My Excess Thoughts on Happiness

As the end of the semester is drawing near, I am figuring out how much stuff I still need to do, but I am also increasingly happy about it all. I feel like I've finally hit my stride, in November of the Fall semester. No one ever accused me of being an early bloomer, trust me. Today I thought was going to be a disaster as far as my workload because I was only able to get through so much yesterday, but luckily I've been incredibly motivated and productive today, WIN! So with that in mind, I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate that. To revel in it a bit.

I'm officially on day 2 of #99, which has been nice, but I've been noticing more and more how I create status updates in my head during the very mundane parts of my day. It's quite comical. So instead of running back to Facebook, here I am, telling you how wonderful my day is, without feeling the guilt of shoving my happy disposition down your throat on a public forum. Here, this is my domain and I get to share my emotions completely guilt-free thank you :)

And on that note, I've become increasingly aware of when I say "I'm sorry", and for those of you who know be outside of the internet, you know that I say this quite a lot. (like way too much, a lot.) But as of late I've started really trying to filter myself, and in some cases I've even blurted out, "Wait, I'm not really sorry, that doesn't make any sense!", which seems borderline crazy, but it's actually really nice to realize that I don't have to be sorry for things that I have no direct impact or cause to be sorry about.

And on that note, thanks for dropping by and reading my overflowing thoughts today. And with that, here is a quote that I am trying to really live each day, because it is so true, and because I've kind of come to forget about it this year:

“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats."
- Iris Murdoch 

(Courtesy of the daily Moment of Happiness from Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project)

Tackling the Big One: #99

I'm Little Miss Overachiever today huh? 2 posts one day… crazy!

So I've decided, after writing my last post, that it's about time that I tackle some of my 101 list, specifically: #99 Go 30 days without Facebook in a ROW (0/30).

I have been living solely for the Internet, for my friends and family back home, not because I post all day long or anything, but because I'm losing myself to the Internet. I've become that person that drives people crazy, I "like" everything, as if to remind people that I'm still around, I'm still alive, and gosh darn it, I want to feel like I never really left Massachusetts! So, yeah, that needs to stop.

When I started my 101 list, I began doing things that were fun, but that sometimes were based in making me feel uncomfortable, and this is definitely something that is going to do both of those things. I need to start really participating in my life here in VA. (Fun fact, participating seems to be the term I use most often when discussing this move, because I just don't feel like I'm participating, so much as things are just happening to me.) And with that, I'm totally missing the point of moving 500+ miles away from home. So, you may see me around these parts a little more often, or I may just disappear from the Internets altogether, we shall see. But don't worry, my phone still works!! I love phone calls! And Texting! Please don't leave me alone… :)

So see ya later Facebook, like, see you again December 13th… maybe.

Positively Wonderful

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

So every Tuesday and Thursday I sit and read from PositivelyPositive.com. It's such a great site, I love the fun concepts and ways to live a more fulfilled life. Today, I came across this article about how to live your life fully without "ruining" your life. Not only did I find the topic interesting, but it also really made me think about what I want for my life. I read a group of about 6 blogs regularly (HollyWouldIfSheCould.net, innerteub.com, amerrylife.com, BenDoesLife.tumblr.com, TheMilitantBaker & lifeoflacey.blogspot.com) I love them each for their own special reasons, but one is how each gives me a very different view of how to craft a life that you love.

I grew up in a household run by my amazing Mom, who is a hardcore Type A, and my Dad, who is slightly more laid back. So I just figured that a lot of the things that occurred in my home, like all the cleaning (CONSTANTLY), or the yard work, or cooking, just kind of happened. Now that I'm living on my own, I realize that not only did I have a great upbringing, but man does it take work. My apartment is tiny, but I cannot keep it clean for the life of me (probably because I live with another human being who isn't so hell-bent on an organized apartment). My life is very different from that of my parents, and it's leaving me feeling a little lost. I have so many different options that I'm kind of dumbfounded. So that's why I immerse myself in these blogs, in these people's lives, because I want to know how other people do it, how other people live.

Which makes me really think about the direction I want my life to go in. Before I got to Virginia, I felt so stuck, I was hurting and lost in my life. So I made this crazy life change, now I'm not sure what my next step is, or really, how to stay where I am for a little while and enjoy it. Part of that is because I am constantly looking ahead, but part of it is because I'm homesick. I miss Boston, there is no way around that fact. That's where all of my family is, so it's making me chomp at the bit to be done with grad school and run home. I'm feeling as if this is a pitstop in my life and I'm getting sick of waiting here without everyone. I keep thinking about how Thanksgiving break and Christmas break are when my life is really happening. I need to change how I look at my life right now, and that's kind of where I am, just trying to figure everything out, without worrying about how I'm going to figure it all out. That's a terrible problem of mine, the worrying. I'm trying to just let things happen. Wish me luck!

Weekend Revelations

I hope everyone is enjoying their first November weekend. I'm enjoying mine with Sean, Weeds, visiting my friend's apartment for a little "apartment-warming" party, and coloring in my Spongebob Squarepants coloring book: (#2 on my 101 list)

The picture is from a few weeks ago (I believe it was the night before I drove 500+ miles in a day, [story to come]) but the sentiment is the same, I'm rocking my comfy clothes and just relaxing.

The past few weeks have been rough, in a few different ways, but each time it has a tremendous amount of emotional repercussions. But I'm taking it slow, accepting each ounce of knowledge about myself and my life as it comes. So, I haven't been around here a lot lately, but it doesn't mean I don't want to be, that I'm not working my way back. I'm getting there. One coloring page at a time.

Have a great rest of you weekend. And GO Patriots!!