Life Lately

I have been lacking free time lately, in favour of being a good team player and putting in extra hours at work. It can be tiring at times, but overall I would say that I’m still very happy with my job and don’t feel like my quality of life has diminished.If I were in this situation a year ago, I think I’d be a different person. Most likely I’d be miserable and pessimistic. Moving into this new role has been incredible for me, but I think the real catalyst has been moving close enough to work that I can just walk there.I recently read this: “Researchers found that if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.”My jaw dropped. It is SO true. Ever since I shortened my commute, I have been a significantly happier person. The change has been dramatic. I thought it was maybe because I was making a conscious effort to find joy in the little things…but I think I now find joy more easily because I’m already so happy!Another practice I’ve been incorporating is keeping up with my Five Minute Journal. It’s really a gratitude journal, and is similar in tone to the Rose-Thorn-Bud method. Each morning I write down three things I’m grateful for, three things that would make the day great, and my “daily affirmation” (which is like a high-five to myself. “I am a sassy, strong, special snowflake!”hehe). In the evening I write three awesome things that happened during my day, and one thing that could have been better. It sounds corny, and I suppose it is, but I truly have found that I feel happier and more uplifted when I write in it regularly.Ok, other life updates:

New Year’s Resolutions

It’s a quarter of the way through the year! I didn’t share my resolutions with you for 2017 because many of them were quite personal, but I’ll give you an update on my progress with a couple of them:12 Arts and Culture Experiences:I resolved to get more involved in the arts and culture scene in Toronto. So far I’ve been and seen:

• Kronos Quartet and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra perform some pieces as part of Canada 150
• Pinnochio at the National Ballet of Canada (absolutely INCREDIBLE)
• Mysteriously Yours, dinner and show. Super campy, super entertaining, right up my alley :) Yes, this counts as “arts and culture” because it was very talented performance art!

Upcoming:

• Book of Mormon
• Best of Rodgers and Hammerstein performed by Toronto Symphony Orchestra
• Georgia O’Keeffe at the AGO

If you have any recommendations, please pass them along!I’m also going to try and read 40 books this year - a lofty goal. I keep choosing really long books, so I don’t know if I’ll make it, but at least I’m enjoying them!I’ve read 3 so far. One series I’ve really enjoyed  is The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin. It’s a post-apocalyptic story which involves a vampire-like virus and many storylines and characters interwoven through different periods in time…and it’s actually way better than how I’m describing it. If you told me to read a book about vampires and the end of the world, I’d probably roll my eyes. But this is not that! This is beautifully written pages, with lines and paragraphs that I actually re-read because they are so poignant. It’s also sad and gripping and exciting. It’s definitely a time investment, but I think it’s worth it. I wouldn't be surprised if the trilogy is turned into a movie soon!

Body Positivity

I’m in a weird stage in my life where I’m not being very nice to myself. As a grown woman and a strong feminist, I’m sort of embarrassed to admit it. But I struggle a lot. I am really, really hard on myself if I don’t exercise everyday, and I say things to myself in the mirror that I’d never say to my best friend or younger sister, or anyone else. Body positive role models and campaigns have actually been quite helpful for me. I’ve started following Iskra Lawrence and watching interesting TED talks to help me embrace my body, and practice self-care. Here are a few TED talks I’ve bookmarked enjoyed:Beauty SicknessThe Dangerous Way Ads See WomenA New Standard of Beauty

Things I’ve Been Loving

Just ‘cause:

• My mom jeans
• Listening to old playlists featuring The Strokes
• Dark purple eyeliner
• Ben & Jerry’s peanut butter half baked ice cream
• Gorgeous orangey pinky purply golden sunrises
• Extra daylight
• Chrissy Teigen snapchats
• Friends, and all the lovely texts, memes, and hugs that come along with them

Thanks for reading xoxo