Ghost of a Good Thing

It's okay to think about the past. It's okay to reflect and to reminisce, but don't you dare fool yourself into thinking that the past is as good as it got. That's not fair to your present or your future. If you allow every moment to be special, then you have so much to look forward to.

The past is great for lessons, sometimes good for laughs, but don't go chasing for ghosts. Don't go looking for something that isn't there. We tend to look back with rose colored glasses, but if you really think about it and dig into the crevices of your brain for an accurate portrayal of what really happened,  then you remember all the reasons why your past is your past and not your present.

I sound like a depressing Dr. Seuss book.

In all seriousness, I am thankful for the past; thankful for my present; hopeful for the future :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Just What Happiness Is

If you're wondering if this is how life is supposed to be, whether it be good, bad or something in between, remember that it is the life you chose and that you can continue to shape. I often say to myself, "so this is what growing up is like," and honestly, I don't really know how I feel about it all. I wonder if I'll ever reach those other goals I set out to do, or if I'll fall into this lull and and watch those goals transform into distant dreams. Then I remind myself that I am in control of that.

Last year, as crazy as it was, really helped me discover the things I wanted, needed; the things that moved me and filled my heart. Nothing went as planned, but I am glad it has brought me here. But now that the dust has settled in my renewed New York/New Jersey life, it's time to refocus and find that discipline that got me here in this mess in the first place.

What a beautiful mess this is.

Living In Your Letters

Dear New York,

While you are not the most dysfunctional relationship I've ever had, you certainly are my longest. Formally introduced back in December 2005, we rang in the New Year together, and from that moment, I knew we had something special. Our paths wouldn't cross again until years later. I'd become a different person by then; molded by the experiences college had afforded me. We re-connected that rainy summer of 2009, and I'd found my new future.

You showed me my dreams and how to get there, though, it hasn't always been Spring time cherry blossoms and colorful Autumn leaves. The ups, the downs, the back and forth, the love-hate relationship; it's tiresome and draining. But in the just the way we can feel it in the air when it shifts from Winter to Spring and Summer to Fall, you revive me, waking me up from hibernation and letting me cool off with a crisp breeze. You are an addiction, following every lull with a high, leaving me craving for that next revival.

We are that couple that breaks up and gets back together again, but when people ask how long it's been we never count the time in between. Happy almost 4 years, New York!

All my love xo JT

Don't Have to Change

I'm starting to make plans for the rest of the year, and when I think about Thanksgiving, I can't help but be a little sad at how different home will be.

Ever so slowly, the cousins have started to go our separate ways and all of a sudden, family time isn't a given anymore. Every Sunday used to be guaranteed family time, and I don't think we took this time for granted; we just never thought about it ever ending.

Then we went to different schools, got married, and generally have more grown up obligations, but here's to hoping that one day we'll have the means to have just really super awesome family trips in the future.

The Starting Line

You can start over whenever you choose :)

http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/18/30-things-to-start-doing-for-yourself/

Compass

I've let June pass by without a peep, and now July has nearly come and gone and I've at last decided to give this thing a whirl and see what thoughts spew out of my brain.

I had dinner with a fellow Florida transplant and it is really incredible how much can change in a year. We each had specific life plans (by that I mean we had a rough idea/timeline), but fast forward to a year later, and we are far and away from those plans. Well, maybe not far, but we took a bit of a detour rather than following the map.

And I am happy.

I am happy all of those not planned things happened. I'm glad a took a different route. I'm glad I got a little lost. And I hope I continue to be proof that you always find your way back.

Plate Spinning and Other Circus Tricks

If you don't like where you are, you have to think about what you can do differently, and then actually, you know, do it.

I need to work on generally being more productive. Work more, sleep less. Jay-z didn't become Jay-z because he liked sleep (or P. Diddy, or Timbaland. I don't know why rappers come to mind first but it is what it is.)

Trying to get off of your parents' tab so you no longer have to convince yourself that you're an investment--  Juggling real life responsibilities and dream chasing seems to slow down the progress of the latter.  You begin to wonder if you'll ever, ever get there.

We are a generation of instant gratification. We're impulsive. We want everything how we want it and when we want it, which is our way and NOW. We are impatient. I am impatient.

You may be far and away from where you want to be, but every little step is at least a step forward. Before you know it, you'll be miles away form where you started.