Girl Unobserved

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Freundinnen, Sigmar Polke, 1965/1966

"There are things about ourselves that we need to get rid of; there are things we need to change. But at the same time, we do not need to be too desperate, too ruthless, too combative. Along the way to usefulness and happiness, many of those things will change themselves, and the others can be worked on as we go. The first thing we need to do is recognize and trust our own Inner Nature, and not lose sight of it."

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-Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

Ok Go, This Will Be Our Year (The Zombies cover)

11 Things to Be Thankful for in 2011

This year I have been blessed. Sure, 2011 had its share of lows as well, but I choose to see the good instead of the bad, and end the year thankful more than anything else. So here’s a list of 11 things I’m thankful for in 2011. There’s more than this, but these are the stuff that jumped out when I was putting my list together:

1. My family. I don’t think there will ever be a year where I will not be thankful for my family. They are the people who I know will love me for exactly who I am, and will have my back no matter what. Year in and year out they are my greatest blessing. 
2. Travel. I was very blessed to have seen a lot of the world this year. Getting to travel with my family to Europe over the summer was a great experience. Also, traveling to Spain twice this year was more than I could’ve ever asked for. Finally, ending the year by traveling for the very first time to Laos, and getting to go back to Thailand and Cambodia was amazing. This year, I’m thankful that I got to see with my own eyes how big and great the world really is. 
3. Understanding my faith. I didn’t really know what to expect when I went to Spain for World Youth Day but my experiences there were like no other. Meeting people who shared my beliefs made me feel not so alone in my faith, and it was so eye opening for me to find God in other people. I came home with a new understanding of my faith which I strive to make more everyday. 
4. Living and working in Bangkok by myself for an entire month. Living in a foreign country which was then fairly unfamiliar to me and where I did not speak the language is probably one of the bravest things I’ve ever done. 
5. Books. I got to read a lot this year, and it remains one of the best things ever for me. There’s nothing quite like a good book. 
6. Finding time to think. This year I learned that it’s important to give yourself time to think. There’s something unexplainably comforting about being alone with your thoughts because this is when you’re able to really understand what’s inside of you. And I think it’s easier to be a happier person when you understand things. 
7. Good music. Music, as I learned before and continue to understand, is a powerful thing that can mean so much to a person. 
8. Meeting people who made me realize that working in the development field is what I want to do. These people serve as inspirations and provided answers to questions I had been asking myself. 
9. WILLOW! Our little Yorkie who joined our family back in February. She’s a joy. 
10. Old friends. This year has been full of moments that made me realize that even if I don’t get to see my friends from high school and even before that, regularly, I know that no matter what happens, we’ll be friends for life. (If any of you are reading this, you know who you are even if your faces aren’t in the picture I used above!)
11. New friends that I’ve built relationships with over the past 4 years. It’s also nice to make new friends that have become the most essential contents of my “college survival kit.”

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With a new year ahead of me, I look towards the future with excitement and hope for even better things. 

At the start of this year I pray that you find peace in the in the life you lead. May you find inspiration to do the things that you do, and may these things be beautiful things that make the world a better place. I hope that this year is filled with light that will help you push through even the darkest of times. I hope you don’t forget to love with wild abandon and to live free. 

Finally, I wish that this year, you realize what exactly it is that makes you happy to be you. 

Happy new year! 

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Because sometimes, the best words to use are borrowed. 

Happy new year, all! May your 2012 be filled with peace, love, inspiration, and light! 

"Of course life frightens me sometimes. I don’t happen to take that as the premise for everything else though. I’m going to give it hundred percent and go as far as I can. I’ll take what I want and leave what I don’t want. That’s how I intend to live my life, and it things go bad, I’ll stop and reconsider at that point. If you think about it, an unfair society is a society that makes it possible for you to exploit your abilities to the limit."

— Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood