Loosening the brain vice.

I have always been the kind of person that just has to be going all the time (while still being just a little bit lazy...how does that work). Thinking ahead to what I have to get done, thinking of the most efficient way that I can get my tasks completed, thinking about what I can get accomplished now, so I don't have to worry about it when I'm swamped enough during the school year, etc., etc., etc....That's all part of being a Busy Bee, after all. But, my thoughts are always zipping around at the speed of light. Sometimes, I even have trouble trying to remember what I wanted to put on my list of things to remember! It can really be quite exhausting. The thoughts just race each other while spinning and fluttering around each other. They keep going and going and going until....

I'm all tuckered out!

Okay. I know I probably sound just a wee bit crazy. It's not like I have a problem focusing, 'cause I don't, unless I'm tired, but who doesn't have that problem? My brain just never really stops working, which I think is pretty apparent to those who know me. My thing is that pretty much everything is thought-provoking to me. From the things that people say and/or do, to things that the typical person wouldn't normally give any thought to in a day, and everything in between. I can honestly find the simplest things to be fascinating. Take for example, a rock. Yeah....a rock. I can pick up a rock and think of how amazing it would be if I were able to see what the rock has "seen". I think about how long the rock has been there, where it was before it ended up in my hands, and if it were at the bottom of the huge lake that is now Manitoba. You might laugh, but this is how life really is for me! Some may see a commercial on T.V. and think absolutely nothing of it. As for me, I think of how much money would have gone into making the commercial, how many people were involved in the process of creating the commercial, and why the company chose that particular commercial to advertise their product, when there were probably many other options to choose from. 

It's not like this every second of every day, but this gives you a little glimpse of what sort of things happen in this head of mine. So, the whole point of this post (there's always a point, after all) is to remind myself, and everyone else, to quiet the brain down a little bit, every once in a while. I can just tilt my head back, close my eyes for a while, breathe deeply, focus on that breathing, heave a few sighs, sometimes I clench and relax my muscles, and then I feel like my brain is coming out of a giant vice. Try it! You don't have to follow the "instructions" or anything, as these are just a few suggestions that have helped me out before. I am certainly not the expert in this, as I very rarely do this sort of thing. But, as I make a vow that I will do this far more often, for my own physical and mental health, I encourage you to join me. What could it hurt, right? Let's take more time to relax and calm down, maybe take some time to go pick up some rocks to think about (=P). There. That's the Brittany version of "stopping to smell the flowers/roses". We would all feel so much better if we relax a little more, and that causes one of the best possible chain reactions. Enjoy!

Once upon a time, there was a canoe...

It feels great to be back to "busy bee" status recently. My summer job has gone from being totally boring to extremely busy, as I work towards being able to close my office for the summer. I took a road trip with my dad to Fargo, N.D. last Friday, where I became a licensed Zumba instructor Saturday, and, Sunday, my lovely friend and I had an unexpected situation, involving a canoe. That's where the post actually begins. Get ready for a story! It has a nice point, though, I promise.

So, the aforementioned friend and I decided that we wanted to have some sort of a "beach day". She had never gone canoeing before, so we figured that coming to my family's campsite and going canoeing on the lake was a great way to pass a Sunday afternoon. I was very exhausted from the Zumba training I did the day before, so a relaxing canoe ride sounded even lovelier as the plans were made. 

We headed to the campsite, my dad got the canoe all ready to go, and we started our little journey, oars in hand. We rowed a little bit, for fun (my friend was so excited because she felt like Pocahontas), then decided we were just going to float and drift for a while. After a nice, long chat on the lake, we decided that it was probably time to get back. When we went to dip our oars back in the water, we realized how far away we actually were, from our starting point. It was alright, at first. We would paddle a little bit, then rest and talk...then paddle some more. The waves were starting to get pretty big, for a lake, which we didn't really think much of, since there were a few boats that had been zooming around us. One even stopped to ask if we needed help, but I politely declined. 

By the time that our attention was fully drawn to getting ourselves back to shore, we didn't really know where the shore was. Once we decided what direction we had to go, we realized how windy it had become. This strong wind was blowing us away from our destination, and the waves this wind had created were also putting us off-course. My friend and I rowed and rowed and rowed, but it didn't seem like we were getting any closer to our journey's end. The ever-growing frustration expanded when the wind blew us ashore, causing us to exert ourselves, even more than we had been, to get us back on-course. This happened a second time too, which made our efforts seem even more fruitless. Our arms were aching and becoming less and less functional, and we were incredibly parched, but if we stopped for even a second to rest our weary limbs, the wind would blow us back to where we had been moments before. We rowed as hard and fast as we could. Once I caught a glimpse of the shore we wanted to get to, we just had to keep telling ourselves that we were "almost there". After an extremely long time of rowing in frustrated, determined silence, we got back to shore, where my dad was waiting, laughing at us. It turned out that he had asked the people on the boat that had stopped, to check on us, so he knew we were okay. 

All was well. We re-hydrated, bought some ice cream, and went home to relax.  

There was certainly a point where I had almost given up. That doesn't happen very often with me, since I'm terribly stubborn, but I was trying to think of an easier way we could get back to the dock that didn't involve the way we ended up getting there, in the end. But, I came up short. There was no other way. 

Basically, the point to this story is: no matter how exhausting and frustrating that journey was, and how hopeless it seemed to be, our goal was still achieved. Sometimes, you may have to do things the hard way to achieve the best results, or the only results. You may have to go through frustration, anger, exhaustion, sadness, or what have you, to reach your desired destination. No matter how hopeless your journey may seem, though, if you are really willing to work hard to get to your destination, you will always come out with your head above the water. Let's face it, rewards are so much more appreciated if you have to work a little bit to get them, right?

In response to a comment

Before I get into writing more blog posts, I would like to address a comment, by "Rainbow Addict" that was left on my post "Optimism and realism, working hand in hand!". The reason why I am addressing it on a post, and not just by comment, is just because others may have similar thoughts. Here is the comment:

"Good and bad are relative to your own perspective, culture and your genetics. Humans are born with a basic feeling of empathy, so it is bad to hurt others. However, the python that you've lovingly raised to seven feet long is thinking how good it will be when he finally eats you. Is he evil? I think not. We only have good and evil because we are social animals (a dog feels pain if he/she hurts the pack or does something the alpha decides is 'bad' and feels good when the pack is happy) however a snake or a reptile would only feel pleasant vs. unpleasant. It would be very pleasant he thinks, to eat your chihuahua, even if it is an unusually sweet and obedient one. The world isn't harsh, it just is."

Thanks for your input, as this is a good point. I am very aware of the point you are stating, actually. In fact, many of the themes I have studied in my literature classes revolve around this very point (good wouldn't exist without evil and vice versa). However, I'm not 100% sure if this is trying to work against my post, or with it, or if it's just a neutral statement. As you said, "good and bad are relative to your own perspective...", so saying "the world isn't harsh, it just is" is simply your perspective. So, thanks for adding your perspective after I gave mine. That adds for the readers to put in some extra thought, which I like. My perspective is stemming from Optimism vs. Reality, which was the theme of my post. In my mind, someone who is purely an optimist, who does not have a good sense of reality, would see the world as a flawlessly beautiful place, with people that are all "good", nothing can possibly lead to disappointment, and there is no such thing as an obstacle. I'm not sure if there are people like that out there, but that's where my word choice came in. From my perspective, the world is "harsh" because of the fact that "not everyone in is good" and " not every situation can or will lead to a happy ending" (as mentioned in my post), as well as the fact that the stronger people (intellectually, physically, etc.) will have a greater chance at succeeding in life than the weak (the whole Natural Selection/survival of the fittest argument). My choice of using the word "harsh" comes from the large contrast between pure optimism and that of "harsh reality". Thank you for taking time to comment, though. I will admit that my posts are not thought out well in advance or anything. I just sit down and type, so it's more like typed out pondering, or whatever else is going around in my head that I feel like sharing! I hope this all makes sense to everyone!

I will be adding another post of a different topic shortly. 

Optimism and realism, working hand in hand!

You know, I realize how annoying optimism must be the eternal pessimists out there. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. You're looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses/eyes. You don't know what the real world is like". I understand why that attitude exists. However, I am not only an optimist, I am also a realist. I totally get that the world is quite a harsh place. Not everyone in it is good. Not every situation can or will lead to a happy ending. But, I do believe that with every negative point you find in anything, there is typically a positive flip-side. Try it! You can be sure to either annoy the heck out of the pessimists or help out your friends. Either way, you have fun and there's no harm. ;) I find that my optimistic statements tend to start with "at least...". Like this: "I got a ketchup stain on my new white pants!" "At least the stain will come out if you attack it with a bunch of wet napkins for an hour and half." (My Saturday morning experience, as Dylan and I were heading to Portage.) Okay, maybe not exactly like that. But, there really is a positive side to most things, it just takes a second to expose it sometimes! I understand that the world is not all unicorns and butterflies, but it's not all death and destruction either. I just choose to see the beauty and opportunity of the world, but that doesn't mean I'm avoiding the bad things and pretending that it's all going to go away. Optimism and realism can work together!

My brain has now turned to mush. I guess that's it for today!

It's not so bad...

Life is never as bad as it seems, do you notice that? No matter how much you're dreading something...it's never that bad! In fact, the day you're dreading can end up causing you to feel quite good about yourself, in the end.

Take today, for example: I was really not looking forward to today at all. I hate to admit it, but I was definitely dreading it. I really hate finding that I'm dreading my days. It makes me feel like I'm wishing my life away, and I don't like doing that either. Life's too short as it is. But, I had that Sunday night feeling of wanting to hang on for dear life to what was left of my weekend, knowing full well that I had a lot on my plate the next day. And, well, the "Monday Blues" are inevitable. To-do lists, in my opinion, are one of the best "inventions" ever. Once I sat down and wrote one for myself, the day seemed a lot less scary. It started to become more of an organized list of mini-goals to achieve, rather than a big pit of tangled, twisted objects to sort out, one by one. I actually love being busy, rather than bored, so I ended up rather enjoying the first half of my day quite a lot. It  helps to have a fantastic friend who keeps me company on Facebook every day and a loving boyfriend to send long e-mails to.

But, after tackling the things I had set out to tackle this workday, I feel a great sense of accomplishment. There are more things that I wasn't really looking forward to this week, but I am looking at them now through a new attitude of positive determination. They will happen. And they will be successful.

It's funny how that works. I find that, for me, being pessimistic is so much easier than being optimistic. Once you think one negative thought, you just end up being like a big ball of tape, rolling down a hill. You collect so much momentum and dirt, you become harder and harder to control until you hit an obstacle and you stop dead in your tracks, unmoving, with no more energy left, and nowhere else to go. A negative state of mind is an easy place to stay in. Optimism, I find, is the opposite way. You have to find the energy to climb that hill, shed all the dirt that you've collected, be determined enough to keep going, and then, after all your efforts, you finally reach the top. But, think about it...isn't standing on top of the hill, looking at how far you've climbed, much more rewarding than looking at how far you've fallen? I think so. And that's why, after the feeling of dread I was experiencing yesterday, I am now feeling like I am standing on top of a hill, looking from my wonderful vantage point at what is coming, and being ready to take on whatever is approaching.

Life is never as bad as it seems, do you notice that?

Inspiration From Others, Yourself, and Me!

In the past few days, I have been looking at blogs here and there that have been posted by people from totally different walks of life. I find it very interesting how, no matter how different people's lives can be; no matter how different the experiences, inspirations, goals, etc., they can still put together something that they wish to be shared with others, to spread some sort of message or point. (I have a feeling that would be one of those moments where a certain English prof. would have written "improper use of ;". Forgive me if I used that incorrectly. Anyways...) I have read about things from life-changing trips across the world to teach English, to experiences that a beautiful family has from day to day, and even someone's thoughts and emotions as they continue on the road to forgiving someone who sexually assaulted them.

No matter how different the messages and points are that come out of these blogs that I have been reading, I find myself feeling even more inspired in my own life because of them. Inspired continue to try to make a difference in the lives of others, inspired to achieve the goals I have set for myself, and inspired to continue on my path to keep forgiving those who have done me wrong in the past. I am fiercely motivated to continue to be the best person I can be. I know it sounds cheesy, but it makes me feel more purposeful and keeps me looking forward to what is coming in my life.

I have been keeping a journal since the beginning of my summer break from school. I look back to the very first entry, and I start to feel very proud of myself for overcoming all that I have since then. I know that my bad experiences don't come close to the sufferings of others, but I am still proud of what I have learned, even in the 3 months since my first entry of the break. I have learned that I am the best person to rely on 100% of the time. I trust my judgement, even when others may not. I am ready to deal with what ever else life decides to throw at me, in the most responsible, sensible way possible.

I don't say these things about myself to seem cocky or full of myself. I say them to show that I'm no longer afraid of my own decisions, my judgement, or anything else. Those fears developed because of the lack of faith other people had in me. Once someone develops faith in themselves, a lot of insecurities can go away, and that's a beautiful feeling.

I guess my point here is that I wish that people could become their own heroes and heroines. Be happy and excited to be your own person and live your own lives. I hear too much of "I wish I had this.." and "I wish I were someone else". My wish is that people could be satisfied and happy in their own lives. Life is what you make it...make it something fabulous!

I guess that's all for my first blog entry. If there are any errors, forgive me, as I'm now distracted by the T.V.

Love, love, love!