Happiness. I love it. And tonight as I sit on my couch alone listening to Christmas music in January, I feel the need to blog. Though I am not feeling entirely witty so instead of writing my own lyrics, I will compose a short list of other favorites on the subject.
"So, I’ve been thinking about this whole being happy thing, and I feel like people get lost when they think of happiness as a destination. We’re always thinking that someday we’ll be happy; we’ll get that car or that job or that person in our lives that will fix everything. But happiness is a mood, and it’s a condition, not a destination. It’s like being tired or hungry, it’s not permanent. It comes and goes, and that’s okay. And I feel like if people thought of it that way, they’d find happiness more often." - One Tree Hill
“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.” - Elizabeth Gilbert
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it's all that matters.” - Audrey Hepburn
“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” - Mother Teresa
“Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.
To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.” - Christian D. Larson
"At the end of the day faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it. It's like one day you realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dreamed. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. And it's not so important happy ever after, just that its happy right now. See once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you , and once in a while people may even take your breath away." - Meredith Grey, Greys Anatomy
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” - Anne Frank
“Promise Yourself
So go forth and make the decision to live a happy life. It is, after all, up to ourselves.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Thursday, February 9, 2012
do not forget the important things.
after a long day at the hospital i need to take some time to look at facebook, pinterest and other mindless sites on the internet. it seems to help me relax and gear up for a large night of studying...
my day was difficult but i found this article that sums up life in a nutshell. hope you find it as good and inspiring as i did!
"When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and fills it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.” he said.
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you...” he told them.
“So... pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time with good friends. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled and said, “I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
my day was difficult but i found this article that sums up life in a nutshell. hope you find it as good and inspiring as i did!
"When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and fills it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.” he said.
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you...” he told them.
“So... pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time with good friends. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled and said, “I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
Monday, February 6, 2012
stop being so rude.
so yesterday was superbowl sunday... not that i really care. my team did not make it, and while they did have a good season, the green bay packers didn't even fight during their last game but whatever, i'm over it.
anyway, the best part about superbowl sunday is getting together with friends, watching commercials and hanging out. its a good excuse to leave the house and have some social interactions. especially since it often feels as though i never leave the hospital or see people who are not in the healthcare profession... but alas here is time to hang out. i'm excited and we are eating dinner together. i'm bringing the salad and bread, she's making delicious pasta and it will be a party!
i have to get on the bus to get to her house as i am not walking over a mile in february carrying a salad and other things. the bus itself is an interesting experience. the variety in people riding it always astounds me. and this day was no different. there were people coming from the grocery store, college students and older, children and their parents, people from different SES and people coming home from work.
however there was one individual who stood out to me. he (i think he was a he anyway) was wearing an "amanda" name tag of a target employee but obviously not dress from work as he was not wearing a red shirt under his black trench coat. he was also wearing sunglasses so i could not see his eyes. yet the thing that stood out the most were his platform shoes. he wore black boots that tie all the way up to the knee, but more astounding were the 6 inches of rubber sole under his feet. i briefly looked him over and then proceeded to keep to myself, looking down at my salad bowl. he was also keeping to himself, sitting next to two asian women.
he stood up a few stops before i left but did not exit the bus. when he did this, the asian women immediately began talking about him and how large his soles were. now to be fair, they were speaking in a language other than english or french (the only 2 i know...) but you could tell, anyone could tell they were talking about him. they both leaned over to look at his soles and laugh at him. they were pointing and using their fingers to show how large they were, obviously and blatantly making fun of him. he was literally 6 inches in front of him and yet they did not care.
i could not believe how rude and mean they were being. what if he knew what they were saying? what if he turned around and saw them making fun of him? and i'm sure this guy gets his fair share of laughs and judgements from other people. but seriously... could they not have waited until he got off the bus, or at least until they were farther away from him. cultural differences i guess. or maybe they were fully american and rude anyway. probably were. it just astounds me how mean some people can be.
poor guy... mean ladies... interesting bus stories... one more for the repertoire!
anyway, the best part about superbowl sunday is getting together with friends, watching commercials and hanging out. its a good excuse to leave the house and have some social interactions. especially since it often feels as though i never leave the hospital or see people who are not in the healthcare profession... but alas here is time to hang out. i'm excited and we are eating dinner together. i'm bringing the salad and bread, she's making delicious pasta and it will be a party!
i have to get on the bus to get to her house as i am not walking over a mile in february carrying a salad and other things. the bus itself is an interesting experience. the variety in people riding it always astounds me. and this day was no different. there were people coming from the grocery store, college students and older, children and their parents, people from different SES and people coming home from work.
however there was one individual who stood out to me. he (i think he was a he anyway) was wearing an "amanda" name tag of a target employee but obviously not dress from work as he was not wearing a red shirt under his black trench coat. he was also wearing sunglasses so i could not see his eyes. yet the thing that stood out the most were his platform shoes. he wore black boots that tie all the way up to the knee, but more astounding were the 6 inches of rubber sole under his feet. i briefly looked him over and then proceeded to keep to myself, looking down at my salad bowl. he was also keeping to himself, sitting next to two asian women.
he stood up a few stops before i left but did not exit the bus. when he did this, the asian women immediately began talking about him and how large his soles were. now to be fair, they were speaking in a language other than english or french (the only 2 i know...) but you could tell, anyone could tell they were talking about him. they both leaned over to look at his soles and laugh at him. they were pointing and using their fingers to show how large they were, obviously and blatantly making fun of him. he was literally 6 inches in front of him and yet they did not care.
i could not believe how rude and mean they were being. what if he knew what they were saying? what if he turned around and saw them making fun of him? and i'm sure this guy gets his fair share of laughs and judgements from other people. but seriously... could they not have waited until he got off the bus, or at least until they were farther away from him. cultural differences i guess. or maybe they were fully american and rude anyway. probably were. it just astounds me how mean some people can be.
poor guy... mean ladies... interesting bus stories... one more for the repertoire!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Anyway, still my old self. I was stalking someone's facebook page, and noticed they had a blog that was actually up-to-date!! Pretty exciting concept. I decided I should do that too. I mean people want to know about my life right? Maybe not-- but someday I'll look back at this and think I was pretty cool. hahaha. Maybe.
I am procrastinating. I have a huge exam wednesday and a million other things to do, some that are even late! Not that anyone told me, after all this is college and I'm supposed to be independent among other things. And I am for the most part. I live alone and even have a car so I am no longer stuck in one place! I can go grocery shopping and I juggle having a job and being an nursing student too! I don't have many other things going on though... unlike some of the other students. I don't know how some people do it. I come home exhausted from the day, ready to collapse. I live 15 minutes away and only have to take care of myself (which is sometimes STILL too much to handle) and I then I look at some of my classmates who live over an hour away and have children to take care of on top of studying and clinicals and their 2 hour commute. I need to stop complaining about being too tired and not having enough time. I never hear them complaining, but thats also probably due to the fact that they don't have enough energy for anything else in their schedule... hahahhaa.
But honestly, I do LOVE nursing school. I like the people and I feel challenged every day. For once, school is teaching me something important that I will be using later in life. And for as much as I complain about clinicals, I get to meet really awesome people and feel even more accomplished every shift! I just applied to a summer nurse internship program. I really hope it works out. I think I picked the right occupation that that makes me happiest of all. Now I'm not saying this is what I am going to do for the rest of my life, but it is making me happy now and that's what is important (at least that is what I tell people at my job everyday...).
Okay, time to begin studying again. This was an nice break. Maybe I'll take a break everyday? Maybe not. We shall see. But I put 36 entries up in 2009. I think I can break that record in 2012.
:)
Friday, January 14, 2011
new places and strange things
this semester i am studying abroad in london. i have been here for a week and a half and am beginning to feel settled in. coming to a country with english as its first language, i didn't expect to be feeling the normal 'culture shock', though people cannot always understand my american accent.
saying that, there are quite a few things that are different, new, and hard for me to get my head around. things that seem very elementary and simple have become difficult and i feel the need to be more careful than i would be in the united states. here is a short list of things that i have already noticed really mess me up:
1. crossing the street. sounds simple, yes? but it's not. cars come from the opposite direction and cross into the opposite lane. taking a left turn here does not involve crossing the traffic, but rather turning directly into the adjacent lane. it feels like a right turn in the us, and thus i am not prepared for it, nor am i looking for it. i am constantly looking the wrong way for cars and probably would have already been hit if not for the huge "look left" and "look right" letters painted at almost every formal crossing. also, cars do not care about people. unlike in the united states where people are nice and slow down when they see someone crossing the street, here people literally and actually speed up. if it's their turn, it is BLOODY THEIR TURN.
2. they have mini fridges. for everyone. i share a flat with another study abroad student, and together, for the BOTH of us to share, we have a mini fridge. i could literally buy and consume enough food to almost fill up an entire normal sized fridge. apparently everything in america is actually bigger. and maybe the size of the fridge directly corresponds the population of obese people? regardless to the answer to that question, the fridge is still small and makes me shop many more times in a week than i would do at home.
i could think of millions of these cultural differences, but my computer is funning out of battery, i am in my second course of the day, after getting about 5 hours of sleep, and i am off to wales today! so alas i leave you.
time for tea and crumpets.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
1.2.3.4.
oofta! it has been a long time. i guess i've just been busy with school? friends? re-gaining a life back? hahaha. never enough time to blog it, unless time at work proves to be un-producvite and studying for finals just isn't the number 1 thing i feel like doing... time for a life update.
1. the field i decided to go into a year ago rejected me. i applied and did not get in. i hear it's very competitive, but it still does not take away the sting of denial. i have back-up plans, but nothing is as exciting as what i had originally planned..
2. i love my roommate.
3. camp is 2.5 weeks away, and it couldn't come sooner. i cannot wait for that sunshine and 100% humidity weather. the southern accent is the cherry on top, and making new friends... well not something i'm 100% looking forward to, but i'll handle it and hopefully meet some amazing people. plus i do get to see all those people who get to stay in the south year round. lucky ducks..
4. when i graduate, in whatever major, i'm moving south. it's not something i overly obsess about, just something that's constantly on my mind... hahaha. i'm moving to north carolina, south carolina, virgina, georgia... getting a car and getting on my permanent "y'all". it's exciting. and boys with bow ties are always polite.
hmm. is that really a semester? no. probs not. but it's all that's on my mind currently, and since i am at work, i feel like i should at least try to do something productive. i am getting paid, and i do wish to have a job next year.
1. the field i decided to go into a year ago rejected me. i applied and did not get in. i hear it's very competitive, but it still does not take away the sting of denial. i have back-up plans, but nothing is as exciting as what i had originally planned..
2. i love my roommate.
3. camp is 2.5 weeks away, and it couldn't come sooner. i cannot wait for that sunshine and 100% humidity weather. the southern accent is the cherry on top, and making new friends... well not something i'm 100% looking forward to, but i'll handle it and hopefully meet some amazing people. plus i do get to see all those people who get to stay in the south year round. lucky ducks..
4. when i graduate, in whatever major, i'm moving south. it's not something i overly obsess about, just something that's constantly on my mind... hahaha. i'm moving to north carolina, south carolina, virgina, georgia... getting a car and getting on my permanent "y'all". it's exciting. and boys with bow ties are always polite.
hmm. is that really a semester? no. probs not. but it's all that's on my mind currently, and since i am at work, i feel like i should at least try to do something productive. i am getting paid, and i do wish to have a job next year.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
recipe for failure
ASO to finals. whoever decided it was a good idea to have 4 tests based on everything learned in a semester in one week's time was seriously deranged. It's a recipe for sleep depravation, failure, and the pre-requisite of illness (which apparently is a state of mind....)
just my opinion. 3 down, one to go. and i have 3 full days to study-- which is great considering i haven't opened the book since the last class (monday i believe?) i took my third today. when i was done, i took my books to the bookstore and sold them back. my two books for only ONE class cost me over 200 dollars originally. money back: 50 dollars. who the fuck is benefiting this much off my education, cause it sure as hell ain't me.
i'm just bitter. i need to be done. and it's not even that i'm eager to go home and see my family, i just want to be done worrying, done always feeling guilty for not studying. i hate being stressed, and although i loved camp, i was stressed continuously. which means that except for maybe a cumulative total of 1 month, i have been stressed for over a year. that's not healthy. and from bio molecualr chem, i learned that chronic stress produces cortisol-- the body's mechanism for packing on the pounds? at least i've figured why i've gained hmmm 15 poundsish?
but that's no excuse. lol. i'm just ready to kick it. december 23-- FINALS 2 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. that hardly gives me time to de-stress before the big day. let alone shopping. what am i supposed to do though. i like the in-state tuition and the big 10 school. it's just hard reading facebook statuses of everyone, LITERALLY EVERYONE complaining about how bored they are? give me a break. i'd trade with you any day. i used to like school, look forward to learning new things, but everyone needs a break. i need to relax. i need a back massage. hehehe.
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