Spring Cleaning

On my walk to church this morning, a warm breeze touched my skin. It carried with it the scent of fresh flower blooms, awakened after a rainy Saturday. Gently, it rustled the nearby leaves, evoking a soft whisper from the leaves in response.  It was a new breeze, a fresh sign, the first indicator of Spring.

I LOVE spring.  Though New Year’s Day is often referred to as a time for newness, it is caught in the middle of the doldrums of winter. Spring, on the other hand, is truly new with its bright skies, green leaves and chirping baby birds. It is a time to shed the cold dreariness and embrace the rejuvenating light.

Now, I know spring technically began about two weeks ago, but, in my mind, that doesn’t really count. I was still bogged down by winter, stuck in my room studying for midterms. Now that the second round of midterms is over, I can start looking ahead. I can enjoy the lovely month of April and begin planning for summer.

Now is the time for spring cleaning. I’m washing away the negativity, the dread, and the ruts and replacing them with excitement, ingenuity and freshness.

I hope my new attitude and the blooming spring will truly bring good things into my life!

A Little (Late) Love

The middle to end February marks the first round of midterm exams. It also is the supposed time of "Love." (Yes, even the oblivious college student sees the hearts and flowers that decorate shops and other buildings). Unfortunately, love and exams don't coincide well, especially the form of love which I lack the most, self-love. It is so difficult, when you are studying for hours or having trouble with a particularly boggling concept, to realize that you are a talented, worthwhile person. On the other hand, it is easy to want to give up and simply say "I can't do this because I am not smart/ talented/ confident enough." My goal this Valentine's day was to start by showing myself a little compassion and allowing that compassion to permeate through the rest of my life (my actions, my relationships, etc.). I felt, with a little difficulty, I was able to tell myself that, though I am certainly not perfect, I am intelligent enough to get myself through my exams by loving myself, loving others, and accepting their love in return. Newton said that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, by loving myself and others, I will recieve the love of others. Valentine's day is so much more than chocolate and roses (though they are certainly some great perks during the dreary part of winter). It is a holiday that reminds us to put a little love into everything! So... Love others, love the things you do, and, even when you are overcome by stress, love yourself!

The Beginnings

Blogging has always been a little intimidating to me. It's basically a form of journaling, except the whole world wide web can see your thoughts. Recently, though, I've found myself interested in looking at other people's blogs (it may be because it is a wonderful way to procrastinate when there is lots of physics homework to be done). I especially love baking blogs! I have collected way too many creative recipes from websites in the past few months. Unfortunately, I don't have a kitchen in my dorm so I have to wait until I home to try out all of the tasty temptations. These blogs have inspired me to conquer my mild fear of blogs and create my own. I hope my blog will be a combination journal/ baking blog/ crafty things page. That is my intention, but you know what they say about the best laid plans... Anyways, for my first post, I included an image of a doodle I made when I was bored one evening. It's nothing special, but I felt like a whole post about me rambling about blogging would be a little dull without some visual interest. I have no idea where this little blog will take me, but I hope it will help me get through my next few years in college by enjoying the little things (baking, drawing, etc.)