Reflecting

Today was one of those days: cold on the outside, but warm on the inside. It's been a chilly 45 degrees all day, yet the sudden drop in temperature hasn't dampened my mood. Instead, it seemed that the grey skies and fallen leaves added to a certain seasonal atmosphere that I felt for the first time this year today. One of those picturesque days where something like this would happen:

The protagonist of the story, a high school senior, walks out of her gorgeous, three story, red brick, hundred-year-old school. She braves the blustery wind as she looks both ways to cross the street to her car. The burgundy of her thick, woolen sweater matches the blowing leaves almost perfectly. Between the comfort of her sweater and the warmth of her corduroys, she can enjoy the cool fall weather. She places her towering stack of textbooks on top of her car as she unlocks it and shoves her trendy, ecologically-friendly backpack into the back seat. Her car quickly warms up as she drives home, with Jack Johnson crooning in the background. Her drive home is filled with thinking, reflecting, and appreciating; she is woken from her trance when she reaches home. Hmm. That went quickly, she mused. The cold only stings her for a few second before she walks inside her welcoming home. Inside, it is bright and warm. Dinner is simmering on the stove; her puppy enthusiastically greets her; her wrinkly grandmother sits in front of the fireplace reading a newspaper. Aaahh. How nice. Her phone buzzes as she puts her books and backpack down- it's the handsome boy from school who she hasn't talked to in a while. He can wait- Jane Eyre is calling her name. She heads to the sofa, pulls a blanket over her lap, and her puppy curls up next to her. As she is reading, her attentive mother brings her a cup of hot tea. How wonderful. It was one of those days.

This may not have been exactly how my day happened, but certainly the feeling I took from it. Sure, my day was tiring (it's a Monday), but overall satisfying. So I leave for now with these, my five rules of life. This is how I get through my day:

1) Smile often- CHOOSE to smile. It sounds silly, but the longer you make yourself smile, the more you forget that you were making yourself smile in the first place. Happiness can often be a choice. So choose it.

2) Learn to laugh at yourself. One must be able to not only recognize his/her mistakes, but take them with a grain of salt. Acknowledge your mistakes and your faults, but don't be too hard on yourself. Learning to laugh at myself has saved me from countless awkward social situations.

3) Look for the beauty in others. There is something special about everyone, and I wish people would realize that. No one is boring or uninteresting, because everyone is different. There is something to learn from/about everyone. So find it. Find your passion to learn about and to get to know others. Learn to value others.

4) Do what you're good at and be confident in it. Especially this year, I've found following my passions more important than ever. I have one year of my childhood left, and I want to spend it doing what I want. Chances are, if you're not good at it, it doesn't make you happy. So stop! Do what you're good at, work hard at it, and take pride in it. Easy.

5) Love without question. Love because everyone needs someone to love them. Love because you like being needed. Love because you never know when someone will need it. Regardless, Love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-QKFbNU2CY