One Day at a Time. Easier said than done.

I am sitting here at my computer, it is 11 o'clock at night and I am NOWHERE near being ready to go to sleep. I've taken all of the necessary steps: brushed my teeth, washed my face, put on my pajamas...but my brain just won't quiet down! I keep thinking about events that have happened in the previous week, and what is to happen in the week to come, let alone the busy schedule that will in fact be taking over my life for the next couple of weeks! AY-AY-AY, so is the life of a busy college student, right?!

After all of these thoughts crossed my mind, I thought about how great of a day I had today, and the fact that sometimes, amidst the busy life that I lead, I don't take the time to just...relax. In fact, I think I had forgotten HOW to sit back and just enjoy the present. Luckily a special visit from one of my very best friends, Kaitlin, has reminded me of how important this is in ones life. A quality that I think many forget about, actually.

We live in a society that is going, going, going all of the time, and it is rapidly changing while doing so. Twitter and Facebook certainly don't make it easy to stop either. Think about it, constant facebook status updates and twitter feeds popping up on the home screen 24/7--it never ends! I'll admit, I am just as guilty of tweeting from my phone just as much as the next twitter addict, and I know I am not alone in updating my facebook status because something funny has happened to me, a friend has said something absurd, or simply because I'm bored out of my mind. Facebook and twitter have now become my go-to-device, instead of sitting back and thinking and reflecting on said events. This wouldn't be such a bad thing, if it didn't stop at the tweeting and updating. Unfortunately though, it does. And as an English major, developing writer and (maybe??) journalist, I am ashamed of myself.

It is time to flip the switch on these bad habits that I have now come into possession of. Whether I keep up with my writing and reflections, here on my blog, or in my personal journal (yes, I have a journal...and you should too), it is going to happen every single day.

Part of the reason I created this blog was to meditate, energize, and grow both mentally and creatively. I'm not naive, and life does get the better of me sometimes, but the point is to keep trudging through whatever it is that is keeps me from reaching my end goal. What is my end goal? ha. In the long-term and the short-term, I guess that would be happiness. What makes me happy besides family and friends? Knowing that I do everything that I can to grow, to become a better person, and stay true to who I am (sorry...I'm the queen of cliches...). How do I plan on growing and succeeding in this? To think about each day, and write about it!

I encourage you (whoever you are...) to do the same. You don't have to write about your day (although I do suggest it, you'd be surprised at the results), but take some extra time to just sit and think, be with a friend you haven't seen in a while, draw, take pictures, call your mother--whatever floats your boat.

love,
ME.

oh yes... I have another column coming out tomorrow, its on plagiarism. Feel free to check it out if you want :)

"With love, with patience and with faith, she'll make her way"

I am smiling from ear to ear today, there is no better way to describe my excitement today other than saying that I am just about the happiest that I have been in a very long time.

The past couple of weeks have had me in a frenzy, running around in every direction, and very stressed. Let me just say, that is certainly not going to change for at least the next week, since it is midterm season. On the bright side my friends, all of that stress and freaking out and uncertainty has (so far) paid off, and today is a day that I will never forget. I am published.

Here's the background story:

Last December I learned of a few openings at the Minnesota Daily, the student-run newspaper at the U of M. I wasn't sure if I should apply or not, this was mostly in fear of not getting the job. But with some encouragement from family and friends, I went ahead and did it anyways. What did I have to lose?! Long story short, I had a couple different interviews, but since I am not a Journalism student, I lost the job to those who were. I was okay with this though, I knew I interviewed well and was honest and true to who I was--both in person and in the writing I submitted. Then, a few weeks ago, I got a call from The Daily! They wanted me to submit another application for a couple of spots that had RE-OPENED up. So I applied, I interviewed, and I waited to hear back from who is NOW my editor. :)

So, here I am. I am sitting in the library with my backpack (which is stuffed with about 15 copies of the daily) TRYING to contain my giddiness while also trying to ignore the looks I am getting from the guy sitting next to me, because I am basically jumping around in my chair...the coffee I had this morning might not be helping the situation either (nothing new there though).

Today is a big day. And for those of you who are curious.. here is a link to the Daily's website. I have conveniently (he he) navigated to MY column for you to read. But, feel free to look at other articles as well, there is some good stuff in there today!

http://www.mndaily.com/2011/03/08/ultimate-spring-break-checklist

xoxo,

Courtney