Journal Snippets

I've been making an effort this year to better record my life via journal writing. Sometimes after I finish an entry, I flip through and read random pages. Taken out of context, some lines make me grin and wonder what on earth I was writing about that day. I thought I'd share a few with you, just for fun:

• Oh, singlehood.
• To feel like less of a bum, I looked up a workout on Pinterest that coincides with the show.
• I love these kinds of stories.
• So I've got myself a lil crush.
• Can I have another weekend?
• I'm sure I'll remember this sweet, kind act for many, many years to come.
• Love my little life.
• Anyway, it's cool and sweet that people like me enough to buy me food sometimes.
• How sweet it is to be a sister.
• In the end, though, I'm a country music girl.
• I freakin' loved it.
• How wonderful it can be to sometimes have nowhere to go, no plans to fulfill, or no tasks to achieve.
• I stared out at the horizon and just didn't think about anything. It was so nice, I could have stayed there for hours.

Do you keep a journal? Why do you think it's important?

As If You Were A Child

Think of how your schedule and your health would be different if you treated yourself like a child.

 You'd probably...

eat more vegetables

spend more time outdoors

watch less TV (or Netflix)

speak kinder words

always wear sunscreen

go to bed earlier

have more fun

look twice before you cross the street

apologize more

stress less

tell people you love them more often

be told you're loved more often

Isn't that interesting? We take so much care to help children feel important, smart, and beautiful. Why does that slip away as we grow up? Yes, little kids are more capable of change, so we try to foster the growth of positive attributes and thoughts of self. However, I would argue that adults require the same care. The only difference is that kids wear their heart on their sleeve, and we adults are better at hiding it when we're sad. 

Try this little experiment with me: for one day, treat yourself with the same care you would a child. (But still go to work or school, please.) I don't mean play at the park all day. The experiment is one of mindfulness, specifically of the things listed above. See how many of them come up throughout the day. I think this unique approach could be a reality check for us in the way we are (or are not) taking care of ourselves. We deserve to be happy and healthy, and it's up to us to make that happen. Be good to yourself!

Good luck and have fun!

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:

1. One of the Guys

2. Write This Down

3. Overheard at School

4. A Little Boost

5. My Favorite Time Waster

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! 

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!

            

 

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!

Old Soul

Tonight I watched that Blake Lively movie The Age of Adaline, and it made me all starry-eyed as I thought of the charms of older days. The clothes, the cars, the hair, the speech...it's amazing how much the world around us can change in just one or two generations.

For example, I love that back in the early years of the 20th century, dancing was regular and expected. We hardly get any opportunities to dance these days. No, jumping around at a party doesn't count. I'm talkin' about a man coming over to your table, taking your hand, and leading you onto the dance floor where you sway with your right hand in his left. Oh, it gives me butterflies just thinking of it. I think it's one of the most romantic things in the world. After all, "the best things happen while you're dancing."

I love that, for the better part of the last 100 years, they dressed up when they went out, even for groceries. Yes, it sounds a bit time-consuming, but so is choosing a caption for Instagram. People really made an effort to look their best, stand up straight, and dress appropriately for whatever occasion. And, I must applaud the women of the '50s who wore heels seemingly always. Hope they got some mad calves--that is hard work. I adore the flattering full skirts and overcoats, the men wearing hats. Not to mention, both men and women took great care of their hair. It was perfectly coiffed or pinned, with women showing off gorgeous, full curls that didn't hang in their faces. I love how polished people looked.

Through the wiser eyes of retrospect, let's adopt the good things of generations before us and incorporate them into our 21st century lives. Take time for a slow dance, and don't be afraid to dress to the nines. These simple joys add up to a happier you in the end.

Anyone else out there an old soul? 

Snail Mail

 I have always been taught by my mother to write thank you notes. She would always say something along the lines of: "You know what? Princess Diana always wrote thank you notes to hosts after an event, and they were handwritten. If she can make the time, so can you." I truly believe in their importance and impact. That's where it all began for me! 

Then, when several of my friends left on LDS missions all across the country and world, I began writing 2 or 3 letters a week to my friends in the states. Oh, it's true love, snail mail and I. Sending and receiving mail is one of my very favorite things, and I'll tell you why.

There is a certain vulnerability required for letter writing.  To sit down, put pen to paper, and record your thoughts and feelings on a piece of paper is tough. I'm sure many of us have said, "ain't nobody got time for that!" To make matters worse, you send it off for another person to hold in their hands. You can't backspace. You can't sit there staring, re-reading, and obsessing over what you should have said instead. You write it out with your own hand, seal it up, and literally send it off, a tangible object. Scaryyyy. But also, what a powerful thing! You can do it, I promise.

I'm not just talkin' The Notebook style love letters, here (although that is, of course, a quick way to my heart). I'm suggesting an encouraging note to your friend in grad school, thank you cards for generous birthday gifts, or a "thanks for looking out for me" card to Grandma who feeds you all the time.

In a world where seemingly everything we share with our friends and family is filtered and carefully crafted online, a handwritten note is a refreshing surprise. It's so much more fun to get mail that isn't a bill or the Anthropologie catalog reminding you of how much money you don't have.

I love that when I see someone's handwriting, I know it could only have been created by them, and they had to sit and think of me, at least for a few minutes, while they wrote to me. Sometimes that person is far away, and knowing someone you don't often see still thinks of you is really lovely.  

If you're wishing you had a letter in your mailbox one day, put your address in the comments and I will send you one! Everyone should get a note "just because" at least once in their life. I'd really love to write to you. Seriously.

Let's keep snail mail alive and well!

Furthermore, if you want to write a letter but don't know who to write to, check out More Love Letters.  The requests have such diversity, from really rough circumstances to insecurities we've all felt. I love being part of it, I thought you might, too.