Ponder your luck

A few weeks ago I was at Newbury Comics and came across a book that caught my attention. Book title, “How to be Interesting”. I quickly flipped through a few pages and one page really stood out to me. Ponder your luck, the page read.

What does that mean? Ponder means to think. To think about your luck. Sometimes it’s not easy to think about that. Some of us may not feel lucky right at this very moment, or may not think we have lived a lucky life. but the diagram on the next page, as you can seen below, helped me put things into perspective.

photo

I’ve always been aware and thankful of the life I have been able to live but what I don’t normally think about is the little details that got me to where I am.

This weekend I was in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for one of my friends wedding. It was the most beautiful wedding, not only because of the beautiful bride but also because of the memories that were brought back with seeing her as well as my other friends who also attended the wedding. The bride and I met each other in Cambodia, we worked together, lived together and simply lived life together for a year in one of the most poorest countries in the world.

We spent the weekend recollecting stories and pondering how we got from there to here in what felt like the blink of an eye. Stories that sometimes make me wonder how I’m still alive. Praise God. If you had asked any of us where and when we were planning on reuniting, we would’ve never said at someone’s wedding and that is why this weekend was so beautiful to me. Since Cambodia, our lives have changed, we live in different countries, but when we’re together, it’s like we’ve never been apart. It’s hard to imagine life without knowing any of these wonderful friends, or what my life would be now if I didn’t take my gap year in Cambodia.

Recollecting on past memories  allow us to think back about those little yet important details that changed the course of our lives. Life is very unpredictable. Sometimes it’s that one party one night and sometimes it’s a series of events that impacted your life in a way that you’d never imagine but too often, we are too busy trying to “make it”, or too caught up in the mundane routines of our lives that we forget all those chances and coincidences that lead us to where we are.

You may think that you have a very uninteresting life, but try taking a few minutes and think about everything that may have had an influence to what your life is now and trust me, you will find your life to be more interesting than you thought!

Post grad uncertainties

Everyone goes through this and if you didn’t, well, lucky you. Now that my summer is over and I’m settling back into Boston, all these thoughts are rushing in and constantly surrounding me like a halo above my head. It’s stressful but what are you going to do about it? Time keeps rolling.

I just recently started my new part time job as a front desk clerk at a hostel. I’m really enjoying it, all the new experiences, getting to know my colleagues and being able to share the excitement of traveling with all our fellow guests. Sure it might get mundane doing the same thing every day, but every person I get to talk to is different and that’s what I love about it. There’s something about each of their eyes, their smiles, and even their nervousness of being in a new city. That feeling ignites me and reminds me of my passion of traveling and sharing that feeling with others.

It may not be the best paying job straight out of college but I believe it’s the best job for myself currently. I definitely hope to strive for better positions, better salary and jobs that continue to challenge myself but I am constantly reminding myself to simply grow with time. Having friends and family constantly pushing me does help, but at the same time, it is also stressful coming to the realization that I have no idea what my plan is going to be. As of now, my time is limited in the United States with my visa status, which only makes this year even more important.

Yes, I want to make others smile a day at a time. I want to spread the joy and excitement of traveling. I want to share the importance of cultural understanding and globalization through traveling. I have all of these ideas I want others to grasp but how do I do that? What qualifications do I have to work jobs that have those missions? I guess those answers will come in time and with lots of research.

This next year is going to be a huge growing year for myself. I have personal challenges I intend to tackle, a few of time including driving, to living in a city very foreign to me, to seeing much more of the US than I’ve seen, to running an obstacle course race of some sort. Every day I wake up and I seem to dream up a new challenge for myself.

I’m fearful and nervous to tackle any of these challenges but I believe the feeling of accomplishment in the end will be much greater than any fear I’ve ever felt before. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, is that if I don’t attempt at any of these goals, I will be living with regret for a long time.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.”

– James Neil Hollingworth

It’s going to be a hell of a year, I see it already.

But I’m here to…

But I’m here to tell you that no matter how far-fetched it is, no matter how much you think you cannot afford it, no matter how afraid you are to let go, there is always a way. I know it sounds overly-idealistic, but all you have to do is choose to take one step forward. It’s just a few seconds of horrifying courage, and you’re on the other side. Keep stepping. Keep going. Keep scaring your fears into submission. You’ll wake up on the other side one day, before you even realize where you are. You’ll only be blind until you choose otherwise.

This year is going to be one for the books, I know it. 

Being an observant

Life is really intriguing and thought provoking when you look at things from an observant point of view. I’ve been at the cottage for a week with my extended family, 3 families in total. One with two daughters and another with three boys.

Many of the problems and tensions that arose is due to the conflict between the kids. Everyone has different parenting styles and sometimes you can’t help but want to inflict your own styles into children other than your own.

Tension is uncomfortable, not only for those involved but also the third party around. My dad always says, if you are angry at someone, try stepping into their shoes then rethink your angry. I fall guilty of trying to discipline these children. Some of them really drives me nuts at times, as all children do. But I try my best to remind myself to not overstep the line between disciplining as an aunt and disciplining as a parent.

Through the week, I’ve noticed all the little pins and needles that poke at each and other person in the house. We are all family but still, everyday I learn something new about everyone. I hate the see the grumpy faces, I hate to see people mumbling but only then do we grow and learn more about one another.

I guess it’s only right for it to be the last day today. I could tell many people are at their last straw, any little thing could crack them at any time, unfortunately. I can only hope we all grew and learned this week, everyone from children to adults.

Cottage living

Growing up in the city, I’ve never spent a vacation at a cottage so I was a little skeptical when I was told I’d be going for a week this summer. To my surprise, I have not been bored, I have not been frustrated with my family, and I have not felt the need to be online constantly. 

It is really amazing considering I am normally online 24/7. Sure, there is still wifi and we still check our chats, instagrams, twitters and facebook once in a while but being in a cottage with 15 of my family members for a week really forces us to spend time together, get to know each other and dig out all those little things that frustrate one another. 

It’s been really interesting to sit around the cottage, around the lake and the bonfire to observe each and every person to see how they react to different situations. Some of them are afraid of mosquitos, some are afraid of the sun, and some simply hates how there is nothing to do. I guess cottage living is not for everyone but in the end I think its good for everyone to experience it at least once. Especially when it’s with family. 

It’s the best way to see yourself when you’re stuck in a house trying to figure out how to keep entertained, or perhaps, push yourself and realize you actually enjoy some down time here and there. Stop worrying about work, school, and all those unimportant problems and focus on doing things for yourself, spending time with family and soak in God’s creation of nature. 

How do you like cottage life? What do you do when you’re at a cottage?