Saturday: Break time.
Spend time doing something you really like to do. Enjoy being outside, go for a walk, chat with a friend, get a massage, or read a book. The possibilities are endless! Take the time to realize you are enjoying yourself in that moment, and not just after the fact.
Sunday: Inside Out.
Spend as much time on the inside as you do on the outside. Find something you want to improve on and make a goal. Reconcile yourself with someone distant, refrain from judging others, or strive to see the waterline of life's cup just a little fuller. Maybe you want to set a goal to be kinder, nicer, and a little more compassionate. Whatever it may be, set your mark and go for it. You can do anything you put your mind to - remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. If it's not easy the first time, it's only going to get better.
Monday: Simple Kindness Day.
Smile, and perform 3 acts of kindness today. You could send a nice note to a friend, or help your mom cook dinner. Maybe there is a person who just needs your friendly hello. You could thank your bus driver for the ride and pick up your neighbor's newspaper on the walk home. There are countless ways to show a little extra kindness every day.
...This is what is written on my little paper hand-out thing. On Friday, you were also supposed to write 20 things you like about yourself, which I did. That was great.
Otherwise, though, I unfortunately didn't really do the others. But today is a brand new day! Huzzah.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
You Know,
sometimes, bad things happen.
Actually, bad things happen a lot.
I'm glad that someday, we'll be judged on both actions, and REactions.
Because that sounds wonderful to me.
...Also, on a happier note:
A club I'm involved with at school is starting a "Love your Life" week next week. Obviously, I'm going to participate. And I'm thinking I might share what we do each day and my experiences that follow on here. Good? Okay.
I'm sorry you guys just hear from me all the time...
Totally borrrring.
Also, that last sentence made me sound like a very typical teenager.
...Which is fine, actually, because I pretty much am.
Actually, bad things happen a lot.
I'm glad that someday, we'll be judged on both actions, and REactions.
Because that sounds wonderful to me.
...Also, on a happier note:
A club I'm involved with at school is starting a "Love your Life" week next week. Obviously, I'm going to participate. And I'm thinking I might share what we do each day and my experiences that follow on here. Good? Okay.
I'm sorry you guys just hear from me all the time...
Totally borrrring.
Also, that last sentence made me sound like a very typical teenager.
...Which is fine, actually, because I pretty much am.
Friday, March 25, 2011
It's Coming
Yes... it's nearing.
The end of our senior year.
I'm sure I speak for both Caroline and myself when I say that we are ready. College will greet us with open arms, while we say goodbye to Lone Peak.
There will be sad farewells. Ones that are truly difficult because we know there will be people we might never see again. I also think both of us can say there will be goodbyes that are okay. People that we don't feel too much sadness in saying so long to.
Last night I had a long talk with a friend in her car. This friend is terrified to go off to college (and rightly so - she has so much more pressure than most of us can imagine), and mostly we just talked about our futures. Even though my friend brings up a lot of valid points (the future really is a scary thing), I am so excited.
We will be independent. No one to make me lunch, to force me to get up for church or school, to persuade me to do my homework. And there is a great opportunity before me. I hold in my hands my entire life up to this point. All the challenges, the mistakes, the successes, the joys, the trials, and the insecurities. And I have the ability to look at this life I've made so far and pick out what I want to change. Those things that I
should have done,
would have done,
could have done.
I can say, "I don't like how I handle [these] situations, or how I react when thrown [this]." And then I can totally reshape the way I live my life.
I can try harder.
Of course, I've always had the ability to do that, but it's almost like being in essentially the exact same position all of my life sometimes hold me back. But I don't want to be held back anymore. And that is the beauty of college - a new situation, a new schedule, new friends...
Everything is new.
...I'm not ready to go just yet.
My Senioritis is present, but it's not overwhelming yet. Yes, I could go along with everyone else and say that I just can't WAIT to get out of high school. While that is partially true, I know I'm not ready quite yet.
I'm going to enjoy these last few months of high school as much as I can. I'm going to remember that this is my last chance to be a high school student, to depend on my parents, and to let my mom do my laundry.
When the responsibility and opportunity comes, I will be ready.
Isn't change exciting?
Last night I had a long talk with a friend in her car. This friend is terrified to go off to college (and rightly so - she has so much more pressure than most of us can imagine), and mostly we just talked about our futures. Even though my friend brings up a lot of valid points (the future really is a scary thing), I am so excited.
We will be independent. No one to make me lunch, to force me to get up for church or school, to persuade me to do my homework. And there is a great opportunity before me. I hold in my hands my entire life up to this point. All the challenges, the mistakes, the successes, the joys, the trials, and the insecurities. And I have the ability to look at this life I've made so far and pick out what I want to change. Those things that I
should have done,
would have done,
could have done.
I can say, "I don't like how I handle [these] situations, or how I react when thrown [this]." And then I can totally reshape the way I live my life.
I can try harder.
Of course, I've always had the ability to do that, but it's almost like being in essentially the exact same position all of my life sometimes hold me back. But I don't want to be held back anymore. And that is the beauty of college - a new situation, a new schedule, new friends...
Everything is new.
...I'm not ready to go just yet.
My Senioritis is present, but it's not overwhelming yet. Yes, I could go along with everyone else and say that I just can't WAIT to get out of high school. While that is partially true, I know I'm not ready quite yet.
I'm going to enjoy these last few months of high school as much as I can. I'm going to remember that this is my last chance to be a high school student, to depend on my parents, and to let my mom do my laundry.
When the responsibility and opportunity comes, I will be ready.
Isn't change exciting?
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
alright alright.
this blog.
it's not as awesome and caroline and i dreamed it would be.
therefore.
expect something new/exciting/different/unique/totally not unique/cliche and awesome/inspiring/lovely in the future.
me and caroline? we're going to get together and redirect this little thing we have going on here. sound good? good.
for now, enjoy this lovely thought:
"Come what may and love it." - Joseph B. Wirthlin.
with the all the sincerity my heart can muster,
anna elizabeth
ps. caroline will also be attending blog posting boot camp. we'll get her in shape eventually.
it's not as awesome and caroline and i dreamed it would be.
therefore.
expect something new/exciting/different/unique/totally not unique/cliche and awesome/inspiring/lovely in the future.
me and caroline? we're going to get together and redirect this little thing we have going on here. sound good? good.
for now, enjoy this lovely thought:
"Come what may and love it." - Joseph B. Wirthlin.
with the all the sincerity my heart can muster,
anna elizabeth
ps. caroline will also be attending blog posting boot camp. we'll get her in shape eventually.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Alright.
So I'm totally relaying a moment similar to Caroline's.
And in you're head you're saying, "What?! Plagiarist. Fake. I only read this blog because of Caroline anyway! She's the clever one."
And to that I say, "I'm sorry. Too bad I've written a lot on here. Deal with it. And my idea stealin'."
Ah, just kidding. I know you all are lovely people. Thanks for readin'.
But I digress.
There I am: Walmart.
Grocery shopping with my mother. She sends me on an errand to go get breadcrumbs. And I cheerfully (or not so cheerfully - i can't remember my mood. we'll say it's happy, shall we?) canter through the aisles to find those darn breadcrumbs.
It's crowded.
So I almost bulldoze a man with a walker.
Luckily, though, I stopped myself (good thing too. that would have been mighty embarrassin'. [tangent tangent. excuse ma strange language. i'm feelin' the suthurn type 'a talk today].
Oh, yes. So I stopped myself. And waited to let him pass.
He was old. Very old. White hair, slightly crouched, leaning on his walker. I stopped my parade through the store and waited to let him pass. I didn't want to appear rude.
But you know what?
He stopped. To let me pass.
He motioned with his frail little hand for me to continue in front of him, and I smiled, and continued. As I was passing and thanking him, he said,
"Ladies first."
He said it like it was an obvious truth. I could hear the "Well of course!" in his voice. And inside my heart got all warm. And I thought, "You know. His wife is one lucky lady." A lucky lady, because he treats her like one.
And I also thought that he had probably been taught all his life that ladies go first. Because that's just how life is. Ladies are special, and should be treated with all the respect in the world. Even if you're frail and cripple and the lady is able to quickly stop for a moment to let you pass, she must go first. Because she's a lady.
I really wish old-fashioned chivalry like that was still drilled into men.
Love from a lady,
Anna Elizabeth
p.s. for whatever reason, i'm sick of capitalizing. i used to only do lower case online because of laziness, but then i felt like this labeled me as a common teen unable to spell, use punctuation, or express intelligent thoughts.... because of laziness (that part was entirely right, of course). so i think i might start a revolt for a while since i am now sick of capitalizing. it looks stiff.... maybe it's just all the school papers i've been a'writin. i don't know. either way, think of me as still literate, okay? thanks y'all.
And in you're head you're saying, "What?! Plagiarist. Fake. I only read this blog because of Caroline anyway! She's the clever one."
And to that I say, "I'm sorry. Too bad I've written a lot on here. Deal with it. And my idea stealin'."
Ah, just kidding. I know you all are lovely people. Thanks for readin'.
But I digress.
There I am: Walmart.
Grocery shopping with my mother. She sends me on an errand to go get breadcrumbs. And I cheerfully (or not so cheerfully - i can't remember my mood. we'll say it's happy, shall we?) canter through the aisles to find those darn breadcrumbs.
It's crowded.
So I almost bulldoze a man with a walker.
Luckily, though, I stopped myself (good thing too. that would have been mighty embarrassin'. [tangent tangent. excuse ma strange language. i'm feelin' the suthurn type 'a talk today].
Oh, yes. So I stopped myself. And waited to let him pass.
He was old. Very old. White hair, slightly crouched, leaning on his walker. I stopped my parade through the store and waited to let him pass. I didn't want to appear rude.
But you know what?
He stopped. To let me pass.
He motioned with his frail little hand for me to continue in front of him, and I smiled, and continued. As I was passing and thanking him, he said,
"Ladies first."
He said it like it was an obvious truth. I could hear the "Well of course!" in his voice. And inside my heart got all warm. And I thought, "You know. His wife is one lucky lady." A lucky lady, because he treats her like one.
And I also thought that he had probably been taught all his life that ladies go first. Because that's just how life is. Ladies are special, and should be treated with all the respect in the world. Even if you're frail and cripple and the lady is able to quickly stop for a moment to let you pass, she must go first. Because she's a lady.
I really wish old-fashioned chivalry like that was still drilled into men.
Love from a lady,
Anna Elizabeth
p.s. for whatever reason, i'm sick of capitalizing. i used to only do lower case online because of laziness, but then i felt like this labeled me as a common teen unable to spell, use punctuation, or express intelligent thoughts.... because of laziness (that part was entirely right, of course). so i think i might start a revolt for a while since i am now sick of capitalizing. it looks stiff.... maybe it's just all the school papers i've been a'writin. i don't know. either way, think of me as still literate, okay? thanks y'all.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
on friday:
I saw a certain man at the store.
he looked young, probably in his early twenties. he was wearing a plaid shirt, and stood examining the flowers they had for sale. he looked a little bit lost, as if he wasn't sure what to get. I smiled to myself, hoping that the person he was buying flowers for would love them even if they weren't perfect.
I proceeded to check-out, and then to the parking lot. I saw him walking to his car, flowers in hand.
I was a little bit proud of him.
yesterday:
I talked to some of my closest girlfriends for two hours straight.
we shared advice, shared stories, shared food, and shared laughter.
the other day:
My little siblings were watching a movie upstairs.
It was quiet for a little while. They were obviously distracted.
Then.
A bubbling giggle, loud and completely honest, floated down the stairs.
(my littlest brother.)
I saw a certain man at the store.
he looked young, probably in his early twenties. he was wearing a plaid shirt, and stood examining the flowers they had for sale. he looked a little bit lost, as if he wasn't sure what to get. I smiled to myself, hoping that the person he was buying flowers for would love them even if they weren't perfect.
I proceeded to check-out, and then to the parking lot. I saw him walking to his car, flowers in hand.
I was a little bit proud of him.
yesterday:
I talked to some of my closest girlfriends for two hours straight.
we shared advice, shared stories, shared food, and shared laughter.
the other day:
My little siblings were watching a movie upstairs.
It was quiet for a little while. They were obviously distracted.
Then.
A bubbling giggle, loud and completely honest, floated down the stairs.
(my littlest brother.)
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