Year 26. Goodbye, quarter-life crisis. Greetings, old age descent.
Category: Dear Diary
Hello, 2015
If last year was Glorious 2014, this year will be Flow-rious 2015.
What on earth does Flow-rious even mean? Allow me to elaborate…
2014: A Year in Review
“I’m gonna look ahead, no turning back. Live every day, give it all that I have.”
Throughout the year, I’ve been compiling a page of memories from 2014 – including notable experiences I had, concerts I attended, music I listened to, movies I watched, television shows I followed, and books I read – and now the time capsule is complete! Check it out here at Scrapbook 2014.
Life Lessons Learned From… August 2014
August kicked my ass.
The entire month was ridden with death, suffering, anxiety, and pretty much every terrible situation and miserable sensation imaginable. Between saying goodbye to someone who I really cared about and watching the one person who means the most to me face even more health challenges, my heart was broken and my spirit was shattered. The news stories this month were just as depressing, what with racial tensions in Ferguson, Missouri and the death of actor Robin Williams. In these trying times, my faith in life was put to the ultimate test. I wondered, why should I have hope for a world, let alone trust in a higher power, when good, innocent souls, including the people I love, are put through the ringer of pain, or are taken away forever? How am I expected to hold on while being ambushed with awfulness all around? What is it about life that makes the sadness, the anger, worth it?
People.
I was saved by people. If it wasn’t for my support system, I would have been consumed by my grief and my fears. My friends were there to lend an open ear, impart words of encouragement, provide the smiles and laughs to lighten things up, and offer to do anything they can to help alleviate the situation. When it comes to shared grief, it’s amazing how people who are hurting collectively come together to give each other love and strength, reminding us all that we never have to experience these worst moments alone. The gratitude I feel towards these phenomenal people is overwhelming.
What did I learn from August 2014?
We may not have control over the bad that comes our way in life, but we can control how we go through the dark days. We are strong on our own, but stronger together, and strongest when we take care of each other, stand together, and fight back together, as one.
See you soon, September. I’ll be coming up swinging.
Image by Leon Biss.
Share Your World – Week 28
Have you ever been a participant in a parade? What did you do?
Back in 2011, I participated in the annual Rogers Santa Claus Parade in Vancouver. I was a member of a street team that was promoting Happy Feet 2, so as volunteers, we were the ones throwing out free swag to all of the folks watching the parade. We even had people in penguin suits, much to the families’ delight! (Sidenote: When I was a kid, I used to attempt to escape a lot. This one time, my mom nearly lost me at Disneyland when I decided to follow the Hercules parade. It sure gave her a fright!)
If you were handed free opera tickets, would you go or sell them? Why?
I’m not one to turn down a good live performance, and I’ve never been to the opera before (and it’s one side of entertainment I’d like to try), so I’d definitely go!
Why did you start your blog?
I started blogging as a way to document my life experiences and reflections as well as to express myself online. Since high school, I’ve always been writing somewhere – beginning with private blogging on LiveJournal and later venturing into public blogging on Blogger. And now, I’m here on WordPress, where I blend the personal and the professional with insightful pieces and entertainment reviews. It’s a constant challenge to maintain a blog regularly, but I still believe it’s essential to have a place where you can share your thoughts without being constricted by a 140-character limit.
What is your favourite tradition?
This tradition popped up in my mind immediately and it’s one that I’ve missed for years – back to school shopping. In grade school, I always anticipated the last week of summer vacation because that was the time when I’d get to buy new school supplies and shop for new outfits. While I can still take advantage of the back to school sales each year, it’s just not the same.
via Share Your World on Cee’s Photography.
Image from Rogers Santa Claus Parade.
Elizabeth Rosalyn 