Unconventional.

The last couple of months have been a bit stressful; the next couple of months will be quite busy. I suppose if it were any less of either, life would just be boring, and I would be a boring person.

Have you ever read and loved a book whose protagonist only made all of the safe choices?

Yeah, me neither.

Define American

A person seldom begins their journey with the intentions of becoming an inspiration, but we should all be aware of our own ability to inspire simply by living.

Read one man's story, and be inspired to live and tell your own. As we continue to inspire each other, there's no telling what we, as a whole, can do.

Read Jose Vargas' essay published in the NY Times in June 2011, "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant".  He then found the campaign, Define American, which simply promotes the conversation of immigration. This week, TIME Magazine and TIME.com is front paging this story, "Not Legal, Not Leaving".

"Get A Helmet" -Boy Meets World

If everyone just quit when things got tough, no one would accomplish anything, ever.

This month and a half hasn't been breezy. These last two months haven't been what I expected it to be. I was whining to a friend, and something he said really snapped me back to reality. After I complained, he responded, "A month? That's nothing. You'll be fine." He was right. (Also, many apologies to my friends this month for being a freakin' baby, and many thank yous too.) What's a bad moment, week, month (or several) in the grand scheme of things? It'll be a time you'll look back on and say, "Yeah, it was worth it." It'll be a good story. These not awesome moments are the part in the movie where the protagonist is on the brink of giving up and caving in, and you, in the audience, are rooting for him, hoping he pushes forward and through.

I don't want to worry anyone (Mom and Dad particularly, if you still read this.. and anyone else who may read this and talk to my Mom and Dad). Things aren't that bad; just not ideal. I still stand by every decision I've made up to this point. I still believe that my life goals are worth fighting for, and that the things that I'm doing now will get me there.

Dreams aren't for the faint of heart. They aren't for cowards or quitters. I'm scrappy. I'll be A-okay. We're allowed to be fearful, and we're allowed to be anxious, but don't be either of those things for too long. Turn panic into productivity, because whining and complaining and talking over and over about what didn't happen won't change the past. Take steps to mold your future. Move on, move mountains; JUST MOVE. Make life happen.

It's that whole metaphor about the picnic and the rain. You know, that line in the Outkast song, "You can plan a pretty picnic but you can't predict the weather." That's what life's been like since I moved back to NY.

Remember: It was ScrappyDoo. Not ScrappyDon't or Scrappy Didn't. (Get it? I crack myself up.)

Flee, Fight, or Fly

New month. Glad that May is over. I woke up and decided that today was going to be a great day, and this month would be better than the last. On a walk around the city, I had a conversation with a friend of mine:

"Yanno those moments when you know that nothing is ideal but realize that everything is right? Today is like that ...  It's letting go of the things we can't control and saying 'f it'. Life is awesome anyways."

Moving on-- from a person, a city, a job-- it doesn't always mean giving up. Sometimes it means its time has simply passed. Sometimes it's realizing that the effort and investment you put in won't be met with an equal or greater return or reciprocated at all.

Go forward. How else will you come across that thing that is better right? "Better" isn't a fair word. It implies that something wasn't good. So I'll say "right"-- for the time and place you're in, that next thing will be right.

"Love is a Verb." -JM

I clicked a button that solidified a decision I made about a year and a half ago. After my trip to the Philippines in January 2011, I decided that I wanted to organize a project to help the people there. Monday morning, it became official. I sent an e-mail reaching out to my friends and family, telling them of my experience and what I wanted to do.

The entire weekend I was so anxious. It was nerve wracking. I have been working on bits and pieces of this for so long it seems, and now it's out there, floating around for people to see and read and feel, and I can only hope they receive it warmly.

Deep breaths. And keep on working. And pray, of course.

That's how it will get done.

Here's a glimpse into my little heart.

Nostalgia

Picos de Europa, Spain 2007

It has been five years since Santander, but I think about that perfect summer everyday and all the ways it changed me.

http://www.bigthink.com/ideas/why-traveling-abroad-makes-us-more-creative?page=all

Ramblings of a Crazy Person

I love that moment when you discover something beautiful.
I make secret goals for people.
I revel in my friends' accomplishments like I would my own.
I really believe that we are capable of doing anything.
I think that you should learn something from every person you meet.
You should leave a place better than you left it.
When you leave a person, they should feel more uplifted than when you first got there.
I love hearing people's life stories and learning about the things, people, and events that have shaped them.
I appreciate others' opinions, except when they're wrong.
I get that college was awesome. It absolutely was. But real life is pretty freakin' cool too.
I believe that if the work week was 4 days, we'd all be a lot more productive. And happier.
You should follow your instincts.
Being grumpy is a waste of energy.
It's okay to vent, but it bothers me when people complain then don't do anything about.
Life is whatever you want it to be.
I'm grateful. For everything. Everyday.