Tears of Joy

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What brings a tear of joy to your eye?

Since this year is my wedding year, I feel like I’ve been crying more tears of joy than I have in my lifetime. From trying on the dress for the first time, to visualizing walking down the aisle and up to the altar, the tears have been flowing steadily.

I used to hate my sensitivities as how often I cried at everything, but now when I find myself getting emotional, I meet myself with love. Although it can feel exhausting when I feel pain and sadness very deeply, it is absolutely incredible when I feel joy and love at that same depth.

This year I have found myself sitting in those moments of pure joy, and just allowing the tears to flow. Then when I actually think about my growth/progress with my mental health, the tears just flow faster. I used to feel so empty and numb, feeling like nothing in life would ever be enough, and that is no longer my reality.

Crying is honestly one of my favorite things about being a human, because it is sooo relieving. I’ve had those days/weeks/months of grieving losses throughout the years, and as much as I felt like I’d never ever be able to stop, I never held them back. So what if I cried everyday for months? I wasn’t going to shame myself for how much love I had for someone.

Love is a beautiful thing, and we all deserve to be well loved… especially by ourselves. I am leaning more and more into love and this journey has brought many tears of happiness along the way. I am so proud of who I am today and how dedicated I have been to the journey. I have talked about having my emotions basically turned off with medications, and that experience has made me appreciate my feelings and sensitivities so much more.

I am grateful to have access to therapy, as I continue to learn about and understand myself, it makes it easier to love myself. I am also grateful for podcasters/authors like Mel Robbins and Dr. Nicole Lepera, as they give resources for self-help and share their own experiences in a meaningful way to help others grow and be their most authentic selves.

Life is a wild ride, full of every single emotion you could ever imagine, and I am prioritizing joy wherever I can. We never know when life will end for us or those around us, so take this time we have now to let your loved ones know they’re loved by you. Spend time with the friends who you can be your full self around and where you’re laughing 70%+ of the time.

We are all going to cry tears of pain and sadness in this lifetime, which is why I embrace and enjoy the tears of joy when they come. I am blessed to be here in this moment, and I am so grateful for where I am today.

30 Things: Happiness Edition

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List 30 things that make you happy.

1. my fiancé (not sure he counts as he isn’t a thing, but he sure makes me happy)

2. my cats (also not things, but I love them so much)

3. iced coffee

4. comfy clothes

5. candles

6. sunshine/sunrises/sunsets

7. good music (qveen herby always elevates the vibe)

8. clear night skies

9. the moon

10. podcasts

11. cute nails

12. good hair days

13. synchronicities

14. angel numbers

15. fuzzy slippers

16. the beach

17. nature walks

18. rollerblading

19. good books

20. netflix reality tv shows (selling sunset, perfect match, love is blind, etc)

21. singing/dancing

22. vacation

23. family time

24. connecting w/ good friends

25. ice cream

26. going on the water (boats, paddle boarding, tubing, etc)

27. balloons

28. mimosas

29. christmas lights/ string lights

30. smoothies

Sunday July 28, 2024

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I have been feeling so present in my life lately, which has also been making me cry a lot LOL. I have been really in my feelings about the wedding, and I find myself visualizing us just beaming at each other at the alter and the tears just start flowing. I’ve dreamt of marrying this man for so many years, and it’s finally coming to fruition. We’re just over two months away from the special day, and I’m just soaking in this lovely time.

I also am about to go on a girls trip with a couple of my close friends from high school! We are seeing the gorgeous, witchy rap goddess herself: Qveen Herby!!! I am so stoked to see her live. I just discovered her music a couple of years ago and I just love listening to an independent artist who shares her healing transformation through her art. She’s not ashamed of who she was or is, she is just filling embracing her truest self; I feel like this concert is going to have the most immaculate energy. We’re also celebrating my birthday on this trip; I’m so excited to start off my last year in my 20s with my best friends!!

Aside from all of the upcoming events, I also recently had a great breakdown/breakthrough within myself and with another close friend of mine. Without going too much into detail, there was an event that triggered me that I could not ignore, and because I had ignored many other triggers throughout the years of our relationship, all of those memories came flooding through. Although the start of the interaction wasn’t how I exactly planned, I am positive that it was all supposed to happen this way, and I am glad that it did.

We were able to sit down in person, not once, but twice for a couple of difficult conversations. We are both people who grew up without seeing healthy conflict resolution, so we both were super anxious going into these discussions, even with our significant others joining us. There were heated moments, but no one got disrespectful or rude, which was honestly relieving and appreciated. I always have to think of worst case scenarios, so I was pleasantly surprised when this all ended on high notes.

Overall, now I feel I can have clear, authentic communication with my friend, when in reality I didn’t always feel that way before. As I’ve talked about many times in this blog, I am a recovering people-pleaser, and with that I have had to realize how much of a disservice I have been giving my friendships by not being open and honest when I’m feeling bothered by something. I swept things under the rug because it felt easier than facing conflict, especially when my mind always goes to the worst possible case scenario- but this only harmed myself and my friendships.

They had no clue I was bothered, I built up resentment that I could easily push away, but in reality we will end up getting triggered again and then all of the things we “pushed away,” just resurface. Until we address and resolve our issues, the cycles will continue to repeat. This time around, I did not want that to continue. No matter how difficult a conversation may be, I have to stay true to myself. I deserve to feel authentic and comfortable in my life and my relationships, so it’s up to me to be honest with myself and with those I love.

I am feeling so good this season. Astrologically it makes sense considering it is now Leo season and your girl here is a Leo herself! Leo sun, and rising here, and I am finally leaning into my confidence and my authenticity. I am so proud of myself for all of the work I’ve been doing for my mental health, and I am excited to see how much I grow over this next year. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 🤍✨

Sleepy Sunday

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Last night I had the best time with one of my good friends and her boyfriend because WE WENT TO WISCANSIN FEST!! We got to see our favorite singers/rappers from our middle school/high school days like T-Pain, Soulja Boy, Akon, Waka Flaka, and Pink Sweats! I actually discovered Pink Sweats in my more recent years, but literally it was such an amazing time!

We got to the festival in Milwaukee around 4pm and T-pain didn’t even go on until 11pm, so it was a pretty long night for me, but again all 100% worth it!!! T-pain was on the balcony watching his friends perform and my friend and I looked up and waved at him and he literally waved back to us!! We were so excited like little kids LOL but honestly it was the best.

Today I plan to lay in bed for as long as I can. I already got up to shower and I know I have to eat something here, but other than that I am exhausted. I’m glad I got all my laundry done and made my lunches for the week on Friday, because I knew I’d be tired today.

Overall, I had an amazing weekend. I got to have lunch with a friend I haven’t seen in several years after I got off on Friday, and then of course going to this festival was a huge highlight! I am just feeling so happy and grateful for this life!

Time with Him

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Who do you spend the most time with?

I spend the most time with my fiancé, which makes sense considering we live together. I did think about how we’re both away at work for 40 hours a week, but even with that and the time I take to socialize with friends, he definitely gets most of my time and that’s how I like it!

My fiancé is my favorite person, so naturally it makes sense that most of my time would be spent hanging out with him. I love his presence, I love our conversations and how well we communicate with each other, and overall I am just so happy to have him in my life!

Simple Joy

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Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.

A simple thing I do that brings me joy is practicing gratitude. When I am feeling lost and chaotic within my brain, taking a pause to count my blessings really brings me back to the present, and brings me a sense of peace.

I’ve actually been feeling off the past few days, and I haven’t actually sat in stillness to remember all that I have to be grateful for, so I’ll take that opportunity now.

1. I am grateful for my fiancé. The fact that we have built a solid foundation over the past twelve years keeps me at peace as we get closer to our wedding date and starting a family. He has been such a patient, supportive man throughout even the worst of time, and I am so grateful to be loved by him, and so very grateful to love him as well.

2. I am grateful for my cats. It’s so crazy to think we adopted our first cat, Sky, almost nine years ago! She’s so sweet and cuddly and totally my baby. Mushu we rescued under someone’s porch only a few months after we adopted Sky, and at only four weeks old we had to bottle feed her and teach her how to use the litter and she truly did feel like our baby. Deacon we adopted from our old tattoo artist as she was moving out of state and told us she never bonded with him, which of course made me really sad- so we took him in and he is 100% my fiancé’s cat. He is always cuddling with him, and sometimes he will with me too. I feel so lucky to have our three black cats and to have them all here and healthy with us now.

3. I am grateful for our home and everything within in. We are blessed to have electricity, gas, water and all of our appliances and items. The fact that we get to wake up in a bed with a roof over our head is truly a blessing, and that’s not one I want to take for granted. We are so fortunate to have our home.

4. I am grateful for music. Music is something that can help me to escape, but also help me reconnect to myself all at the same time. Singing and dancing along to the songs I love makes me feel so free and happy. I love how there is such a variety of music in the world so that everyone can find something they like.

5. I am grateful for my health. I can walk, talk, breathe, eat and use the bathroom without any assistance or issues, and as someone who has dealt with bouts of horrendous back pain, I am grateful to be where I am today. My heart beats and my lungs breathe all for me without me even having to think about it, and that is a huge blessing. I am also grateful for access to healthcare, as both physical and mental therapy have been so helpful for me and my journey.

Overall, life has joy all around. Sometimes it feels harder to see it/feel it, but focusing on gratitude really helps to bring me back to how wonderful life is.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this beautiful life.

Wednesday Morning

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I’m grateful to be waking up in a cozy bed next to the love of my life.

I am grateful for the birds chirping and that the storms have calmed down.

I am grateful for rest and good sleep.

I am grateful for access too food and water, as well as the iced coffee I’ll be having in about an hour.

I am grateful to have loving, healthy cats.

I am grateful for our home and our love.

Thank you for this beautiful day.

Thank you for this beautiful life.

Monday Monday Monday

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Today I am tired, but that’s because it’s cloudy out and my weekend was full of fun and good company! My mom and I went shopping and found her an outfit to wear to my wedding, and it was actually the first thing she tried on! She got some cute, flows pants which are perfect for the beach and then a solid cream top! We also found earrings for me to wear and some cute clothes for vacation!

My fiancé and I went to a brewery with this best friend this weekend which was also nice. We had good beer, ordered some yummy pizza from the place next door and just got to enjoy the outdoors! His friend’s dog was with us and she is so well-behaved, but she is also a great guard dog. There were a couple of people stumbling around near us (cops were already nearby trying to handle them), and immediately she was on guard and ready to let them know that they weren’t to come near us.

Yesterday was a more productive day just spent with my fiancé! We got some cleaning done and picked up our groceries as well, and then I cleaned up and re-twisted his dreads at the end of the day! I love days where we just get to spend time together and get ourselves all set for the week.

This week leads up to a long weekend and if weather permits, we will be going on our friend’s boat on Saturday! If weather does not permit, I’ll likely just do more purging around the house and get a schedule together for myself for the week ahead! During the week I have a nail appt and a dinner date with a friend, so those will be nice little self care things to get me through the week!

My lunch break here is almost done so I’m gonna enjoy my yogurt and get back to it! I hope everyone has a great week ahead ✨

Rest Day

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It’s a gorgeous day outside, and I am currently sitting in my papasan chair with my cat laying on my torso. I went on a walk this morning which was very refreshing and peaceful. Once I got back home, my fiancé and I went on a scenic drive out to grab some lunch and we treated ourselves to the new summer berry lemonade refreshers from Starbucks.

I decided to read a little while he is playing VR and after a chapter with Mushu purring on me I was quickly falling into a nap. Today is a day to rest and really soak up the love around me. I am so grateful for this life, and I’m happy to be present in these beautiful moments.