I think we, as humans, too often forget to celebrate. Achievements. New aspects of life. Other people. The life of another. Of course death is horrible, but I think it's so lovely when we find it in ourselves to focus on the celebration of someone's life when they pass. (I am by no means making a comment on every death- I think it's all very contextual in this post.) I'll talk about this now.
When my nan died the funeral was different to others I've been to. It was hopeful. Everyone noted that at the end too. We were told to remember but to laugh, not cry. To laugh at the funny things my nan would say. We were reminded of silly stories; ridiculous stories. And we laughed. Some would call her life simple; but it was hers. She feared a lot; she loved a lot. She was proud of all of her family. I loved her a lot. And we celebrated her that day and when we talk of her, we still celebrate her. I simply loved how we approached her funeral. We celebrated her life and smiled as if she was laughing with us.
My best friend is currently doing amazingly at work. He's climbing higher and higher and I said we should celebrate. He said no. No?! Oh we will, but why do we sometimes choose not to celebrate our achievements? We need to stop being so hard on ourselves. Of course there's a time and a place and we do have to work hard. But I really believe in playing harder (within reason). We especially deserve to celebrate ourselves when our hard work has paid off and we can sit back and say, "Hey, look at me!"
So, this is the very last post of my blogging challenge, eeeek! Despite a slip up, I am very pleased with myself- especially as I posted five times (in one day?!) yesterday! Even though I was so upset when I missed three posts in two days, posting twice a day this month has made me really happy. The stress to come with it has been minimal, too! I've pretty much completely enjoyed posting so many times. After this post I will have posted 62 times this month. How cool? How cool?! I'm really impressed and I think I'm also happy with the quality of posts in general. Yay! Challenge yourself- you'll be surprised at what you're capable of! And then keep surprising yourself!
I am very much so celebrating myself this evening. I'm having a cheeky fish and chips and shall have a chill. I'm not sure what my schedule is going to be from now on but I'm excited to carry on blogging! Blogging challenges can be so threatening and I have felt threatened previously but man, I enjoyed this month of blogging so much.
Started & Completed,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. If you'd like to read my last post, feel free to click HERE!
Thursday, 31 March 2016
Society: Females aren't Funny
Girls and women are funny too! Society definitely portrays the idea that males take the lead in comedy. We see fewer women comedians; fewer women in roles on the TV where they are funny; males automatically assume a boy or man is funnier than a girl or woman. No, no, no, NO, NO!
It's so frustrating. I was watching an interview this morning where actor Arabella Weir was talking about her role in and the show in general Two Doors Down. She celebrated how the women in the show are funny and it's awesome. She says they're not funny at the expense of men. They are a bunch of women on a show showing society that us girls can be as funny as the next guy! I felt so delighted to watch this talented woman speak up for females.
This weird phenomenon of people believing that a boy or man is automatically funnier than a girl or woman just because of their gender is entirely sexist. Of course it is! It's casual sexism that has produced this stereotype that is entirely untrue. We simply can't stereotype like this.
Why would this be a biological thing? It simply makes no sense. No two babies (in this case: one boy; one girl) are born with an intrinsically set process whereby the boy will just be funnier than the girl. How ridiculous is that? It's simply an expectation produced by societal difference. If a girl or woman feels like they are less funny than a boy or woman despite being equally as funny it is because society tells us that is the way.
We are the only people that can change this. Celebrate us females and our genuine capability to make people laugh and be witty and make jokes. I do think I'm funny! I find so many of my girl friends absolutely hilarious in many different kinds of ways. We don't have to be funny! No one has to be funny. But we certainly shouldn't be told we just aren't in comparison to males!
Jokes & Laughs,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. This is the second to last post of my (trying to) post every day twice this month! You can read my last post HERE!
It's so frustrating. I was watching an interview this morning where actor Arabella Weir was talking about her role in and the show in general Two Doors Down. She celebrated how the women in the show are funny and it's awesome. She says they're not funny at the expense of men. They are a bunch of women on a show showing society that us girls can be as funny as the next guy! I felt so delighted to watch this talented woman speak up for females.
This weird phenomenon of people believing that a boy or man is automatically funnier than a girl or woman just because of their gender is entirely sexist. Of course it is! It's casual sexism that has produced this stereotype that is entirely untrue. We simply can't stereotype like this.
Why would this be a biological thing? It simply makes no sense. No two babies (in this case: one boy; one girl) are born with an intrinsically set process whereby the boy will just be funnier than the girl. How ridiculous is that? It's simply an expectation produced by societal difference. If a girl or woman feels like they are less funny than a boy or woman despite being equally as funny it is because society tells us that is the way.
We are the only people that can change this. Celebrate us females and our genuine capability to make people laugh and be witty and make jokes. I do think I'm funny! I find so many of my girl friends absolutely hilarious in many different kinds of ways. We don't have to be funny! No one has to be funny. But we certainly shouldn't be told we just aren't in comparison to males!
Jokes & Laughs,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. This is the second to last post of my (trying to) post every day twice this month! You can read my last post HERE!
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
Tasting a Changing You
Taste buds are a funny thing aren't they? As a child I would eat bananas, then I went off of them and despised them and I now I adore them. I used to find fish a complete bore and now I am so into it! Especially since reading up about the incredible benefits of certain fish, I'll be so excited to sit down with a salmon pasta or a tuna sandwich! Seasons come and go; the clock keeps ticking; the sun rises and the sun sets. Life can be unexpected but there is a routine to it. And yet we are always changing.
Something I think is so exciting about our relationships with people is that people are always changing. We experience new things and feelings; we develop opinions; we open our eyes to concepts; we find new hobbies; we get better at things; we get worse at things; we learn happy lessons; we learns sad ones. People develop- of course they do! We can experience these changes alongside them. And vice versa.
In the last year I have become so much more adventurous with food. I've become better and cooking but also trying new foods. I'm so into researching healthy foods and working out how to incorporate them into my diet. The more I've tried, the more my taste buds have become interested. I feel like I've got a new set of taste buds. It's not just that over time mine have changed and I've started liking new things, but I think I've adjusted them to trying new things. I think that's pretty cool.
These are a few thoughts that have occurred to me today. They feel related. Part of people changing is their taste buds changing! The fact I love food I never used to or never thought I would makes me know I should always say yes to trying new things- not just food. These changes change me as a person. Treasure your loved ones. See how they change. Love how they change. Help them become better when they ask or need your help.
A Change & A Smile,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice a day every day this month- the challenge is almost over eeeek! (Although with a slip up!) You can read my last post HERE!
Something I think is so exciting about our relationships with people is that people are always changing. We experience new things and feelings; we develop opinions; we open our eyes to concepts; we find new hobbies; we get better at things; we get worse at things; we learn happy lessons; we learns sad ones. People develop- of course they do! We can experience these changes alongside them. And vice versa.
In the last year I have become so much more adventurous with food. I've become better and cooking but also trying new foods. I'm so into researching healthy foods and working out how to incorporate them into my diet. The more I've tried, the more my taste buds have become interested. I feel like I've got a new set of taste buds. It's not just that over time mine have changed and I've started liking new things, but I think I've adjusted them to trying new things. I think that's pretty cool.
These are a few thoughts that have occurred to me today. They feel related. Part of people changing is their taste buds changing! The fact I love food I never used to or never thought I would makes me know I should always say yes to trying new things- not just food. These changes change me as a person. Treasure your loved ones. See how they change. Love how they change. Help them become better when they ask or need your help.
A Change & A Smile,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice a day every day this month- the challenge is almost over eeeek! (Although with a slip up!) You can read my last post HERE!
Numb
She immediately remembers what sleep helped her to forget, as soon as she opens her eyes to the new spring air around her. She falls into her duvet; further and further. She squeezes her eyes shut too hard. She wants to sleep. She doesn't want to sleep. She's surprised to find herself enjoying the feeling of security her duvet is giving her. If it wasn't for that feeling she would assume her whole body has gone numb.
Numb.
She's never felt numb before. Not until the day before. Before then she didn't really know of the feeling. She wouldn't have been able to describe it, for sure. "It's for the best," he said. She wanted to scream that it couldn't be- how could it be for the best? But her body wasn't responding how it had been for the last sixteen years. She was stuck. Trapped. In the most amount of pain she'd ever experienced. And also the least amount of pain. Numb.
She hears moving about outside her bedroom door and she immediately finds rescue in her pillow. She closes her eyes and tries to breathe steadily. Asleep. Pretend to be asleep. "Honey?" her mother quietly disturbs the threatening silence in her room. She assumes her mother is looking at her. Sad. Worried. She continues to pretend to sleep and after a few minutes she leaves.
She lets out a big breath and feels instantly lighter. And then her chest feels tight. Was she supposed to avoid everyone for ever?
She argues with herself for a few moments. She begs herself not to look. She always knew it was a pointless struggle. She opens up pictures of her and him. Her and him. Numb. It's back.
She stares at her favourite photograph. It isn't the best quality and yet it represents one of her happiest nights. He took her out for dinner. Like a princess. That's how she felt. She is smiling in the picture. The happiest smile in the world. Until you see his. Maybe his is the happiest smile. He told her he is the luckiest boy alive that night. Despite the wars she has with herself, she believed him.
She believed everything.
Numb. She is becoming more numb. Is that possible? To become more numb doesn't make much sense, and yet she was feeling herself falling into more and more numbness.
She begs herself not to and she does anyway. With her thumb she strokes the happiest, loveliest face. "No," she whimpers and allows herself to fall into her tears. She loses grip of her phone. She cries. And cries. She cries until her mother runs in, hugs her and she wails. Numb. Numb.
~
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Hope & Future,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I have managed to nearly catch myself up! I am blogging twice every day this month and have one more to write today before the last day tomorrow! You can read my last post HERE!
Numb.
She's never felt numb before. Not until the day before. Before then she didn't really know of the feeling. She wouldn't have been able to describe it, for sure. "It's for the best," he said. She wanted to scream that it couldn't be- how could it be for the best? But her body wasn't responding how it had been for the last sixteen years. She was stuck. Trapped. In the most amount of pain she'd ever experienced. And also the least amount of pain. Numb.
She hears moving about outside her bedroom door and she immediately finds rescue in her pillow. She closes her eyes and tries to breathe steadily. Asleep. Pretend to be asleep. "Honey?" her mother quietly disturbs the threatening silence in her room. She assumes her mother is looking at her. Sad. Worried. She continues to pretend to sleep and after a few minutes she leaves.
She lets out a big breath and feels instantly lighter. And then her chest feels tight. Was she supposed to avoid everyone for ever?
She argues with herself for a few moments. She begs herself not to look. She always knew it was a pointless struggle. She opens up pictures of her and him. Her and him. Numb. It's back.
She stares at her favourite photograph. It isn't the best quality and yet it represents one of her happiest nights. He took her out for dinner. Like a princess. That's how she felt. She is smiling in the picture. The happiest smile in the world. Until you see his. Maybe his is the happiest smile. He told her he is the luckiest boy alive that night. Despite the wars she has with herself, she believed him.
She believed everything.
Numb. She is becoming more numb. Is that possible? To become more numb doesn't make much sense, and yet she was feeling herself falling into more and more numbness.
She begs herself not to and she does anyway. With her thumb she strokes the happiest, loveliest face. "No," she whimpers and allows herself to fall into her tears. She loses grip of her phone. She cries. And cries. She cries until her mother runs in, hugs her and she wails. Numb. Numb.
~
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Hope & Future,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I have managed to nearly catch myself up! I am blogging twice every day this month and have one more to write today before the last day tomorrow! You can read my last post HERE!
Being Honest
The topic of being honest is a very context dependent thing. This post is going to talk about being honest in terms of putting our hearts on the line; in terms of not letting go of opportunities in fear of being honest; in terms of choosing heart over fear so we don't have anything to regret.
I realised a couple of years ago how important it is to be honest. To jump. To use our words to make sure we have done everything to try and grab something that might just make us super happy. I hate regretting things- I hate regretting not doing things. And so I've learnt to jump. I'm not the most open person and yet I've really learnt how to be honest, feel no shame in it, and understand that in the cases I'm thinking of, "What is there to lose?" Nothing.
It's not always easy. It's sometimes incredibly nerve-wracking. I don't always do it right. I don't always do it. And yet I aim to be this kind of honest as much as possible. Sometimes I realise it's time to give up on an idea and that's okay too! We can be honest to a certain extent- and then it might have a negative affect. We might keep trying but hurt our hearts in the process.
Someone I love dearly is going through a break up and she's devastated. She's a very honest person- very up for putting her heart on the line and I respect her so much for that. She wants to tell him that she still wants their relationship so I said, "You do that!" Why limit our own happiness because we were too scared to say something?
I've really regretted not saying certain things sometimes. Things that would have made me much happier to say in comparison to the feeling of not saying them. And this is naturally still going to occur in my life. I want to take a step back when I want to be honest. Have a think. And jump. What is the worst that can happen?
Honesty & Jumping,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am (trying to) blog twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
I realised a couple of years ago how important it is to be honest. To jump. To use our words to make sure we have done everything to try and grab something that might just make us super happy. I hate regretting things- I hate regretting not doing things. And so I've learnt to jump. I'm not the most open person and yet I've really learnt how to be honest, feel no shame in it, and understand that in the cases I'm thinking of, "What is there to lose?" Nothing.
It's not always easy. It's sometimes incredibly nerve-wracking. I don't always do it right. I don't always do it. And yet I aim to be this kind of honest as much as possible. Sometimes I realise it's time to give up on an idea and that's okay too! We can be honest to a certain extent- and then it might have a negative affect. We might keep trying but hurt our hearts in the process.
Someone I love dearly is going through a break up and she's devastated. She's a very honest person- very up for putting her heart on the line and I respect her so much for that. She wants to tell him that she still wants their relationship so I said, "You do that!" Why limit our own happiness because we were too scared to say something?
I've really regretted not saying certain things sometimes. Things that would have made me much happier to say in comparison to the feeling of not saying them. And this is naturally still going to occur in my life. I want to take a step back when I want to be honest. Have a think. And jump. What is the worst that can happen?
Honesty & Jumping,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am (trying to) blog twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
What Disney's Taught Me #7
So I have just got back from the cinema from seeing Zootropolis and so I naturally had to write another post in this series. What Disney's Taught Me aims to show the awesome messages Disney teaches us, as sometimes it can get a bad rep for teaching unrealistic messages. However a lot of the time I see good messages and I want to spread them!
*SPOILERS.*
The message introduced immediately is that we can be anything we want to be. Judy Hopps is a bunny rabbit and she wants to become a police officer. Even her own family don't believe she can do it- bunnies just aren't police officers. And yet, with hard work and determination, Judy becomes a police officer and she's so delightfully happy. And ready. Disney shows us that it is often up to us whether we can do something- and we can jump over any hurdles society/people create for us.
The first day of being a police officer brings some struggles for Judy. She's not taken seriously and she so wants to succeed and make a difference to the world. She is super sad when she gets back to her room but her feisty attitude works wonderfully and she keeps trying. Disney teaches us to try harder and then try harder. I definitely want to apply this to my life!
Zootropolis, in abundance, teaches us that expectations aren't always right and that some of them shouldn't exist in the first place. And the same goes for stereotypes. Judy can and does become and amazing police officer, of course. But that's not it. Judy herself fears foxes and even makes a statement to say they all just might be predators. And she's wrong- she stereotypes and almost loses a friend over it. And then, of course, there are Judy the bunny and Nick the fox. Unlikely friends, and wrongly so.
Finally, people mess up sometimes. Judy warns Zootropolis of the "threat" of foxes. It's biological- they just are predators. She soon realises how wrong she is. She messed up but Nick forgives her. Because she realises her prejudice. Her small-mindedness. She's really wrong but she realises her mistake pretty quickly and she makes up for it too. It teaches us to be tolerant and not to jump to conclusions. To not be ignorant.
Bunnies & Foxes,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm (trying) to blog every day of this month and you can read my last post HERE!
*SPOILERS.*
The message introduced immediately is that we can be anything we want to be. Judy Hopps is a bunny rabbit and she wants to become a police officer. Even her own family don't believe she can do it- bunnies just aren't police officers. And yet, with hard work and determination, Judy becomes a police officer and she's so delightfully happy. And ready. Disney shows us that it is often up to us whether we can do something- and we can jump over any hurdles society/people create for us.
The first day of being a police officer brings some struggles for Judy. She's not taken seriously and she so wants to succeed and make a difference to the world. She is super sad when she gets back to her room but her feisty attitude works wonderfully and she keeps trying. Disney teaches us to try harder and then try harder. I definitely want to apply this to my life!
Zootropolis, in abundance, teaches us that expectations aren't always right and that some of them shouldn't exist in the first place. And the same goes for stereotypes. Judy can and does become and amazing police officer, of course. But that's not it. Judy herself fears foxes and even makes a statement to say they all just might be predators. And she's wrong- she stereotypes and almost loses a friend over it. And then, of course, there are Judy the bunny and Nick the fox. Unlikely friends, and wrongly so.
Finally, people mess up sometimes. Judy warns Zootropolis of the "threat" of foxes. It's biological- they just are predators. She soon realises how wrong she is. She messed up but Nick forgives her. Because she realises her prejudice. Her small-mindedness. She's really wrong but she realises her mistake pretty quickly and she makes up for it too. It teaches us to be tolerant and not to jump to conclusions. To not be ignorant.
Bunnies & Foxes,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm (trying) to blog every day of this month and you can read my last post HERE!
Onwards and Upwards
*Biggest sad face ever.* I was super ill and haven't been able to post anything. I really wanted to but I just couldn't. To remind the blog, I've been blogging twice a day every day this month and SO CLOSE TO THE END OF THE CHALLENGE I missed a few posts. I now need to catch up on three missed posts plus the two that would be posted today and I am going to try my hardest to have this done as soon as possible so I'm ready for the last day of the challenge tomorrow!
So I guess I'll talk about blogging. Blogging is so unique, I think. How cool is it that we can put our thoughts about anything on a page in front of us and upload it to the internet? Free and easy. I've been blogging for three years now and it really has brightened my life massively. I always wanted to blog but just wasn't sure how. And now it's my best friend- I tell it so much. If I have thoughts about, well, anything, my next thought is to tell the blog about it. The blog would definitely want to know.
Blogging is so therapeutic. And also exciting. It can calm me and yet it can also make me so passionate. I'm not the most open person in real life and yet I can be when it comes to the blog. I like that. I have something as my outlet for all sorts of feelings. I'm mostly upset about messing up this challenge because I've surprised myself in doing so well before the other day. I've been excited to complete two posts a day. Even if they're terrible I've felt light after completing that achievement.
My favourite thing about blogging is how diverse it is. Anyone can do it and anyone can write about anything. I love not limiting myself with what I could write about. I might write about a book or I'll write a story- sometimes I might review a product. I love that. And yet I also adore blogs who have a main focus to their blog. They all do it so well!
I'm so upset. I know I should have organised better. I've been writing each post on the day and if I just organised myself better all I'd have had to do was press "Publish" and I wouldn't be so disappointed today. Moral of the story is: prepare but know when you're beaten. I couldn't write anything so there was no point in making myself stressed!
Blogging & Writing,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm (trying) to blog twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
So I guess I'll talk about blogging. Blogging is so unique, I think. How cool is it that we can put our thoughts about anything on a page in front of us and upload it to the internet? Free and easy. I've been blogging for three years now and it really has brightened my life massively. I always wanted to blog but just wasn't sure how. And now it's my best friend- I tell it so much. If I have thoughts about, well, anything, my next thought is to tell the blog about it. The blog would definitely want to know.
Blogging is so therapeutic. And also exciting. It can calm me and yet it can also make me so passionate. I'm not the most open person in real life and yet I can be when it comes to the blog. I like that. I have something as my outlet for all sorts of feelings. I'm mostly upset about messing up this challenge because I've surprised myself in doing so well before the other day. I've been excited to complete two posts a day. Even if they're terrible I've felt light after completing that achievement.
My favourite thing about blogging is how diverse it is. Anyone can do it and anyone can write about anything. I love not limiting myself with what I could write about. I might write about a book or I'll write a story- sometimes I might review a product. I love that. And yet I also adore blogs who have a main focus to their blog. They all do it so well!
I'm so upset. I know I should have organised better. I've been writing each post on the day and if I just organised myself better all I'd have had to do was press "Publish" and I wouldn't be so disappointed today. Moral of the story is: prepare but know when you're beaten. I couldn't write anything so there was no point in making myself stressed!
Blogging & Writing,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm (trying) to blog twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Monday, 28 March 2016
My Family
Quirks and all, I love my family. This Easter weekend has been awesome. I've been super busy and yet I've spent so much time with the three best people. And I've loved it. I just love chilling in the living room, each of us getting on with our own thing while the TV is blaring. That's one of the best feelings of "home" to me. We're not often all together anymore so it's awesome when we are. We'll have dinner and joke and then chill. I adore it.
I owe a lot to my family and I appreciate them dearly. My mother works incredibly hard. She works harder than anyone I know. She reads a lot. She loves baking. She loves health and walks. She's my best friend. She's the one person that can keep me on the straight and narrow. If my mum frowns at something I say or an idea I've said, I know I'm in the wrong or not to do it. If she says something negative, I'll see the error of my ways. She's also the person I dance around the kitchen with and the person who I can giggle with. I love her very much.
My dad and I don't have that "princess" thing. But we do get on. We might pretend we don't but I think he's very smart and I appreciate is humour (most of the time) and I think we bounce off of each other well. He gives sound advice and I appreciate how switched on he is. If I'm upset I know we can drop the "less daddy and princess" act and he will help me out as soon as possible.
My brother is the best person in the world. He's very down to earth but also very ambitious- he's not overreaching because he is capable of so damn much. He's hilarious and kind and has never been the type of person to cause trouble. This makes it very easy to have an awesome sibling relationship. We can do sports together; we can laze together; we can eat too much together; we can be healthy together; we can play games together. He is the best.
Some people are given such a bad hand when it comes to families and I know I am so lucky to have the family I have. They've taught me to have the good qualities I do have and I'm so thankful. I love my family.
TV Shows & Chocolate,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
I owe a lot to my family and I appreciate them dearly. My mother works incredibly hard. She works harder than anyone I know. She reads a lot. She loves baking. She loves health and walks. She's my best friend. She's the one person that can keep me on the straight and narrow. If my mum frowns at something I say or an idea I've said, I know I'm in the wrong or not to do it. If she says something negative, I'll see the error of my ways. She's also the person I dance around the kitchen with and the person who I can giggle with. I love her very much.
My dad and I don't have that "princess" thing. But we do get on. We might pretend we don't but I think he's very smart and I appreciate is humour (most of the time) and I think we bounce off of each other well. He gives sound advice and I appreciate how switched on he is. If I'm upset I know we can drop the "less daddy and princess" act and he will help me out as soon as possible.
My brother is the best person in the world. He's very down to earth but also very ambitious- he's not overreaching because he is capable of so damn much. He's hilarious and kind and has never been the type of person to cause trouble. This makes it very easy to have an awesome sibling relationship. We can do sports together; we can laze together; we can eat too much together; we can be healthy together; we can play games together. He is the best.
Some people are given such a bad hand when it comes to families and I know I am so lucky to have the family I have. They've taught me to have the good qualities I do have and I'm so thankful. I love my family.
TV Shows & Chocolate,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Sunday, 27 March 2016
Is She with You | Batman V Superman
*SPOILERS ABOUT BATMAN V SUPERMAN.*
So Wonderwoman is ace in Batman V Superman. I think it's unfair to the film and the other actors that people are saying she made the film- I don't believe that, personally. She was an amazing part of the film and I loved her being in it but I really don't think she was in it enough (okay, us women make anything awesome even if we are only involved a little bit but yeah) to allow the film to be credible like a lot of reviews have been saying- more importantly, I loved Batman and Superman's roles and all of the roles in between! However Wonderwoman was incredible in the film and I want to talk about why.
I downloaded "Is She with You?" so, every time I or any other girl/woman does something awesome I can get my phone out and play the awesome tune to celebrate how awesome us females are and so I just must talk about why female characters like Wonderwoman are so vital to help feminism. So I'll talk about the song. Her being Wonderwoman sets off this amazing song in the background- and when she does and says awesome stuff, this kickbutt song is played. Because, among men who historically would be superior, Wonderwoman matches their awesomeness- their strength, power and endurance. And all other awesome words too.
Next, I have to talk about the awesome lines that I won't recall correctly. I think it's... Superman: "Is she with you?" Batman: "I thought she was with you." And then it pans out to Wonderwoman (this could be wrong but it's not incredibly off). Wonderwoman doesn't need to be associated to anyone else. She's got it all by herself. It being, everything. Wonderwoman is Wonderwoman and she's ace because of herself.
Ultimately, Wonderwoman makes her own voice and image of herself. She's strong and fights Doomsday as a woman on a mission. She knows what she is capable of. She knows she is strong and wants to help. I took her image as someone who stands alone. (I'm aware this is soon going to be changed but she is a woman who can stand alone.) She made the choice to step in. She presented her own awesome self. She is a credit to herself. Every type of woman (like the moral and not horrible ones) need to be presented in movies and Wonderwoman is an awesome example of a strong, confident woman.
Dahh-nah-nah-naaaah (favourite part of the song).
Strong & Confident Women,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. For the whole of March I have been blogging twice a day and you can read my last post HERE!
So Wonderwoman is ace in Batman V Superman. I think it's unfair to the film and the other actors that people are saying she made the film- I don't believe that, personally. She was an amazing part of the film and I loved her being in it but I really don't think she was in it enough (okay, us women make anything awesome even if we are only involved a little bit but yeah) to allow the film to be credible like a lot of reviews have been saying- more importantly, I loved Batman and Superman's roles and all of the roles in between! However Wonderwoman was incredible in the film and I want to talk about why.
I downloaded "Is She with You?" so, every time I or any other girl/woman does something awesome I can get my phone out and play the awesome tune to celebrate how awesome us females are and so I just must talk about why female characters like Wonderwoman are so vital to help feminism. So I'll talk about the song. Her being Wonderwoman sets off this amazing song in the background- and when she does and says awesome stuff, this kickbutt song is played. Because, among men who historically would be superior, Wonderwoman matches their awesomeness- their strength, power and endurance. And all other awesome words too.
Next, I have to talk about the awesome lines that I won't recall correctly. I think it's... Superman: "Is she with you?" Batman: "I thought she was with you." And then it pans out to Wonderwoman (this could be wrong but it's not incredibly off). Wonderwoman doesn't need to be associated to anyone else. She's got it all by herself. It being, everything. Wonderwoman is Wonderwoman and she's ace because of herself.
Ultimately, Wonderwoman makes her own voice and image of herself. She's strong and fights Doomsday as a woman on a mission. She knows what she is capable of. She knows she is strong and wants to help. I took her image as someone who stands alone. (I'm aware this is soon going to be changed but she is a woman who can stand alone.) She made the choice to step in. She presented her own awesome self. She is a credit to herself. Every type of woman (like the moral and not horrible ones) need to be presented in movies and Wonderwoman is an awesome example of a strong, confident woman.
Dahh-nah-nah-naaaah (favourite part of the song).
Strong & Confident Women,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. For the whole of March I have been blogging twice a day and you can read my last post HERE!
What Disney's Taught Me #6
Last week I watched The Incredibles and I just had to write a post to this "What Disney's Taught Me" series which aims to show the awesome messages Disney teaches us. The Incredibles is Disney Pixar- they create some of the most awesome films! About a family of superheroes who are in hiding, The Incredibles is a classic from my childhood I will never forget.
If we are being pedantic I really believe The Incredibles teaches, if you're good at something you should never hide it. We should never be ashamed of who we are. The Incredibles are trying not to show their powers despite the fact it affects their kids. Not only do they want to be "normal", Dash, the boy who is super fast, wants to be able to compete but his parents won't allow him to. Ultimately The Incredibles do good things with their powers and they should be able to be proud of their abilities. Like all of us!
The film teaches pretty cool family values. Despite the fact Violet and Dash can have some arguments, the whole family really come together (thanks to using their superpowers). They back each other up and save each other and it shows how much they love each other (not that I want to ever be in the situation they are!).
We see Violet grow in confidence. I think it's important to remember that she was awesome when she was shy, but she wanted to be confident and she blossoms with her confidence. She's happier and she learns to enjoy that she's different and it shows in all aspects of her life! At the end of the film she's very smiley and content and Disney teaches us in The Incredibles to embrace who we are and be happy in however we choose to be who we are.
Superpowers & Smiles,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
If we are being pedantic I really believe The Incredibles teaches, if you're good at something you should never hide it. We should never be ashamed of who we are. The Incredibles are trying not to show their powers despite the fact it affects their kids. Not only do they want to be "normal", Dash, the boy who is super fast, wants to be able to compete but his parents won't allow him to. Ultimately The Incredibles do good things with their powers and they should be able to be proud of their abilities. Like all of us!
The film teaches pretty cool family values. Despite the fact Violet and Dash can have some arguments, the whole family really come together (thanks to using their superpowers). They back each other up and save each other and it shows how much they love each other (not that I want to ever be in the situation they are!).
We see Violet grow in confidence. I think it's important to remember that she was awesome when she was shy, but she wanted to be confident and she blossoms with her confidence. She's happier and she learns to enjoy that she's different and it shows in all aspects of her life! At the end of the film she's very smiley and content and Disney teaches us in The Incredibles to embrace who we are and be happy in however we choose to be who we are.
Superpowers & Smiles,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Forming Our Own Views
I saw Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice earlier on today and I was very excited to do so. I've always watched way more Marvel films and yet my interest has been massively sparked for this latest DC film. Since it was released critics have generally been pretty negative about the film and my brother messaged me when lots of these views were released seriously upset. His excitement actually faltered. He was still excited and when he actually went to see the film his excitement was at an all-time high. However, how incredible is that that these critics' views could dent excitement quite so much?
I really, really enjoyed the film. Okay, I could see a few flaws personally but I came out of the cinema incredibly impressed, excited and ready to place it in my "favourite film" category that swims about in my head. My brother adored it too. So why is it that we can let other opinions about things such as films affect us beforehand? And maybe even after too!
What is one person's cup of tea might just not be another person's. And that's okay. So why should these critic reviews be the be all and end all when it comes to the reputation of a film? I hope that they aren't and I really hope the fans can bring this film to awesomeness- I really think the film deserves it! I have read reviews that slated the film for the length of the film. Yes, it's super long but my interest was there from the very first scene to the very last. The length was not an issue for me, personally. I have seen reviews that were negative about the lack of comedy in the film. I didn't go into the film expecting comedy. I liked how dark it is. It's a film with a serious tone and I enjoyed that. Plus there were a few moments of comic relief and they were enough for me!
One negative review amongst loads of good reviews when it comes to hotels or books or restaurants stand out to us. We take that as the one that must be right. However I've learnt not to do this. Of course we should take note as to why there's a negative review but we should consider all of the good points in the others- we need to weigh up what's important to us.
I realised recently that my parents have never tried to influence my political reviews. They've also never made a point of saying that they've never done that. I think that's super cool. When it comes down to it, historically, my mum and dad have voted differently to each other. I know my own political views are down to the research I've done and the personal factors in my life that dictate what party/political view will benefit me. That's nothing to do with my parents.
So why are critics' opinions - people who aren't related to us/people who don't know us - important to us? Quite frankly, they shouldn't be. If we want to go and see a film, we need to go in with an open mind and decide for ourselves what we think of it.
But, hey, I thought Batman V Superman was ace!
A Cinema Trip & Some Thoughts,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
I really, really enjoyed the film. Okay, I could see a few flaws personally but I came out of the cinema incredibly impressed, excited and ready to place it in my "favourite film" category that swims about in my head. My brother adored it too. So why is it that we can let other opinions about things such as films affect us beforehand? And maybe even after too!
What is one person's cup of tea might just not be another person's. And that's okay. So why should these critic reviews be the be all and end all when it comes to the reputation of a film? I hope that they aren't and I really hope the fans can bring this film to awesomeness- I really think the film deserves it! I have read reviews that slated the film for the length of the film. Yes, it's super long but my interest was there from the very first scene to the very last. The length was not an issue for me, personally. I have seen reviews that were negative about the lack of comedy in the film. I didn't go into the film expecting comedy. I liked how dark it is. It's a film with a serious tone and I enjoyed that. Plus there were a few moments of comic relief and they were enough for me!
One negative review amongst loads of good reviews when it comes to hotels or books or restaurants stand out to us. We take that as the one that must be right. However I've learnt not to do this. Of course we should take note as to why there's a negative review but we should consider all of the good points in the others- we need to weigh up what's important to us.
I realised recently that my parents have never tried to influence my political reviews. They've also never made a point of saying that they've never done that. I think that's super cool. When it comes down to it, historically, my mum and dad have voted differently to each other. I know my own political views are down to the research I've done and the personal factors in my life that dictate what party/political view will benefit me. That's nothing to do with my parents.
So why are critics' opinions - people who aren't related to us/people who don't know us - important to us? Quite frankly, they shouldn't be. If we want to go and see a film, we need to go in with an open mind and decide for ourselves what we think of it.
But, hey, I thought Batman V Superman was ace!
A Cinema Trip & Some Thoughts,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Using Curiosity to Break Bad Habits
I have been watching so many TED Talks recently and I've never watched one that hasn't sparked my interest. Today I watched a talk about addictive behaviours and how to break these bad habits. The concepts most spoken about are smoking and eating bad foods but it is explained that these behaviours are not the only ones this concept applies to. It gives other examples like checking emails when procrastinating from work. HERE you can find the link to the video.
In this video Judson Brewer shows us a simple way to break these bad habits that are so simple to acquire. They are described as a system that goes like this: Trigger; behaviour; reward... Repeat. E.g. See food; eat food; feel good... Repeat. Listening to this simple routine made me a little sad. We so easily fall into this trap when it comes to bad habits when Judson also explains a simple way to break it.
As much as I eat healthily I'm also really bad at enjoying chocolate and cake. In the last month I've improved massively. I've tried cutting out a lot of sugary and fatty foods. When approached by unhealthy foods I've applied this to my thinking: Am I hungry? If I am, I ask; Could I find something/make something healthier? Yes I could. If, no, I am not hungry I find pleasure in the ability to say no to this bad habit of eating unhealthily. I find that when I'm researching foods that are good for you and the reasons why, my curiosity leads to my healthy decisions feeling all the more exciting.
Watching this video has definitely made my mindset towards my bad habits even better. The suggestion he gives us is to, "notice the urge, get curious, feel the joy of letting go and repeat." Throughout his talk he talks about curiosity feeling good. And it does feel good. I have a sense of purpose when I'm curious and I feel delighted when my curiosity leads to answers. It's easy to be curious and so it's easy to kick these habits.
I'm going to be thinking about this talk a lot in the next couple of weeks in order to make Judson's routine become part of mine!
Curiosity & Joy,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
In this video Judson Brewer shows us a simple way to break these bad habits that are so simple to acquire. They are described as a system that goes like this: Trigger; behaviour; reward... Repeat. E.g. See food; eat food; feel good... Repeat. Listening to this simple routine made me a little sad. We so easily fall into this trap when it comes to bad habits when Judson also explains a simple way to break it.
As much as I eat healthily I'm also really bad at enjoying chocolate and cake. In the last month I've improved massively. I've tried cutting out a lot of sugary and fatty foods. When approached by unhealthy foods I've applied this to my thinking: Am I hungry? If I am, I ask; Could I find something/make something healthier? Yes I could. If, no, I am not hungry I find pleasure in the ability to say no to this bad habit of eating unhealthily. I find that when I'm researching foods that are good for you and the reasons why, my curiosity leads to my healthy decisions feeling all the more exciting.
Watching this video has definitely made my mindset towards my bad habits even better. The suggestion he gives us is to, "notice the urge, get curious, feel the joy of letting go and repeat." Throughout his talk he talks about curiosity feeling good. And it does feel good. I have a sense of purpose when I'm curious and I feel delighted when my curiosity leads to answers. It's easy to be curious and so it's easy to kick these habits.
I'm going to be thinking about this talk a lot in the next couple of weeks in order to make Judson's routine become part of mine!
Curiosity & Joy,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Friday, 25 March 2016
The Comic Book Shop
Bella never intended to fall in love with another man. She never wanted it- never thought she needed another man. Since she was five years old she vowed she would only ever love one. Robbie Hayman- the Hollywood actor who came from the village she was born in. Her favourite place in the world. But she'd move to Hollywood if Robbie asked. It would be hard, Bella realised when she was ten, but she would do it. For him.
She was eighteen when it happened. She was in her favourite comic book store. It didn't stock a lot but it was compact and unique and that's how Bella liked to view herself. She was stroking the next issue of her favourite series when she heard a cough to signal someone announcing their presence from behind her. Only, when she turned, she realised he wasn't announcing himself to her. She didn't know, before turning around, that she'd care about this technicality but when she watched a brief encounter, she realised quickly she was intrigued by the new employee.
After a woman carrying a bag of groceries heard the cough to announce his presence, the employee, awkwardly but happily grinned, "Hi. Sorry to intrude! You seem confused and uncomfortable in this shop. You wouldn't be buying a present for someone else by any chance would you?"
"My goodness, I'm so glad you've saved me! I simply don't know what I'm doing."
"Tell me about the present-receiver; I might just be able to help."
They wandered off towards the counter and Bella found it hard to look away. But she did. She put the comic back and headed out of the shop.
Bella felt frustrated. The comic book shop was the place she found it easiest to be herself. Now she felt a little angry. This new employee was dorky, sweet-looking with a gentle way. The opposite of Robbie Hayman and Bella found herself supressing the thought that said; better than Robbie Hayman.
Bella didn't go back to the shop for a few weeks but she started to miss it so much her heart was a little achy. So, she headed down on a Wednesday afternoon after sixth form and her friends headed in another direction. She went down on a Saturday the time before so she figured he might not be there that Wednesday. All the figuring in the world would not have told her that he actually was, in fact, working that Wednesday.
Bella found out as soon as she stepped in.
Well this just wouldn't do. This was going to ruin her comic book experience. Her friends called her dorky but they found it endearing. It wasn't a trait she was willing to give up. She loved her comics- they were her best friends. It was the only thing she spent a lot of money on. She took a breath and headed to the back of the shop, quietly saying hello back to the new guy when he happily said "Hello!"
Bella, despite the butterflies in her belly, kept going back, like she normally would. Sometimes the new guy was working, some times he wasn't. That's when she felt most relaxed. Until, one day, he wasn't working and yet when she turned around she saw him browsing at the front. Bella cringed. She tried to head out quickly but he saw her, "Hey!"
Bella turned slightly, apprehensive. "Hey!" Bella felt silly. Bella was known for being quite happy-go-lucky. People found her crush on Robbie Hayman adorable and she loved playing up to peoples' expectations and joking about her future with him. And yet Bella felt like she wasn't herself in the presence of this comic book guy. She felt nervous.
"I've seen you about a lot! You buy the good stuff."
"Of course; I wouldn't have it any other way.
Comic book guy laughed. "We don't get many of your sort in here."
Intrigued, Bella felt herself laugh, "My sort?"
"The female kind. You're our only regular one!"
"At least I'm doing my sort proud and getting the good stuff!"
"Why is it we are a no-go area for your sort, in general?"
"I dunno. It's sad. Comics are some of my most prized possessions. My sort are most certainly missing out. You should create a campaign to get more females in comic book shops."
"We definitely should!"
"Don't sound too excited comic book guy!" Bella's confidence was coming back.
"Oh I didn't mean it like that."
Bella giggled to show she was joking and he blushed a little. It was all very endearing. "Do you think it sucks there aren't more of my sort interested in comics?"
"I do! I really do. They're so easy to get lost into. They might be some of the most unbelievable stories to some but I definitely feel it's real when I'm reading." Comic book guy paused. "What with all of the rubbish your sort get in this world, it would definitely be awesome to get your sort in more. Then we might also get more female superheroes."
"Now there's a very good thought. We are all superheroes in our own right anyway."
"You certainly are." Comic book boy caught Bella's eyes and she felt herself keeping this eye contact. He was smiling. He was lovely. He was a boy and the loveliest one she had ever met. She was looking at her in the sweetest way.
"I guess I'd like to be a superhero. A super powerful one. And I'd show the world that powerful women are an asset to the world. They're not scary; they're smart and awesome and allowed to be strong."
"I think that sounds like the best superhero."
"You can be my sidekick if you like. I like you."
Comic book boy laughed but seemed delighted, "I would love that. Maybe we could discuss this another time? We need a plan."
"On... like a date?"
"I mean, maybe. If you'd like that."
"Let me use my superpowers to find out your name."
"Ah, of course! Go for it!"
"I'm sensing a five letter name."
Comic book boy seemed surprised and impressed. "Yes!"
"Begins with an A?"
"What? Are you actually a superhero?"
"All women are superheroes, Aaron."
Aaron was dumbfounded. Bella turned away and headed towards the door, grinning a little. As she reached the door Aaron laughed, amazed at himself. "Hey, you don't have a name badge!"
"You best do some guessing then! I'll meet you here after your Saturday shift? Six o'clock?"
"See you then stranger!" Aaron grinned and Bella felt her heart grinning; her lips grinning; her everything grinning.
Bella waved an imaginary cape and grinned, "You can call me Comic Book Girl."
~
Have a lovely Bank Holiday!
Women & Capes,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
She was eighteen when it happened. She was in her favourite comic book store. It didn't stock a lot but it was compact and unique and that's how Bella liked to view herself. She was stroking the next issue of her favourite series when she heard a cough to signal someone announcing their presence from behind her. Only, when she turned, she realised he wasn't announcing himself to her. She didn't know, before turning around, that she'd care about this technicality but when she watched a brief encounter, she realised quickly she was intrigued by the new employee.
After a woman carrying a bag of groceries heard the cough to announce his presence, the employee, awkwardly but happily grinned, "Hi. Sorry to intrude! You seem confused and uncomfortable in this shop. You wouldn't be buying a present for someone else by any chance would you?"
"My goodness, I'm so glad you've saved me! I simply don't know what I'm doing."
"Tell me about the present-receiver; I might just be able to help."
They wandered off towards the counter and Bella found it hard to look away. But she did. She put the comic back and headed out of the shop.
Bella felt frustrated. The comic book shop was the place she found it easiest to be herself. Now she felt a little angry. This new employee was dorky, sweet-looking with a gentle way. The opposite of Robbie Hayman and Bella found herself supressing the thought that said; better than Robbie Hayman.
Bella didn't go back to the shop for a few weeks but she started to miss it so much her heart was a little achy. So, she headed down on a Wednesday afternoon after sixth form and her friends headed in another direction. She went down on a Saturday the time before so she figured he might not be there that Wednesday. All the figuring in the world would not have told her that he actually was, in fact, working that Wednesday.
Bella found out as soon as she stepped in.
Well this just wouldn't do. This was going to ruin her comic book experience. Her friends called her dorky but they found it endearing. It wasn't a trait she was willing to give up. She loved her comics- they were her best friends. It was the only thing she spent a lot of money on. She took a breath and headed to the back of the shop, quietly saying hello back to the new guy when he happily said "Hello!"
Bella, despite the butterflies in her belly, kept going back, like she normally would. Sometimes the new guy was working, some times he wasn't. That's when she felt most relaxed. Until, one day, he wasn't working and yet when she turned around she saw him browsing at the front. Bella cringed. She tried to head out quickly but he saw her, "Hey!"
Bella turned slightly, apprehensive. "Hey!" Bella felt silly. Bella was known for being quite happy-go-lucky. People found her crush on Robbie Hayman adorable and she loved playing up to peoples' expectations and joking about her future with him. And yet Bella felt like she wasn't herself in the presence of this comic book guy. She felt nervous.
"I've seen you about a lot! You buy the good stuff."
"Of course; I wouldn't have it any other way.
Comic book guy laughed. "We don't get many of your sort in here."
Intrigued, Bella felt herself laugh, "My sort?"
"The female kind. You're our only regular one!"
"At least I'm doing my sort proud and getting the good stuff!"
"Why is it we are a no-go area for your sort, in general?"
"I dunno. It's sad. Comics are some of my most prized possessions. My sort are most certainly missing out. You should create a campaign to get more females in comic book shops."
"We definitely should!"
"Don't sound too excited comic book guy!" Bella's confidence was coming back.
"Oh I didn't mean it like that."
Bella giggled to show she was joking and he blushed a little. It was all very endearing. "Do you think it sucks there aren't more of my sort interested in comics?"
"I do! I really do. They're so easy to get lost into. They might be some of the most unbelievable stories to some but I definitely feel it's real when I'm reading." Comic book guy paused. "What with all of the rubbish your sort get in this world, it would definitely be awesome to get your sort in more. Then we might also get more female superheroes."
"Now there's a very good thought. We are all superheroes in our own right anyway."
"You certainly are." Comic book boy caught Bella's eyes and she felt herself keeping this eye contact. He was smiling. He was lovely. He was a boy and the loveliest one she had ever met. She was looking at her in the sweetest way.
"I guess I'd like to be a superhero. A super powerful one. And I'd show the world that powerful women are an asset to the world. They're not scary; they're smart and awesome and allowed to be strong."
"I think that sounds like the best superhero."
"You can be my sidekick if you like. I like you."
Comic book boy laughed but seemed delighted, "I would love that. Maybe we could discuss this another time? We need a plan."
"On... like a date?"
"I mean, maybe. If you'd like that."
"Let me use my superpowers to find out your name."
"Ah, of course! Go for it!"
"I'm sensing a five letter name."
Comic book boy seemed surprised and impressed. "Yes!"
"Begins with an A?"
"What? Are you actually a superhero?"
"All women are superheroes, Aaron."
Aaron was dumbfounded. Bella turned away and headed towards the door, grinning a little. As she reached the door Aaron laughed, amazed at himself. "Hey, you don't have a name badge!"
"You best do some guessing then! I'll meet you here after your Saturday shift? Six o'clock?"
"See you then stranger!" Aaron grinned and Bella felt her heart grinning; her lips grinning; her everything grinning.
Bella waved an imaginary cape and grinned, "You can call me Comic Book Girl."
~
Have a lovely Bank Holiday!
Women & Capes,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
Time for a Spring Clean
And what a glorious bank holiday it is! I really can't fault it. I've watched it go by this morning and I've enjoyed it. There are people busy buying Easter eggs and parents watching their children as they run ahead, happy to be off of school for a bit. And the weather? Beautiful. The sky is that deep warm blue with a few clouds dotting the sky- lovely, friendly clouds. They bring no threat (I mean I'm no weather forecaster) and I feel delighted at the spring picture in front of me.
I have been in need for a spring clean for a while. University has been super stressful and I've needed to have a better time with work- I've wanted to take it slower and less stressfully. I'm already getting on with work at a better place. I've also wanted to improve my distance with running and this weather only motivates me. But I have realised there is a spring clean I need for myself.
I feel like I keep getting wound up. It frustrates me. I'm quite a relaxed person when it comes to people but recently I've felt a bit tense. Sometimes I hear how petty my thoughts are; sometimes I feel like someone's rightly irritated me but I need to work on just dropping it. My edginess is annoying myself and it can leave me feeling either frustrated or even competitive. I don't feel like it's got to a terrible stage or anything but I it can dominate my thoughts and it only irritates me.
In order to stop feeling so caught up in something someone has said or done I want to create a list to help me calm down, focus only on myself and completely enjoy the people who might say something I find a bit frustrating and realise it really doesn't matter.
I need to...
...remember to focus on myself when it comes to all of the hard-work kind of aspects of life.
...take baths this summer.
...joke a lot
...take advantage of any good weather with walks, runs and fun with friends.
...spend time with my family.
...clean my room.
It's so important not to compare yourself to anyone; we are all different people, making our lives very different things. I need to remind myself some things are just not worth fretting over. I need to keep my goals in my mind whilst having so much fun. I'm having the best Easter holidays already. I just need to get rid of this irritation I find easy to acquire recently. I don't want to be irritated.
A spring clean for me is vital right now.
Spring & Promise,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice a day every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
I have been in need for a spring clean for a while. University has been super stressful and I've needed to have a better time with work- I've wanted to take it slower and less stressfully. I'm already getting on with work at a better place. I've also wanted to improve my distance with running and this weather only motivates me. But I have realised there is a spring clean I need for myself.
I feel like I keep getting wound up. It frustrates me. I'm quite a relaxed person when it comes to people but recently I've felt a bit tense. Sometimes I hear how petty my thoughts are; sometimes I feel like someone's rightly irritated me but I need to work on just dropping it. My edginess is annoying myself and it can leave me feeling either frustrated or even competitive. I don't feel like it's got to a terrible stage or anything but I it can dominate my thoughts and it only irritates me.
In order to stop feeling so caught up in something someone has said or done I want to create a list to help me calm down, focus only on myself and completely enjoy the people who might say something I find a bit frustrating and realise it really doesn't matter.
I need to...
...remember to focus on myself when it comes to all of the hard-work kind of aspects of life.
...take baths this summer.
...joke a lot
...take advantage of any good weather with walks, runs and fun with friends.
...spend time with my family.
...clean my room.
It's so important not to compare yourself to anyone; we are all different people, making our lives very different things. I need to remind myself some things are just not worth fretting over. I need to keep my goals in my mind whilst having so much fun. I'm having the best Easter holidays already. I just need to get rid of this irritation I find easy to acquire recently. I don't want to be irritated.
A spring clean for me is vital right now.
Spring & Promise,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice a day every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Thursday, 24 March 2016
Like A Girl | Part Two
Since writing about the Always Like A Girl campaign (you can read my post HERE), I have been thinking about the campaign a lot. I really adore its message- that us girls can reclaim the phrase "like a girl" and show what it is to be "like a girl." Because being like a girl means anything and everything. It can mean a mixture of qualities; it can mean one or two. In this post I want to talk about a few times where I've seen females act like a girl and it's been awesome.
Supportive. Sometimes in a friendship group of mine there can be a bit of a split between the boys and the girls. It is all mostly jokey but sometimes the boys can do that whole "Oh it was just a joke; why can't girls take banter?" thing and I despise that. I won't talk about these times but when the boys are joking with the girls and it is a bit banter-y I adore seeing us girls stick together and support our abilities in things and our choices in lives.
Caring. In this same friendship group, one of the boys was getting "bantered upon" by the boys and he was being called a "worm" and all of that kind of stuff. One of my friends turned round and told him - because he seemed super upset - that he's lovely and he must ignore what they're saying. She turned to the rest and told them to cut it out and I think this is an awesome way to be.
Funny. Girls come in all levels of funny and I love them all. There's a boy in our group who we like despite his silly and kind of immature ways. He dishes out a lot and we stick up for anyone when it goes too far but one night he was making innocent comments towards people with a slight hint of nasty. My friend turned round to him when he was least expecting it and made the most innocent and smart comment about something in his life (it wasn't cruel, I promise- this is hard to explain without saying it) and our group erupted and even he grinned cheekily, amused but embarrassed and appreciating he deserved that comment.
When have you seen females act like a girl?
Quite frankly this post didn't turn out how I envisioned it however maybe I'll do another post like this and it'll be better. All the same, acting like a girl is great!
Like A Girl & Proud,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Supportive. Sometimes in a friendship group of mine there can be a bit of a split between the boys and the girls. It is all mostly jokey but sometimes the boys can do that whole "Oh it was just a joke; why can't girls take banter?" thing and I despise that. I won't talk about these times but when the boys are joking with the girls and it is a bit banter-y I adore seeing us girls stick together and support our abilities in things and our choices in lives.
Caring. In this same friendship group, one of the boys was getting "bantered upon" by the boys and he was being called a "worm" and all of that kind of stuff. One of my friends turned round and told him - because he seemed super upset - that he's lovely and he must ignore what they're saying. She turned to the rest and told them to cut it out and I think this is an awesome way to be.
Funny. Girls come in all levels of funny and I love them all. There's a boy in our group who we like despite his silly and kind of immature ways. He dishes out a lot and we stick up for anyone when it goes too far but one night he was making innocent comments towards people with a slight hint of nasty. My friend turned round to him when he was least expecting it and made the most innocent and smart comment about something in his life (it wasn't cruel, I promise- this is hard to explain without saying it) and our group erupted and even he grinned cheekily, amused but embarrassed and appreciating he deserved that comment.
When have you seen females act like a girl?
Quite frankly this post didn't turn out how I envisioned it however maybe I'll do another post like this and it'll be better. All the same, acting like a girl is great!
Like A Girl & Proud,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
From a Citizen to a Suspect | Collective Guilt
Today I watched and listened to an incredible TED Talk. I wept for the incredible woman who stood up and spoke for herself as a human, and also as a human who is part of a religion. I wept for how she is affected by bigoted views this world can sometimes encourage, but if not, produce through fear and anger. I wept because, of course, she shouldn't have to stand and defend herself; her religion. But, sadly, she does.
I more than encourage to watch the video embedded below (it can be found HERE if you can not see it).
Dalia Mogahed hasn't always been a Muslim. It was a choice she made as a seventeen year old. She chose to try to understand, to struggle with and love with the help of Islam. In this video she talks of her religion and how it teaches good values and it is because of mosques that people find courage. This building guides and helps good people- people who want to become better and better. I am not religious but naturally respect all religions. This should be a given and doesn't need explanation but one reason I have complete respect for religions is because of the good values it teaches. So many people find all sorts of goodness in holy books and teachings and I think that's awesome.
Dalia talks of 9/11 and how it has affected her. She describes the "collective guilt" she and other Muslims acquire through another person's terrible actions. Actions that are not supported by their religion as a community or as a set of teachings. I've always heard of this horrible concept and despised it deeply, although I've never thought of it as "collective guilt." Does that phrase not just sing sadly of the horrendous injustice this world easily feels and creates?
She explains how she and her family had to make a choice. After 9/11 should she hide out of fear of being a victim of violence or religious hatred or should she go to worship? How is that we live in a world where good people have to even consider - let alone chose - whether hiding is the safer option? They did, however, go to worship. She said they thought about the kind of America they wanted it to be for their kids and it's a courageous and compassionate one they want to see and be a part of. And she explains how she entered the mosque and there were Christians, Jews, atheists... Everyone had come together in the sound of harmony. How it should be.
"They chose courage and compassion over panic and prejudice." This is Dalia - woman, mother, human, coffee drinker, Muslim - explaining these people who entered her mosque to support Muslims. To spread kindness and courage. There should only be one choice and it should always be support and yet it is not and I, like Dalia said she did at the time, cried. Humanity should be seeing that bad people don't represent a whole community. They represent themselves. Dalia says they do not represent their religion and of course they do not. Islam teaches good values; it doesn't teach terrorism.
This video is about this view that "getting rid of Muslims means getting rid of terrorism." She shows how, of course this is ridiculous. She says you can get rid of all Muslims in America, for example, but it won't stop terrorism. People need to learn that these acts of terrorism do not and will not ever represent a religion's views and values.
I am so done with Islamophobia. I am so done. Recent events are so disturbing and disgusting and inhumane and everything terrible about this world. But a religion is not responsible for it. People who are living good lives are not responsible for terrorism. At the end, Dalia asks whether the audience will choose to be bigoted or to support Islam. I don't believe it's a choice as she phrased it at the end but I understand her point. It's not a choice to chose compassion; it should be everyone's way of life.
And I must mark my support of Islam in this post. And I'll keep letting the world know. I hope you do too.
Courage & Compassion,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
I more than encourage to watch the video embedded below (it can be found HERE if you can not see it).
Dalia Mogahed hasn't always been a Muslim. It was a choice she made as a seventeen year old. She chose to try to understand, to struggle with and love with the help of Islam. In this video she talks of her religion and how it teaches good values and it is because of mosques that people find courage. This building guides and helps good people- people who want to become better and better. I am not religious but naturally respect all religions. This should be a given and doesn't need explanation but one reason I have complete respect for religions is because of the good values it teaches. So many people find all sorts of goodness in holy books and teachings and I think that's awesome.
Dalia talks of 9/11 and how it has affected her. She describes the "collective guilt" she and other Muslims acquire through another person's terrible actions. Actions that are not supported by their religion as a community or as a set of teachings. I've always heard of this horrible concept and despised it deeply, although I've never thought of it as "collective guilt." Does that phrase not just sing sadly of the horrendous injustice this world easily feels and creates?
She explains how she and her family had to make a choice. After 9/11 should she hide out of fear of being a victim of violence or religious hatred or should she go to worship? How is that we live in a world where good people have to even consider - let alone chose - whether hiding is the safer option? They did, however, go to worship. She said they thought about the kind of America they wanted it to be for their kids and it's a courageous and compassionate one they want to see and be a part of. And she explains how she entered the mosque and there were Christians, Jews, atheists... Everyone had come together in the sound of harmony. How it should be.
"They chose courage and compassion over panic and prejudice." This is Dalia - woman, mother, human, coffee drinker, Muslim - explaining these people who entered her mosque to support Muslims. To spread kindness and courage. There should only be one choice and it should always be support and yet it is not and I, like Dalia said she did at the time, cried. Humanity should be seeing that bad people don't represent a whole community. They represent themselves. Dalia says they do not represent their religion and of course they do not. Islam teaches good values; it doesn't teach terrorism.
This video is about this view that "getting rid of Muslims means getting rid of terrorism." She shows how, of course this is ridiculous. She says you can get rid of all Muslims in America, for example, but it won't stop terrorism. People need to learn that these acts of terrorism do not and will not ever represent a religion's views and values.
I am so done with Islamophobia. I am so done. Recent events are so disturbing and disgusting and inhumane and everything terrible about this world. But a religion is not responsible for it. People who are living good lives are not responsible for terrorism. At the end, Dalia asks whether the audience will choose to be bigoted or to support Islam. I don't believe it's a choice as she phrased it at the end but I understand her point. It's not a choice to chose compassion; it should be everyone's way of life.
And I must mark my support of Islam in this post. And I'll keep letting the world know. I hope you do too.
Courage & Compassion,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
Wednesday, 23 March 2016
The Benefits Will Be Seen
Today the only chance I had to go on a run was this morning, before eight o'clock. And so I set myself ready to go on a run at about seven. When my alarm went off I continued to snooze it until I no longer could go. I'm so angry at past me because I'd had a very good sleep. All of my thoughts lead back to me thinking ugh but I'm so tired! I should have been thinking good, motivational things but I wasn't and I am super angry at myself.
I need to make sure I'm often thinking about the benefits that will be seen if I do certain things. It's why I am starting revision far earlier this year than I ever have because I know I want to see the benefits. And on the days when I don't really want to revise, I need to remind myself that doing this boring thing now will pay off in the future.
I think it applies to so much in life. When I think of people who want to give up smoking, I always think it must be so hard for them, but I think how they need to think of the future. Not right now. Yes, they might just find it upsettingly hard but they can do it. If they think of the benefits they will feel very soon-in the future, it will get them through it.
I've written about this concept of thinking about what the future will bring if we do a certain thing very, very recently but I need it to become a habit. I need to always incorporate this way of thinking into my life. Going on a run this morning would have set my day up brilliantly. I have been on a walk which is great but I wish I had a run to add to my exercise today.
So, tomorrow, when I want to stay in bed, I will be on a run.
Keeping Motivated & Excited,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
I need to make sure I'm often thinking about the benefits that will be seen if I do certain things. It's why I am starting revision far earlier this year than I ever have because I know I want to see the benefits. And on the days when I don't really want to revise, I need to remind myself that doing this boring thing now will pay off in the future.
I think it applies to so much in life. When I think of people who want to give up smoking, I always think it must be so hard for them, but I think how they need to think of the future. Not right now. Yes, they might just find it upsettingly hard but they can do it. If they think of the benefits they will feel very soon-in the future, it will get them through it.
I've written about this concept of thinking about what the future will bring if we do a certain thing very, very recently but I need it to become a habit. I need to always incorporate this way of thinking into my life. Going on a run this morning would have set my day up brilliantly. I have been on a walk which is great but I wish I had a run to add to my exercise today.
So, tomorrow, when I want to stay in bed, I will be on a run.
Keeping Motivated & Excited,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
A Sweet Fall
Steph, aware of her tongue poking out, concentrates on the final touch to the cake she has made for her best friend's daughter's first birthday. Steph has had the busiest year and Carly, her best friend, insisted she didn't need to make a cake- "Baby Ellie won't remember it anyway!" After the third time she said this Steph nodded but there was never any chance she wasn't making Ellie the cutest cake to mark her first year in this world being completed.
She kept it simple with a Victoria sponge but made the icing yellow as Ellie points to everything yellow when they're out and about. Steph covered the whole cake in this yellow icing and then made pink, white and blue circles of icing to decorate the top. It was all very simple but very effective, Steph thought.
Steph takes a step backwards and snaps a shot to put up to her company's Facebook page. Steph owns a successful small business where she makes cakes for any celebration or event. It is mainly through her Facebook page where traffic comes in, but word of mouth does the trick too. Today is her only day off for a week or so and so Steph takes a step onto her balcony.
It's early May and only ten o'clock in the morning. The party doesn't start until midday and Steph is adoring the feeling of sun on her skin. It's already warm and Steph grins at how perfect the weather is for her best friend's first party hosted for her little princess. She just knows she'll be delighted.
Steph finally allows her thoughts to travel back to her embarrassing morning. She takes a sip of her coffee and leans back on her chair. She woke up at six, ready to face the day with a run. She slipped on her running clothes and, yawning, filled her bottle up with water. As soon as she stepped into the morning Steph knew she couldn't regret the decision to get up so early. Although it was chilly, it was clear the forecast was going to prove to be right- today was to be a deliciously warm day.
Steph ran into her second mile and realised she was struggling. She breathed in a deep breath and focussed her eyes ahead of her. This day was too nice to struggle. Her motivation pushed her forward and kept doing so until it pushed her forward into a man walking round the same corner she was running round. She fell comically to the floor and cringed as she realised she didn't close her bottle properly and it spilled over the man's trousers. "I'm so sorry!" she almost squealed.
"Hey, it's okay! Do you need a hand?"
Steph pulled herself off of the ground and stumbled upwards. "No I'm cool thank you!" Steph almost giggled as she saw the man's prettily carved face.
"You've hurt your knee- you sure you're okay?"
"Ooooh!" Steph looked down to her knee and she was shocked to see so much blood and immediately felt queasy. "I'm just going to sit down!" Steph is sure she said this a little too loudly and she awkwardly planted herself on the side of the grass. "Sorry for bumping into you again but I'm fine!"
"Wait, I've got some water in my bag."
"Also on your trousers," Steph found her joke too funny and realises immediately she wasn't feeling great.
The man laughed and passed her the water, "Thank you stranger but I don't fancy a drink." The man laughed but insisted all the same, "Sip it. It'll do you a lot of good. Are you feeling dizzy?"
"I am. Only a little."
The man pulled a first aid kit out of his bag and Steph can't help but giggle, "I'm very grateful and all but why have you to that in your bag." Then, her eyes narrowed, "Did you plan on tripping me up?"
The man's eyes widened, "No!"
Suddenly embarrassed Steph stopped talking while he cleaned up her cut gently, apologising when she winced a little bit. "It's all cleared up. How are you feeling?"
Steph shrugged, "Much better."
"I'm glad." Not sure what to do next the man swayed a little on the spot. Steph found it difficult not to look at him but everything in her forced her eyes to the ground. Feeling better, humiliation washes over her and she got to her feet, unsteady at first but fine in the end. "Thank you for your help," she muttered and turned around, and while he insisted that it's all right and she should slow down, Steph kept limping home and finally let her cheeks flush red when she was in the safety of her own home.
Now, on the balcony, Steph cringes for the hundredth time. The man did nothing but help her and she just walked off. Lifting her body up shamefully, Steph took off her apron and got ready for the party. At least if that morning wasn't the end of her humiliating herself she would get to do so again in front of friends.
Just after midday friends file into Carly's house and Carly and her husband, Jeff greet them happily, thankful for their gifts and kind messages. Steph keeps the kids entertained in the garden, thinking up new games when they get bored. She goes to the toilet and grins at her new red dress, knowing it'll be a while before she's dressed up again. The party has the loveliest summery atmosphere and she feels happy to be in everyone's presence. She's happy for a sunny day off.
As she steps back into the garden, Carly calls her name, "The cake looks amazing Steph! You're a star! I can't believe you!"
"Oh don't be silly! I loved making it!"
"Well thank you." Steph surveys the area and the happiness until her eyes stop on the man she collided with that morning. "Carly," she almost whispers.
"Steph, are you okay?" Carly sounds concerned and Steph thinks, she should be concerned; this is a disaster! Carly obviously follows Steph's eyes and she giggles, "Oh that's lovely Sam!"
Steph flushes red immediately and Carly laughs until Steph's eyes are so wide she's confused again. "Steph, what's up?"
"I know Sam!"
"You do?!"
"Well, no. I mean kind of."
"You mean you wish you knew him," she giggles. "You two would look amazing together, actually. Why haven't I thought of this already? He's Jeff's friend from work. He's amazing apparently. He's the new boss but he's very kind. And very talented. And he's so lovely. He-"
Steph ignores her best friend and is thankful when Ellie starts to cry and Carly rushes off to make her a giggly birthday princess again. Steph simply doesn't know what to do but her fears are answered when Sam turns and sees her. Oh no. He seems confused until his facial expression softens and he seems almost happy. Steph turns back into the sun and busies herself with a child claiming to be hungry. She steers him to the buffet of bits of food and she cringes at the tap on her shoulder.
The boy runs off as soon as he has a handful of food and Steph curses him for not staying loyal to the woman who fed her when he needed it. She turns and fakes a smile, "Hey! So, this is odd that you're here!"
"Well, not really. Carly's my best friend! Ellie's my favourite kid. Jeff's all right as well," despite herself she grins at her comment.
He laughs. "And I was wondering how I'd ever find out that you were okay!"
"Oh Sam, I need you!" Carly's voice comes from behind. "Jeff and I have both tried but Ellie just won't smile!"
Apparently Sam is some kind of child whisperer and almost as soon as he takes her in his arms, she grins again. He makes silly faces and she's giggling again. "You're the birthday girl, little Ellie Jelly. We need you to always be smiling." It's like Ellie understands exactly what he's saying and Steph could have sworn she nodded.
Steph ignored the feeling in her stomach that is making her a little jealous- Steph is Ellie's favourite "non-family" person. She cringes at the realisation that she likes watching Sam with Ellie. Conscious of Carly watching her and sure she's already told Jeff she has some kind of crush on this Sam guy, Steph goes to turn away but Sam's voice cuts the air.
"This one here nearly knocked me off of my feet this morning."
Damn.
"She did what?" Carly's voice doesn't even hide her surprise and it most certainly doesn't hide her laughter.
"She was running around the corner I was walking around and bam, there she was! Although I have to say she did fall at my feet."
"Oh, who doesn't?" Jeff jokes and Steph doesn't like where this is heading. "Although Steph is normally harder to please."
"Is she now?" Steph catches Sam's eyes and she sees that he has won a little victory at learning her name.
"I can't say I normally bump into anyone but dog walkers so early in the morning. It's actually kind of creepy- a man up and about at six o'clock in the morning, without a dog."
"Oh, Steph, this one is like you," Jeff laughs.
"Like me?"
"Active and stuff. I'd hate him for his fitness but he's so damn charming."
Steph rolls her eyes but she sees Sam is embarrassed by the comments and her stomach flips. "I just finished my run actually!"
"You were? And do you make a habit of patching up girls, what with your emergency first aid kit being handy?"
"He patched you up?!" Carly squeals.
"He's got to keep his back strong with a full rucksack now, hasn't he?" Jeff would seem resentful if he wasn't playfully punching Sam's arms.
"Unfortunately we can't stick around for all of this cuteness," Carly says and Steph suddenly hates her best friend. "Because if we did, you might not turn out to be the cutest couple I can see you will be. Come on, husband. Steph couldn't go any redder if I tried."
Despite herself Steph actually laughs. Sam looks down so as not to acknowledge the comment. "I'm glad I've seen you're okay, you know."
"Thank you Sam. I think I'd have been a lot worse off this morning if you weren't there to help."
"And yet, if I wasn't there, you wouldn't have hurt yourself in the first place."
"Well there's food for thought."
"Your knee looks lovely in that dress, you know."
Steph laughs. Properly laughs. For the first time in for ever. "Why thank you. I've only dreamed of fit men saying such a thing to me."
He gasps, "No one's ever told you that before?"
"Never."
"Why, you should be told every day!"
It might be the sun that possesses Steph to say what she does next but she has a feeling she might thank herself for it, "Maybe if I can grab your number you might just get another opportunity to see these knees all dressed up."
"Well now there is some food for thought."
Steph grins as Sam runs off to the arty table for the kids and stays there for a couple of minutes. He runs back and hands her a scrap piece of green paper with a series of numbers written on it with a pink glitter pen. In the corner it says, "Hopefully you won't fall over the next time I see you."
~
Sunny & Happy,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
She kept it simple with a Victoria sponge but made the icing yellow as Ellie points to everything yellow when they're out and about. Steph covered the whole cake in this yellow icing and then made pink, white and blue circles of icing to decorate the top. It was all very simple but very effective, Steph thought.
Steph takes a step backwards and snaps a shot to put up to her company's Facebook page. Steph owns a successful small business where she makes cakes for any celebration or event. It is mainly through her Facebook page where traffic comes in, but word of mouth does the trick too. Today is her only day off for a week or so and so Steph takes a step onto her balcony.
It's early May and only ten o'clock in the morning. The party doesn't start until midday and Steph is adoring the feeling of sun on her skin. It's already warm and Steph grins at how perfect the weather is for her best friend's first party hosted for her little princess. She just knows she'll be delighted.
Steph finally allows her thoughts to travel back to her embarrassing morning. She takes a sip of her coffee and leans back on her chair. She woke up at six, ready to face the day with a run. She slipped on her running clothes and, yawning, filled her bottle up with water. As soon as she stepped into the morning Steph knew she couldn't regret the decision to get up so early. Although it was chilly, it was clear the forecast was going to prove to be right- today was to be a deliciously warm day.
Steph ran into her second mile and realised she was struggling. She breathed in a deep breath and focussed her eyes ahead of her. This day was too nice to struggle. Her motivation pushed her forward and kept doing so until it pushed her forward into a man walking round the same corner she was running round. She fell comically to the floor and cringed as she realised she didn't close her bottle properly and it spilled over the man's trousers. "I'm so sorry!" she almost squealed.
"Hey, it's okay! Do you need a hand?"
Steph pulled herself off of the ground and stumbled upwards. "No I'm cool thank you!" Steph almost giggled as she saw the man's prettily carved face.
"You've hurt your knee- you sure you're okay?"
"Ooooh!" Steph looked down to her knee and she was shocked to see so much blood and immediately felt queasy. "I'm just going to sit down!" Steph is sure she said this a little too loudly and she awkwardly planted herself on the side of the grass. "Sorry for bumping into you again but I'm fine!"
"Wait, I've got some water in my bag."
"Also on your trousers," Steph found her joke too funny and realises immediately she wasn't feeling great.
The man laughed and passed her the water, "Thank you stranger but I don't fancy a drink." The man laughed but insisted all the same, "Sip it. It'll do you a lot of good. Are you feeling dizzy?"
"I am. Only a little."
The man pulled a first aid kit out of his bag and Steph can't help but giggle, "I'm very grateful and all but why have you to that in your bag." Then, her eyes narrowed, "Did you plan on tripping me up?"
The man's eyes widened, "No!"
Suddenly embarrassed Steph stopped talking while he cleaned up her cut gently, apologising when she winced a little bit. "It's all cleared up. How are you feeling?"
Steph shrugged, "Much better."
"I'm glad." Not sure what to do next the man swayed a little on the spot. Steph found it difficult not to look at him but everything in her forced her eyes to the ground. Feeling better, humiliation washes over her and she got to her feet, unsteady at first but fine in the end. "Thank you for your help," she muttered and turned around, and while he insisted that it's all right and she should slow down, Steph kept limping home and finally let her cheeks flush red when she was in the safety of her own home.
Now, on the balcony, Steph cringes for the hundredth time. The man did nothing but help her and she just walked off. Lifting her body up shamefully, Steph took off her apron and got ready for the party. At least if that morning wasn't the end of her humiliating herself she would get to do so again in front of friends.
Just after midday friends file into Carly's house and Carly and her husband, Jeff greet them happily, thankful for their gifts and kind messages. Steph keeps the kids entertained in the garden, thinking up new games when they get bored. She goes to the toilet and grins at her new red dress, knowing it'll be a while before she's dressed up again. The party has the loveliest summery atmosphere and she feels happy to be in everyone's presence. She's happy for a sunny day off.
As she steps back into the garden, Carly calls her name, "The cake looks amazing Steph! You're a star! I can't believe you!"
"Oh don't be silly! I loved making it!"
"Well thank you." Steph surveys the area and the happiness until her eyes stop on the man she collided with that morning. "Carly," she almost whispers.
"Steph, are you okay?" Carly sounds concerned and Steph thinks, she should be concerned; this is a disaster! Carly obviously follows Steph's eyes and she giggles, "Oh that's lovely Sam!"
Steph flushes red immediately and Carly laughs until Steph's eyes are so wide she's confused again. "Steph, what's up?"
"I know Sam!"
"You do?!"
"Well, no. I mean kind of."
"You mean you wish you knew him," she giggles. "You two would look amazing together, actually. Why haven't I thought of this already? He's Jeff's friend from work. He's amazing apparently. He's the new boss but he's very kind. And very talented. And he's so lovely. He-"
Steph ignores her best friend and is thankful when Ellie starts to cry and Carly rushes off to make her a giggly birthday princess again. Steph simply doesn't know what to do but her fears are answered when Sam turns and sees her. Oh no. He seems confused until his facial expression softens and he seems almost happy. Steph turns back into the sun and busies herself with a child claiming to be hungry. She steers him to the buffet of bits of food and she cringes at the tap on her shoulder.
The boy runs off as soon as he has a handful of food and Steph curses him for not staying loyal to the woman who fed her when he needed it. She turns and fakes a smile, "Hey! So, this is odd that you're here!"
"Well, not really. Carly's my best friend! Ellie's my favourite kid. Jeff's all right as well," despite herself she grins at her comment.
He laughs. "And I was wondering how I'd ever find out that you were okay!"
"Oh Sam, I need you!" Carly's voice comes from behind. "Jeff and I have both tried but Ellie just won't smile!"
Apparently Sam is some kind of child whisperer and almost as soon as he takes her in his arms, she grins again. He makes silly faces and she's giggling again. "You're the birthday girl, little Ellie Jelly. We need you to always be smiling." It's like Ellie understands exactly what he's saying and Steph could have sworn she nodded.
Steph ignored the feeling in her stomach that is making her a little jealous- Steph is Ellie's favourite "non-family" person. She cringes at the realisation that she likes watching Sam with Ellie. Conscious of Carly watching her and sure she's already told Jeff she has some kind of crush on this Sam guy, Steph goes to turn away but Sam's voice cuts the air.
"This one here nearly knocked me off of my feet this morning."
Damn.
"She did what?" Carly's voice doesn't even hide her surprise and it most certainly doesn't hide her laughter.
"She was running around the corner I was walking around and bam, there she was! Although I have to say she did fall at my feet."
"Oh, who doesn't?" Jeff jokes and Steph doesn't like where this is heading. "Although Steph is normally harder to please."
"Is she now?" Steph catches Sam's eyes and she sees that he has won a little victory at learning her name.
"I can't say I normally bump into anyone but dog walkers so early in the morning. It's actually kind of creepy- a man up and about at six o'clock in the morning, without a dog."
"Oh, Steph, this one is like you," Jeff laughs.
"Like me?"
"Active and stuff. I'd hate him for his fitness but he's so damn charming."
Steph rolls her eyes but she sees Sam is embarrassed by the comments and her stomach flips. "I just finished my run actually!"
"You were? And do you make a habit of patching up girls, what with your emergency first aid kit being handy?"
"He patched you up?!" Carly squeals.
"He's got to keep his back strong with a full rucksack now, hasn't he?" Jeff would seem resentful if he wasn't playfully punching Sam's arms.
"Unfortunately we can't stick around for all of this cuteness," Carly says and Steph suddenly hates her best friend. "Because if we did, you might not turn out to be the cutest couple I can see you will be. Come on, husband. Steph couldn't go any redder if I tried."
Despite herself Steph actually laughs. Sam looks down so as not to acknowledge the comment. "I'm glad I've seen you're okay, you know."
"Thank you Sam. I think I'd have been a lot worse off this morning if you weren't there to help."
"And yet, if I wasn't there, you wouldn't have hurt yourself in the first place."
"Well there's food for thought."
"Your knee looks lovely in that dress, you know."
Steph laughs. Properly laughs. For the first time in for ever. "Why thank you. I've only dreamed of fit men saying such a thing to me."
He gasps, "No one's ever told you that before?"
"Never."
"Why, you should be told every day!"
It might be the sun that possesses Steph to say what she does next but she has a feeling she might thank herself for it, "Maybe if I can grab your number you might just get another opportunity to see these knees all dressed up."
"Well now there is some food for thought."
Steph grins as Sam runs off to the arty table for the kids and stays there for a couple of minutes. He runs back and hands her a scrap piece of green paper with a series of numbers written on it with a pink glitter pen. In the corner it says, "Hopefully you won't fall over the next time I see you."
~
Sunny & Happy,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
Choosing Calm
Every situation/thing can be improved. I believe that. Because I proved it today.
I had the best time ever today but it all went a bit pear-shaped when I lost something pretty important, however I didn't panic. I think we have to find our own way when things like this happen, and I chose not to panic. When something is lost, we can look and look and look, but it's our choice to be calm from the moment we realise something is lost. If it can't be find, we can do everything possible to find it (leave our phone number somewhere or leave our name or phone up a company etc) and it's up to us whether we get stressed or come ourselves down.
I think choosing calm is so important. I can get really stressed but I love it when I take a second and choose to be calm. It makes a situation so much better. And it did today.
Choosing calm is awesome because it means our minds are clearer and more ready to tackle an issue or problem. I feel more capable of facing the adult world and getting stuff done. And that's how I always want to feel. Choosing calm means seeing things more clearly and seeing it from the outside rather than from our stressed outlook. I want to always choose calm so I can approach a situation better with the eyes of, effectively, someone else.
When I feel stressed and something goes wrong, I feel terrible. I feel upset and panicky. Yet, when I choose to feel calmer and more collected I believe that I feel this way and get more done. My parents have taught me to be this way for so long and yet I haven't believe it until recently. But it works for me. If I choose to feel calm, I get more done and everything turns out okay. And that's important to me!
Calm & Collected,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
I had the best time ever today but it all went a bit pear-shaped when I lost something pretty important, however I didn't panic. I think we have to find our own way when things like this happen, and I chose not to panic. When something is lost, we can look and look and look, but it's our choice to be calm from the moment we realise something is lost. If it can't be find, we can do everything possible to find it (leave our phone number somewhere or leave our name or phone up a company etc) and it's up to us whether we get stressed or come ourselves down.
I think choosing calm is so important. I can get really stressed but I love it when I take a second and choose to be calm. It makes a situation so much better. And it did today.
Choosing calm is awesome because it means our minds are clearer and more ready to tackle an issue or problem. I feel more capable of facing the adult world and getting stuff done. And that's how I always want to feel. Choosing calm means seeing things more clearly and seeing it from the outside rather than from our stressed outlook. I want to always choose calm so I can approach a situation better with the eyes of, effectively, someone else.
When I feel stressed and something goes wrong, I feel terrible. I feel upset and panicky. Yet, when I choose to feel calmer and more collected I believe that I feel this way and get more done. My parents have taught me to be this way for so long and yet I haven't believe it until recently. But it works for me. If I choose to feel calm, I get more done and everything turns out okay. And that's important to me!
Calm & Collected,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this month and you can read my last post HERE!
Good Vibes Here I Come
I think it's so important to keep my mood in check. There's nothing worse than feeling terrible and not doing anything about it when I know I can. I can become so negative when I'm stressed with university work and I feel like nothing is going in. I need to make a more conscious effort to change how I'm feeling. Especially when it comes to working hard, it's so crucial that I have the mindset to match my (real or fake) motivation.
Today I know I want to be productive. It's actually a day off of revision. All I want to do is organise my work later but I want to approach today positively without thinking about working too much. I've taken the first few days of my Easter holidays easy when it's come to work but I've done quite a lot at the same time. I've realised I don't need to be as stressed as I've been making myself and I have plenty of time where I will be working so super hard. Writing this out has already lifted any stress off of me. If I think my stress out, I'm immediately more relaxed.
I've been on a three mile run which an be a favourite distance of mine and it definitely was this morning. It's a ridiculously lovely day- it wasn't even that cold and the sun was my absolute best friend. Exercising is so good for the mind and I used to despise going in the mornings. I have to have a little snack before or I feel so sick. As long as I do this I can face my run with as much motivation as later on in the day.
I had a really healthy breakfast. I woke up to a green tea and then made scrambled egg on toast and had strawberries after that. I immediately feel unstoppable which is my favourite way to feel. Healthy and unstoppable. I want to make sure I'm putting so much effort into my breakfasts so I can feel awesome and able to tackle anything I want to do.
I am off to see a friend for the day and I'm super excited. I am then swimming later and whatever else is a bonus! It's so important to feel good vibes and I really want to feel them today. I expect I will end up doing a little bit of university work later but I want to know that I can have a break- especially because I've been feeling so stressed recently. Good vibes here I come!
Sun & Good Vibes,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this March- you can read my last post HERE!
Today I know I want to be productive. It's actually a day off of revision. All I want to do is organise my work later but I want to approach today positively without thinking about working too much. I've taken the first few days of my Easter holidays easy when it's come to work but I've done quite a lot at the same time. I've realised I don't need to be as stressed as I've been making myself and I have plenty of time where I will be working so super hard. Writing this out has already lifted any stress off of me. If I think my stress out, I'm immediately more relaxed.
I've been on a three mile run which an be a favourite distance of mine and it definitely was this morning. It's a ridiculously lovely day- it wasn't even that cold and the sun was my absolute best friend. Exercising is so good for the mind and I used to despise going in the mornings. I have to have a little snack before or I feel so sick. As long as I do this I can face my run with as much motivation as later on in the day.
I had a really healthy breakfast. I woke up to a green tea and then made scrambled egg on toast and had strawberries after that. I immediately feel unstoppable which is my favourite way to feel. Healthy and unstoppable. I want to make sure I'm putting so much effort into my breakfasts so I can feel awesome and able to tackle anything I want to do.
I am off to see a friend for the day and I'm super excited. I am then swimming later and whatever else is a bonus! It's so important to feel good vibes and I really want to feel them today. I expect I will end up doing a little bit of university work later but I want to know that I can have a break- especially because I've been feeling so stressed recently. Good vibes here I come!
Sun & Good Vibes,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this March- you can read my last post HERE!
Monday, 21 March 2016
The 42nd Post
This is my 42nd post of this month. I am blogging twice every day and I've learnt a lot! Recently I've been a bit rubbishy and left the posts to late at night when I'm super tired and feel too shattered to be able to put everything into these posts. I'm so focussed on getting into bed and sleeping that I've produced some rubbishy posts that could have been something good! I thought tonight, because of this exact situation, I would write about a few things that I have learnt from this challenge.
1. Yeah, planning is awesome and I will resume with planning as soon as this challenge is over, but sometimes not planning can be awesome. Maybe these nights where I'm a bit lost could need a plan but I've very much enjoyed writing these two posts ON the day. It's scary sometimes but I've written all of these posts on the day I've published them. Before now I had no idea what I was even going to be writing about and that can make blogging so interesting!
2. This challenge has taught me how easy it is to get stuck in our ways and that changing it up can be so refreshing. I've never done anything as extreme as this on the blog and I'm deleted to have completed three weeks of it successfully by the end of this post. To see so many posts already listed under March makes me feel so excited. Excited for this challenge and excited to approach blogging after this month!
3. I've learnt that having this space as an outlet for my thoughts is awesome. I really, really love and appreciate my space on the internet and I definitely wouldn't be without it. I assume people would question the point of it being anonymous because I can't share it with anyone, and yet I know I could never not have this blog. I can't imagine life without it and this challenge has enforced that all the more!
I'm adoring this challenge but I'm also super tired. So, I am off to sleep and hoping to approach it a bit better tomorrow!
A Challenge & A Smile,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
1. Yeah, planning is awesome and I will resume with planning as soon as this challenge is over, but sometimes not planning can be awesome. Maybe these nights where I'm a bit lost could need a plan but I've very much enjoyed writing these two posts ON the day. It's scary sometimes but I've written all of these posts on the day I've published them. Before now I had no idea what I was even going to be writing about and that can make blogging so interesting!
2. This challenge has taught me how easy it is to get stuck in our ways and that changing it up can be so refreshing. I've never done anything as extreme as this on the blog and I'm deleted to have completed three weeks of it successfully by the end of this post. To see so many posts already listed under March makes me feel so excited. Excited for this challenge and excited to approach blogging after this month!
3. I've learnt that having this space as an outlet for my thoughts is awesome. I really, really love and appreciate my space on the internet and I definitely wouldn't be without it. I assume people would question the point of it being anonymous because I can't share it with anyone, and yet I know I could never not have this blog. I can't imagine life without it and this challenge has enforced that all the more!
I'm adoring this challenge but I'm also super tired. So, I am off to sleep and hoping to approach it a bit better tomorrow!
A Challenge & A Smile,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Building Others Up
How awesome are compliments and the people that bring them? I love people that take time out of their lives to give a sincere and lovely compliment. It's a quality we all need. Today a friend complimented another friend's hair and said it was amazing. A few weeks ago a lady told another lady at Zumba that she looked like she had the routine cracked and the lady was chuffed! How awesome are the people who spread this kind of happiness?
I give compliments, as we all should, but I want to make it my aim to give more compliments. I've written this on the blog before- to make sure I'm giving more compliments (and of course meaning them!). I want to be that type of person because they are the people that are building others up and not tearing them down. It's something I believe of all us should do- simply for the sake of humanity.
I think it should be a main building block for feminism, for example. Of course I believe everyone - males and females - should be feminists. And we should teach everyone to help and encourage everyone else, and not treat people as competition. People say women work the best when they're bringing other women up and I think it's so, so true!
We need to make sure we're not treating another woman as a hurdle- thinking this person will hold us back... especially because she's a woman! That's a terrible thing to think and we need to be supportive rather than competitive. Of course I don't mean that we shouldn't be competing in other ways- it's a part of life. I just mean we need to make sure we're not using terrible terms to describe each other and taking our time to point out something awesome about another woman- be all of us women (and men) are!
Good Thoughts & Compliments,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be found HERE!
I give compliments, as we all should, but I want to make it my aim to give more compliments. I've written this on the blog before- to make sure I'm giving more compliments (and of course meaning them!). I want to be that type of person because they are the people that are building others up and not tearing them down. It's something I believe of all us should do- simply for the sake of humanity.
I think it should be a main building block for feminism, for example. Of course I believe everyone - males and females - should be feminists. And we should teach everyone to help and encourage everyone else, and not treat people as competition. People say women work the best when they're bringing other women up and I think it's so, so true!
We need to make sure we're not treating another woman as a hurdle- thinking this person will hold us back... especially because she's a woman! That's a terrible thing to think and we need to be supportive rather than competitive. Of course I don't mean that we shouldn't be competing in other ways- it's a part of life. I just mean we need to make sure we're not using terrible terms to describe each other and taking our time to point out something awesome about another woman- be all of us women (and men) are!
Good Thoughts & Compliments,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be found HERE!
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Three Happy Home Things
I miss home a lot when I'm at university. It's something that got to me horrendously last year- I was seriously homesick. Now I'm in second year and it upsets me to think about how hard I found last year. But I got through it and I learnt a lot because of it. Appreciation is one thing I learnt and today I just want to write a little post about three things I love about being home.
1. I love waking up at home. I just love the act of waking up in my bedroom. I love my bedroom at university but there's such a happy thing in waking up in my bed surrounded by the most memories I've ever made. I am always grinning. Of course being home means I haven't got any immediate deadlines that day so it's easier to wake up with less stress, but I do find a sense of calm in waking up in my bedroom, surrounded by all of my McFly posters.
2. I love the evenings at home where I can be around my family as they unwind from working. They're delighted to be in their nest. Coming home is therapeutic to them and I totally get that! My mum loves to read her book and my dad loves watching documentaries. My brother gets on with work that makes himself happy and it's hard not to feel that "home" feeling.
3. Family dinners make me incredibly happy. With all of the jokes around the table and awesome food. It makes me even happier when I've made the food because I have a lot cooler ingredients to work with. I'm not a particularly good cook but I know I want to get better and better and even though I know I need to make more of an effort with cooking at uni, I know being at home means I can have lots of fun in the kitchen. And placing food on the dining room table with my family around me makes me feel super happy.
What do you love about home?
A Morning & A Feeling,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. HERE is my last post!
1. I love waking up at home. I just love the act of waking up in my bedroom. I love my bedroom at university but there's such a happy thing in waking up in my bed surrounded by the most memories I've ever made. I am always grinning. Of course being home means I haven't got any immediate deadlines that day so it's easier to wake up with less stress, but I do find a sense of calm in waking up in my bedroom, surrounded by all of my McFly posters.
2. I love the evenings at home where I can be around my family as they unwind from working. They're delighted to be in their nest. Coming home is therapeutic to them and I totally get that! My mum loves to read her book and my dad loves watching documentaries. My brother gets on with work that makes himself happy and it's hard not to feel that "home" feeling.
3. Family dinners make me incredibly happy. With all of the jokes around the table and awesome food. It makes me even happier when I've made the food because I have a lot cooler ingredients to work with. I'm not a particularly good cook but I know I want to get better and better and even though I know I need to make more of an effort with cooking at uni, I know being at home means I can have lots of fun in the kitchen. And placing food on the dining room table with my family around me makes me feel super happy.
What do you love about home?
A Morning & A Feeling,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. HERE is my last post!
That Balance
I've had two seriously cool days to start off my Easter holidays. Yesterday was incredible with family and today was relaxing with a really good friend. I then found balance in revising and also having these two posts to write. I've got my revision off to a really good start and I'm keeping myself on track with this challenge to blog twice a day this March. All the while I've been having a seriously awesome time.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to find this balance, I think. To work hard and play harder and all of that kind of thing. I keep reading about how key motivation is to everything. Even if we are faking it we are finding a way to making it. It's easy to think this life is just about working hard when oh my goodness we all have different meanings to find but I want to make sure I'm having the best life at the same time.
I'm sure the pressure we put on ourselves can sometimes impede our ability to find that balance. Sometimes it might help it, I guess. All I know is that nobody is going to stand in the way of my goals and my dreams- and it's up to me to focus on my life. All the while, I want to enjoy my life with everybody around me.
I will have a life that means I have to work hard- and I'm glad I will. I want to always appreciate this life, and find a way back to appreciation if I ever find it difficult. I'm only twenty and I've already seen awesome things and experienced amazing feelings. I'm so grateful for this and I need to work hard in order to have all of these fun things again. I need to have fun to show myself how beautiful this life is.
I don't have a particular message to portray through this post. All I know is that I've got a lot of fun to be had this Easter, whilst trying really hard. I want to have this mentality for the rest of my life. I'm seriously motivated at the moment and I don't plan on that going away. And when it does - or when it wavers - I will fake it because somewhere along the lines, even if it takes a while, I will make it.
Working & Playing Hard,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to find this balance, I think. To work hard and play harder and all of that kind of thing. I keep reading about how key motivation is to everything. Even if we are faking it we are finding a way to making it. It's easy to think this life is just about working hard when oh my goodness we all have different meanings to find but I want to make sure I'm having the best life at the same time.
I'm sure the pressure we put on ourselves can sometimes impede our ability to find that balance. Sometimes it might help it, I guess. All I know is that nobody is going to stand in the way of my goals and my dreams- and it's up to me to focus on my life. All the while, I want to enjoy my life with everybody around me.
I will have a life that means I have to work hard- and I'm glad I will. I want to always appreciate this life, and find a way back to appreciation if I ever find it difficult. I'm only twenty and I've already seen awesome things and experienced amazing feelings. I'm so grateful for this and I need to work hard in order to have all of these fun things again. I need to have fun to show myself how beautiful this life is.
I don't have a particular message to portray through this post. All I know is that I've got a lot of fun to be had this Easter, whilst trying really hard. I want to have this mentality for the rest of my life. I'm seriously motivated at the moment and I don't plan on that going away. And when it does - or when it wavers - I will fake it because somewhere along the lines, even if it takes a while, I will make it.
Working & Playing Hard,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Saturday, 19 March 2016
A Choice
I spoke about it yesterday on the blog but I recently received some really sucky results that really upsettingly count toward my degree. I'm really upset and it is causing me to panic quite a bit. I'm trying really hard to plan and try the hardest I have ever tried in my life but it is reducing me to a state of, I can't do it. I know, though, that I need to be about three days into Easter before I really judge that I can in fact do it. I need to prove to myself that I can pick myself up, and really start trying hard. And in order to do this I have a choice to make.
And that choice is whether I let myself just feel devastated or whether I chose to try my damned hardest for my exams this spring. And I'm going to try super hard. I really am. These bad results have put me behind massively. I can't afford not to get every mark I can possibly get. I've worked out the grades I need to get and all of that kind of stuff and to be quite frank, it's not very nice.
So I need to make sure my mind is in the best place it can be; I need to make sure I'm healthy; I need to make sure I know when I need to work and when I need to, well, play! I'm really upset with myself but I have to move on or else I'm not giving myself the best chance to succeed. And why limit myself? I can't physically do as well as I was hoping to do this year and that really sucks. I've really let myself down. However I can do my absolute best in order to ensure I have the best chances of bringing myself up next year.
I am upset I'm at the position I'm at this year but I'm also aware I am the only one who can change it. Me. It's my life, it's my choice and it's going to be my hard work. If I get myself to where I will get myself in the next few days I know the panic will melt away into even more motivation and I'll know just how capable I am.
I have a very busy day ahead of me and I'm up earlier than needed and so you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to catch up on university reading. I won't get what I wanted to get this year but I will get ever so slightly below. And then I will get what I want to get next year.
Because that's my choice and I know I can do it.
A Choice & A Chance,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this month- you can read my last post HERE!
And that choice is whether I let myself just feel devastated or whether I chose to try my damned hardest for my exams this spring. And I'm going to try super hard. I really am. These bad results have put me behind massively. I can't afford not to get every mark I can possibly get. I've worked out the grades I need to get and all of that kind of stuff and to be quite frank, it's not very nice.
So I need to make sure my mind is in the best place it can be; I need to make sure I'm healthy; I need to make sure I know when I need to work and when I need to, well, play! I'm really upset with myself but I have to move on or else I'm not giving myself the best chance to succeed. And why limit myself? I can't physically do as well as I was hoping to do this year and that really sucks. I've really let myself down. However I can do my absolute best in order to ensure I have the best chances of bringing myself up next year.
I am upset I'm at the position I'm at this year but I'm also aware I am the only one who can change it. Me. It's my life, it's my choice and it's going to be my hard work. If I get myself to where I will get myself in the next few days I know the panic will melt away into even more motivation and I'll know just how capable I am.
I have a very busy day ahead of me and I'm up earlier than needed and so you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to catch up on university reading. I won't get what I wanted to get this year but I will get ever so slightly below. And then I will get what I want to get next year.
Because that's my choice and I know I can do it.
A Choice & A Chance,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice every day this month- you can read my last post HERE!
A Journey to Less Selfish
Yesterday I got an afternoon/evening train home to my Easter holidays. Something I've written about before is the feeling of having loads of different types of people around you travelling to loads of different events. Some are commuters; others are students like me; some have just been out on days out. Some people chat to their friends; some are alone; some chat to strangers about their jobs or their university courses. Trains aren't always this picturesque. Some would argue they never are. Most of the time I find a sense of peace on being on trains.
It's probably not peace in the way of being surrounded by quiet or the kind of peace one might find lying on a beach with only a few people around me, but it's the peace of knowing you're not the only one in this world. And there's two ways I see this.
Even if I might enjoy train journeys to some level, I might not always be in the mood to get on a train. Most of the time though, I have people in my sight and therefore I can't really ever find train journeys lonely. I've always admired the type of people that want to find comfort in the company of people- not people they'll necessarily talk to; but people will somehow keep them company without those people even knowing it. I think that's a special quality and one I would like to have. I think when you're alone on a train and you just want to sit there and not do anything in particular, we acquire this skill to a certain extent- if we allow ourselves to embrace the journey rather than resent it.
There is also a lesson to selfishness that is taught via trains- even if you're someone who doesn't enjoy the experience. Trains teach us that we are most certainly not the headline act of this world. We are not the only person in the world and our life is not the most important. Maybe I'm making my train experiences too spiritual but I think they put my life into perspective. There will be mums organising their children; businessmen with important work to attend to; school children chatting on the way to school. My story is just one amongst a lot more. It reminds me no to only think of myself and my own life but to appreciate everyone else.
I think train journeys can become tiresome pretty easily and I do understand why. But I do want to make sure I make the most of mine - which includes having a read or doing university work - and make sure I appreciate these little things in life that I could make tedious; or I could appreciate being alive and taking in other peoples' happiness and adventures.
A Book & A Think,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
It's probably not peace in the way of being surrounded by quiet or the kind of peace one might find lying on a beach with only a few people around me, but it's the peace of knowing you're not the only one in this world. And there's two ways I see this.
Even if I might enjoy train journeys to some level, I might not always be in the mood to get on a train. Most of the time though, I have people in my sight and therefore I can't really ever find train journeys lonely. I've always admired the type of people that want to find comfort in the company of people- not people they'll necessarily talk to; but people will somehow keep them company without those people even knowing it. I think that's a special quality and one I would like to have. I think when you're alone on a train and you just want to sit there and not do anything in particular, we acquire this skill to a certain extent- if we allow ourselves to embrace the journey rather than resent it.
There is also a lesson to selfishness that is taught via trains- even if you're someone who doesn't enjoy the experience. Trains teach us that we are most certainly not the headline act of this world. We are not the only person in the world and our life is not the most important. Maybe I'm making my train experiences too spiritual but I think they put my life into perspective. There will be mums organising their children; businessmen with important work to attend to; school children chatting on the way to school. My story is just one amongst a lot more. It reminds me no to only think of myself and my own life but to appreciate everyone else.
I think train journeys can become tiresome pretty easily and I do understand why. But I do want to make sure I make the most of mine - which includes having a read or doing university work - and make sure I appreciate these little things in life that I could make tedious; or I could appreciate being alive and taking in other peoples' happiness and adventures.
A Book & A Think,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Friday, 18 March 2016
Nine O'Clock Thoughts
Life can be super unpredictable. I try not to think about it much but I'm thinking about it tonight and so I thought I would write about it. Life can be super unpredictable. Hopefully not in a scary way, but you can prepare all of you like and it can all be for nothing. Of course you can't think like that, but sometimes life gets in the way and you can't plan for it. Unexpected happenings can come about and they can alter our plans, thereby automatically making us plan further to jump over the hurdle.
One thing that sucked recently was getting really ill when I had important university work due in. Prior to this I was the most organised I had ever been and then BAM, I got ill and despite being organised it took a massive toll on my work. And my goodness, it sucked. I had to troop on and it made being ill even worse but life threw me an Unpredictable Curveball and I had to suck it up. It has proven that I will be even more organised than last time now.
Really terrible things can happen and knock us sideways. My mum experienced some really unexpected heartache last year and when she talks about it now she says how she didn't see it coming. And my heart hurts for her. Time was taken away which meant her feelings and the situation were sped up. One thing I will always admire my mum for is how she dealt with it and has dealt with it since. Life can throw her unexpectedness and yet she can act unexpectedly (in that she really doesn't need to) awesome all the same.
I started to think about unexpected things because of something maybe not so unexpected. I received some upsetting but deserved bad results from university today. I'm really devastated but it is the result of not being as invested in a piece of work as I could have been. It has, however, encouraged me to work even harder than I have been very recently. I've been trying to plan revision tonight and I will keep planning and doing because I want to do well so badly. I started to think about how I will prepare so well that the chances of exams throwing a curveball at me are slimmer.
Mist & Sunshine,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice a day every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
One thing that sucked recently was getting really ill when I had important university work due in. Prior to this I was the most organised I had ever been and then BAM, I got ill and despite being organised it took a massive toll on my work. And my goodness, it sucked. I had to troop on and it made being ill even worse but life threw me an Unpredictable Curveball and I had to suck it up. It has proven that I will be even more organised than last time now.
Really terrible things can happen and knock us sideways. My mum experienced some really unexpected heartache last year and when she talks about it now she says how she didn't see it coming. And my heart hurts for her. Time was taken away which meant her feelings and the situation were sped up. One thing I will always admire my mum for is how she dealt with it and has dealt with it since. Life can throw her unexpectedness and yet she can act unexpectedly (in that she really doesn't need to) awesome all the same.
I started to think about unexpected things because of something maybe not so unexpected. I received some upsetting but deserved bad results from university today. I'm really devastated but it is the result of not being as invested in a piece of work as I could have been. It has, however, encouraged me to work even harder than I have been very recently. I've been trying to plan revision tonight and I will keep planning and doing because I want to do well so badly. I started to think about how I will prepare so well that the chances of exams throwing a curveball at me are slimmer.
Mist & Sunshine,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice a day every day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
A Little Running Diary #7
I started this A Little Running Diary series in order to write posts that specifically talk about running seeing as it is one of my favourite hobbies. Today I want to talk about a little run I went on today and why it is key to know that it doesn't ever have to be about distance or speed, or if that's what you're about, it doesn't matter if sometimes it isn't about distance or speed.
So I run quite frequently. I aim to improve the "longer" end of the scale but I run between one and fourteen miles when I go for runs. I love the accomplishment of running the distance of a half marathon and yet I also love running three laps around where I live to make three miles. Today I simply ran for one. And my goodness it was a nice one mile.
Sometimes the fact you even went on a run deserves applauding. It's not always easy and today I could have easily not gone! But I did! I'm proud of myself because I got on my running gear and went out into the cold despite not really wanting to. That first step into running was enough of an accomplishment! I've been quite ill and I've finally recovered and it can be scary doing the first run, and yet I did it anyway. It wasn't a slow or a fast run, but it was a happy one.
We can find little achievements in so many different ways when it comes to running. One of my achievements today was that I was happy whilst I was running and felt accomplished afterwards. Another one was that I didn't let previously being ill affect me not being ill. I missed running so much in my time off last week and the first few steps into run always realise that you would rather run than not run in cases like this.
Little & Happy Runs,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this March- you can read my last post HERE!
So I run quite frequently. I aim to improve the "longer" end of the scale but I run between one and fourteen miles when I go for runs. I love the accomplishment of running the distance of a half marathon and yet I also love running three laps around where I live to make three miles. Today I simply ran for one. And my goodness it was a nice one mile.
Sometimes the fact you even went on a run deserves applauding. It's not always easy and today I could have easily not gone! But I did! I'm proud of myself because I got on my running gear and went out into the cold despite not really wanting to. That first step into running was enough of an accomplishment! I've been quite ill and I've finally recovered and it can be scary doing the first run, and yet I did it anyway. It wasn't a slow or a fast run, but it was a happy one.
We can find little achievements in so many different ways when it comes to running. One of my achievements today was that I was happy whilst I was running and felt accomplished afterwards. Another one was that I didn't let previously being ill affect me not being ill. I missed running so much in my time off last week and the first few steps into run always realise that you would rather run than not run in cases like this.
Little & Happy Runs,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice every day this March- you can read my last post HERE!
Thursday, 17 March 2016
A Spring Clean Post
It's so nearly time for my Easter break and I'm so excited. The weather is so beautiful at the moment and I so hope it stays because I haven't had the chance to properly enjoy it. With Easter comes all of my best friends, my family and more time to better myself, like usual. Today I thought I would think about a few aims I have for when it comes to being home.
- As I wrote about earlier I am in desperate need of some awesome rest when I get home. It's been a busy week and it's made me and my body pretty shattered- and that's not great! I need to recharge my batteries and be ready to take on Easter with an excited grin.
- I want to be super active with being healthy. I've made such good process in this last week to eat better and of course I love my exercise. I want to continue preparing meals really well and really thinking about healthy foods while exercising as much as I can- whilst of course being safe!
- I want to have a new perspective on my blogging. Because I've been so tired this week, it's definitely shown up in my blog. I've not been as happy with my last few posts as before because I'm writing because I kind of have to. But that's what this challenge of blogging twice every day is about and so I'm not angry at myself. When I get home I can focus better on my blog.
- I will be reading... a lot! University can get incredibly hectic and reading just keeps taking a backseat but I certainly won't let it in my break!
- For once in my life I will be prepared with my revision. And I know I will be and will continue to after this. I'm going to start looking at exam stuff and revision and all of that great stuff. I want to come out of Easter feeling as though I have done a fair bit!
Spring & Easter,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be found HERE!
- As I wrote about earlier I am in desperate need of some awesome rest when I get home. It's been a busy week and it's made me and my body pretty shattered- and that's not great! I need to recharge my batteries and be ready to take on Easter with an excited grin.
- I want to be super active with being healthy. I've made such good process in this last week to eat better and of course I love my exercise. I want to continue preparing meals really well and really thinking about healthy foods while exercising as much as I can- whilst of course being safe!
- I want to have a new perspective on my blogging. Because I've been so tired this week, it's definitely shown up in my blog. I've not been as happy with my last few posts as before because I'm writing because I kind of have to. But that's what this challenge of blogging twice every day is about and so I'm not angry at myself. When I get home I can focus better on my blog.
- I will be reading... a lot! University can get incredibly hectic and reading just keeps taking a backseat but I certainly won't let it in my break!
- For once in my life I will be prepared with my revision. And I know I will be and will continue to after this. I'm going to start looking at exam stuff and revision and all of that great stuff. I want to come out of Easter feeling as though I have done a fair bit!
Spring & Easter,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be found HERE!
A Recharge of Batteries
I need a serious recharge of my batteries. I'm taking part in this challenge to blog twice a day this month and this week it has started to take toll on my excitement to even write these posts. I'm really super tired. It's been an unbelievably tired week (here is an example of why: I just wrote "tired" instead of "tiring"). I keep falling asleep before I write these posts and it's so frustrating because I'm far less motivated than a few days ago and before.
However, this is okay because it's so close to Easter and I'm so excited to get home and properly recharge myself. I'm going to have a really good couple of nights of sleep to make up on some serious tiredness and it's going to make me feel so much more refreshed. It will then make this challenge far more exciting for me.
It's so easy to think we can just keep going and going and going when we really can't. I want to make the most of my life and do lots but it doesn't mean it's possible by taking away other parts of my life like good sleep and relaxing! Being home means I can quite slowly (in comparison to this week anyway!) get on with university work while indulging in recharging my batteries!
It's so important to look after ourselves. My brother was telling me he had the most ridiculously busy week last week and he was catching up by doing absolutely nothing this week because he knows he needs it. Take a rest when you need one guys!
So, with a tired blogger comes a tiny post (especially as I've got another one to write next eeek!).
Tired & Excited,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be found HERE!
However, this is okay because it's so close to Easter and I'm so excited to get home and properly recharge myself. I'm going to have a really good couple of nights of sleep to make up on some serious tiredness and it's going to make me feel so much more refreshed. It will then make this challenge far more exciting for me.
It's so easy to think we can just keep going and going and going when we really can't. I want to make the most of my life and do lots but it doesn't mean it's possible by taking away other parts of my life like good sleep and relaxing! Being home means I can quite slowly (in comparison to this week anyway!) get on with university work while indulging in recharging my batteries!
It's so important to look after ourselves. My brother was telling me he had the most ridiculously busy week last week and he was catching up by doing absolutely nothing this week because he knows he needs it. Take a rest when you need one guys!
So, with a tired blogger comes a tiny post (especially as I've got another one to write next eeek!).
Tired & Excited,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be found HERE!
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Start Somewhere
This will be a very short post because I'm incredibly tired but hey, in order to get to sleep I need to start somewhere with this post.
I read the other day these two simple and yet incredibly effective words. Start Somewhere. And it got me thinking. Yes. Start Somewhere. It made me think a few things. With areas of our lives we can keep making excuses or we can stop, and change something. We can speak to that person who's been upsetting us or take a leap and apply for that job. We can rid ourselves of any apprehension to get the task done and just start somewhere. See what it might bring.
I always find with essays as soon as I start I feel way less anxious about them. I throw myself in and soon enough I'm interested enough to write this thing! And that's awesome. It means I can start as early as possible because all I need to do is start somewhere. It can be really easy to put off work unless we just jump and see what happens.
It's the same with fitness and health. We can make all of these excuses or we can jump in and see what awesome benefits the two things will bring us. With exercise and eating well, starting just somewhere give us the best start. We can ease ourselves into new experiences or food and see what's for us and what's not.
The most important thing is just to start somewhere.
New & Exciting,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be read HERE!
I read the other day these two simple and yet incredibly effective words. Start Somewhere. And it got me thinking. Yes. Start Somewhere. It made me think a few things. With areas of our lives we can keep making excuses or we can stop, and change something. We can speak to that person who's been upsetting us or take a leap and apply for that job. We can rid ourselves of any apprehension to get the task done and just start somewhere. See what it might bring.
I always find with essays as soon as I start I feel way less anxious about them. I throw myself in and soon enough I'm interested enough to write this thing! And that's awesome. It means I can start as early as possible because all I need to do is start somewhere. It can be really easy to put off work unless we just jump and see what happens.
It's the same with fitness and health. We can make all of these excuses or we can jump in and see what awesome benefits the two things will bring us. With exercise and eating well, starting just somewhere give us the best start. We can ease ourselves into new experiences or food and see what's for us and what's not.
The most important thing is just to start somewhere.
New & Exciting,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be read HERE!
Making Sure I'm Okay
Knowing when to give yourself a break is so, so important. We can become so absorbed with panic or working hard or the threat of a deadline that our general health can be put to one side when it certainly shouldn't. Nothing is worth becoming so stressed that our mental health/health is compromised. With a clearer mind and a happy state of being, tasks are likely to be completed to a far, far better standard. Of course I am going to come at this post from a student/education kind of perspective, but the whole of this post is relevant in every aspect of life!
It's been a tough week this week in this face of assignments but I've tried super duper hard not to lose sight of making sure I'm okay. I've tried very hard not to get swept up in hard work and made sure I've felt capable, happy and healthy. As soon as my vision has been clouded with a stressed headache, my focus has narrowed. And what did that mean? I needed a break!
One thing that has helped me massively with university work this month is this challenge right here. I've been blogging twice a day every day this month and if I've become lost in the words I'm writing for university in the worst kind of way and feel like I need a change of scene, I'll head right over to here. Being able to translate my thoughts into a completely different format of writing has helped me find happiness when getting back to uni work.
Of course having a break from looking at a computer screen is also vital; going for a walk and relaxing; eating and hydrating (whilst making sure we're doing this during work too); exercising and reading; chilling and doing nothing. As long as we are keeping calm and finding relaxing ways to feel calm about our work, we are on the right track!
University work is, naturally, very important but I know my state of mind is much more important. It's easy to get caught up in the stress of it all, but if I am keeping myself calm and am aware of my priorities, I feel much happier to be writing essays and find myself far more interested in the topic, probably ensuring that I'll end up doing better too!
It's been a hard week but far easier when I've felt prepared with a clear head!
Calm & Relaxed,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be read HERE!
It's been a tough week this week in this face of assignments but I've tried super duper hard not to lose sight of making sure I'm okay. I've tried very hard not to get swept up in hard work and made sure I've felt capable, happy and healthy. As soon as my vision has been clouded with a stressed headache, my focus has narrowed. And what did that mean? I needed a break!
One thing that has helped me massively with university work this month is this challenge right here. I've been blogging twice a day every day this month and if I've become lost in the words I'm writing for university in the worst kind of way and feel like I need a change of scene, I'll head right over to here. Being able to translate my thoughts into a completely different format of writing has helped me find happiness when getting back to uni work.
Of course having a break from looking at a computer screen is also vital; going for a walk and relaxing; eating and hydrating (whilst making sure we're doing this during work too); exercising and reading; chilling and doing nothing. As long as we are keeping calm and finding relaxing ways to feel calm about our work, we are on the right track!
University work is, naturally, very important but I know my state of mind is much more important. It's easy to get caught up in the stress of it all, but if I am keeping myself calm and am aware of my priorities, I feel much happier to be writing essays and find myself far more interested in the topic, probably ensuring that I'll end up doing better too!
It's been a hard week but far easier when I've felt prepared with a clear head!
Calm & Relaxed,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. My last post can be read HERE!
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
A Big No to Invasions of Privacy
Respecting people's privacy is so important. There are grey areas and context to consider (but they aren't for this post although are very, very important- let's help us all be safe!) but some people can be private in general and some people can be private about particular things.
I'm a very private person in general. Two of my best friends are very open when it comes to talking about certain things and of course I respect them for this entirely! When they approach me or me and my friend I/we will always try to help! However I have noticed some of my friends sometimes think I owe them certain information just for being my friend. And this is spectacularly lame.
I don't think I've found it so much in the very last year, however before that, I think people are very big on knowing as much as possible about people. Some of my friends have even got as far as being angry with me or upset with me when I won't tell them about something or I take a while to confide in a friend. Sometimes it might help finding comfort in a friend but I don't always find this and this works for me! But I certainly should never be told off for how I treat my private business.
A friend wanted to talk to me the other day without explicitly saying her issue. At first she seemed a bit hesitant as if I might have pretended I needed to know exactly what it was in order to understand the situation. But I didn't need to know and I would never have asked! It was her business and I could help her without knowing! Friendship isn't about knowing every little detail about each other- it's about being there when friends need help or ask for it. That's so important to remember.
Ultimately pressing people on "details" of anything can lead to friends being pushed away and nobody wants that!
Friends & Smiles,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
I'm a very private person in general. Two of my best friends are very open when it comes to talking about certain things and of course I respect them for this entirely! When they approach me or me and my friend I/we will always try to help! However I have noticed some of my friends sometimes think I owe them certain information just for being my friend. And this is spectacularly lame.
I don't think I've found it so much in the very last year, however before that, I think people are very big on knowing as much as possible about people. Some of my friends have even got as far as being angry with me or upset with me when I won't tell them about something or I take a while to confide in a friend. Sometimes it might help finding comfort in a friend but I don't always find this and this works for me! But I certainly should never be told off for how I treat my private business.
A friend wanted to talk to me the other day without explicitly saying her issue. At first she seemed a bit hesitant as if I might have pretended I needed to know exactly what it was in order to understand the situation. But I didn't need to know and I would never have asked! It was her business and I could help her without knowing! Friendship isn't about knowing every little detail about each other- it's about being there when friends need help or ask for it. That's so important to remember.
Ultimately pressing people on "details" of anything can lead to friends being pushed away and nobody wants that!
Friends & Smiles,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Who I Am
I used to struggle massively with people telling me who I who I was/am. It would frustrate me but more than that, on some level, it would torture me. It would eat away at me no matter how much I told myself to stop it from getting to me that much. I'd feel obsessed with wondering if what someone said was true- even if, most of the time, it wasn't a negative thing!
I don't think I put myself through this nearly as much (I think it's a very rare occurrence that I do!) anymore and it's so important that we just don't! Unless people are criticising us constructively and in order to help us or others, we definitely don't need acknowledge ignorant or careless comments- or comments that we take a bad way because we see it differently to the way the speaker has seen it/meant it.
I think there were a few ways I could have tackled these situations better. First of all, I could have just forgotten about them. I wish I did. A lot of comments I can remember because I drilled the into my heart (metaphorically). I guess if I felt so frustrated, though, I definitely should have talked them out with the person. Especially if they were a friend! I expect I would have found a lot of comfort from this. Or I could have simply written out what I was thinking and I might have come to my own conclusion which would have settled my thoughts.
Obviously who I am is incredibly crucial to my being. And it's definitely more important for me to know who I am than anyone else. As long as who I am is good with me - even if I want to change a few things - then I'm heading in the right direction. If I need to buck up or sort myself out on some levels, then as long as I'm working on it, who I am is goo with me!
Who I am is loyal, kind, silly and happy. And that's all so important to me. Let's remember all of the awesome things about ourselves please! Because there are so many!
Loyal & Kind,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice a day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
I don't think I put myself through this nearly as much (I think it's a very rare occurrence that I do!) anymore and it's so important that we just don't! Unless people are criticising us constructively and in order to help us or others, we definitely don't need acknowledge ignorant or careless comments- or comments that we take a bad way because we see it differently to the way the speaker has seen it/meant it.
I think there were a few ways I could have tackled these situations better. First of all, I could have just forgotten about them. I wish I did. A lot of comments I can remember because I drilled the into my heart (metaphorically). I guess if I felt so frustrated, though, I definitely should have talked them out with the person. Especially if they were a friend! I expect I would have found a lot of comfort from this. Or I could have simply written out what I was thinking and I might have come to my own conclusion which would have settled my thoughts.
Obviously who I am is incredibly crucial to my being. And it's definitely more important for me to know who I am than anyone else. As long as who I am is good with me - even if I want to change a few things - then I'm heading in the right direction. If I need to buck up or sort myself out on some levels, then as long as I'm working on it, who I am is goo with me!
Who I am is loyal, kind, silly and happy. And that's all so important to me. Let's remember all of the awesome things about ourselves please! Because there are so many!
Loyal & Kind,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I am blogging twice a day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
Monday, 14 March 2016
A Kind of Anniversary
I'm quite a sentimental and nostalgic person when it comes to dates and things and memories and today is a day I am celebrating something with a lot of joy in my heart. I'm not going to talk about it specifically however I can't explain the excited nostalgia I feel when I think of this date. It makes me seriously happy. It's a day that brought my life so much promise; so many good-belly feelings.
One thing this day reminds me of is my really excited quality of throwing myself into new experiences. It's something I'm living by very much so at the moment but for a few months last year, I definitely lost this aspect of me that was so very prominent in my life on this date a few years ago. I was so excited to not avoid being drowned in my nervousness and instead take life in my own hands and build myself up instead of dragging myself down.
This day means so much to me; for a couple of reasons but particularly for a special one indeed. Happy March 14th guys!
New Thoughts & New Opportunities,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
One thing this day reminds me of is my really excited quality of throwing myself into new experiences. It's something I'm living by very much so at the moment but for a few months last year, I definitely lost this aspect of me that was so very prominent in my life on this date a few years ago. I was so excited to not avoid being drowned in my nervousness and instead take life in my own hands and build myself up instead of dragging myself down.
* * *
Ready to put the past in the past, she applied her lipstick and smiled at herself- she was far more confident these days and she liked approaching life in this wholly positive way. She went over her hair, singing along to Disney songs as she did so. She joked with her brother and left the house, ready for the day.
She had high hopes for this day for secret but happy reasons she would never have admitted. As she breathed in the hopeful air outside, she wondered excitedly if it really would be as exciting as she thought. "It just will," she thought. There was an air of newness she was feeling, and instead of being terrified, she embraced it. And she thanked herself for this every day since.
As she felt a little giggly, new opportunities oozed out of her every move. Today was the day.
And so it turns out: Today was that day.
* * *
This day means so much to me; for a couple of reasons but particularly for a special one indeed. Happy March 14th guys!
New Thoughts & New Opportunities,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this March and you can read my last post HERE!
In Order to Thank Myself Later...
I am currently thanking myself for many things from the past that make me happy today; some things I am still doing in order to feel a cheesy grin on my face. And there are aims I have in order to thank myself at a later date and in order to keep my goals of happiness, education and fitness motivated, sometimes we need to have a quick think about how they will benefit our future. So here is a post talking about a few things I need to be focussing on in order to thank myself later.
In order to thank myself later I will keep striving to improve my organisation in all areas of life. I will try to pack earlier than the morning before I am off somewhere; I will organise my folders for university so I can improve my state of mind; I will plan out healthy and nutritious meals so that I can stick to my plan of being healthier; I will keep trying to be a tidier person.
In order to thank myself later I will be far better at taking off my make-up. It's a random one and normally I do, but sometimes I just can't be bothered and this is a massive no no! I need to take it off for my sleep and I also need to make sure I'm taking it off really super well. As well as this I need to be very active when it comes to skin care because all of these things will really pay off.
In order to thank myself later I'm going to make sure I'm drinking lots and lots of water. I'm pretty good and doing so but sometimes I forget so, because it's so important for our bodies, I will keep sipping and seeing the benefits! It's such an important part of health in so many different ways and it's something I want to be seriously good at!
There are small and big things we can do now (and keep doing maybe) in order to let ourselves see the benefits later. The key is keeping motivated which can be hard. But I know we can do it! What are you going to do in order to thank yourself later?
Skin & Water,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this month- you can read my last post HERE!
In order to thank myself later I will keep striving to improve my organisation in all areas of life. I will try to pack earlier than the morning before I am off somewhere; I will organise my folders for university so I can improve my state of mind; I will plan out healthy and nutritious meals so that I can stick to my plan of being healthier; I will keep trying to be a tidier person.
In order to thank myself later I will be far better at taking off my make-up. It's a random one and normally I do, but sometimes I just can't be bothered and this is a massive no no! I need to take it off for my sleep and I also need to make sure I'm taking it off really super well. As well as this I need to be very active when it comes to skin care because all of these things will really pay off.
In order to thank myself later I'm going to make sure I'm drinking lots and lots of water. I'm pretty good and doing so but sometimes I forget so, because it's so important for our bodies, I will keep sipping and seeing the benefits! It's such an important part of health in so many different ways and it's something I want to be seriously good at!
There are small and big things we can do now (and keep doing maybe) in order to let ourselves see the benefits later. The key is keeping motivated which can be hard. But I know we can do it! What are you going to do in order to thank yourself later?
Skin & Water,
The Girl in the Moonlight.
P.S. I'm blogging twice a day this month- you can read my last post HERE!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
