“An intention will help create more clarity in your life, especially when the seed is planted right before you start your meditation. Setting an intention is like drawing a map of where you wish to go — it becomes the driving force of your higher consciousness”
A little over three years ago, I wrote down some intentions on the eve of a strawberry moon. Without going into too much detail, these intentions included goals for my career, my family, my home, my love life, and my general well-being. I filled up an entire sheet of paper, folded it up, and tucked it away in my sock drawer.
By the next month, I started my new job and got one huge item checked off the list. It seemed like after that, good or bad, everything started to fall into place – even if I couldn’t see it as it was happening. I pulled the note out once, maybe twice over the course of the next year, but in all honestly I completely forgot about it in that sock drawer until about a week ago.
As I read over that list, three years later, I was either at or far beyond every goal and intention I outlined for myself. And it was a really good feeling… but it was also a little defeating. Was that it? Where do I go from here? I know I probably should have kept this piece of paper for its sentimental value or whatever, but in that moment – when the realization hit me – I knew there was only one thing left to do.
So, I ripped it up into tiny little pieces and threw it in the trash.
The lesson I learned through this experience is to never stop striving. Never stop setting intentions and goals for yourself. Write it down. Check back in on it periodically. Achieve it. And once you check everything off your list, rip it up and set higher ones. [Okay, ripping it up might be a little over dramatic, but you know who you’re dealing with here.] Either way, always remember that you are so, so capable of so much more than you think you are. Never stop learning. Never stop growing. And never, ever settle.
“[Love] isn’t urgent, it isn’t stressful, it isn’t about pity. I don’t think that to love someone else you should have to abandon yourself.”
I’m not sure why, but I’ve read a lot of books written by female comedians. [Proof here, and here.] It started when I joined a “book club” with my friends, that never amounted us meeting or discussing said books… but, I digress. This genre is typically an easy read, it’s entertaining, witty, and tends to address larger issues of how women are treated and perceived in a male-dominated industry. For my birthday last year, a friend got me Whitney Cummings’ book, I’m Fine …and Other Lies. While I am familiar with Whitney Cummings, I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan of her work; I can remember watching a bit of one of her shows or maybe stand-up and thinking she was pretty cool. At any rate, I gave her book a go.
I learned a lot of information about her: from her struggles with codependency, relationship issues, and severe anorexia, to her very personal experiences with different forms of therapy. With each chapter I became more and more surprised with how dysfunctional her life actually was, and how she managed to turn every bit of it into something positive. There was one chapter that really resonated with me: it started out about how she gravitates towards rescuing pit bulls, explaining that they are a misunderstood breed; often a product of poor training or having been taken from their mothers too young. Pit bulls are the most common dog breed found in shelters, and as a result the most frequently euthanized. One day, she came across a year-old blue pit that was only a couple days away from being euthanized and in desperate need of a home. She ended up taking him in and naming him Billy.
Now her game plan wasn’t to keep Billy, as she already had 3 doggos of her own. Her goal was to figure out his triggers, provide some much needed impulse control training, help him heal from the previous abuse he had experienced, and find him a forever home.
Long story short, she got into a… situation with Billy – and through a combination of poor impulse control and razor-sharp teeth – she found herself with half of her ear dangling from her head. [Side note: I highly recommend reading this book to get all the details, because it’s a pretty crazy story.] But the lesson behind this experience is what really stuck with me. Cummings goes on to explain, what she did with Billy is similar to what she does in relationships – getting herself into a bad situation because she underestimated what she was dealing with. All of this stemmed from an innate addiction – to love.
Some examples of how love addiction can manifest in relationships: ignoring red flags and rationalizing unsavory behavior; glorifying a person instead of accepting who they are showing you they are; falling for someone’s potential instead of who they actually are; letting your world get smaller and making the person (or pit bull you’re trying to rescue) become your primary focus.
And here was the kicker…
“I constantly gave points to men for things that should be filed under ‘the least you can do.'”
Let us all take a moment to remember that your significant other does not earn bonus points for things such as (but not limited to): calling you, wanting to spend time with you, not cheating on you, not lying to you, etc. Things that should be considered bare minimum requirements of being in a committed relationship does not warrant praise. Let me repeat: the bare minimum. Does. Not. Warrant. Praise. Let’s hold our significant others to a higher standard and let go of those who don’t live up to that standard. Don’t accept anything less than exactly what you deserve, and especially don’t do so in the name of love.
“It took losing an ear for me to learn to take it slow with people, friends, work relationships, house hunting, hair color decisions, and the animals I bring into my home.” Cummings goes on to remind us to take people at face value instead of projecting our expectations/hopes/dreams onto them. You won’t change someones neurology or value system just by loving them. Love has boundaries, and we shouldn’t lose ourselves for the sake of it. Don’t confuse love with sympathy. And don’t confuse rescuing someone with intimacy.
Thanks for the tip hidden in this gem of a chapter, Whit. < 3
“Happy New Year!!” She exclaims, 45 days into 2018. What can I say. I guess I’ve been busy *shrugs*
The roller coaster that was 2017 ended on an extremely high note, and I’m hopeful for what 2018 has in store. My goal, at least during this tax season, is to use some of my tax return on the purchase of a functioning laptop so I don’t have to sneak around on my free time at work to post something. Let’s be honest, my first drafts usually start on my phone anyway *shrugs again*
So, if you use Facebook at all, you know there is an “On This Day” tab where you can see your Facebook activity on that same day, years in the past. For someone who is an avid Facebook user, this can either be full of really fond memories you can share, or it can be a really cruel page filled with things you’d rather forget. If you’re like me (i.e. never post anything on Facebook and use it purely to creep), this section is usually barren and/or filled with cryptic statuses and song lyrics from a decade ago when you thought people actually cared.
Yesterday being Valentine’s Day and all, I got this (kinda sick?) idea to check out my Facebook memories On *This* particular Day.
Spoiler alert, there wasn’t much there. I guess I never had any exciting Valentine’s Days via Facebook? Entirely for the best, I’m sure. However, there was one post I made on this day, six years ago, that I’ve been thinking about ever since I stumbled back upon it. It read, “Always want what you can’t have. Never what you can.”
Now on V-Day 2012, I am pretty sure I was single. This was after my high school boyfriend, but before the post-college one (yes, my former suitors have now been generalized into these two very broad groups). I’m not sure how my 21-year-old self would have interpreted this statement, since I don’t even remember posting it or what prompted me to do so at 11:40 PM on Valentine’s Day; but I know how my 27-year-old self understands this statement today.
There are a lot of things we say we want, that we can have if we were motivated enough. You say you want a nice body, but you’re not willing to discipline yourself in the kitchen and at the gym to achieve one. You say you want a quality significant other, but you push all the good ones away in favor of the assholes. You say you want that nice car, but you’re not willing to stop spending all your money at the mall or the bar to save up for one. Most of what we say we want can be 100% attainable if we just shifted our priorities. Most people would rather just be unhappy and complain, rather than go out and get it. [Side note for all of you thinking, “but I want this person who doesn’t want me???” let me present you with this mind-blowing thought… if they don’t want you, then trust me, you don’t want them either!]
The truth in what we really want lie in the things we’re willing to sacrifice to get it. If you’re not willing to make the sacrifices, then you probably didn’t want it as bad as you think you did.
The only “wants” I hope to have in life are the unattainable… (likeeeee the ability to teleport, for instance) because everything else I’ve already wanted I’ve surrounded myself with.
Maybe I am over simplifying this. I’ve been told Scorpios are very black-and-white.
Ironically, I ordered it before my life took an unexpected turn for the worse, but I guess you could say I was anticipating (maybe even preparing for?) it in a way. And truthfully, this book was delivered just in time.
First of all, I highly recommend this read. It won’t change your life in one day, but it will make you start to think about changing your approach to certain situations in life. The most influential themes I took away from it are:
We all need to stop framing our reality based on other’s perceptions of us (and any other uncontrollable factors)
Weathering the shitstorm is usually a necessity
You really don’t know everything (so stop pretending like you do).
As it turns out, you can’t control other people. Chasing perfection and trying to control every diminutive aspect of your life is a recipe for disaster and anxiety. It breeds unwanted stress. You can’t expect to account for every possible outcome in a situation, yet that’s what I’ve found I always try to do. It’s always been the unknown variables that I don’t do well with. But at some point you have to realize, you can’t control the way other people are; you can’t make someone care about you, or even like you for that matter. And you can’t base your worth on any of that shit.
Others will care as much as they want to, and sometimes factors in their own life will affect that. And guess what? Most of the time it will have nothing to do with you. Which brings me to another valuable lesson I found in this book: it’s not always about you.
Last Saturday I woke up to a beautiful morning with no real plans for the day. I went to the gym, hit up the grocery store, and even got my car washed. I needed my next destination to be out in the sun, next to the water, in a bikini and preferably with a drink in my hand. Everyone I texted was either out of town, busy, or just flat out didn’t respond. All I wanted to do was go to the damn beach and no one was available to join me.
If you would have put this situation in front of me last month or even last year, my response would have been to just stay home and contemplate how lame I am, or retreat to my parents house where I could lay out, undisturbed, in their yard. I would sacrifice the idea of going to the beach because I didn’t want to go alone.
Last Saturday, I said “fuck it.”
And guess what? I had a wonderful time. I didn’t need to, nor did I want to, depend on the accompaniment of anyone else as my only reason for going to the beach. This is not a testament to any new-found reclusiveness amidst the breakup, but more so, a new-found independence. Yes, it would have been nice to have a beach buddy. But it was not necessary and everything was still okay. No one was at fault for not being available to join me, and I was still able to enjoy the couple hours of relaxation and solitude.
This book showed me that I’ve been a little too self-centered through the hard times too. Everyone has problems. You have no idea what someone else is going through (you know, back to the whole not being able to know/control everything), and in no way should you assume that all the bad stuff is only happening to you. That is victim mentality and it is toxic as hell.
I was at my cousin’s wedding a couple weekends ago, and took full advantage of the open bar. I was approached by a family member who asked how my relationship was going, and I had a total drunken breakdown. I explained how horribly he ended it; how I never meant anything; how I’m going on 27 years old, and feel so lost and alone; how it feels like the rest of the world has found their forever person and I’m back to square one. She listened intently, with a slight smirk on her face. When I was finished and composed myself, she looked me in the eye, and you know what she told me?
“I am seriously so excited for you and this time in your life.”
Like, what? It didn’t hit me until [sobriety hit me] the next day — how significant those few words actually were. Even in simply reframing the way you view your own misfortune; acknowledging that yeah shit still kind of sucks, and yeah sometimes I still hurt, and some days will be shittier than others, but in the end I will be better for it. I got out of a bad situation. I am ready for this time in my life. Others would honestly kill to be in my situation right now. I’m young, independent, and ready to face whatever this world throws at me. Sometimes we need to weather that shitstorm to come out better and more appreciative of the things we do have.
And that’s why you should probably read this book, then give it to everyone else you know to read too.
Now here is some empowering music from my girl Kesha.
Sometimes you have to say goodbye to the one person you thought you’d spend forever with.
No matter how much you truly care about someone, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. No matter how hard you fight for someone, sometimes there is nothing more you can do when they look you in the eye and tell you they don’t know if they love you anymore. Sometimes after you give all you have, there’s truly nothing left. Loving someone isn’t always enough.
Humans are often motivated by fear; the fear of the unknown, fear of change, the fear of ending up alone. And that fear can cause us to settle. To resent the very thing we are trying so hard to keep. How many times does the universe have to show you, if you struggle so hard to keep something, it was never really yours to begin with?
“Loss of control is always the source of fear. It is also, however, always the source of change.”
–James Frey
And then there’s the fear of facing the fact that maybe we deserve better.
When my grandma passed away at the age of 84 this past May, my grieving grandpa said something that resonated within me: “Sixty-three years I spent with her, and it still wasn’t enough.” That is the love I want. That is the love I deserve.
In the end, there is only one person you are absolutely guaranteed to spend forever with, and that person is you. So when it comes down to losing someone, we all eventually have to trust that we will make it through. And trust, that in taking care of the person you do have to spend forever with, you will welcome love back into your life.
I won’t let you giving up on me mean that I should give up on myself.
Just because you don’t love me, that doesn’t make me unlovable.
I will repeat these words when the thought of losing you makes me sad. I will repeat these words, over and over again, until they become my only truth.
I am going to be fine. I will get through this. And I will be better for it. I will find somebody out there who treats me the way I deserve to be treated, who showers me with the love you never wanted to show me. And in a few months, when you realize [again] what you lost, this time I won’t be there.
I’ve been having a bit of a rough go at things lately.
This past Sunday, as the morning sun crept through my window, by 9am I already maintained that I would stay in bed all day. Birds chirping, cat purring and waiting to be fed, I had no plans for the day and I had no motivation for anything this Sunday had to offer.
Then my text tone went off, and my heart stopped.
I frantically shuffled around the bed in search of my phone. My heart sunk when it wasn’t who I was waiting to hear from: more proof that I was making the right decision for the day. Then I actually read the message I received:
“Do you want to Go Ape at 1:30?”
um. What did you just ask me?
Apparently there is a local zip lining/tree top adventure course located in the Metroparks in Strongsville — called Go Ape. Not exactly something I would jump at on a regular Sunday (let alone one where I’m feeling sad and unmotivated), but it felt like this was one of those times I just had to suck it up and agree to go.
We started with a quick, overwhelming lesson with a lot of information and all of it ending in “you could basically die if you don’t follow these rules.” So that was great. I would recommend going with someone who has done it before, just for that simple fact. There were 5 courses to complete (the first one being a small “intro” course); each beginning with a climb up into the trees, a handful of obstacles to get through, before ending with a zip line back to ground level. You have to book in advance, and lucky for us, this weekend was 25% off so we only paid $45 when all was said and done. It was a bit crowded, I assume because of the promotion, so there was a little bit of waiting time between obstacles and courses. But it was enough time to calm all of my nerves between the adrenaline rushes.
The website recommends closed-toe shoes, workout gloves, and tying your hair back. All very appropriate recommendations — after about the 3rd course my hands were hurting without gloves.
I never really thought I had a fear of heights — but being 50+ feet above ground, with only two cables keeping me from imminent death, I definitely had some involuntary hand trembling and knee shaking going on. It didn’t help that I kept looking down like a psycho. There were times I wanted nothing more than to turn back around and get on solid ground. I think I almost pissed myself no less than three times.
Overall, though, I have to admit it was beyond exhilarating. Actually getting through the courses took some strength and patience, but getting to that zip line at the end and the freeing feeling of it all — it was 1000% better than staying in bed all day. Everyone should do something that scares the shit out of them at least every once in a while. Lesson learned.
Check it out for yourself, you can book now at www.goape.com.
It’s June and it’s finally starting to feel like summer in Cleveland.
And here too is your friendly reminder
to lighten the fuck up.
No really, just relax.
Be kind.
Say hi to strangers. Compliment people. Genuinely.
Watch the sun rise.
Let that idiot in the Subaru in your lane.
Tell people to have a nice day — and sincerely mean it.
For most of my life, I’ve always had this approachable aura about me. No really — in a crowd full of people, I swear I am always the one strangers are drawn to. At the gym, at the grocery store, even at the office. I’m always the one who gets asked directions. People always try to make small talk with me in the elevator. Things like that. I think I just have one of those faces that people know they can trust. Or something like that.
So what did this cruel, bleak, Cleveland winter do to me? It hardened me. It depressed my spirit. It made me snippy with people — even ones I like! It made me feel like if I could just master the RBF [resting bitch face] and look unapproachable, people will stop trying to engage with me. Surprise: it didn’t work. It just made me crankier when those people inevitably did try and engage with me. What an unfortunate way to go about your every day.
Cue summer vibes: right on time. It wasn’t a conscious decision I made, hell, I didn’t even realize how negative I really had been until I started writing this. But something in me switched. It started with small talk in the copy room at work, with that lady that always traps you in conversation when you’re only half listening. I had a nice, quick conversation with her then I walked away. Then it carried onto the road. I am a petty, passive aggressive driver when I want to be (read: all the time). In the last few days I have been leaving earlier so as to not be in any rush, and letting the crazy people do their own crazy thing behind their own wheel. I realized there is no use in getting myself in a mess or all worked up just because the turd in the BMW wants to cut me off. Something so simple, yet it felt so freeing. New people in my class at the gym? Instead of judging them and/or silently scathing them for being in my personal space… Oh, here you go–you just need a light set of weights, a heavy set, and a mat. No, you don’t want to get that close to me, we move around a lot. You’re doing great!
Life is so much easier (and less stressful !!!) when you are nicer. Nicer to other people, and nicer to yourself. It’s okay to relax. Things will work out. It’s easy to say and to practice when the sun is out and everything is green and beautiful. I just hope this feeling of positivity carries with me throughout all seasons.
“If you want to lift yourself up,
Lift someone else up.”
A few months back the boyf and I decided to have an impromptu date night. Cleveland Chop it was, due to the fact that a) their happy hour is absolutely amazing, and b) I had a craving for a good steak that wasn’t going to hurt his wallet too badly. Highly recommend this place for brunch too, btw.
So, I place an order for my 8 oz filet and the boyfriend tells me we just have to order these steak “cigars” as an app. Okay, I’m into it. They come out, all deep-fried and delicious looking, and when I asked if they were too hot to eat yet, his response kind of took me by surprise…
“Just don’t ruin your dinner by burning the roof of your mouth on the appetizer.”
I mean, it’s a simple enough statement. Not waiting for that delicious cheese oozing out of a deep fried steak-um to cool off before shoving it in your mouth would definitely, completely ruin a good steak dinner. And probably a handful of dinners after that. The appetizer was good, but being too eager to try it may result in regret. It really didn’t hit me until well after the fact, but, in giving this simple warning, he inadvertently provided a very interesting perspective on life.
I think oftentimes we tend get too caught up in the moment. We are so trained to live in this instant gratification existence, that we don’t really consider how a split second decision could have lasting effects on us and those around us. Whether it’s in a relationship, through social media, or otherwise; sometimes we just get too impatient, too impulsive. We burn our mouths before the main course comes out.
Let this unexpected dinner talk be a lesson to everyone, to take a moment. Your course in this life is largely determined by a string of small, seemingly inconsequential decisions. You can always benefit from letting the damn food cool off first.
I like to think of myself as a generally fit person.
I spend 4 to 5 hours each week at the gym, and rarely ever skip a day. I can bust out ten perfect push-ups and barely break sweat. I’m up and at the gym at 5:45 am every single Thursday morning for one of my classes. I drink protein shakes after my workouts. While lecturing my dad about his cigarette addiction on Christmas, he lectured me about my workout addiction.
So, as you can imagine, I was super psyched to receive a new FitBit Alta in ~*gold*~ this Christmas from my boyfriend. Now I can see and track just how healthy af I already know I am.
Yeah, notttt quite.
So, as I’m sure most of you already know (since I’m obviously late to the party on the FitBit craze), the default goals (most as recommended by the American Heart Association) are: 10,000 steps per day; 8 hours of sleep per night; five days of 30+ active minutes per day; and for the hours between 9 am and 6 pm, logging at least 250 steps every hour.
Day 1: Last Monday
I logged a whopping 6,248 steps — 3,752 shy of the goal. Slept a total of 9 hours and 5 minutes Sunday night. Despite my trip to the gym, I managed to log a goose egg on active minutes. And through my 8-hour work day, I got up and took 250+ steps only 4 out of the 9 hours.
So, basically you’re telling me I’m not as *fit* and *fab* as I think I am. More like *lazy* and *sleeps a lot*.
What a humbling experience.
Yes, I work at an office and sit at a computer for a living. Yes, I do more weight training at the gym and avoid cardio. Yes, I despise the treadmill. So after a week of wearing this fitness tracker, I understand why it’s telling me I’m not as active as I think I am. I can do a weight training class at my gym, and since my FitBit does not have a heart rate monitor it likely won’t pick up on active minutes if it isn’t a cardio-based workout. I can be into a project at work and sit for 4 hours straight, ass numb and cross-eyed. I can go home from work, not want to go out, and crash on my couch for the rest of the night and only get half of my recommended steps in for the day. It’s been over a week since I got this and I have yet to hit 10,000 steps.But the most important piece I think this device offers is the awareness of what you’re doing and how you’re doing it.
Instead of using the bathroom that is 20 steps from my cubicle, maybe I can take the stairs down to the next floor and use that bathroom. Instead of finding the closest parking spot because it’s cold outside, maybe I will park a little farther today. On a night that my workout involves entirely weight training, maybe I will jog on the treadmill for 10 minutes prior.
Lesson learned.
So maybe I’m not as active as I thought I was, and maybe I’m not even as inactive as my new FitBit is telling me. But now that I know this, I can make small adjustments here and there and work towards my own personal goals (i.e., not sitting on my ass for four hours straight while I’m at work). In the end, awareness is key. Also did I mention I got it in ~*gold*~ ??
I think our system is largely predetermined and that democracy is just a meaningless word anymore, told to us to make us feel like we have control, when really we don’t. And, even if I’m incorrect in that assumption, I believe there are systems so well in place that our country can withstand a so-called bad president regardless.
That being said, on the eve of one of the most ridiculous presidential elections in history, there are some things to consider:
1. Being a woman in the business professional world, I’ve been in the presence of many-a narcissistic businessmen for most of my adult life, and one thing is consistent: they will always try to manipulate you. To the point where you think you are making the “right” decision, but in reality it’s a decision that benefits them. I’ve never met a money-driven CEO that was willing to put other’s needs in front of his own personal interests. But he damn sure will make you think he is.
That’s why I don’t think a businessman would make a good president.
2. I also know that there are things that go on in the White House that would make the general public shit its pants if we knew. There are secrets in those walls, and corruption beyond your comprehension. You’re foolish or just plain ignorant if you think otherwise. So think about someone who has been a part of that corrupt system for 30+ years. And while there are a lot of politicians out there that are able to remain innocent and ethical in the public’s eyes during their tenure, I don’t know if I trust someone in the White House who already knows how to rig the system in her favor.
That’s why I don’t think a former president’s wife and — let’s just call a spade a spade — a blatantly corrupt politician would make a good president.
So, basically, what I’m trying to say is, we’re fucked either way. Until our country can stray from this two-party system that has been so ingrained in our political tradition, we’re fucked no matter who wins.
But also, I view the presidency the same as I view the stock market: it has its ups and downs, but eventually it all evens out in the end. So yeah, we’re fucked in the short term… but we’ll probably be fine either way.
kcincleveland 