"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Sylvia Plath on writing...
Sunday, August 24, 2014
More happy days??
I put a few on my instagram, but it's not working again... I'm not even keeping track of days anymore, so for the time being, here are some things making me happy:
19(?) People that are brave enough to reach out. I have a friend who I had two classes with in my four years at BW-- not even really a friend, more like an acquaintance. But he is the best at reminding a person they are important and loved and valued. People like to talk about mental-health awareness, especially on the heels of a celebrity suicide, but the real heroes are quietly sending affirmations without the confidence of knowing when it's needed. I love that.
20) Melissa Adzima- Have you ever met a person that just shines with positive energy? Melissa is inspiring in a way that I can only compare to my roommate Becca Wagner. You simply cannot have a bad attitude around her. It's another example of someone who has only played a minor role in my life, while still making a huge impact in the short time she is around. At camp, she brought me a flashlight and a lollipop when I was homesick. She was my role-model at church (her mom eventually ended up being my confirmation sponsor, something I am still so grateful for). She taught me everything I know about being a bridesmaid, and then how to go to that bride's baby shower years later. I think what I find most special about Melissa is how effortless she makes it seem when she brings out the best in people. I have been to hours of workshops, and orientations, and motivational speakers, but I think an hour with Melissa is worth more than all of that combined.
19(?) People that are brave enough to reach out. I have a friend who I had two classes with in my four years at BW-- not even really a friend, more like an acquaintance. But he is the best at reminding a person they are important and loved and valued. People like to talk about mental-health awareness, especially on the heels of a celebrity suicide, but the real heroes are quietly sending affirmations without the confidence of knowing when it's needed. I love that.
21) Getting to be home for Nick and Barbara's baby shower- it is endlessly frustrating to me that I can't be more useful to her, and there were more than a few nights in Holland that I got weepy about having to miss out on my new baby (2nd) cousin. A baby shower isn't the week in Seattle I wish I could afford, but I am still so grateful to get to have been there. I am determined to be as connected as possible with the newest member of my family, and I've already got a list of ideas on how to make a long-distance-relationship work with an infant. My Aunt Joanna and my cousin Patrick were my pen pals when I was younger, and I still have most of those letters and know they made a huge difference in my relationships with them. Barbara and Nick have worked their butts off to stay connected with everyone, and I am really excited to potentially be adult enough to visit them (and my cousin Thomas in LA!) and start taking more responsibility to stay connected.
22) Spending time with my baby cousin, Liam, who is starting his first day of Kindergarten tomorrow! He has gotten much chattier with age, and we had a nice time at dinner where we discussed the finer things in life (trains, "the numbers game on my phone" aka 2048, and his feelings on clowns). I get sad that he will have such a different experience with cousins compared to the rest of us, who are all so close in age, and so I want to be the most fun cousin I can be. Sometimes, that means spending all dinner checking my bodyfit band every 5 minutes to see how many steps I've taken, and I love it. That boy makes me laugh.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Behind on my #100happydays
For whatever reason, my instagram has not been working and I've fallen behind on my 100 happy days (and I've had zero motivation for blogging, so maybe we'll kill two birds with one stone).
14. Seeing Guardians of the Galaxy- Everyone kept telling me that this was going to be the best Marvel movie ever, and I originally had no interest in seeing it, so clearly something was going on that I missed. I think I was probably a victim to expectations, because while I liked it I didn't think it was any better than any other Marvel movie. I got to take my grandfather though, which was a nice bonus, and I think I've convinced him to watch Firefly as a result (because really, the best thing about GotG is that everyone is talking about Firefly again).
15. Getting my bodyfit band back together- I have a cheap version of a fitbit, but it does all the same things while being a sporty pink. I hadn't unpacked it from when I came home from college, but now that my life is all a big question I decided to start taking some of that stuff out (normally I just have a box of desk stuff that gets put in a corner, box of craft stuff, etc). Now I can keep track of my steps again!
16. Going shopping with mom- I had this awful moment of clarity when I realized that most everyone has a partner; a best friend, a boyfriend, a roommate, something. Even if it isn't someone you're enamored with, it's the person that you talk to instead of talking to yourself sometimes. I have my mother. Franklin is pretty sparse, my friends are all off to college or work, and it is pretty heartwrenchingly lonely. But then, I realized I was the luckiest unemployed lonely college grad in the world-- because Becky Greene is a pretty spectacular companion. Yesterday we went shopping for interview outfits, and went out to eat, and although I go days at a time seeing ONLY her (sure, Dad's around for a few hours at night, but mom and I are spending the majority of our time just us) I could not wish for better company. There is no one who will tolerate everything about you for weeks without break the way your mother can.
So, in short, I love going to the movies, walking is good for you, and hug your mother.
14. Seeing Guardians of the Galaxy- Everyone kept telling me that this was going to be the best Marvel movie ever, and I originally had no interest in seeing it, so clearly something was going on that I missed. I think I was probably a victim to expectations, because while I liked it I didn't think it was any better than any other Marvel movie. I got to take my grandfather though, which was a nice bonus, and I think I've convinced him to watch Firefly as a result (because really, the best thing about GotG is that everyone is talking about Firefly again).
15. Getting my bodyfit band back together- I have a cheap version of a fitbit, but it does all the same things while being a sporty pink. I hadn't unpacked it from when I came home from college, but now that my life is all a big question I decided to start taking some of that stuff out (normally I just have a box of desk stuff that gets put in a corner, box of craft stuff, etc). Now I can keep track of my steps again!
16. Going shopping with mom- I had this awful moment of clarity when I realized that most everyone has a partner; a best friend, a boyfriend, a roommate, something. Even if it isn't someone you're enamored with, it's the person that you talk to instead of talking to yourself sometimes. I have my mother. Franklin is pretty sparse, my friends are all off to college or work, and it is pretty heartwrenchingly lonely. But then, I realized I was the luckiest unemployed lonely college grad in the world-- because Becky Greene is a pretty spectacular companion. Yesterday we went shopping for interview outfits, and went out to eat, and although I go days at a time seeing ONLY her (sure, Dad's around for a few hours at night, but mom and I are spending the majority of our time just us) I could not wish for better company. There is no one who will tolerate everything about you for weeks without break the way your mother can.
So, in short, I love going to the movies, walking is good for you, and hug your mother.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Sunday, August 17, 2014
And on mistakes... HIMYM 1x21
Ted: No, it's not an adventure, it's a mistake!
Lily: OK, yes it's a mistake. I know it's a mistake, but there are certain things in life where you know it's a mistake but you don't really know it's a mistake because the only way to really know it's a mistake is to make the mistake and look back and say 'yep, that was a mistake.' So really, the bigger mistake would be to not make the mistake, because then you'd go your whole life not knowing if something is a mistake or not. And dammit, I've made no mistakes! I've done all of this; my life, my relationship, my career, mistake-free.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Quote of the Week; Thanks, Ellen.
“When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” - Ellen DeGeneres
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