day. Wait, what? Sunday’s small rabibit now had a playmate in my heart.
Now, Ashley and Amy are on deck to be Freshly Pressed. My heart is just bursting with small rabibits. Please get them some carrots! Recently I have been struggling with the pertinence of my writing, and more specifically, my blog. What am I trying to do here? What steps should I take to follow my passion and become the writer I want to be? I have been trying to write for content mills over the last couple months, with little success. The desire to see my name in print is not so strong that I can fake caring about breastfeeding pillows and making homemade foot scrubs. However, I am learning that I am apparently doing something correctly by persevering in the writing I’m doing here and just being myself. I have a long way to go, but if those small rabibits can just turn up occasionally, I will be satisfied.
My blog summary on the WordPress Recommended Page says,
Emily moved to Chicago, got married, moved to Korea, moved back to the States, and became a mommy. This is her life.
This is my life. I am so thankful that writing and blogging is a major part of it. I am so glad YOU are a part of it. I am glad that there are people who care about me and B and C and who make time to follow my nonsense here. These are the small rabibits in my heart.
What is your small rabibit?
The Waiting 
Seeing my 11-year-old at a school dance rallying her entire class to get up on a row of benches and start shaking (as she writes it) boodie.
I think she is my hero for writing out “boodie.”
Congrats to you, me, and everyone we know. Maybe not me. I just wanted to feel included.
I saw some popular girl yesterday on from high school on Facebook yesterday and she got really fat. That was my cruel small rabbit.
My nice small rabbit is doing something nice to someone else and seeing they appreciate it. A simple genuine “thank you” or any other words that let me know I am appreciated go a long way with me.
Congrats to you in advance for winning all the awards, prizes, and mind-boggling success which you will inevitably get. And may all the mean cheerleaders get fat. Huzzah!
Emily, I am sometimes jealous of how well you write and I truly think you have a future in writing ahead of you. I would encourage you to keep at it and it will happen for you.
As for my small rabibit, it’s Baby C’s laughter. No matter what is going on at any given time his laughter always warms my heart and lightens my mood.
Thank you so much for saying that! I love writing this stuff more than just about anything so to learn to do it well is one of my loftiest yet attainable goals. That laughter is absolutely delicious. Our C has just gotten old enough where I can usually crack her up anytime and I agree with you that it is the sweetest sound. It just fills my soul.
This is awesome. Tweeting it out right now. :)
Thank you so much, Grace!
Emily,
I recommend you everywhere I go. I told the grocery store clerk last night she should read you… She smiled, put my groceries in a bag, asked for my money, and told me to eff off. But I will continue to recommend you. I will.
Le Clown
Funny, I get the same response whenever I tell random strangers about my blog. I guess they read Dooce and that’s it?
Oh my g I love small rabbits. In the Chinese horoscope I’m a rabbit, so as you can probably tell, I’m super into having rabbits in my heart. I can’t think of any rabbits right now because 2013 has royally stunk for me, BUT this weekend is a long weekend for my husband so that definitely puts a rabbit in my heart. AND it’s Easter! How approp!
B has a long weekend too! I love how I don’t work outside the home but I completely thrive on his time off. I’m sorry things have not been great for you this year, but just remember that those rabibits will return. ;)
You are my small rabibit!
And you mine!
Awww! You’re a small rabbit in MY heart! That is hilarious, by the way. I love Korea.
You are doing great things here and I think the no-plan plan? Kind of pays off! I can’t fake writing about breast feeding pillows, either. And why should we? If I’m going to be recognized, I want it to be for being me and contributing something special to the world. You’re doing that AND being recognized for it, and truth? I attribute a lot of whatever “success” I’ve had in blogging to you. You found my blog and through you I’ve become a part of such a great community that I never would have found on my own. You’re like the cool kid who invited me to sit at your lunch table, and I can’t thank you enough for that. You’re awesome, Emily. And you should just do exactly what you’re doing because it works!
Unrelated: Leaving now to ship C’s package, so be looking for it. You basically have a one year old OMG :)
Meeting you on the ol’ WordPress was one of the most serendipitous moments in my blogging experience. Last night, I chanced upon an old post I wrote waaaaay back and you were the sole commentor. You and me? We’re like peas and carrots. Except without ping pong championships and nights snorting blow at Studio 64.
Sorry, for some reason I now have “build a little birdhouse in your soul” stuck in my head.
Yeah, I think “happiness is a small rabibit in my heart” is the made-in-China, BPA-laced version of that.
Dude, I read this and it made me think of you, only with more swearing: http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-mistakes-made-by-every-new-parent/
I’m so happy for all of your rabbits! And it’s spring time, so you could even grow some carrots to encourage more rabbits to swing by. :)
My rabbit – hubby’s on Spring break from school. Still working the whole week, but he’s actually home again. He let me sleep in today, and apparently Doodle wanted to play his drum the whole time. “You can’t play your drum while Mommy’s sleeping” – I was unaware of this while sleeping soundly (with no drum interruptions). The very second I came downstairs, Doodle screamed “Daddy, look! It’s Mommy! Mommy, check out my drum!” and proceeded to play his drum for a good forty minutes straight. That’s a very happy, giggly rabbit in my heart.
That is so adorable! C let us sleep in an extra 25 minutes this morning so I totally know the allure of your rabibit.
My small rabibit today was Danda saying, “There’d better be some fucking talking in this or I’m reading a book instead,” while we watched Les Miserables and I guffawed at their silly constant singing! Danda’s so eloquent.
I saw the stage production of Les Mis years and years ago and the entire time I was like, JUST TALK ALREADY. Danda and I would get along well.
I’m not surprised at all of the accolades you’re receiving — you know what I think about your wonderful prose/musings. My rabibit is this, right now, a fire, hubs and puppies and chiming in, stopping by to say hello and congrats to a friend — congrats, Em. :D
Thanks, Brig! That sounds wonderful! My future rabibit is having a fireplace myself. That sounds divine.
Oh I love it! Since you just read my last post about spam, I don’t think I have to outwardly say that I love Engrish. You can’t make that stuff up.
I don’t know how I functioned before I discovered Engrish. One day I will make a post of all the best examples I encountered in Korea. I’ll tag you in it ;)
Today I had a day filled with small rabibits. This was one of them. The cutest one. With the wiggliest tail. THANK YOU!!!
Also, Freshly-Pressed rabibits, and getting email from a family member who never had a computer before rabibits, and cuddling with the cats rabibits, and having dinner with friends rabibits. A good rabibit day altogether. Many bunnies!
Freshly Pressed is one of the best things around. The first time I was FP, my daughter was only four days old. My heart was dang near collapsing I was so happy. Congrats to you, my friend. Enjoy all those rabibits!
Cheers to all rabbits, the big and the small!
And especially this one!
Yous so awesome!!
You are too! Thank you for encouraging me along the way! You are now officially the only person still hanging around since FB Round Two. That means a lot.
You can’t get rid of me at this point!
Wonderful as always! HF
Thank you! Thank you so much for all your encouragement, HF. Those all-joys mean a lot to me.
It makes me smile to see WordPress recognize bloggers who actually deserve praise and their turn in the spotlight rather than the same old batch of favorites.
Well done, Emily!
Awwww, thanks, Hookster. WordPress has for sure been incredibly good to me.
That’s good to hear!
Yay! The magic taking stock is mine :P first of key me say how much I loved this post :-D how brilliant I thought it was! I thought that bit about happiness is a small rabbit in your heart, was so adorable I almost died
Hehe thanks ;)
[…] and raised in Memphis, TN, Emily is a gentle person who is funny, loves to write, and yearns for connection in a way that has served her well in her blogging career. When she […]