I can handle a challenge.

Today I learned that I can handle a challenge.

I love, love, love this quote: “Together forever, never apart. Maybe in distance, but never in heart.” I first used this  in my column for our school paper senior year of high school because my best friends and I split up to attend different colleges. I was again reminded of this quote when I moved to Indianapolis and left friends and family behind in St. Louis for a job.

Today, I’m reminded of this quote again as I send my boyfriend off on a temporary, grand adventure to the middle-of no-where Pennsylvania for work. Nothing is easy in life, but when we work hard, we are often rewarded. If I grow to be 100 years old, six months is hardly existent in the scheme of things.

I value each of my relationships greatly. It’s amazing to see this quote apply to so many different stages in my life. Each time it comes to mind, the situation seems sad and lonely, but looking back, each situation has resulted in new friends, opportunities and experiences. I wouldn’t give that up for anything. Today, I am reminded that we may be separated by distance, but never by heart.

I am blessed

Today I learned (remembered) that I am blessed.

Watching the news will do that to you, that is, remind you how lucky you are to live the way you do. With the recent snow storm, as much as I hated most of it, I realized how lucky I was to have electricity and heat when so many others were without. When I feel like my family has really bad luck with health, I realize how much it has brought us closer and how many other people have either the same problems or  even worse situations.

My life, compared to the rest of the world, is far less troubling and scary. When tragedy strikes, we have the resources and drive to get back on our feet. In my country, I don’t have to worry about being persecuted for my religion or values. Every story the news presents on the situation on Central Africa Republic makes me want to cry.

I can’t list everything that’s bad in the world, but the point is that I look at what I have and realize I am blessed and lucky. Sometimes I forget to not let myself get overwhelmed by negatives; It’s easy to dwell on those. I am blessed. I should start saying that out loud more often. I am blessed.

Snow makes people generous

Today I learned that snow makes people generous.

A normally busy parking lot abandoned due to the snow.

While I appreciate the constant stream of news updates regarding the weather and condition of the streets, it becomes exhausting after day three. The stories I do like are those of people helping people through hard times.

Thousands of people were without power in Indianapolis and surrounding counties, many warming centers were opened for people to stay the night. With the roads as bad as they were, and temperatures very low, many people could not get to the warming centers at all.

Residents were encouraged to call the Mayoral Action Committee, which, was manned by volunteers who risked their lives to be there and help others, as did those staffing the warming centers themselves. Then there was the team of Marion County Sheriff Deputies who used their personal vehicles and volunteered their time to drive around the city picking up families without heat and delivering them to the warming centers. That, to me, is heroic.

On a smaller scale, I noticed it at my apartment complex as well. As neighbors ventured out into the cold to dig their cars out, residents shared shovels and checked in with one another to make sure they didn’t need anything.

The beauty of this generosity paired with the quiet stillness the snow brought, created a special moment before the city goes back to its normal hustle and bustle on Wednesday. Though I look forward to when the snow melts, I hope the generosity I discovered in people remains under the sunshine’s warmth.

Resolutions are easy to make

January 1
(If you are wondering why this blog exists, take a walk to my About tab and get filled in. I’ll wait for you! Got it? Ok read on.)

Today, I learned that making resolutions are easy, but keeping them is much harder (obviously!) When I say I learned this, I mean that I am experiencing it for the first time. I’ve never actually written a list of goals and posted it on the fridge before. On New Years Day I woke up early and started typing out a big list of my hopes and dreams for 2014 and was feeling very optimistic. By the end of the night, I realized I’d already fallen short.

Making the list is the easy part. I ended up with 22 items on my list! Some are financial, some career focused, others are for fitness and fun. The problem with my list is that I was feeling very optimistic when I created it and pledged to do several of them every day. Did you know there are only 24 hours in the day?

I am excited about what I have pledged to do. I am very goal-oriented so to have a list I can check myself on is exciting to me. Where I let myself down was by not creating SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound).

To pledge to do something everyday meant that if I missed one day, I’d already failed. The amount of things I wanted to do everyday really wasn’t attainable in real life; separately maybe, but not stacked on top of each other. Those physical therapy exercises I conveniently forget about but promised myself to do everyday? I still didn’t do them, but I did drink my eight cups of water! I’m giving myself  a little cushion to get in a routine to make these things happen.

Bonus: I also learned that I am very optimistic and that it is both a privilege and a curse!