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Monday, October 19, 2015

Happy First Birthday, RCG!

On October 10, 2014, I hit publish on my first blog post and thought "well, okay, so...there it is" and looked around, as if someone was going to say something or throw confetti at me (hmm, weird, that didn't happen). Well, last weekend, Rose Colored Glasses turned one and, honestly, I felt a surge of pride that it has survived this long! 


I originally started this goofy thing because I wanted to be a better writer, mainly so I would dread writing school papers a little less (and that worked!). Giving myself the opportunity to write about things I'm actually interested in opened up this creativity and vocabulary I didn't know I had.

 The most typical fear for blog maintenance is not knowing what to write about. I've typed the phrase "blog post ideas" into the search bar on Pinterest more times than I'd like to admit. But then, I just think of what's been on my mind that week, what movies I've been watching, or what my friends and I have been debating recently. Small and simple things usually come to mind, and I just start typing. 

This primitive process brought y'all these top 5 RCG posts from the last year:


What is your favorite post so far? I'd love to know!

I want to say a big ol' THANK YOU for reading what sometimes feels like nonsense from my hopeless romantic, quirky, and random brain. I hope you leave this blog each time with a grin on your face, a happy thought in your head, and rose colored glasses over your eyes. Y'all come back, now, for another great year! 

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Such a Grown Up

Do you ever have those moments where you feel so dang proud of yourself for the dorkiest things? You know, when you feel like such an adult and you do a little fist pump in your head? I do, and they are sweet, tiny affirmations for me every time. I feel like such a grown up when...

my car is clean inside and out
the laundry is done (AND folded)
I book a doctor's appointment
I make plans for my finances
I go to the airport
my room is clean and organized
I cook a decent meal
I write a check
I say "let me check  my schedule"

 Yes, they're small, and yes, they're things I should just be doing all the time, anyway. But I believe in celebrating little victories. Growing up doesn't happen overnight. Be proud of yourself!

 


Sunday, October 4, 2015

Journal Challenge Review

     Remember this post about the journal challenge I took? Time to (finally) follow up. It certainly was difficult some days, because laziness, but my friend and I finished all 30 days! I was surprised that some prompts were pretty eye-opening and introspective. The most basic prompts like "things you like and dislike about yourself" or "something you feel strongly about" really got me soul searching. I thought, "dang, Pinterest, these journal challenges, although probably written by teenage girls, are actually kinda deep..."

     Other prompts also caused me to look at the smaller parts of my day to day, such as "what you wore today" or "bullet your day." It sounds lame, but I was grateful for the chance to document this time of my life in a simple way, and to be able to picture these seemingly insignificant days when I read those entries years from now is a sweet possibility.

     Some days I didn't want to write because it forced me to think about things I usually avoid, like my fears, my pet peeves, or something I want to say to an ex. Simultaneously, though, I am thankful that I put the difficult words to paper. A strange sense of relief came in scratching down my thoughts, but it was accompanied by a bit of self-consciousness, because writing feelings down, making them tangible, left me vulnerable. At the end of the day though, I'm a believer in the importance of vulnerability for making progress and for learning about yourself and others. Got to practice what I preach. Within the binds of my journal is utter honesty, and I'm proud of that.

     Your turn to be surprised. If a month is daunting (trust me, I get it), here's a week long challenge instead, with my favorite prompts from the bunch:

  1. Five ways to win your heart
  2. Something you feel strongly about
  3. Your family
  4. A problem you've had
  5. Something that you're proud of
  6. Your fears 
  7. Five words/phrases that always make you laugh
     Give it a chance, y'all. You never know how it could affect you. Besides, it's your journal...nobody ever has to know you even wrote it down! 

Thanks for reading!