Of Cycles and Such

Like how the day turns to night, the changing colors of the leaves with the season, and high tide back to low, we have our own cycle.

It’s like how in the beginning of the year, we decide we will be better at eating healthy or going to the gym; and then we let it taper off a few weeks in, only to pick it up again at the beginning of the next year. Or how we apply for jobs, get a new one, quit and then start the application process all over again. Or when we find love - or what we thought was love, and then we find love again. Or when we achieve something, we celebrate and then we achieve again. 

Things aren’t always going to stay the same.
We are always going; things are always moving.

We have ups and downs. Sometimes progressing and regressing, but that’s life. It’s how we learn and how we grow. Keeps us on our toes... to be stronger when the next wave comes our way because now, we’ll be much more prepared.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that we live in this sort of cycle? That we can come out of whatever hardship eventually, that we will find success or achievement in something again, that light will emerge from the darkness, soon. 

You’re never quite the person you were at the beginning of the cycle, and the beginning of the next one is never the same. 

On storms and such, metaphorically anyway.

 

There was a storm brewing, and you could see it miles away. 

Unexpected clouds to cover a beautiful thing. The rain came and thunder roared. The storm rippled through uncontrollably, and we couldn’t hide from it.

I couldn’t hide from it. 

But the thing about storms is that the sun eventually comes back and your world is lit again. Even though the tragedy of everything it ripped apart and damaged lingers, the sun comes back. There is light eventually. It’s what I remind myself. I repeat it over and over again.

There were days I drove over a long bridge… where I used to see the clouds coming from the distance. These days, they have been replaced with the sun. And there’s something calming about the sun rising over the ocean. The way its golden glow reaches out over the skies and reflects off the water to double its power. It brings me out of a dark place and gives me confidence to see things through; that the light at the end of the tunnel is real. Because you know what? The sun comes back and lights the world that was once dark and riddled with storms. 

Photo cred.

On staying positive and picking up the pieces

We all have our bad days don't we?

And we’ve all gotten consoled by the ones who love and care about us. We hear the same thing over and over, like "it will be okay" and "you will get through this" and "something better is going to happen soon". Then we nod and nod, and say "yes, you're right".

Even though in the back of our minds, we might continue to dwell or disagree. It’s so easy to just stay mopey and damn our lives for our unfortunate luck, bad mojo or whatever. But the reality is, we aren’t the only ones who have gone through hard times, and those who have, well... they survived and got through it. So today, I listened to my friends and believe in their kind words. So, yes, I will get through this and if you are going through a rough patch, you will get out of it too. 

I think it's okay to mope. But only for a little. Just because I believe we have to let ourselves be real with our feelings. You have to give yourself time to release and bust out the Kleenex, the ice cream, the movies and curl up in bed and just… let go.

And then after the last tear drops and the sniffles stops, pick yourself back up and try again. Remind yourself that you have been given another chance to do something greater, and better things that are coming in the most unexpected way. You just have to believe it and realize that it's true, even though it's hard to see it now. And then when it happens, you will have to remember that moment when you started to believe.

I'm taking my own advice here and will be practicing these 3 tips to piece myself together again and move on. I hope you will too!

Don't go looking for the negatives in the situation
It's easy to get wrapped up in all the bad that comes with the situation. If you just look at that, you will probably find yourself knee deep in muck and unearth more feelings of resentment or disappointment that is not necessary. You don't want to go there. Instead, look for something else. Look for Waldo. Look for a new book. Look for something to do. Just look for something to keep you happy while you put the pieces together again.

Get up and go for a quick run
Exercise has been proven time and time again to relieve stress and increase happiness. Just 5 minutes can improve your mood and self-esteem. Don't like running? Pretend you are in the midst of a zombie apocalypse and you are being chased by a horde of the undead. Keeps running pretty interesting I think, especially if you're like me and love all things zombies. And if you're totally against running, perhaps another type of exercise. But the point is to put away the Kleenex, move away from the comfort of your bed and get active.

Make a plan and stick to it
I know it sounds strange to make a plan on how to feel better, but it can be done. Giving yourself some goals or practical expectations can help make the road to recovery a lot faster. It thins out the negativity fog that might be blinding you and help you see things a bit more clearly. You don't have to write anything too specific, but just write out a list of what your next steps are.

There are so many things we can do to stay positive in times like these. What things do you do to keep your spirits high?

Let's get social and spread the positivity. If you'd like to play along, take a minute and use hashtag #TeamLetsStayPositive and post your tip on twitter! Over the weekend I will share a few of your tips on here. You can follow me too @mreowlynn

Photo credit here | Text by me

Helloooo February!

via 

I can hardly believe we are saying goodbye to January already, even though things have been pretty slow this month. Or maybe I'm just thrown off since it doesn't feel like January at all with its high 70-something degree days. (is it really mid-winter?!) But it's okay, February couldn't come any sooner. This month is chock-full of celebration.

Kicking off this month is the Superbowl. Pun intended. I'm looking forward to spending some time with my dad this Sunday cheering on the underdog and watching super bowl commercials. I'm not much of a football person, but this weekend, i'll give it a chance.

Then there's a rippling effect of birthdays happening one right after another, including mine :). Because of this, my friends and I merge our parties together and so, I end up celebrating all week-long and give and take a couple weekends. I mean, if we're going to celebrate, why not do it big?

Of course being that it is the month of love, that's another cause for celebration. Oh Valentine's Day... I admit that I do get wrapped up in the heightened sense of romance and a little giddy about this pseudo holiday. Not only for what Joshua and I have planned, but I love reading about other's sweet love stories and romantic date nights. So I've asked a few bloggers to join me in story telling throughout this month. So make sure to come by and check out their sweet stories. I cannot wait!

Confessions of a Catlady

Hi, my name is Milynn, and I am a bonafide catlady. No judging!!  

If I wasn't a catlady before, (although I know this post and this post, aaaand especially this post would say otherwise), but like I said, if I wasn't then, I know I am now with so many cat toys now occupying my living room, if 3 cats wasn't enough, right? It's all coming out now, guys. seriously. It's unnecessary I think to have 2 ball tracks or any store bought toys for that matter. Quite frankly, something like a black bean or a loose string from under the couch could keep cats entertained for hours. 

If you follow me on instagram, you've probably read this story already. But I will tell it again because I'm thinking it's so interesting how these cat toys came to be.

Since our cats are gaining a lot of weight now, having the opportunity to live such a luxurious lifestyle that consists of mainly eating and sleeping, I thought they needed something to keep them active. I ordered this turbo track cat toy despite Joshua raving about how a turbo scratcher is so much better. (We are such cat people... dragging you with me, Joshua!) I just liked that one better, it can be assembled in different ways, you know... like leggos. So I ordered it last Wednesday.

I have Amazon Prime, so with the awesome 2 day shipping, the package arrived on Friday. Except there were two packages. I opened up one, yep, it was the track I ordered... and then I opened the other box, and there was the other track Joshua told me to get. I didn't know if it was a mistake by Amazon or if I bought two, or if the track I bought came with an extra one? Well Joshua called me to see if I received a surprise in the mail. So turns out, Joshua ordered the extra one on the same day I did. 

He didn't tell me he ordered it, I didn't tell him I ordered one, we didn't talk about it at all on that Wednesday or the other days leading up to the delivery. But somehow, we both thought Wednesday was a good day to buy a cat toy, what are the odds. And now we have 2. among others... such... a cat lady, I know.

But the kitties like them. It is so entertaining to watch them swat at the ball with their little uncoordinated paws, or just tire out when the ball gets too far.

But this one could care less about the toys, the box is so much more interesting. 

Sorry for the overabundance of cat talk in this post. But all of this to say how crazy it was that Joshua and I both ordered a cat toy on the same day and it arrived the same time on the same day without either of us knowing that the other ordered them. 

So just to lessen the punch, can we just focus on THAT instead of the catlady-ness part of me? It makes me feel a little bit better. :) 

END.

ramblings of some things 2012 has taught me

Photo via

On Sunday morning while lounging around, mind wandering, I got to thinking about what I learned in 2012. That morning was basically a trip down memory lane now that I think about it. Thinking about the tidbits of last year and grape jelly toast for breakfast in grade school. Wild morning, right? I know.

Anywho... I always get so caught up with the excitement for what's to come in the new year and getting a fresh start. Like... wondering where will I be this time next year. Still in St. Pete or in a new city? Will I be visiting somewhere new? Will I finally get to explore NYC (seriously, when am I going to have the chance to go to the big apple...)? Will Joshua and I finally close the gap of our long distance relationship? These questions along with so many others are left to linger until the rest of the year unfolds. 

But one thing I learned in 2012, the one that sticks out the most, being in a long distance relationship is hard. 

When Joshua and I met, it really was just us two. And it was easy since we saw each other every day and it seemed like our time together was unlimited. Of course when talk of graduation and grad school started, the future began to get fuzzy. Then at the beginning of last year, we were pulled apart into what feels like a never ending abyss, and it sucks. Honestly it does, and it's probably the thing about 2012 that I dislike the most. But it helps to remember the good that comes out of it. 

Some things I've gathered from this experience:

Distance is a test of patience. In a long distance relationship, sometimes you don't know when you'll see each other next, and you might not know what will happen in the future. If you're like me, the unknown just eats away at you. As a test, it could break you if you let it, or you could stand up to it and build up some patience. It was hard at first, but like most things, it gets easier as you go. Distance is just distance, and that is that. 

Appreciate every moment. Every moment counts when you're in a LDR since time together is limited. Maybe we have just the weekend or maybe if we're lucky we have a week. I used to count down the days until Joshua had to leave, which does not help in any way AT ALL. So that was a note-to-self kind of moment: "don't dwell on the inevitable, start appreciating every moment". It's true, in a LDR or not, we should make the most of our time enjoying each other's company and not wasting unnecessary energy being upset.

"Anything you truly want must be worth fighting for". Sometimes when things get too hard, it feels like the easiest thing to do is to just to not do it. But when you really want something, you do what you can to make it work. The distance is temporary and the uphill battles you sometimes find yourself in... well, those are also just tests. 

I think this is one of those things that you have to look back on to fully feel grateful for. When we had it easy, it was also easy to lose sight of how strong bonds are. Sometimes it seems like the forces (in addition to the distance itself) are against us, and yet here we are standing together still. That’s got to mean something right? I think so. 

Renewed.

"Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do." - William Faulkner (one of my favorite authors)

Ever feel like you're just stuck in a rut? Every day melts together and you can't tell one day from the next? 

To be honest, that's how I've been feeling. Maybe it's the monotony of work or an unchanged daily routine. With everything I'm doing now, I've forgotten about working towards what I'm really passionate about and making it to that place I most want to be, where ever that is. 

The motivation I've lost is coming back though; the sun is peaking from behind clouds, literally. Every morning, there were beautiful sunrises. I just stared off into the sky, daydreaming. Wishing I could spend my day outdoors and basking in the glorious sun. It ignited the fire was temporarily put out that drives the ambitious me. It was refreshing compared to the doom and gloom of last week's weather, and reminded me to appreciate the little things in life.

I'm glad for this weekend for the chance to clean up my scatter-brain thoughts. What are your plans?