confetti kindness

spring flowers

I am so in love with this spring. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a significant increase in flower pictures and outdoorsy pics in general. I just can’t help myself. Everywhere I look, there’s something that catches my eye and I have to stop right there and photograph it… and then Instagram it, of course. Our winter was so mild, I wasn’t expecting myself to be this excited about spring, but boy am I. It’s as if I’d forgotten what multiple sunny days in a row feels like. In Colorado, the sun shines 300 days of the year. Chicago winter? Much (much) different story.

I’ve practically been floating as I walk to class… There’s something about the fresh blossoms and clear skies that fills me up with so much hope and joy. It is most definitely improving my relationship with midterm season.

Make sure to take some time to stop and smell (slash photograph) the flowers this week!

be a pineapple

pineapple_still_life2 — https://stylentonic.com/2015/05/22/be-a-pineapple/pineapple_still_life/

Be a pineapple: stand tall, wear a crown, and be sweet on the inside.

A few weeks ago, my dad sent me this quote. I loved it.

I am a big fan of motivational, happy, cute, sappy, cheesy, whatever they might be quotes. In fact, the wall behind my bed is completely covered with them.

This quote has become one of my new favorites.

I love it so much because, well, I apologize a lot. Actually, not just a lot, I apologize too much. So much so that it has become a habit, without even thinking, I will say “sorry” for stuff that I shouldn’t even be a little bit sorry about. There are actions in life which warrant an apology… simply having an opinion that is contradictory to someone else’s is not one of those things. So that’s probably my biggest weakness…. There you have it (@ every interviewer ever), now you know.

It’s a tricky line to walk. Sometimes it feels as if I have to choose one or the other: strong or sweet. But I don’t. And neither do you. A pineapple sure doesn’t. A pineapple is strong on the outside. A pineapple wears a leafy crown and commands attention. The insides are still filled with sugary sweetness. A bright sunny inside, despite the commanding exterior. Hm maybe not “despite”… in addition to the commanding exterior. It’s not a trade off, at least it shouldn’t be. You can have it all! Wow!

Life is all about balance, something I am constantly working for. The place between assertive and amicable is a point I am still searching to find. I’m currently still very much like a peach (gotta love fruit analogies), but with the inspiration found in this quote, someday I will be more pineapple-y.

and a happy friday… TGIF, am I right?

xoxo

This picture is relatively unrelated to this post, but I snapped it yesterday and it made me happy, so enjoy. And remember, even ducks can aspire to be like pineapples.

choose happy 2.0

If you’ve been with me since the beginning, or even just from early on, you may remember my choose happy post. Oh sweet, naive Renee (because now I am 20 and old and wise obviously). Choosing happy is not quite so easy when work begins to pile up and a little voice starts whispering sweet insecurities and self-doubts into your ear. You can put on a happy face and force a smile, but that does not guarantee joy. I still believe that a simple smile can change a “meh” mood into a lovely mood. But life is not always so simple.

Happiness is like a fountain.

A fountain, like joy, is beautiful. They look so simple too. Water flows up in the air with elegant grace and gravity pulls it back down. Simple magic (especially in the pre-electricity days) it may seem is what pushes that water up in the air.

Actually, there is a fair bit of physics hiding behind these majestic structures that I just spent an excessive amount of time reading about. I won’t go into the details, but here’s the buzzword from everything I learned: pressure. The water is put under a great amount of pressure in order to create the fountain.

See? Happiness is like a fountain.

There is more work that goes into happiness than just a smile or a mind state.

Happiness is a choice but it is also the result of all of the other choices we make in life.

For me, happiness is harder to achieve when I’m tired and stressed and lonely. And when I let myself listen to the devil on my shoulder telling me I am not good enough, well there’s goes any chance for a great day.

There is a long long list of items we cannot control in life. There is also a long list of things we can.

Choosing happy means choosing confidence. It means choosing sleep, choosing to stay on top of my work, choosing to find the balance between studies, fun, and friends. It also means prioritizing those people in my life that give me strength.

It may not always be easy but by choosing the things in life that make us happy, we can turn this world into a magical one with rainbows, unicorns, and unlimited ice cream 24/7.

Ha ha kidding. I wish that were true.

This may not bring unicorns into your life, but it will transform you into the little jazz hands emoji 24/7 which is pretty cute too. 12909518_10209159866253681_3496421263640732621_o

fresh start

Spring break is over, and while I could do with a few more days of sleeping in and lounging around the house, I’m ready.

Winter quarter was hard. But you knew that already, didn’t you? And so yes, I am so ridiculously ready for this fresh start. Sometimes all you need is to take a breath. Life moves so quickly these days that true breaks seem to be few and far between. This past week was one of those true breaks. A deep breath coming right when I felt like I was barely managing to stay above water.

And now I’m ready to swim.

winter quarter

My fifth quarter at Northwestern has come to an end and in all honesty, I couldn’t be happier that it’s over.

It was a roller coaster ride; a series of weeks filled with highs and lows… and most definitely my hardest one yet.

Yes, there were plenty of highs. I turned 20. I participated in a 30-hour Dance Marathon and we raised 1.2 million dollars. The weather was much milder than it has been in previous years. Recruitment led to a big group of new friends. I started running more and began training for my second half marathon (unsure if this should be categorized as a high, but runner’s high is a very real feeling, so I’m going to go with it). Also, I ate some delicious brunches… very important.

Unfortunately, the number of highs seemed to match the number of lows. Dropping a class, as necessary as it was, ended up being much more difficult than I could’ve imagined it to be. And even with a lighter course load, my schedule was jam-packed. I love all of the activities that I’m involved with. This quarter, they just seemed to fill up my time more than previously. I felt tired and stressed most days. I struggled even more trying to balance social life and often dealt with loneliness. Oh and the added fun bonus of trying to look for a summer job.

Life just became a little bit too much.

** This is NOT a “woe is me be sorry for me and pity me please” kind of post. **

This is more of a wow looking back the last few months have been tough. But they’re in the past now. Spring has sprung! The days are getting warm and happiness month still has 14 days left! Happiness month may have hit an itty bitty road block aka finals, but it is not over. Every day is blank slate and a new quarter will be a fresh start.

The sun is setting on winter quarter 2016 and I am eagerly awaiting the sun rise of spring.