Quote of the Day 9/30/11

"it is in all of us to defy expectations, 

to go into the world and to be brave,

and to want, to need, to hunger for adventure,

to embrace change and chance and risk,

so that we may breathe,

and know what it is to be free"

[mae chevrette]

Quote of the Day 9/29/11

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.        [Francis Bacon]

Quote of the Day 9/23/11

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference

[Robert Frost]

Don't worry, Be happy.

  
     I should be doing homework... really. I have about 3 more hours and its midnight, but its one of those nights where my mind just goes off to do its own thing. I have been blogging for a few months now and it is getting the point where I will just be sitting somewhere and thoughts just pure into my head and they won't stop. Its that point where I have to surrender and just write. 
     I got to talk to my mom today for longer than usual tonight and it got me thinking. Thinking about how life would be had I not moved to California. I am confident in the fact that life would be completely different than how it has turned out thus far. I am pretty sure that I would either a) be married or b) be engaged and planning a wedding. Just piecing together stories and conversations and endless Facebook stalking and the nature of the slavic culture puts me at that conclusion. Not saying it is right or wrong because everyone has their own plan and life story, just saying life would be a whole lot different.
     Talking to friends tonight, we ended at "Classes are only going to get harder from here and life is only getting to get more complicated, I can't imagine fitting a boyfriend in." And this is a valid statement, entering upper division classes and jobs and internships and maintaing a 3.5 gpa isn't really the best basis for relationships. 10 years ago, even as a little child, I was convinced I was going to get married soon. Thats just the kind of culture I come from. High school ends and married life begins. Fast forward, I am in California at a 4 year university with 2 years of graduate school in the not so distant future. 
     Ironically, I am not worried. Do I ever worry? Sure I do. In my head, I know worries and stress get me no where, just maybe grow a few gray hairs here and there, but I still worry and stress sometimes. But more then ever, I have seen the wisdom in living life one day at a time. Thinking about it all at once can just be the most overwhelming thing, its almost like a psychological trap. 
     The beautiful thing is that I am not alone, trying to figure out life. I have a loving family, loving friends, and a loving Savior. I continue to challenge myself to live simply. Live fully and live for others. I challenge you to do the same. Focus on the now and those around you. There is a difference between living and actually being alive. 

Quote of the Day 9/20/11

when in Rome

I'll be here in just 353 days... CANNOT WAIT :)

Quote of the Day 9/14/11

to be or not to be, to say or not to say

Consider the following quotes:
1. "Treat others as you would want to be treated."
2. "Eye for an eye, ear for an ear."


     Those two statements are contradictions. The first one tells us to treat people the way you would want to be treated while the second echos that sometimes it is okay to play fair. I have really been struggling and thinking about these ideas. We come across so many people and so many situations and it is inevitable that in our lives we will be hurt, and hurt more then a few times. The manner in which we respond to these situations can make all the difference. We can choose to avenge, confront, forgive or forget (or some combination of these). 

Quote of the Day 9/10/11

“Every conquering temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.”                                      [William Butler Yeats]

Quote of the Day 9/5/11