Post-graduation life update

So I realized that I haven’t published one of these in a while, and I think they’re interesting especially to look back on. It really makes me believe the whole idea of ‘living into the answer’…so many of my problems from the past have been solved now when they seemed like the end of the world while I was dealing with them. Some may come back to haunt me, but with patience and courage they can be overcome.

This post is kind of spiraling off of an Instagram I posted recently, with words that really meant a lot to me and reflect exactly where I’m at right now:

live a life worth writing about.
over the summer I bought this @peter_pauper_press journal and just recently recommitted to journaling everyday. for awhile I thought to myself ‘I am not doing anything exciting, there’s nothing to write about’ which was honestly quite depressing. I didn’t want to be living a boring life. so I decided to start writing again and commit to that ‘escape the ordinary’ mentality that I live best under. although I’ve realized over the years, maybe it’s not so much escaping the ordinary but in the seizing of the ordinary–capturing it and squeezing all you can out of it. celebrating all of the big and small things that make this life worth living. a series of moments, a feeling you get when you think about someone you love, deciding to do more of what makes your heart beat faster in your chest. all of this can come from the ordinary, so yes–I should be recording it all, because if I’m not, then I’m not living this damn good life hard enough.

I started a full-time job in the beginning of September, and I feel like I finally found my stride the past couple of weeks. It always takes me more time than I want to get into a new schedule and become well-adjusted. As I was just telling my sister, though, I find myself not even remembering that I was in school just last year. I have to consciously remind myself of this fact, and I think that’s a good sign.

I’ve recommitted to ‘falling in love with myself everyday–mind, body, and soul.’ Running my stresses out and regularly going to hot yoga flow and sculpt has helped me feel a lot better as a whole and get confidence in my body back that I was missing. Yoga has often been a saving grace in my life.

I’m still figuring out how to make enough time for blogging, but allowing myself this grace period while I do. I just completed a six-week Italian art class (taught in Italian at the Italian Cultural Institute) and I’m really proud of myself for it! I vowed to never stop learning when I graduated college, and keeping up my Italian is just one of the many things I plan to do to fulfill this. It’s basically the highlight of my Tuesday–we always have a glass of prosecco and tasty Italian treats. I’m grasping what we’re learning and loving the chance to have conversations in Italian. I often feel like the Italian words and thoughts are ready to pour out of me but have nowhere to go, so I’ve appreciated this class so much for that outlet.

Another thing that has really pulled me out of the rut (for lack of a better word) I was in and inspired me to live passionately in a way that I haven’t in a long time (or ever?) was the movie ‘A Star is Born.’ Wow. It took me days to process it and was truly an emotional journey. But I left feeling (among other things, i.e. sad) so inspired to live MORE. To be more passionate, to not hold back from anything or anyone, to do what feels right and live passionately, and the people who need to be in my life will be there. The story of Ally and Jack was raw, real, and heartbreaking. We have to say what needs to be said when we’re given the power and the platform, because it’s a privilege when people want to hear what we have to say.

Taking my trip to New York was a real highlight of the year for me. Last fall I traveled a lot, like every weekend in October, and I took a couple trips in the spring, so it was a relief to me to get back on a plane and go somewhere after a summer of staying put. Being able to see my cousin and one of my best friends while I was there was icing on the cake. I’ll be sharing more about New York on the blog, and I have another exciting trip coming up in January which I’ll soon be revealing!

xx Maggie