lucky 13: truly lucky
happy friday the 13th :) aka time for another lucky 13 list. it feels only fitting to do a list of all of the ways i have felt truly lucky this year since it has been probably my favorite year yet.
the year of the butterfly effect. i did a post on this back in april when i felt like these personal changes i had been making were coming to fruition, and i feel like things have only multiplied since then. life feels full, life feels rich, life feels so intensely vibrant (allllll the colors - light, bright, and dark, too). and i wouldn’t have it any other way.
h e a l t h. the first thing i say thank you for when i wake up and the last thing i think about before i go to bed. my health, my family’s health. my pets’ health. my friends’ health. everyone’s health. you can’t buy it, and you will never realize how lucky you are to have it until its gone.
PS: i used to think my presidential platform was going to revolve around making sure a planet was not allowed to be un-planet-ed because of its size.. but my belief that everyone deserve legitimate, quality healthcare is quickly taking over in rank. like.. let’s figure it out together. i am a “benefit of the doubt” kind of girl for everything.. unless its coming out of the 20004 zip code because rubbishhhh 🤷🏻♀️
my parents. the older i get the more i realize that i am one difficult child hahah not sure which angle my parents are working when they tell their friends i’m an easy, good kid 🙃 i just think they put up with a lottttt - i am like 9 kids in one it feels like.. and i’m not even a kid anymore?! so i am especially grateful for them. and my pets, too.
philadelphia. can you be grateful for a whole city? from the sunsets to the sunrises, from the people who work to keep the city running every day to the friends i made. even the trash on the ground.. which, spoiler alert, isn’t that much. i have felt as happy as a glitter party parade in this city but also felt slightly gutter-ish at times and everything in between. i love it and i’m grateful for all.
learning how to make a decision. this sounds so stupid but i know i’m not the only one who has said, “i’m so indecisive.” but it’s not that cute or charming. i think it’s something that is really worth working on. my indecision got so bad this year that when a friend asked me if i was hungry, i literally said, “i don’t know.” i will never forget the way he looked at me when i said it, and that is the exact moment that i knew something needed to change. and so i overcame it by.. just. making. decisions. one foot in front of the other. decisions get easier the more often you make them and it feels so good to not feel like 🤯 when someone asks me a question. (just don’t ask me what i want to be when i grow up unless you have at least an hour because i officially wanna do it all 😘)
service. this might not immediately come to your mind when you think of “lucky” but hear me out: some of the most magical moments of this year were when some level of service was being done. getting out of your own life and helping someone else.. there are just no words to describe it; there’s no other substitute for it. obviously it sounds like a no-brainer to give back but wow, you see the news and hear about all of these awful things that happen every single day - near and far, expectedly or suddenly. and it’s just like.. how could you not help someone else? we’re all humans at the end of the day. i’m so grateful for everyone that sacrifices for someone else, especially those in the military. and i’m grateful for and humbled by the ability and opportunity to help someone else. i always will be. i can only hope to make a difference for someone else, even in the smallest way. that’s all that matters. (psst: 15 min a week * 52 weeks = 13 hours total. you can do it.)
friends. as much as this was the year of growing up and growing into who i am, it was also the year of friends. i remember a period of time not too long ago where i was in a weird in-between and didn’t really feel like i had any friends. like.. the amount of times i told my mom, “i just want friends..” i said that a lot. yes, i sound like a loser telling you that but nobody tells you how hard it is to make friends once you finish school. and nobody tells you how many friends kind of fade out once you realize the only thing you had in common was having class together or going out or whatever. it feels like some miraculous twist of fate that i now feel like i have so many good friends - it’s truly hard to wrap my brain around it. just a complete 180. my mom tells me it wasn’t an accident, but whatever it may be.. grateful for it.
also: thankful for the friends i have had for foreverrrrr it seems like now. i am in denial that i am even old enough to casually say i have been friends with someone for a decade or whatever. but old lady vibes aside.. being able to hang out with amanda for a week and be roomies (in 3 states no less) or having family turn into your friends by choice.. just a happy heart over here.
cookies and sticky notes. let’s just keep it simple and recognize the things that add concrete value and happiness to our lives. cookies and sticky notes. some things never change. and trident original gum, which is the best for smacking it so loud you make everyone around want to smack you :)
a lot of lessons learned. i think i am personally ingrained to learn lessons only when i am smacked in the face by them.. figuratively and sometimes literally. i kept a running list in my phone of lessons that particularly stood out to me this year and here are a few:
don’t count your eggs til they hatch. and there are certain things in life where you just cannot rely on anyone else. excuse the old lady phrase from 1854 but.. don’t rest on your laurels. you really need to be accountable for you at the end of the day. (PS: if you put all your eggs in one basket, make sure you’re the one holding the basket).
secrets are the icebergs of life.
good decisions aren’t always easy decisions.
sometimes what you are looking for.. you have to create.
it’s not always that deep, serious, or life-altering. sometimes it is. the best thing to do in either circumstance is surrender and let it be. the tighter you squeeze something, the bigger the mess you make.
books. nerd for life, unapologetically. i am (fingers crossed) going to hit 52 books read this year (it’s the first year i kept track), and i love it. reading is the best way to live 100 lives in one. even if its just one article on a subject you’re passionate about or 10 minutes a day.. making a habit of reading is something you won’t regret.
everyone i got to interview for truth talks. ugh it’s just magic to me, still over a year later. i learn so much and i hope you do, too. approximately 100% of the time i reach out to people believing they will say no and then when they agree to do it, it’s the most shocking thing ever, and i am so grateful that they take time out of their busy lives to talk to me.
you. directly from me to you.. thank you for reading my blog. thank you for clicking on my site, for leaving a comment. for taking the time to like a post. or share a post. i am truly lucky to have you here :) x
