Fairy Dust

1. Finding an on-campus job is difficult.

2. Don't leave 8-10 page papers to the last minute.

3. Christmas gifts are hard to think of.

4. Think happy thoughts and the fairy dust will do the rest.

A lot has gone wrong in the past two days. First off, I procrastinated a 8-10 page paper until last night and it wasn't simply a analytical paper; it was a research paper on the use and effectiveness of meditation in anxiety treatment. I had all of my research done, but I had to paraphrase, use, and weave together 14 sources eloquently. I didn't really start the paper until about 8pm last night and I didn't finish it until 2:30am. Then I had to get up at 6:45.

Second, I spilled tea all over my desk. I save my computer, but my case now smells like mint tea.

Third,  I opened my email inbox yesterday and there, waiting for me to read, was an email telling me if I got an on-campus job. I read it and turns out I didn't get it. This is the third for fourth job I applied to and didn't get. I felt so defeated and quite angry that I still didn't have a job. I'm mean, come on! I am a hard worker and I am super organized and quite personal.

Fourth, because it's Christmas concert season and the semester is coming to a close, every single one of my friends has a different schedule from each other...so we haven't seen much of each other. Although I see them nearly every day, I still miss the contact I get.

A lot has gone wrong. But, then again, a lot has gone right. I got a Subway gift card in the mail from a foundation that gave me a scholarship, I got a washing machine right away tonight, I got to wear my costume for the first time for the 10 minute scene I'm in, and one of my good friends from high school who I haven't seen since mid-summer might be coming to stay with me for a few days.

We tend to focus on the terrible things of a day. Bad energy, like all energy, is contagious. And bad energy requires less of us - it's easy to succumb to. If we let the bad things get us down, we tend to stay down because, well, sometimes it's easier to complain than it is to smile.

But smiling isn't all that hard. "You just think happy thoughts. They lift you into the air," as said by Wendy in Peter Pan. Good energy breeds good energy. It picks you up off your feet and gives you a little nudge to keep on going.

So don't let bad thoughts bring you down because then you can't fly. And who doesn't want to do that?

Peace!

-Nicole

That Melancholy Feeling

1. It's so much fun to be with your sister, especially if it is the second time you've met.
2. Halloween candy is quite delicious.
3. Get your assignments done before class, just so you don't have to catch up later.
4. Life has it's ups and downs.

I have been ridiculously happy lately. It's been sort of crazy. I have so much going for me to be happy for. I can't seem to find anything to be sad about. Sure, there are things to be sad about, but it seems nothing will bring me down. And it's easy to see why: I have amazing friends, I love my college, and I am pretty emotionally stable.

I was talking with Megan last night about being happy. We had spent most of the evening with Melissa and Sally (a girl on our floor), just telling stories and laughing. I was already excited when I met up with them at around 7 because I had just spent the last few hours with my sister and my nephew. When I met with them, they were jittery and full of energy. We spent nearly 3 hours laughing. Later on, when I was talking with Megan, I said I had a headache. "Too much happiness?" she asked. I quickly responded, "Never too much happiness!" Then, Megan being the psychology major she is, she said, "In psychology we talked about how one can have too much happiness. If you're constantly happy, that's a lot of wear and tear. If you're constantly depressed, it's the same thing. If you experience a balance of highs and lows, you maintain overall balance."


That got me thinking. Sure, everyone wants to be happy and we all strive to make everyone else happy too. But I have always believed that there should be contrasts. Take love. In order to know what love is, we need to know what hate is. If we don't know what hate is, then we would never appreciate the other side of the coin - love. It seems the same is true for happiness. If we don't know what sadness feels likes, then how can we appreciate happiness?


Megan, Melissa, and I went to a play on Friday night called Melancholy Play by Sarah Ruhl. The basic premise of the play is about a woman named Tilly who is very, very melancholy. As the play progresses, she meets a few friends and they are all fascinated by her. Tilly often goes off on tangents about life and her friends soon fall in love with who she is. But then, because Tilly senses this love, she becomes dramatically happy. She almost becomes insane with happiness. But then Tilly's friends, who were once quite happy, become melancholy because Tilly isn't teaching them the things they craved to know. She notices her friends' unhappiness but doesn't know how to feel sadness for her friends because she has been wrapped up in her happiness.

We need both happiness and sadness to be balanced and content. For the past few days, I have been fearing my "downfall" from my happiness. I love the way I feel when I'm happy. Who doesn't? But sometimes it does get a bit tiring, being so happy all the time. And we need to feel all range of emotions to be well-rounded - it's what we all learn in 7th grade health.

So, don't fear sadness or melancholy. Often that's when we appreciate things the most. We need a balance. Be happy for a while, but also let yourself fall into sadness for a while. Always know that happiness will come your way again.

Peace!

-Nicole

Simple Pleasures

1. Being attacked by leaves is not fun.

2. Close your window when it is windy...the window might fall off.

3. The library does close at 5pm.

4. Take joy in the little things.

I was sitting in my room today with my friend Brianna and Megan. Brianna said, "I think it is weird that people get really excited for going to Walmart. Carpooling to Walmart is an event around here." So, then we began to discuss how college has brought us back to simple pleasures. Here is our list:

1. Carpooling to Walmart
2. Pancakes
3. Oregon Trail
4. Pillow Pets
5. Hot tea & Peace tea
6. Free printing
7. Cross walk signal is already at 'Walk'
8. Squirrels
9. Having a table open at dinner
10. When the roommate is gone
11. Mail
12. Eating Nutella
13. Taking a nap
14. Sitting on a couch
15. TV
16. Stamps
17. Sunshine
18. Throwing leaves at people
19. Disney movies
20. Coloring books
21. Bubble wrap
22. Chalk
23. Dairy Queen
24. Falling leaves in the sunshine
25. Soft grass
26. Cancelled class
27. Skipping
28. Having to evacuate and class is cancelled
29. Free food
30. Having a good hair day
31. Back scratching
32. Seeing people sleep in the library
33. Chasing squirrels
34. Back massages
35. Butterflies
36. When your mint opens easily
37. Tickling
38. Hot chocolate
39. Good smells
40. Snooze button
41. Fresh laundry
42. Star gazing
43. Cookie dough
44. Captain Crunch
45. Fuzzy socks

So, here is my lesson: life doesn't have to be about the big things or the most exciting. It's about the simple pleasures. Take joy in life.

Peace!

-Nicole

Little Things

1. Writer's block is never fun.
2. Notecards are truly amazing.
3. Harmonizing to "Tonight Tonight" can sound pretty cool.
4. The little things are such a blessing.

Today, I woke up and climbed out of my bed. The first thing I thought was, "Today is going to be a struggle." Now, typically I am a morning person, but today just I wasn't. I couldn't think in my writing class nor could I clear my mind enough to meditate in my Buddhism class. This morning was simply a ride on the 'struggle bus'.

Then afternoon came, which was better. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and put some favorite music on. I got most of my homework finished and I got my head wrapped around a few projects. I went to Spanish tutoring (line of the night: If you eat bacon before you swim, you'll die.) and finally bought some milk. I got a letter from a friend who I see every day, but it still made me smile. I ate dinner with a few friends and ended up laughing most of the time. Then, I ended my night sitting on my floor, back to back with a close friend, talking and attempting to do homework.

Every thing listed made me a bit happier. And everything on it was a little thing, seemingly not too exciting. But everything did make me feel better. Finishing over-due assignments, getting a letter from a person I just saw, talking with someone. I am finding that its the little things that make life...

Well...life.

Peace!

-Nicole