365 days project 2. Day 79. Life is like soup

   Life is like soup. You might not always have the finest ingredients to make the most delicious soup on the planet, but as long as you can make a good base (out of carrots, onion and celery), I guarantee you'll be happy with that soup! 

   Similarly, if your basic needs are covered in life, you'll always be happy. And I'm not talking about food, drink and sleep. Sounds easy? It is! Just think about it. What are the most important things you want in your life? While you might choose family, love and a decent job to be happy, others need thrill, adventure and friendship. And we can all be happy in this beautiful world if we fulfill those basic needs. 

   I know, it still sounds too easy. Family can involve arguments and grudges, love is hard to find and jobs... well, you gotta work a lot to reach your biggest dream. I agree, but what's stopping you from putting everything in order? YOU! If your family doesn't agree with the way you act or with your choices, choose not to let that affect you. If love is hard to find, does that mean you have to stop believing in it? It will come to you when you are ready for it. And if your dream job seems far away, why not start small and then slowly go up? 

   Believe me. Life is like soup. And soups might seem hard to make, but if you put a bit of effort, you'll surprise yourself. You can do more than you think you can. Don't wait for tomorrow to have a happy life! Start today! :)

365 days project 2: Day 18. Let's be childlike

 

   A child's world is very small. He only knows what he loves: his family, his toys, his buddies at the kindergarten and that's all he needs to be happy. An adult's world is bigger. Way bigger. It involves many responsabilities, wishes, hopes and needs, taxes, parents of his own, kids, a house and so many more. A parent's happiness is always different from that of their child. He eagerly awaits for the night to come and the kids to go to sleep so that he can enjoy some time for himself. But in all this daily rush people forget that every child is a blessing and that we should be thankful for them and learn from them... how to be very honest but also how to give compliments without expecting anything in return, how to love without boundaries, how to ask for what we want until we get it and how to love life without regrets. 

   For kids there's only today. No yesterday and no tomorrow. Let's learn from them and be happy we have them around. They are all little gems that can make our day more beautiful if only we allow them to :)

365 days project 2: Day 15. One year

   Today it's exactly one year since Oliver and I moved in together and my feelings are 180 degrees opposite from what they were 365 days ago. 

   I was crying after my parents left. I realized I will no longer live with them, under the same roof, ever again. So even if we had phones and skype and visits, it would never be the same. I wanted this move for at least 10 years and when I finally got it I realized what it actually meant and tears formed in my eyes. Sure, we've been through highs and lows with my parents but they were always my best friends and this time I was completely on my own. Ok, maybe sharing everything with Oliver, but they weren't there to help me with absolutely everything. I wasn't afraid that I didn't know how to cook (God knows I love doing that even though years ago I saw cooking as a MUST not as a passion), or that I didn't know how to wash clothes, dishes and clean my home (my parents taught me that plenty of times) or not even that I don't know how to fix things because I knew the internet had the answers to anything and my dad was just a phone call away. I was ready to fly away from the parental nest, but the emotional side of it has never occured to me until I actually saw myself closing the door behind my parents. It hurt. But it was bittersweet, you know? Because I knew my life was just beginning and I was VERY excited to finally live it according to my own rules, without any sort of boundaries or curfews.

   And so it was. I had this apartment in front of me, this little part of Cluj that reminded me so much of my buni and my childhood years, all my giggles and games I played with my brother, and these memories gave me more enthusiasm to really make this place mine... ours. Since I always loved interior design and I had a file in my computer full of photos for inspiration for my own home I started putting into practice all those ideas I always loved. I handcrafted some decorations, I put an artistic touch all around the apartment and I realized I really loved seeing butterflies and owls everywhere and that's how the apartment became known as the Butterfly Home or rather The Owl Residence. I now have a lot of butterflies and all shapes of owls (including a candle) around and many, many candles in the big room. I can truly say that this year has helped me decorate my dream home, that place that makes me feel relaxed and in my own element every time I step inside. A vase with fresh flowers always by the entrance, the fluffy pillows on the sofa, the Klimt painting on the wall and lately the leafy curtain are everything I need to feel at HOME. Ah, home, what an amazing feeling!

   Oli and I were the best team starting day 1. We have always worked very well together and we are very good at planning dishes, parties, cleaning and washing and whatnot. We see each other mainly in the evenings and during weekends, but that's the normal standard nowadays anyway so we compensate by random love messages throughout the day. This way we keep the love and passion alive. Love, such a humble yet amazing feeling! I don't think I could have lived away from Oliver for much longer and this move has definitely turned us into husband and wife even before the actual wedding. One year later and we're still a great team, we love each other more and more (and I'm not just saying it because it sounds good, I swear!) and I'm more sure than ever that this move has been the best decision yet. I am definitely the happiest woman alive! 

 

365 days project 2: Day 14. Happy SUNday

   Every day is a miracle. It brings a new gift that can make your day beautiful. It's right there, in front of you, you just have to reach it and grab it. 

   I had the perfect Sunday, full of sun, new books, smiles, kisses, love, addictive games, new recipes and just laying in the sun and soaking it in. You don't need a lot of things to be happy. Anything will do, really. It's just a matter of opening your heart and accepting the wonder of life unfolding in front of you. 

   Happiness day, first day of spring and everything is in bloom. At last, our spring is here. Less than two months :)

365 project 2: Day 4. To love or not to love

 

   Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? 

   I would choose the first one. As much as it hurts. It was sad to hear today someone telling me that they have never loved anyone, have never been in love, nor are they looking to fall in love at all. I happen to know this person fairly well and I can tell, as a friend and as a psychologist, that something is missing in their life. And even if they don't want to acknowledge the need of love, they are looking for it in every person they meet. So then... why fear being hurt? We have ONE life, ONE chance to live it fully, fall in love... repeatedly until we find the ONE... the one who's going to fit in perfectly in our puzzle, the one who's going to make us smile every time we see their face because we love them immensely, so much that words can not explain. 

   Why lose this thrilling feeling by denying ourrselves the miracle of love?

The lessons of a 27 year old

Dear diary,

   Today I turn 27. This is for sure an age I never thought about when I was a child and thought of "when I grow up". It was all vague in my mind but I somehow always saw myself as being 20. Today, however, I keep blooming.

   It's funny how ages and their meaning changed over the past decade. Today, being 27 IS like being 20. Just finished master degree and started working 3 years ago, compared to our parents who would have been married with kids by this age. Either way, I enjoy it so much more consciously now. 

   Every birthday brings a slight change, but this one, I believe, brought the most of them :) Since last year, I moved in with my fiancé! It sounds small, but it's really big actually. This time last year I was involved in a beautiful new relationship, but I surely didn't have a fiancé and I was still living with my parents! So talk about a change, eh? (By the way, dear diary, I say "Eh" a lot now, VERY Canadian of me! Today I'm finally applying for my first tourist visa for Canada, so I say I'm pretty ready to go :D)

   The reason why I actually wanted to write to you and mark this milestone is because I want to remember what I learned until now, in all these years. Maybe it will help me later on :)

   I learned that...

   You need amazing parents in order to become an amazing person and even the most amazing parents can sometimes make parenting mistakes. At the end of the day, they all somehow instill in us their fears as we will instill our fears in our kids. It's inevitable, but still something we can control if we aknowledge it. But what we need most as kids is LOVE, ATTENTION and APPRECIATION. If we believe we are valuable to our parents and they are willing to share their TIME with us, playing, talking about life and learning together, if they show INTEREST, then our childhood is going to be the BEST. With or without a lot of money, toys and whatnot. At the end of the day, Love conquers all. 

   I learned that life brings you friends that come and go and that's okay. But the most important are the ones who stay because they want to and the ones who stay because YOU pick them. Always choose the ones who make you happy and who teach you lessons: lessons of trust, neverending love, forgiveness and honesty. You won't always love your friends to the bits. Sometimes, you won't agree with something they do or say. But still love them, because they need that. And that's what you'll get in return. Because what goes around comes around.

   I learned that if you're giving, you shall receive. The same amount of love, and care, and appreciation. And sometimes it can be overwhelming and you'll wonder if you deserve it, but believe me, YOU DO, because if you were a giver you will also be a receiver :)

   I learned that teenage period is full of unanswered questions and crushes and worry about school and the future, but if you have a supportive family and the right friends around you, everything is going to be OKAY. Yes, you shall cry and miss those unrequited love stories or boyfriends who broke up with you without understanding why. It will stay with you your whole life, but you shouldn't let it get the better of you. Life moves on and you will move on with it.

   I learned that life is not as short as I expected. During my childhood and teenage period I heard about a lot of young people dying. It doesn't mean that's it's SO often that it will happen to You or your loved ones. And even if it does, at some point, be careful that you live fully until then so that when it does happen to you, you can have that "I lived it all, thank you, life" feeling :)

   I learned that life is not always fair. Many times you won't understand things that happen to you, but you somehow need to find the resilience to explain to yourself in your own way what happened and find the strength to go on. And then, in those moments, KNOW that it could ALWAYS be worse and you have dear ones around you to help you move on.

   I learned that we all have beautiful gifts inside us. Our talents. And we should exploit them when the time is right without caring what the others say. If you feel you want to do it, then do it! Show the world what you're good at and try to always improve!

   I learned that people will judge now and then and you won't be liked by everybody and that's okay. As long as you love yourself, everything is going to be okay because THIS is the secret of moving on. You need to find the power to love yourself with all the faults you have. I know you live with yourself 24/7, but try. And always thank for the compliments you receive. Don't turn them around. Believe. In. Yourself!

   I learned that love comes when you least expect. And that you don't have just ONE soulmate on this planet. There are people who match you more or less, but who still have common things with you. They will make you happy, very happy but some shorter periods than others. And the one who matches you the best will make you happy forever and ever :) You will KNOW when you find him so you don't have to stress about not knowing. I believe there's a biological button somewhere in there that tells you the time is right. And you will feel that you were meant to be together.

   I learned that most (if not all) of those cheesy motivational quotes are TRUE and that life is so much more surprising than the movies. 

   I learned that you will want to look back to your life and it's wonderful to have a blog or diaries to read when you do that. So keep writing, keep documenting, keep sharing. Because some things you write can help others and when you hear that you will be the happiest.

   I learned that flowers and kids can lift your spirit on a bad day and that very good food will always inspire you to cook more. 

   I learned that ALL DREAMS come true if you strongly believe in them and if you keep thinking about them. 

   I learned that no matter his shape, there IS a God out there and someone up there ALWAYS loves you. 

   I could write a book, dear diary, and maybe someday I will :) But today I'll stop here and I'll go enjoy my birthday :)

With love and excitement,

D.

  

Looking back to 2014

Dear diary,

   2014 was one of the most beautiful years of my life, definitely the peak of my journey until now.
   At the beginning of it, I said:

   "I don't know about others, but I always tried to be the best person in the world and I often failed. And then guess what happened. I felt guilty. And responsible. Well this year, I'm done with being extra cautious. This year I'm learning from my past mistakes but I'm also thinking about me instead of putting the others first every single time. I'm going to buy what I feel like buying, spend time how I feel like and do whatever feels right. Out with the guilt, in with the inner peace."

   Unlike other years, in 2014 I did what I planned, but like any other year, it had its ups and downs. It was difficult precisely because a change doesn't come all of a sudden, and when you're used to always think about others thinking about YOURSELF feels selfish. I took an extreme decision, a life changing one that I never thought I would have to take. It was difficult, but I knew I had to do it. And after I did it I knew I had to go straight ahead and never look back. Of course that's kind of impossible. And here's where the guilt came in. I looked back and I felt bad for leaving broken stuff behind, but somehow I understood that this was MY journey and I kept going and going and going. And this is how I found Wonderland. The land of lifelong dreams coming true, the land of thousands of new experiences, of not only "beginning to bloom" but being in full bloom. 

   2014 was definitely the year when I knew for sure I became a woman. 

   One that knows what she wants and fights for it without regrets. One that not only thinks about others, but who considers her long term happiness too. One that keeps her inner child nourished and who protects it against anybody who thinks you're immature if you're childlike. This past year I surprised myself and the others. I went the extra mile. But I kept being the happy-go-lucky kind of girl everybody knows. 

   I was blessed to meet the love of my life. The one who completes me perfectly. The male improved version of me. He's my role model, my best friend, my rock, my reason to smile and dream and love, my fairy tale, my everything. It seems improbable that a love story like ours would happen. But I know for sure, we both know, that we're made for each other.

... and that's why we got engaged. When you find the One, you just feel it. So you don't need a lot of time to discover each other. You just know :)

   With my fiancé came a whole new world that I discovered step by step in 2014. The world of cooking as a passion, of opening a restaurant, of meeting a lot of wonderful people and trying out a multitude of new dishes (like I always wanted). Everything was so new to me and yet, so exciting.

   I was a camp teacher for the first time in my life during summer camp and I absolutely LOVED it!!! Will do it again this year. It was such an intense and emotional experience for me. I'll never ever forget it :)

    I had my first big exam teachers have and I passed it. Yay!

   I traveled around the country and to France and Switzerland for the first time. It was enriching, empowering, breathtaking. I also flew for the first time.

   I read more than I planned to. And I love that. I want to keep discovering amazing authors, to fall in love with new books.

   I overcame my fear related to Quilling and I started it as a new hobby. I now love to quill a birthday card or a special event card for my friends and family.

   I made 9 Advent calendars. More than last year. It was hard, but I loved every step.

   I went caroling with my family again after a lot of years.

   ... and I had the Christmas tree of my dreams. Again.

I spent New Year's Eve in a wonderful rush at Off the Wall. 

2014... I LOVED IT ALL!

In 2015 I want to be right here, right now and enjoy the journey that goes on.

With love and excitement,

D.

Pride and prejudice

Dear diary,

   Every day I discover genuine acts of kindness around me, so little and yet so inspiring. And the most amazing thing is that they all come from the most unexpected people ever, the subjects of criticisms and prejudice.
   I want to be above that. I want to stop generalizing that a certain type of people are bad or not trustworthy, I want to stop feeling Fear, Guilt or Anger. I want to be a better person and not just say it, but act upon it and leave out all the negative thinking involving other people. Because, in the end, the rules from kindergarten apply to the rules of the society we live in: we all need to accept each other just the way we are (unless we're harming each other) and stop thinking we should change because we're grown ups and we're all the product of our upbringing... The written sequels of our parents' tales. Ones that can't be unwritten. So why keep trying to find the perfect rubber when we could just watch the tales in a different light and take the good things out of them?
   I'm still fixated on our brain being prone to negativity. I want to keep fighting to stay positive and take the beautiful energy out of this huge library of tales. Transform the "Pride and Prejudice" into "Love and Understanding" so that I could be happy every single day. It's so easy to be happy. And it's so easy to be good, kind and loving, too :)

Smiling wide,

D.

The happy song

Dear diary,

   I've never been so happy in my life and it's so sad to see that some people think I might be faking it. I couldn't be happier, really. 

   Every day I wake up feeling more and more thankful and more and more in love with my life: I have my dream job, I'm loved and I love, I'll get to travel (finally! I picked up my first passport ever yesterday) and sooo many beautiful things happened to me this year and will surely happen from now on! I feel like I'm at the peak of my life. I didn't think it's possible to be happier every day, but I'm living it right now so I gotta believe it.

   There are many times lately when I find myself daydreaming and smiling randomly or saying "life's amazing". How could I be unhappy when I have everything I ever wished for? I just hope everyone reaches this point. All they gotta do is find what they love and lead their life around that, be it a job, a hobby, some beautiful people or anything else. When you're doing what you love you inevitably attract happy memories and happy people around you because... you are Happy! 

   So, dear diary, more exciting things ahead! I'm the luckiest and the happiest girl alive!

(Still) In love with life,

D.

Christmas Past, Present and Future

   Dear diary,

   It's Christmas day again. That time of the year when I'm filled with both sadness and joy: sadness cos I can't believe a whole year has passed already and joy because I can witness the most wonderful time of the year again:) The one I was looking forward to since January, the same one that allows me to be a kid no matter the age. 

   This year's been different for me, though. The Advent calendar changed the whole equation and brought more magic in my life. I never thought something so small and humble could do such a difference:) The planning and crafting and then the daily tasks... it definitely put me in the Christmas mood! I used to be sad, bored, or worried. The Advent calendar wiped away all of that and it replaced it with enthusiasm, anticipation and joy. I'm almost on the verge of crying because I realize today's the last day of this special gift called Advent. Such a terrific thing, involving so much dedication, passion and love, more than you thought you had, more than you thought you could give away. The Advent makes you a crafter, a loving, nurturing and thoughtful being. Everybody should experience it: giving and receiving love in the most innocent way possible:)

   The past Christmases have been beautiful, as long as I was a child. Then it all turned into a must and it somehow lost its feeling while growing up. This year I feel mature enough to know how to make the difference and how to keep the spirit alive: it all comes down to letting yourself enjoy the little things. Live Christmas exactly like kids do. And that's what the Advent brought along:) I'm sure the future Christmases will be just as beautiful as this one: with love, peace, joy, family, friends and a lot of creativity (Advent included). Because in the end that's what makes the difference. Letting yourself be a kid no matter the age while celebrating the birth of the most miraculous child on Earth:) 

   I know... it didn't snow this year. But I brought snow inside:) And now, happiness is all around. In my eyes and in the eyes of everyone who gazed at my Christmas tree. What more could I wish for?

Feeling the Christmas magic,

D.

My little Advent game

   4 weeks, 27 days, 7 Advent calendars, 175 individual things. It was all a blast, sometimes a pain in the ass, but nevertheless, the awesomest crafting project I took in.

   Like I previously said, I saw chocolate Advent calendars in shops but never really understood the rules and its purpose. This year I researched it and plunged into not one, but 7 handmade Advent calendars. I made a list of the people I thought would want to take part into this beautiful idea, this little game that makes us feel Christmas for 24 days, before it's even here. Luckily they all accepted to craft and share an Advent calendar. 

   And so the Advent adventure began... this game that brings happiness on people's face, the game that makes you feel loved, appreciated, taken into consideration. The game that makes you feel like a kid again. One that can't wait for tomorrow's task or treat, one that knows how to enjoy the Advent calendar at its best. 

   Stage one after deciding I want to do this was RESEARCH all the possible ideas of crafting such calendars. I found amazing printables that people were so kind to share for free. I found wonderful ideas of tasks that are meant to make you sweep in the Christmas mood all month long:)

   Stage two was ENTHUSIASM. I was sooo thrilled about finding a different Advent calendar idea for each of my recipients and about coming up with special tasks that I knew would make people happy. I could already see their happy face when they would each receive their special Advent calendar carefully made with such love and passion:) I was in the 9th cloud all along the first 2 weeks. Work... craft... work... craft! And I loved it all!

   Stage three was FRUSTRATION. And all this because I had some difficulties in crafting one of the ideas... for my boyfriend! It wouldn't turn out the way I wanted it to be and I would be so frustrated each time I had to work on it. But thank God, it all ended and it was all okay.

   Stage four was FATIGUE. After two weeks and 4 calendars down (including a frustrating one) I began to feel knocked down. I needed to finish all the 7 calendars and 7 handmade Christmas cards by December 1st so my nights became white and my days became sleepy. I had days when I went to sleep at 9 PM and days when I wasn't in the mood for crafting. Even so, every time I looked at the final products a big grin could be seen on my face:)

   Stage five and the last one was PRIDE. Why? Because I did it. It's December 1st and all my calendars are done, the Christmas cards included:) I already gave away 4 of them, 3 more to go:) Can't wait to see my friends smile and can't wait to hear their joyful feedback on each day of the Calendar. 

   All in all, the Advent calendar is such an amazing opportunity for all those Christmas lovers out there! It's the wonderful gesture of thinking about others and involving all your attention in a little, tiny game of love:)

   

It's December already and I can't believe it. Let the Advent adventure truly begin! Let's do tasks and enjoy treats! Let's feel Christmas all around us! <3

P.S. Here are the final results for my 7 Advent calendars (and how my desk looked like for the whole month):

When I'm gone

   Dear diary,

   I had so much to chew upon these last days, but the most striking thing that still follows me like a shadow is this girl's death. She was a 26 year old blogger, a writer to a fashion magazine, a woman, a girl, a beautiful being. And it's sad to use the past when talking about her. Even if I never knew her in person and I barely discovered her blog right the night before she passed away, I put myself in her shoes from the first line I read on her blog. I identified myself with her because of how and what she used to write. And I agree with her: "I am sure life is a big fat lesson". So now I ask myself: "What if it were me instead of her?" "What if today I'm crafting my Advent calendars and tomorrow something happens and ... Boom. I'm just not here anymore." 

   You know, people keep telling us life is short, but we live like we're immortal. After this blogger's episode I feel like waking up from a long dream and realizing life IS short. Freakin' short. And if you think about it, so many people don't fully live their age. We listen to society pushing us here and there, being this way or that way, doing this or that, but who are we really? 

   Here I am, folding paper and enjoying it. I love crafting. And I love the fact that I discovered it now, while I'm 25, not married and without kids. I am well aware that when the time will be right, I won't have the free time I have now. So why does society keep pressing us to move on with the tide when we want to wait for the right tide? 

   I want to enjoy every age and dream out loud. And when I die I want to die smiling. Knowing that I did everything I could to enjoy life at its best, love people, heal people and the world around me. Life is short. Even if we get to reach 70.
  Let's fully enjoy our age and later on be happy at the memory of every step taken. Let's be thankful for every little thing we have in our life. Better yet, let's be thankful for what we don't have as well. Because everything happens for a reason and "life is a big fat lesson"...

D.

Advent in progress

   Dear diary,

   I know I didn't write to you when I was supposed to, but these past days I got caught in something so beautiful, amazing and creative it got all my attention. I didn't do anything else but plan and organize the Advent Calendars for 7 of my closest friends:) I can't wait to get to work! 

   The thing is that this is the first year I'm doing this. Funny how every year I stumbled upon it and I never understood its purpose but I never thought about looking it up. I guess we keep learning all our life. The beautiful thing is that it came in the right moment. You know I already started looking for Christmas decorations but that's just for me. This thingie... this is about paying the Christmas spirit forward. And making people happy. And inspiring them. I can't tell you how happy this idea made me feel when I finally understood what it meant and how enthusiastic I am now while planning it. Like I told my mom the other day, it makes me feel like competing in a terrific crafting contest:D 

   Actually I want to tell you something. I feel the need to be thankful today. First, I'm thankful for those people who planned a vacation in the middle of the semester cos this way I get to have 2 free days (Thank God!) Then I'm really thankful for the people who invented the Advent Calendar. I know it comes from Germany. God bless Germans! Third, I want to thank the awesome people who posted online so many free Advent templates that we can print, craft and decorate. Yesterday I behaved exactly like a kid on Christmas morning. I was soooo happy to discover so many beautiful ideas that I can put into practice for my friends:) I... just.. LOVE it! I love the idea of an Advent Calendar which helps you get into the Christmas spirit with those little things that can change your whole day:) ... or even your whole month:) 

   Dear diary, I donno about other people, but even though I don't particularly love winter, Christmas is DEFINITELY my time of the year and not those 3 days in particular but the whole month and a half that precedes it:) This Christmas fever makes me forget about anything that might worry me. And the Advent calendar is the best way of making Christmas gifts. Because this way, instead of getting something big that you might not like all that much, you get little pieces of a terrific Christmas to be:)

   I don't think there are enough words in the English vocabulary to describe how I feel right now. It's that feeling when you find exactly what you were looking for. The thing that completely describes you. Do you know what I mean?:) You do, don't you?

Until next time,

Advent(ian) love,

D.

Day 329. Passengers

   We're all passengers on this planet. We don't know where we come from, where we're going or why we're here. We spend a lifetime trying to figure that out and some of us never do. Because most of the time we're so caught up in the web we create with everything we hear, everything we want and everything we can't achieve. 

   We're passengers that are brought up to obey. Obey the rules, obey the laws, obey older people who supposedly have a vast life experience. But they never think that we might want to act differently and write our own life motto instead of borrowing it from elders around us.

   We're passengers who influence one another without meaning to. Because in the end we're a bunch of cells who know how to multiply but don't know who they are or what love is. So we try to figure that out and it's taking us a while. We fall for the wrong people and we know it but we can't help it. We want to be accepted and validated so we change a bit for every group we want to belong to. We want to believe we're independent and we don't care about anything, but at the end of the day we all do. We care about our own good.

   We're passengers who like to think they're unique, but we're born to be the same. We all go through the same phases. It's our wild nature that sets us apart. Some follow it while others suppress it and go on obeying the rules. The same rules that are going to drive them nuts and make them question the purpose of life after so many failures. We, the others, decide we want to make our own rules. We have no idea why we're here but we do know that this is everything we've got for now. So we wanna live it all and enjoy it fully so that whenever the end is coming we can all claim: I've lived it all!

   We're all passengers who try to find the key to the universe. Some find it in art, others in science and others in religion. In the end, it doesn't even matter, as long as we're not staying idle:)

Day 328. Fairytales

   Friends are like books. They open our eyes to a world were no matter what happens, the ending is always happy. They help us find ourselves and they're always so entertaining to be around. We daydream with them and when we're down they bring us up and sometimes we're down together because we feel exactly what they feel and sharing the pain is always easier when there's two. They are the stories that we don't want to end. 

   We meet some of them when we're kids and our friendship goes on forever even if we change in time. Others are first our classmates, the only ones we'll keep in touch with even after school ends, the ones we'll invite to our wedding and the same ones we'll walk our babies with. And then there are the friends who step in our world later, when we least expect. The kind of friends who remind us that being ourselves is awesome because they are just like us. The kind of friends you don't see every day but when you do meet time stops for you and happiness is all around. The friends that remind us that

   I wuv you, Laura! You showed me that being lovey dovey and overly hugging is Ok. You reminded me that love can save the day so that's why I keep spreading it ^^ Thank You, cupcake! <3 I'm so glad I met you!

Day 327. Another day to remember

   This is the day. The day when all studying ends and we try to convince other people that we know what psychology is about. We let them come into our world and hope they will like it enough to give us a high mark and let us enjoy the next year of our life in a good workplace. 

   That's what teachers do. They take an exam each year and hope for the best. They get ready for it for months, so that's how friends and family forget how they look like. They all can't wait for it to be over. And one day, today, the loop ends. Anxiety is coming to the surface and worrying thoughts swim across the mind. Teachers don't know what lays ahead of them, they just hope for the best. And then something happens. Something that changes their day.

 

   I wasn't nervous this morning. Not because I studied hard and I was confident or because I received the opportunity to work in the same kindergarten next year... but because of her. The wise music teacher. One of the examination supervisors. One that knew psychology better than we did and that had to lose it all to reach wisdom and be able to teach others how to cool down and laugh their stress away before a big exam. One that gave us a life lesson. 

   We had to wait for a whole hour before the exam and in that time she took our minds off of it. We were no longer in a foreign class, in a foreign school, waiting for the exam subjects to be delivered to us. We were attending an awesome course about happiness. She told us that the key to happiness isn't getting attached to the people around us. Happiness is loving and setting them free. Free to be themselves, not the ones we expect them to be. And, among others, she reminded me that when we want something, we should believe in getting it and ask for it with all our heart. And it shall be given to us because of our faith:) 

   So when the subjects came in, I bet all of us asked to have an easy exam and get a high mark:) It's funny how we needed to meet this woman to psychologically prepare us for an exam on psychology:)  And it's awesome that we did. Cos in the end when the subjects came in we were all confident that we could be the best version of ourselves right there, on that paper, and I donno about the others, but I enjoyed that exam. Some interesting ideas popped in my mind, some that might pleasantly impress the teacher reading my paper, the same ones that made me smile during the exam because that teacher changed my life and I needed her there. I needed her to tell me that attachment is not love and that love is setting people free from our expectations:) I was already in that battle with myself lately and her verbalizing it meant I took the right decision.

   Everything does happen for a reason:)

Day 308. Priceless

   You know what they say: you can buy a lot of things but there are some that money just can't buy. You will never be able to buy happiness, love, peace, class, lost time and so on. Yeah, you can buy things to get you there for a second, a minute, a day or maybe a week, but when you wake up the next day, will you still be happy? Think again:)  

   Today my boyfriend and I celebrated his birthday. Happy, happy, joy, joy:) Of course, he received a nice gift, something he loved and needed, but at the end of the day he told me: "you know, the fact that you love me and you're here with me is the best gift there is":) So, can you buy that? Real, everlasting happiness?:) I'm really proud of him and of the special thing we share. Anything I could buy wouldn't make me happier:) This is priceless:)

P.S. Happy birthdaaaay, honey<3 Love you lots!

  

Day 298. I've got sand in my shoes

   You know those moments when you wanna go places and enjoy life but your daily routine always occurs and you don't? Today I beat that. I got out of the loop and went to a place I used to visit back when I was in second year of faculty, studying for my exams. 

   Oh, this afternoon was perfect! The golden sand, the mild sun, the flowing river, the willow moving in the wind, the feeling of peace that embraced you while you were laying barefoot on the sand. And then there was him. The reason I smile, the reason I love, the reason I am myself and I'm not afraid of it. It felt like time stood still and I just entered another loop. The one where I'm perpetually happy and at peace with myself and the world. I need to go back there again. It's one of those places where I belong:) 

Day 288. Happy end

  During all my childhood I loved fairy tales because they all had their happy ending no matter how difficult the journey was. Well, today I got my happy ending too.

   It was my last day of work in this school year. It's been a full one. Ups and downs and then ups again. I remember that last September I started my first year of work being full of excitement. And then I was afraid that I wouldn't know how to handle some unpredictable situations. But slowly I learned all that and much more. 

   At first I thought I'd be a mini god with so much power to use. But as the months passed I realized I had unrealistic expectations:) Only 10% of what I learned in university would help me in practice. Oh the joy of discovering that!

   But all in all, after making mistakes and learning from them, after so many activities with the kids, today I stepped in a class for the last time this year and the kids all gathered around me hugging me. They were sooo cute especially because they wouldn't normally do that so I wanted to make sure. I asked them what that meant and they said "We love you!!!" So, if this is how my first year of work ended, I'd say it's definitely a Happy End. 

   To many more happy endings!:)

Day 275. That awesome feeling

   .... of living freely, of living in the Here and Now. 

   Today I chose to feel good doing what I love and leave aside what I "have to". I chose to enjoy the sunny morning reading a beautiful book (The Paper Girl - Guillaume Musso) and let myself take in all the positive energy that involved. 

It even rained in the afternoon and guess what. This time I wasn't annoyed. The fact that I chose ME over THEM made me enjoy the fresh smell during the heavy rain and actually take photos of it:) Isn't it interesting how a small change can have such a big impact upon a whole day?

   Today I had to cook. New stuff. And I was a bit afraid everything was going to turn up a mess, but it actually went well. I was happy and I took the challenge positively. In the end, the sun involved that part of my day, too:)

    My lesson for today: 

Choose to feel free from time to time and just do what you love. You'll see how your whole day will change in an instant:)