December 10th.
When did the year become only a stones throw away from it's end entirely? How did we get here? And yet, haven't we all been here before?
There's a spark of newness in the air, for myself a new home, new husband, new traditions. At the same time, the end of the year brings a sense of loss, of closure to this chapter of our lives. Only to be reopened in a Facebook album or Instagram flip book. And with a turn of the page, we are new again. We come into the new year as innocent, able to wash our hands clean of our mistakes, sins, self-indulgences. A fresh start. An opportunity to be who we want to be, not who we are. Change. For the better? For the worse? Will it last or is it only temporary? Fate is in our hands, the reigns to take control of creating the life we want while habit grabs on, trying to pull us back into the comfortable confines of the everyday. And for that reason, we have the "resolutions". Have you ever kept a resolution? Do you resolve an action, a goal, or merely a way of leading your life?
I have started my change. I have started my progress. The thrill of inching closer to my goals is only a reality because I took the first step to make them one: I wrote them down. My challenges, my dreams, the experiences I yearn for in life. I encourage you to write down your change, your fate. Then ask yourself why you would wait another three weeks to be the person you want to be? Why do we sabotage ourselves by letting our dreams drag along side us as we nonchalantly walk through mall traffic mid-December with our eyes down at our smartphones, taking no opportunity to glance ahead towards what could be? Or, what could have been.
Look up. Tomorrow's already gone.
Wednesday 10 December 2014
Monday 17 November 2014
Sunday 16 November 2014
Any free-standing structure needs a good foundation. Every good foundation stems from an outline; a blueprint; a map of direction, instruction, intention.
My intention for starting this blog was to establish a sense of ownership towards my own goals. How do you create your own destiny in this realm of universal influence? Or does the universe already expect you to take the steps you will eventually stride, waiting for the day to come when you pick up speed and finally sprint into the person you were meant to become all of this time?
Feeling a sense of spiritual influence lately, a curiosity of what lies beneath, or above. Welcoming answers and meaning. Not to say that I am knocking on the door, but definitely trying to peek in the window. Routine can close you off from this incredible world around us, and just "searching" can start to tear down the surrounding barriers.
Accept and acknowledge the present. Be aware of where you are now. Understand that you cannot change the moment, you can only change what comes next.
So here is my blueprint. My foundation. I've written, and re-written this list, and will most likely continue to re-write it as i go. As life brings me opportunity I will adapt and change, and I know I am the only one that can hold myself back. Hmm, the power of an idea, a laptop and a top-knot.
peace, love, thirty. in no paticular order.
30. Start a blog
29. Start a vlog, let my dreams of being a sportscaster become an online reality
28. Learn fluent French
27. Check off visiting all of the 10 Best NHL Arenas http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1329053-10-best-arenas-in-the-nhl#articles/1329053-10-best-arenas-in-the-nhl/page/11
26. Ice skate in central park (How have I not done this?)
25. Experience New Years Eve in Times Square
24. Visit every studio on a Yoga passport
23. Visit every island listed in the song Kokomo
22. Hike to the top of a mountain and watch the sunrise
21. Drink wine at a vineyard
20. Surf in the Atlantic
19. Road trip across Canada
18. Road trip to Florida
17. Camp out at a music festival
16. Buy a ticket for a random flight and just GO
15. Take a cooking class
14. Master a headstand
13. Master a kegstand
12. Take a solo shopping trip to NYC
11. Meet John Mayer. Have him serenade me.
10. Sing karaoke in Nashville
9. Spend a romantic evening in Paris, eiffel tower and all
8. Experience Mardis Gras in New Orleans
7. Complete the 30 day squat challenge
6. Complete the 30 day abs challenge
5. Sit in at a fashion show at NYFW
4. Attend a pole-dancing convention
3. Commit to a tattoo larger than my hand
2. Vote
1. Run a marathon
So, who's up for a roadie?
My intention for starting this blog was to establish a sense of ownership towards my own goals. How do you create your own destiny in this realm of universal influence? Or does the universe already expect you to take the steps you will eventually stride, waiting for the day to come when you pick up speed and finally sprint into the person you were meant to become all of this time?
Feeling a sense of spiritual influence lately, a curiosity of what lies beneath, or above. Welcoming answers and meaning. Not to say that I am knocking on the door, but definitely trying to peek in the window. Routine can close you off from this incredible world around us, and just "searching" can start to tear down the surrounding barriers.
Accept and acknowledge the present. Be aware of where you are now. Understand that you cannot change the moment, you can only change what comes next.
So here is my blueprint. My foundation. I've written, and re-written this list, and will most likely continue to re-write it as i go. As life brings me opportunity I will adapt and change, and I know I am the only one that can hold myself back. Hmm, the power of an idea, a laptop and a top-knot.
peace, love, thirty. in no paticular order.
30. Start a blog
29. Start a vlog, let my dreams of being a sportscaster become an online reality
28. Learn fluent French
27. Check off visiting all of the 10 Best NHL Arenas http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1329053-10-best-arenas-in-the-nhl#articles/1329053-10-best-arenas-in-the-nhl/page/11
26. Ice skate in central park (How have I not done this?)
25. Experience New Years Eve in Times Square
24. Visit every studio on a Yoga passport
23. Visit every island listed in the song Kokomo
22. Hike to the top of a mountain and watch the sunrise
21. Drink wine at a vineyard
20. Surf in the Atlantic
19. Road trip across Canada
18. Road trip to Florida
17. Camp out at a music festival
16. Buy a ticket for a random flight and just GO
15. Take a cooking class
14. Master a headstand
13. Master a kegstand
12. Take a solo shopping trip to NYC
11. Meet John Mayer. Have him serenade me.
10. Sing karaoke in Nashville
9. Spend a romantic evening in Paris, eiffel tower and all
8. Experience Mardis Gras in New Orleans
7. Complete the 30 day squat challenge
6. Complete the 30 day abs challenge
5. Sit in at a fashion show at NYFW
4. Attend a pole-dancing convention
3. Commit to a tattoo larger than my hand
2. Vote
1. Run a marathon
So, who's up for a roadie?
Tuesday 11 November 2014
Thursday 6 November 2014
This week has been a crazy whirlwind of newness, change and adjustment, strangely balanced with a welcoming comfort and familiarity. Moving into a new home has been an adventure. Probably should have put that one on the list. It's introduced stresses, deadlines and financial changes into my everyday routine which I'm sure my husband will tell you has turned me into a little bit of a B. Knowing that the adjustment is only temporary, and that time is finally on my side is what seems to be keeping me sane....kind of. The only limitations to the arms on the clock now are my own.
How am I going to find time to write? How can I possibly make time for myself? And yet, how can I not?
I'm now making it a priority to pull myself away from the things that will consume me if I let them. I've made this commitment to myself. I own it, just as much as I own my new home. (By the way, anyone else feeling like your home owns you?) With this new, bigger commitment I have to be honest, I'm kinda feeling like I have shackles around my ankles pulling me back to my front door while my well manicured nails are digging in the overgrown lawn, grasping for a way out, yet only tossing up dirt and leaves.
And so inevitably, as it always does in these circumstances, it's happened yet again. The travel bug has officially hit.
And so it begins.
As much as I have tried to avoid travel expenses to start this journey, I can't avoid the cities that are calling my name, taunting me to visit. NYC I need you. It's been too long.
So this is where I will leave you, yet at the same time it is where I will start.
1. Start a blog.
peace, love, M.
How am I going to find time to write? How can I possibly make time for myself? And yet, how can I not?
I'm now making it a priority to pull myself away from the things that will consume me if I let them. I've made this commitment to myself. I own it, just as much as I own my new home. (By the way, anyone else feeling like your home owns you?) With this new, bigger commitment I have to be honest, I'm kinda feeling like I have shackles around my ankles pulling me back to my front door while my well manicured nails are digging in the overgrown lawn, grasping for a way out, yet only tossing up dirt and leaves.
And so inevitably, as it always does in these circumstances, it's happened yet again. The travel bug has officially hit.
And so it begins.
As much as I have tried to avoid travel expenses to start this journey, I can't avoid the cities that are calling my name, taunting me to visit. NYC I need you. It's been too long.
So this is where I will leave you, yet at the same time it is where I will start.
1. Start a blog.
peace, love, M.
Tuesday 4 November 2014
Choice.
Such a simple word. It's merely the presence of option. Or is it? To me, choice has always been and most likely will continue to be the villain inside that allows my most criticized quality to escape and release it's wrath upon the world. Lets just say I can be a little "indecisive".
In the midst of last nights political election, I got thinking about how having a sense of choice is something to be grateful for. It represents our freedom to vote, or in my case, not to vote. I received a ton of backlash over my choice to avoid the polls yesterday. Yes, I get it. People have fought for my right as a woman to vote. But a right is no longer a responsibility. We live in an age where we are littered with options and forced towards consumption, so how is it practical that we are encouraged to choose the future of our city by choosing what's behind door #1, #2 or #3. I doubt there's a new car behind any of them.
I'm just over a week into this little project of mine, and I'm quickly realizing how uncomfortable I am with making decisions from an emotional standpoint. In my work life, I am extremely practical. I'm solution-oriented and would rather get to the bottom of things rather than let them dwell. In my personal life, that's not the case. Call it the "where do you want to go for dinner?" syndrome. Wait a second, 'I' get to make a decision for my own benefit? Now that I have the option, maybe I don't want Italian anymore.....maybe I want Thai.....or Mexican....can I just get ice cream for dinner?
Coming up with 30 events, activities goals and experiences is so much more difficult than I thought it would be. Where do I start? How do I narrow it down? Can I afford this? Will I have time to fit everything in?
We'll just like this blog, I need to start somewhere. It's been interesting having my friends and family share their responses of things they wish they had done before they left their 20's behind. I appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts with me. What I've learned from this is that everyone has their reasons for regrets. Different experiences will have different meanings to different people. And that's fine. But nothing anyone shared actually resignated with me. It didn't bring me any closer to creating my map because my route is my own. And so instead of asking for directions, I'm just going to grab my keys and drive. Because the first step to getting to where you want be, is leaving where you are.
Peace, love, M.
Such a simple word. It's merely the presence of option. Or is it? To me, choice has always been and most likely will continue to be the villain inside that allows my most criticized quality to escape and release it's wrath upon the world. Lets just say I can be a little "indecisive".
In the midst of last nights political election, I got thinking about how having a sense of choice is something to be grateful for. It represents our freedom to vote, or in my case, not to vote. I received a ton of backlash over my choice to avoid the polls yesterday. Yes, I get it. People have fought for my right as a woman to vote. But a right is no longer a responsibility. We live in an age where we are littered with options and forced towards consumption, so how is it practical that we are encouraged to choose the future of our city by choosing what's behind door #1, #2 or #3. I doubt there's a new car behind any of them.
I'm just over a week into this little project of mine, and I'm quickly realizing how uncomfortable I am with making decisions from an emotional standpoint. In my work life, I am extremely practical. I'm solution-oriented and would rather get to the bottom of things rather than let them dwell. In my personal life, that's not the case. Call it the "where do you want to go for dinner?" syndrome. Wait a second, 'I' get to make a decision for my own benefit? Now that I have the option, maybe I don't want Italian anymore.....maybe I want Thai.....or Mexican....can I just get ice cream for dinner?
Coming up with 30 events, activities goals and experiences is so much more difficult than I thought it would be. Where do I start? How do I narrow it down? Can I afford this? Will I have time to fit everything in?
We'll just like this blog, I need to start somewhere. It's been interesting having my friends and family share their responses of things they wish they had done before they left their 20's behind. I appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts with me. What I've learned from this is that everyone has their reasons for regrets. Different experiences will have different meanings to different people. And that's fine. But nothing anyone shared actually resignated with me. It didn't bring me any closer to creating my map because my route is my own. And so instead of asking for directions, I'm just going to grab my keys and drive. Because the first step to getting to where you want be, is leaving where you are.
Peace, love, M.
Wednesday 22 October 2014
I woke up this morning feeling anxious. Not quite enough to the point of willing to jump out of my bed and get a head start on my day. More along the lines of a sense of excitement, albeit buried somewhere, deep within, by the opportunity to snooze my alarm twice and fall back into the realm of the unknown depths of my mind.
The fact is that something felt different today. The last few days of scheduling, appointments and calendars combined with my swift numeric skills have consciously been reminding me that as of today, I have exactly a year and a half (or 18 months, or 538 days considering 2016 is a leap year, but who's really counting) until I hit 30. Now, I've never been afraid of entering the next decade of my life. I truly believe that your thirties are the new twenties. I mean, what better time to take life by the reigns when you've actually got most of it sorted out? Job, check. House, check. Husband, check.
Let's get a few things straight - I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I don't feel unsatisfied. What I feel is that the timing couldn't be better for me to attack the things I've wanted to achieve in past years, but just haven't got around to for whatever excuse I've allowed myself to reason with and accept, until now. Which brings me to the "bucket list" concept. I'm not sure why they call it a bucket list, I guess you would metaphorically fill up your "bucket" as you go with all of life's memories and activities. I'm pretty confident that if I had a bucket, it would already be overflowing. And I'd probably drop it anyways.
Enter peace, love, thirty.
Yes, essentially I have replaced "bucket list" with something more cute and clever, but I truly believe this journey will take me to a place where I feel harmony between myself and the world. I've always lived within a sense of stability, (minus that period in 2010...although you have to admit party M was a blast) but stability can be bland, and let's face it, I can't spend every afternoon taking an open-air yoga class in the middle of the rainforest. So I've started to write, and research, and think. My active social brain took me to Pinterest where I found that my search results only allowed me to create a board on adventures I've already taken. I've been blessed in my life to have had so many amazing experiences and to be so well travelled at my ripe old age of 28, so what's left? This week I'm going to be doing a lot of reflecting. What did I miss? What was my excuse? Why not _____? I've already got a few things on my mind.
My goal will be 30 by 30 (again, clever. I know.) and I'm craving inspiration right now. So please, inspire me. What's the one thing you would (or do) regret leaving your twenties behind without doing? I'll be blogging throughout this journey, so as my high-school e-mail handle suggests...enjoy.
Peace, love, M.
The fact is that something felt different today. The last few days of scheduling, appointments and calendars combined with my swift numeric skills have consciously been reminding me that as of today, I have exactly a year and a half (or 18 months, or 538 days considering 2016 is a leap year, but who's really counting) until I hit 30. Now, I've never been afraid of entering the next decade of my life. I truly believe that your thirties are the new twenties. I mean, what better time to take life by the reigns when you've actually got most of it sorted out? Job, check. House, check. Husband, check.
Let's get a few things straight - I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I don't feel unsatisfied. What I feel is that the timing couldn't be better for me to attack the things I've wanted to achieve in past years, but just haven't got around to for whatever excuse I've allowed myself to reason with and accept, until now. Which brings me to the "bucket list" concept. I'm not sure why they call it a bucket list, I guess you would metaphorically fill up your "bucket" as you go with all of life's memories and activities. I'm pretty confident that if I had a bucket, it would already be overflowing. And I'd probably drop it anyways.
Enter peace, love, thirty.
Yes, essentially I have replaced "bucket list" with something more cute and clever, but I truly believe this journey will take me to a place where I feel harmony between myself and the world. I've always lived within a sense of stability, (minus that period in 2010...although you have to admit party M was a blast) but stability can be bland, and let's face it, I can't spend every afternoon taking an open-air yoga class in the middle of the rainforest. So I've started to write, and research, and think. My active social brain took me to Pinterest where I found that my search results only allowed me to create a board on adventures I've already taken. I've been blessed in my life to have had so many amazing experiences and to be so well travelled at my ripe old age of 28, so what's left? This week I'm going to be doing a lot of reflecting. What did I miss? What was my excuse? Why not _____? I've already got a few things on my mind.
My goal will be 30 by 30 (again, clever. I know.) and I'm craving inspiration right now. So please, inspire me. What's the one thing you would (or do) regret leaving your twenties behind without doing? I'll be blogging throughout this journey, so as my high-school e-mail handle suggests...enjoy.
Peace, love, M.
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