Tag Archives: happy

Chronicles of Becoming a Grownup II

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This is the most hippie thing I’ve ever posted.

I posted “Chronicles of Becoming a Grownup” a year ago (right about this time in the summer too!). And since they are chronicles, there must be subsequent posts!

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I even posted a photo of this exact breakfast in that post. This was yesterday’s breakfast (oatmeal cookie dough cereal via Fitnessista)

This is a quote from my first chronicle post a year ago:

“And don’t get me started on the mental/emotional/spiritual changes and revelations that are occurring as I become a grownup. To be chronicled in the future…”

Lo and behold. ‘Tis the future, and I am going to tell you about some of those mental/emotional/spiritual changes and revelations riiiiiight now.

Alternative title for this post: “Oh, That’s Why That’s a Cliche!“

1) Revelation #1: Long story short— my coworker and I were blamed by a patient for unfairly helping another patient at the first patient’s expense. I have learned that I literally cannot make everyone happy, even if my colleagues and I are trying our very best to do so.

2) Adding on to revelation #1: I have to remember not to take things too personally and not to ruminate on how bad I feel about disappointing someone. It reminds me to help people NOT because I gain validation and appreciation but because I truly do care for them. I have to be willing to help, even if I know someone does not like me or he/she might have a negative response.

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3) Revelation #2: It’s easy to revert back to my former self when I’m back at home with my family. Sometimes I forget that I don’t “have to” be the baby of the family and I don’t have to bicker with family like I used to.

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4) Revelation #3: I find little things a lot funnier than I did when I was a teenager (yes, I know I just became a non-teen 2 months ago). Older folks have so many funny antics and hilarious things to say! Sometimes they’re not the nicest, but that applies to human beings in general.

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5) Revelation #4: I find it easier to understand why people act/react in inhospitable ways, especially as I work in a healthcare setting, and I thus feel a little less offended if someone is rude towards me. Not that rudeness is justified, but it can be more understandable.

6) Adding onto revelation #4: I’m (more often, but not always) slower to judge others by isolated character flaws.

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6) Revelation #5: The more I learn about others’ hard realities and the stresses that everyone works through in order to “make it”, the easier it becomes to despair sometimes. But there is a difference between empathy and straight up despair. Despair doesn’t help anyone. I cannot justify my sulking just because everyone else is sulking. Get out of your hole (and it’s okay to ask for help!), and someone else might be inspired to pick up his/her head as well.

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7) Adding onto revelation #5: Spread joy. ← I used to cringe at how cliche and grossly cheesy that phrase is, but the world can never, ever get enough of it. I don’t know about you, but a genuine smile or compliment can seriously make my day.

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8) Revelation #6: You want to be loved. I want to be loved. The person next door wants to be loved. Everyone wants to be loved, so START LOVING. Don’t wait on others. How to love is a whole ‘nother post (or two).

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9) Revelation #7: Cliches remain cliches until you realize why they’re cliches. Then they become ingrained life lessons. But of course, just because I learned these lessons a few times doesn’t mean that I don’t completely ignore them and allow my selfish/itch-bay side come out at times. #It’sAProcess

10) Revelation #8: GIFs are my favorite modern way of communicating the inner recesses of my brain.

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Hope you have a marvelous Thursday! Just love (like Us the Duo says in this great song):

So tell me:

What are some revelations you’ve had as you became/are becoming a grownup? Can you relate to any of mine here?

What is one cliche that is particularly relevant in your life right now?

Something that has brought you joy this past week!

Thinking-Out-Loud

joining Amanda’s party today!

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Five Minute Friday #12: Fear of Failure

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I woke up in the middle of the night doing sit-ups, I KID YOU NOT.

I think I was dreaming about doing the sit-up test in high school phys ed, and as I was waking up in my hazy state, I felt the need to continue cranking out the reps. Hahaha ew.

I’ve also been going to sleep and waking up pretty early this week — bed at 10:30 ish and wake up at 6:45 naturally. Oh what glory! The early sunrise and blue skies for the second half of this week have been making me so happy.

Other things making me happy this week:

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big breakfasts: two eggs scrambled with veggies + whole wheat french toast with almond butter and banana + glass o’ milk

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impromptu d-hall dinner with the roomie (and her provocative captions…we sleep in our own beds FYI)

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visiting chefs in the d-hall! calamari salad + chicken with veggies and polenta

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ice cream with sprinkles + mini cannoli

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last exercise phys lab with the coolest lab group

My first article on Fit University! It’s basically the story of my journey to fitness and health ➔ “There Was a Time When the Healthy Living Community Was Bad For Me.”

The last thing making me happy(ish) this week: Asking God to be humble me and getting exactly that. Yeesh, ask and you shall receive, am I right??

That last point kinda leads me to this week’s Five Minute Friday, which is about fear of FAILURE. I way cheated this week and made the vlog almost 7 minutes, mostly because my brain is a wee bit slow and I can’t form words quickly enough.

link to the video!

Three day weekend up ahead for us at BU for Marathon Monday/Patriots’ Day! Yeeeeeya. Hope you all have a fun weekend!

So tell me:

Are you afraid of failure? How do you deal with it?

Have you ever woken up doing something really weird?

What’s making you happy right now?

Know anyone running the Boston Marathon!?

Friends Pushing Me to Be Better

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I just ate a dinner of popcorn, Chex Mix, celery, chocolate cake, an apple, “gorilla dip”, and a singular chicken wing.

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#nutrition

Also, the only thing I watched from the Super Bowl last night was the halftime show and the Honda commercial with the singing sheep, and that was everything I needed.

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I love Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars, but did anyone else feel like the halftime performance as a whole was a weird combo?

Anyway, I have nothing more to say about the Super Bowl, so let’s talk about how my wonderful friends have been kicking my butt in the best way possible.

Rewind to Friday: I had biomechanics in the morning, a good lunch with friends, bible study, a workout, homework, and productive procrastination (working on a birthday gift for someone!).

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Two of my dear friends, Mai and Kelsey, are in my bible study, and listening to their perspectives and insights on Scripture and faith in general was so inspiring. Most of all, their willingness to share their own doubts and trials humbles me to face my own doubts and trials.

Saturday started off with a walk through winter wonderland to get to work (unintentional alliteration).

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I tried to pack more substantial snacks so that I wouldn’t be so lightheaded and cranky like I was last week at work, but I guess all the walking, cooking, and cleaning I do (and the fact that I end at 2pm) just does me in. Needless to say, lunch was again demolished.

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While I was studying, my pal Connor came up to chat with me for a bit, and he gave me nuggets of wisdom to deal with my academic stress. His words were simple and things I knew logically, but I still needed someone to tell them to me in order to internalize it. 1) Happiness is important. 2) Don’t stress out because other people have more knowledge than you. Do what you need to do, but there’s no good in comparing and worrying.

Good stuff.

Saturday night involved a workout, some studying, and Tasty Burger (!!!) with the best friend.

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A cheeseburger from this joint was on our food bucket list, and Saturday night was the night to crush it.

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We liked their milkshakes as much as we liked their burgers! The shakes were uber thick and creamy. Like, you had to work those cheek muscles to drink it through the straw.

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love at first bite

Rachel and I talked about our Lent resolutions since it starts this Wednesday, and one of my things to “give up” is makeup. I don’t wear a lot, but I do wear a little every day. I told Rachel with hesitance that I would give up makeup, but the next day I told her I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it. She insisted that giving up makeup would be good for me, and that I shouldn’t cave just because it’s hard (it’s definitely not supposed to be easy!). I agree. Wearing no makeup will help me focus on my character and fight vanity.

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My roommate Jordan also gave me a great slice of humble pie when I told her that I’m not always early (and sometimes a little late) to things, especially if I’m meeting with a close friend. She told me that everyone, close friends or professional mentors, should have their time respected. Duh, common sense, right? But it’s easier said than done for me these days (punctuality is slacking). Jordan is 100% right though. I should never take advantage of my friends’ time just because I’m close to them.

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Lastly, my amazing friend Christina invited me to do mobile soup kitchen with her last night. I joined her and some other kind volunteers, but I knew that I wanted to make it back in time for the Super Bowl halftime show. Towards the end of the route, I started to get impatient and antsy to make it back to campus, but just watching how patient, considerate, and kind Christina was with all the people we met was a humbling and beautiful sight. A lesson in selflessness right in front of me.

I am constantly in awe of my friends and the beauty of their souls. God is definitely shaping me up through their example and words. And of course, so many bloggers push me to be better too. Thanks, guys ♥︎

Hope you all have a happy week! We’re kind of hoping that BU calls in for a snow day today…

So tell me:

Do your friends keep you “on track”?

What is one lesson you learned/were reminded of this weekend?

Thoughts on the Super Bowl/halftime show?

Best thing you did this weekend. Probably Tasty Burger with Rachel!

Instagram Accounts That Make Me Happy

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Instagram is my kryptonite.

Apparently, I love it enough to write a speech about it. It’s my number one cause for procrastination, so I have to keep myself in check whenever I open up the app of beautiful doom. I tell myself, “Okay, only scroll for ten more pictures,” but my thumb doesn’t listen to me, and it just keeps scrolling for another twenty minutes.

GAHHH.

Part of the reason for my incessant scrolling is because I follow over 600 accounts on Instagram. Just a few weeks ago, I was following over 700 accounts, but I’ve been cleaning up the feed a little bit. Recently, the question I’ve been asking myself is: “does this Instagram account make me happy or does it cause me to reflect?” If the answer to either is no, I unfollow.

I don’t expect people to follow me when I follow them, but if they do follow me, I hope some of my photos can make them happy too!

And with that, here are some of my absolute favorite Instagram accounts that make me smile, think, pray, and chase my dreams/rainbows/butterflies.

People and Animals

@bevcooks // This wonder woman shares photos of her smushy-lovable twin babies with the most hilarious captions ever. Bev also produces amazing food and endless humor on her blog.

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@mimiikonn // Her fashion. Her hair. Her world. I found her a few years ago through her hair/style Youtube channel.

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@breelovesbeauty // Another Youtube star who brings out the girly girl in me. I love her inspirational photos and captions that come straight from Scripture.

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@humansofny // The famous photographer, Brandon, brings out the most inspirational, funny, and poignant stories from people he just meets in NYC.

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@3bulldogges // They speak for themselves.

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@speedyboyboy // His little tongue!

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Fitness

@kinoyoga // She’s just beautiful.

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@laurasykora // Rockstar yogi mama who can do any pose ever.

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@shauna_harrison // Underarmour Women creator and just an amazing, well-rounded athlete. Her #SweatADay videos are the best!

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@achieving_balance // A down-to-earth, gorgeous young woman who loves living a wholesome lifestyle (and who lives in Sydney aka paradise). Her mini workout videos are also awesome.

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@strength_and_focus // Another incredible yogi and all-things-fit mama. Just. Wow.

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@davedurante // INSANE strength and gymnastics skills.

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Food

@caitsplate // I’m sure a lot of you know her through her blog, but I can seriously stalk her simple yet beautiful {healthy} food pictures all the darn day. She’s also in grad school at Boston College (our rival, but still…Boston)!

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@tumblinbumblincrumblincookie // What a name, huh? Her pancakes match the fabulousness of her account name. And she’s only 15 years old!

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@passportsandpancakes // Elegant, natural, perfect.

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@realfoodbydad // Hooray for dads that cook and blog! He also puts everything in a waffle maker, which I really dig.

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Places

@youngadventuress // Confession: I just found her as I was typing up this blog post. But I can already tell I’m going to love this Instagram account.

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@nasa // The universe is cool. (<–Understatement of the EON.)

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 Is there an Instagram-aholics anonymous?

So tell me:

Instagram. Addicting or addicting?

What are some of your favorite accounts? 

Current Simple Joys

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Morning!

How are you all doing so far this week? I don’t know about you guys, but yesterday was just so…Monday. Like, a very Monday kind of Monday, ya feel? I got ready with my eyes half closed and nearly (just nearly, don’t worry, mom and dad) nodded off at least 20 times during statistics, BUT it was still a great day overall thanks to many simple joys that outweighed those Monday blues.

It’s been a long time since I shared my current simple joys (January was the last time!), so I thought today would be the perfect day to share those with you all. There’s always something to be thankful for in this whirlwind we call life.

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Current simple joys…

  • Power naps (came to the rescue for me yesterday, holla)
  • Cooking real food in a real kitchen and picking up groceries from Trader Joe’s (for the people I work for, not for myself…but still so fun!)

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Lasagna!!! (It was my first time making it ever and I pray that I didn’t mess it up for them.)

  • Finally “getting” a statistics problem that initially made me want to blow up my computer/textbook #probabilityrage
  • MARCEL THE SHELL THREE
  • Free KIND bars for showing my squat form at the Physical Therapy fitness fair

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  • Sunny, warm days in late October
  • Outdoor workouts on said days

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  • FaceTiming with family and friends
  • Really awesome hugs
  • Singing with some of my coolest friends at church on Sunday
  • A surprise care package from my little cousins, aunt, and uncle! Cookieeeeeees ♥ (whole wheat too, because my aunt knows what’s up)

  • When the dining hall has an arsenal of bananas (my heart breaks ever so slightly when there are none available at breakfast)
  • People who hold the door (bonus points if they smile)
  • Raisin bran for dessert (stop cringing/laughing at me)

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  • When there is no one on the escalator so you can walk up, because walking up an escalator is empowering with all that extra upward momentum
  • This message from my bro when I was studying away on Sunday night:

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I should do these kinds of posts more often, because now I am just so happy despite the fact that my eyes are fluttering shut as I type this on Monday night.

Have a wonderful day, friends! 🙂

So tell me:

Some of your current simple joys!

Do you eat cereal for dessert sometimes?

How was your Monday?