Anything about Everything

I am someone who does not often wish for things to change. They happen the way they happen, as life is a constant flow of energies and actions.  If I had to pick something to change from this year, it would have to be how I second guessed myself and overthought everything while I went through this summer's debacle. I am someone who worries about how everyone around me feels, how they will react, and how things will progress. I know a lot of that comes from my abandonment issues - because I don't want anyone to leave.  I learned this year that it's 100% okay to live your life how you want to. It is YOUR life, no one else has to live with your choices but you. I am not someone who catalogs every breath of my life or post for attention (I used to!). What I choose to share with my friends, family, and social media following could be different. It's my choice.  Not standing up for myself, and overthinking every move I made this summer was probably what I wish I had done diff...

  Who doesn't have a laundry list of hard lessons they learned from? Or a list of things they don't talk about but learned EPIC lessons from?  Everyone has something monumental that changed their outlook on some aspect of their life - family, friends, relationships, love.. any of them. A hard lesson I am grateful to have learned was an ongoing one. One where I realized that not everyone in my life is going to cheer for me. Not everyone is going to understand why I do what I do. Not everyone is going to support my choices.  And that's okay!  See.. just because someone SAYS they support you, that they agree with you, they back you up does NOT mean they actually DO. What people say and do can sometimes be vastly different and as a result, true colors appear. I have had the hardest time understanding this - because I would never go back on my word, yet there are a lot of people in my life who have. I refused to see it for a long time.  It's 110% acceptable to not ag...

If you are a human with access to Disney Plus, you are very aware of the newest addition this month - the Broadway production of Hamilton.  I was never really into the idea, even as a history nerd, and where tickets were so difficult to get, I just couldn't understand why there was such a draw to this show. He wasn't even president!  Well.. I have eaten crow and am now obsessed with the show and all the little nuances that go with it. I have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop (yeah, that was a reference...), and often find myself singing something from the show throughout the day.  I am honestly blown away by the incredible work that Lin-Manuel Miranda put into this production and the way it is portrayed. From the cast selection to the music, the set to the costumes - it's a serious stroke of genius. The show is centered around Alexander Hamilton (I am not going to summarize it.. do yourself a favor and sit down for 2 hours and 40 minutes and ENJOY IT!), and his dem...

29 taught me a lot of life lessons - some great, some heartbreaking - but all lessons nonetheless.  I had my heart ruined by a guy, I had friends write me off of their own volition. I lost a very close friend unexpectedly, I watched a lot of my close friends become parents. I spent some time soul searching (truly), I got out of my comfort zone. I tested my limits, I gave into some bad habits. I started a blog that has reached and helped so many people, I have had days where I didn't have a single ounce of positivity to share. Looking back at my 20s as a whole? All of the above is pretty true.  I loved hard in my early 20s, had my heart stomped on with spikes and am still healing. I made a ton of amazing friends. I graduated with both an bachelor's degree and a master's degree in the same decade of my life. I moved out of my parents' home at 24 and never looked back. I bought my own car for the first time, and prematurely had to buy another (RIP Fi). I left a ...

Today, I spent the day at the Christmas Festival in Boston - getting in the holiday spirit! This event is amazing- last year was my first year and my friends have now included me in their annual trip. It's rows and rows of booths - handmade crafts and food - all while listening to Christmas music over the speakers. It's a sight to behold. While browsing one of the rows today, we stumbled upon a super cute sign making booth. One of the signs I saw hit me right between the eyes - and it's so true it almost hurts.  "The greatest prison people live in, is the fear of what other people think." That oughta make you think huh? We are so focused on how other people will judge our appearance or thoughts that we operate like we're walking on egg shells. Here's the deal people - YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE HOW YOU WANT TO!!!! If you want to wear a certain outfit or buy a pair of shoes or watch a certain show because it makes you feel good? Then grow the eff...

Thirty years on this earth is rapidly approaching for me - in approximately 28 days. As I wind down the tail end of my 20's, I have decided to do a list of 30 things I hope to accomplish by this time next year. While this may be a bit aggressive, I am nothing if not persistent, so I am sure this will all come to fruition eventually.  I know a lot of people tend to do the 30 before 30 list, but I have never really been one to follow a crowd 😉  #1.   Lose about 50 more pounds For anyone that knows me personally, you know my struggle with weight. I have finally found something that is working for me, so if I stay the course, by this time next year I should be down another 50 pounds (I am down 4 pounds in 2 weeks already!) and maintaining that loss.  #2. Take more pictures But not necessarily post them all over social media. I do not have near enough pictures with friends from outings, nor do I have enough pictures with my family. When Nana was alwa...

For most of the country, today is a day for BBQs and family gatherings. It's the day we close out summer and prepare for the next season - Fall!  Today is that day for me too, but it's being celebrated with an asterisk. Today would have been Garrett's 33rd birthday. We talked over the summer about how we weren't going to wait till Labor Day to hang out, and how grateful we were for each other after all this time. Today, I remember the amazing friend I was blessed with for 15 years. The friend who never judged, never mocked, and never made me feel like I was beneath him. The friend who, while we didn't talk every day, respected our friendship and never lied to me.  Since Garrett passed, I have tried my hardest to reconnect with friends I lost touch with over the years. I have been more in tune with how I react to things, how I interact with people. I try to enjoy more in every day - and just go with the flow. I am trying to let things roll off my chest easier, a...

If you've paid attention at all on this journey, you'd know that I am a pretty big book worm. I love reading - always have. It relaxes me, allows me to escape reality for a little while, and broadens my imagination.  In the last 2 and a half years, I have struggled to pick up a book and read it cover to cover. For something I love so much to be hard - something was wrong. I couldn't shut my brain off enough to enjoy what I was reading. I was not about to waste time reading and not enjoying it - no thank you. In the last month and a half, I have finished 3 books. THREE! From time to time, I will leave reviews and book recommendations on here to break up some of the heavier posts. Life is too short to be focused only on how to make changes. Focus on how to live a life you love, and watch your world change!  Beneath A Scarlet Sky  by Mark Sullivan          As any normal adult with a bank account and internet access, I find myself brow...

You have a choice, every single day. Are you going to be happy? Or are you going to let the constant negativity and misery around you be your life?  When it comes to self love and self discovery, a lot of the time people will fall off your radar. These people may be friends, family, someone you're interested in. If you find that your energy is vibrating much more positive into the universe while on this journey WITHOUT these people in your life, it's okay. Sometimes, you need to distance yourself to work on you and find your passion, your drive, yourself. This does not necessarily mean these people have been written off for good.  Here's the deal: you are allowed to cut off anyone that makes you feel less than fantastic on the daily. If you're surrounded by constant negativity, constant misery it might  be time to change some things. If you're constantly wondering if you're enough, if your presence is important to anyone - GET YOURSELF INTO A BETTER PLA...